3-point shooting
What's the problem?
Marquette's perimeter shooting is below average. There is no other way to put it. Entering Monday's game at Louisville, Marquette made just 31.8 percent of its three-pointers this season. For a team without a post player who can draw double teams, three-point shooting is necessary to keep the defense honest and open up driving lanes.
The Golden Eagles often have overcome this deficiency by scoring easy buckets in transition. In addition, aggressive defenses, whether man-to-man (Texas Tech, Duke) or zone (West Virginia), have forced the Golden Eagles to attack the basket, which has created more ball movement, driving lanes and open looks in halfcourt sets.
Against opponents such as Idaho State, Providence and Syracuse that used more passive 2-3 zones, however, Marquette settled for perimeter jumpers instead of attacking a lane congested with defenders. In those three games, the Golden Eagles shot a combined 13-of-69 (18.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
Can it be fixed?
This squad likely won't ever light it up from outside, but shot selection is within its control. Marquette is effective when it takes three-pointers on drive-and-kicks, as it did against West Virginia when it made 8-of-14 treys. But when the team gets trigger-happy and starts gunning them off the dribble over tightly-packed defenses, shooting woes ensue. The Golden Eagles also could benefit from finding more shooting opportunities for freshman David Cubillan, who is making 49.1 percent of his three-pointers.
Barro's production
What's working?
Although Ousmane Barro showed promise at the end of last season, questions lingered about whether the 6-foot-10 forward could provide steady production in Marquette's frontcourt over the course of a whole season.
The junior has answered most of those questions. Barro's minutes and scoring have nearly doubled, and he has increased his rebounding average from 2.8 to 6.6 per game. His 17-point, 13-rebound performance at Connecticut likely raised eyebrows around the conference. Although he still struggles when he tries to create his own shot and can be a defensive liability – and don't play the Josh McRoberts card; McRoberts shut down himself in Marquette's win over Duke – Barro has given the team everything it could have realistically asked of him.
<strong?Can he keep it up?
Barro's finishing around the basket appears polished and stable. It's the other end of the court where he will face the stiffest challenges. The daunting frontcourts of Pittsburgh and Georgetown, featuring 7-footers Aaron Gray and Roy Hibbert, loom ahead on the Golden Eagles' schedule. Taking a game from the team's home-and-home with Pittsburgh this season would do wonders for Marquette's NCAA tournament résumé, and Barro's defense will be telling.
Fast-break offense
What's working?
It's no secret that Marquette's best mode of attack is fast-break scoring. When the team can get stops or force turnovers on the defensive end, its speed in transition can devastate opponents. The Golden Eagles have had no trouble forcing mistakes and capitalizing off them. Their opponents have averaged more than 20 turnovers per game, and Marquette has scored 22.3 points per game off turnovers. Sophomore Jerel McNeal, who leads the nation with 60 steals, has been the most effective catalyst for the transition game.
Can they keep it up?
There is no indication the team's ability to create easy buckets off turnovers will slow down. Even Wisconsin's experienced and well-disciplined backcourt had trouble with Marquette's defensive pressure; although they won the game, the Badgers turned the ball over 22 times. Head coach Tom Crean does not often use a full-court press to create turnovers, but the quick hands of McNeal and Dominic James along with the team's speed and athleticism gives Marquette a formidable press defense late in games.
McNeal's turnovers
What's the problem?
Have the media become numb to Jerel McNeal's turnover outbreak? His seven giveaways against West Virginia marked the fourth consecutive game in which he had committed six or more, and he is averaging more than four per game on the season, but reporters in Saturday's post-game press conference, including yours truly, neglected to ask McNeal or head coach Tom Crean about what they are doing to limit the guard's mistakes. Maybe it didn't matter in an 18-point win over a ranked opponent on national television, but the numbers speak for themselves. Three turnovers, fine. Seven turnovers, not so much.
Can it be fixed?
Crean said in the beginning of the season that he didn't want to take away McNeal's aggressiveness, and the sophomore indeed has prospered (14.7 ppg, 3.9 apg). But a player's maturation process involves improving one's decision-making. McNeal is bound to cut down on his mistakes as he gains more experience (it wasn't too long ago when sophomores in the college game still were viewed as unfinished products), though it doesn't appear likely that it will happen this season.