By Euclid 419er

As Waiters-gate continues to fizz, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team touches down in Milwaukee flatter than a day-old Schlitz.  Scoop is still mired in a slump.  Melo continues to be invisible.  Southerland is not providing the necessary spark off the bench.  And the burden on Ricky is starting to show.  Over the three game skid, Syracuse’s opponents are on average shooting over 50 percent. And at times, the team looks flat out lost.  

Even as the sting from the Seton Hall slaughter has yet to subside, ‘Cuse heads to the Brew City to try to maintain its perfect record against Marquette and ruin the travesty that is National Marquette Day. There’s a lot riding on this game for both teams.  Syracuse is badly in need of a win to restore confidence and the schedule ain’t getting any easier. After Marquette, it’s on to UConn.  And while one would hope that South Florida a week from tomorrow would be a respite, we’ve got Georgetown and Louisville after that.  A win against a good (not great) team like Marquette could help Syracuse prove the Seton Hall loss, and not the Notre Dame win, was a fluke.

Marquette Snapshot

In Marquette (13-8, 4-4), Syracuse will face a team whose MO is coming up just short.  The Warriors’ Golden Eagles’ eight losses are all to teams that were either ranked at the time they played Marquette or are currently ranked.  The losses – on a neutral floor to Duke and Gonzaga, at home to Wisconsin and UConn and on the road to Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Pitt and Louisville (the infamous collapse after leading by 17 with under six minutes to play) – were all by single digits. Marquette does have enough big games left – Villanova, Georgetown and another shot at UConn in addition to Saturday’s clash with the ‘Cuse – in which they could earn back some cred.    But some commentators, such as ESPN’s Andy Katz, are beginning to relegate Marquette to the NIT.  Marquette’s one key victory, like Syracuse, was a home win against Notre Dame.  

Marquette Coach Buzz Williams is once again doing a good job of getting a lot out of guys he picked up off the scrap heap.  Darius Johnson-Odom, who transferred to Marquette after starring in the junior college ranks at Hutchinson Community College in South Carolina, leads the team in scoring.  He’s also good at dunking.  Jae Crowder is the reigning junior college player of the year and helped Howard College to its first national title last year.  His dad, Corey Crowder, played a couple seasons in the NBA in the early 90s.  

Jimmy Butler, the talented junior forward, is having a quieter-than-expected season.  With the loss of Lazar Hayward, all eyes turned to Butler.  He’s had a good year, averaging 15.5 points, but in crunch time, he has failed to put the team on his back and put them over the top.  Case in point, after Marquette built up a lead over Notre Dame in South Bend, Butler went 0-8 as the Irish came back to win it.

So, now that we know our enemy, here are my questions heading into tomorrow’s game (3:00 ET ESPNU).

Questions

Does Waiters play?

He will…I think.

Does Scoop snap out of it?

As Boeheim said, our veterans need to get going if Syracuse is going to do anything this season, and that starts with Scoop.  Every aspect of his game – from scoring more points to limiting turnovers – needs to improve toot sweet.

Can Syracuse slow down the highest-scoring offense in the Big East?

Marquette is leading the Big East in scoring, putting up 80 points per game.  Syracuse is the third-best scoring defense in the league, giving up under 63 per game.  Something’s gotta give.

Will Syracuse’s size advantage loom large?

Marquette does not have a lot of size and the size the do have, Center Chris Otule, has not been playing well. Butler (6’7”) will be tied up with Kris Joseph.  But Syracuse does have a good opportunity to get a lot of boards and second chance points.  Look for Keita to get some extra time to help take advantage of what may be the most favorable match-up of the conference season.  And of course, Rick Jackson could have a monster game.  

Decided at the line?

Marquette is not a great from behind the arc yet, as I mentioned, scores an awful lot.  Why?  They get to the line.  Even though they shoot just shy of 70 percent from the line, the Golden Eagles have attempted the third-most free throws in the league.  Syracuse has just been awful from the charity stripe.  In a close game, this could be the decider.  

Will Syracuse continue to surrender the three-ball?

Marquette is not 3-happy and is near the bottom of the league in attempts but even a casual glance at the film from Syracuse’s last three games would show that they’ve been a bit susceptible from long range as of late, so Marquette might see an opening.  And despite the limited attempts, when they shoot it, they can hit it, averaging over 37 percent as a team.  Senior guard Dwight Buycks is shooting 44 percent from three-point range and Crowder will also chuck ‘em up, hitting North of 40 percent.

So is Marquette a “must win”?  Well, no.  Syracuse is still a virtual lock for the tournament.  But if they want one of those top four slots come Big East Tournament time, the margin for error is getting awfully slim.  

Personally, this game will be among the highlights of the year for me.  As a Milwaukee native, I am finally making the pilgrimage back to “The Good Land” and to be in attendance as Syracuse tries to get off the schneid.  So pass me a High Life and a brat, crank the BoDeans and let’s roll out the barrel on our way to a ‘Cuse win.