Marquette 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Marquette Golden Eagles - Big East (24-9, 10-6)

Seed: #8 - East Region

Big Wins: 11/21 vs Duke (73-62), 1/21 at Pittsburgh (77-74), 3/3 Pittsburgh (75-71)

Bad Losses: 12/2 North Dakota State (60-64), 1/4 at Providence (59-74), 2/14 at DePaul (67-72)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to Alabama

Coach: Tom Crean (4-3 in 3 NCAA appearances)

Probable Marquette Starters:

• Dominic James, Sophomore, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.1 rpg

• Jerel McNeal, Sophomore, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.6 spg

• Wesley Matthews, Sophomore, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg

• Lazar Hayward, Freshman, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg

• Ousmane Barro, Junior, Forward, 8.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg

Key Roleplayers for Marquette:

• David Cubillan, Freshman, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg

• Dan Fitzgerald, Junior, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg

• Jamil Lott, Senior, Forward, 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg

• Dwight Burke, Sophomore, Forward, 0.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews form a great trio of sophomore guards. James is a smart point guard, a great scorer and pesky defender. With two years of experience under his belt, James has become a solid floor leader. Marquette will play the 5-11 Richmond, IN off the ball occasionally to utilize his natural scoring ability.

McNeal will do everything. Even if he does not score 20 points in the game, he can still grab six rebounds, dish out six assists and nab three steals. If McNeal can keep the turnovers down, he will be a complete player. Unfortunately, a thumb injury kept McNeal sidelined for the Big East Tournament, and the Golden Eagles will need him in the NCAA Tournament. Matthews completes the trio of guards and will use his strength and speed to drive the lane and attack the glass on both ends of the floor.

Why Marquette Can Disappoint:
For a team that has three great guards that combine for over 42 points per game, they sure are streaky shooters. All three guards shoot under 32% from beyond the arc, but that does not stop them from taking the long ball. During Marquette’s three game losing streak in mid-February, James was in a huge shooting slump. If the shooting does not come around and the Golden Eagles continue to insist on taking jump shots instead of driving to the basket, it may be a short dance.

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Who To Watch:
The frontcourt is nowhere near as talented as the backcourt, but the group has done a good job accomplishing what the team needs them to. Ousmane Barro is the consistent starter under the basket and has developed into a decent post scorer and rebounder. Sharpshooting Dan Fitzgerald, undersized freshman Lazar Hayward and the athletic Jamil Lott have all earned starts at the power forward spot. All three, especially Fitzgerald and Hayward are capable of being another major scoring option on any given night.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.5 (104th in nation, 6th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.0 (84, 8)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (180, 9)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.7 (83, 10)

Free-Throw Percentage: 67.1 (220, 11)

Rebound Margin: 3.4 (65, 7)

Assists Per Game: 14.2 (114, 9)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.6 (164, 12)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Second Round loss to North Carolina

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