It wasn't too long ago when those statements would have applied only to Marquette's transition game. The Golden Eagles of old would endure mind-numbing inconsistency if their opponents slowed the game to a halfcourt pace and forced Marquette to shoot free throws.,”
The cut was quick, the pass precise, the shot assured.
It wasn't too long ago when those statements would have applied only to Marquette's transition game. The Golden Eagles of old would endure mind-numbing inconsistency if their opponents slowed the game to a halfcourt pace and forced Marquette to shoot free throws. An overtime scare versus Idaho State here, a convincing victory over Duke there.
This fluctuation has ended during Marquette's current seven-game winning streak, thanks to the team's improved ball movement and shot selection in its halfcourt offense. Head coach Tom Crean has said repeatedly that since the start of the streak, the team has been "taking" threes instead of "creating" them.
No example validated Crean's point better than Dan Fitzgerald's late three-pointer in Saturday's 69-62 win over Providence. Ball rotation on the perimeter freed up a driving lane for sophomore Wesley Matthews, who sucked in the Friars' 2-3 zone and found an open Fitzgerald in the corner.
The junior, who already had connected on three from outside, did not have to create his shot. He just took it. After the shot went down, the score was 65-58.
"He's been shooting the ball with so much confidence and making so many big threes down the stretch, especially throughout this winning streak," sophomore Jerel McNeal said of Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald has benefited most from the improved ball movement in halfcourt sets. After struggling to maintain a starting spot in the middle of the season, Fitzgerald has come off the bench to drain at least two three-pointers in each of his last four games.
Saturday's game provided the biggest test, though, for the Golden Eagles' halfcourt offense, because just a month earlier, the Friars' zone defense frustrated Marquette into a 31.7 percent shooting night.
"We were a lot better attacking the zone (Saturday)," McNeal said. "That was the biggest improvement."
McNeal, who did not play in the teams' first meeting due to injury, and the other Marquette guards frequently broke down Providence's zone by attacking the lane.
"Every time we got in the lane, something good happened," Fitzgerald said. "Their big line was just standing around; we weren't making them move. Just passing around the perimeter doesn't do anything."
Fitzgerald and freshman David Cubillan, the team's other three-point threat off the bench, shot a combined 2-of-10 in Marquette's 74-59 loss at Providence Jan. 4. The two combined to make 6-of-9 three-pointers Saturday as Marquette shot 45.3 percent from the field.
"He and David are shooting the ball with great confidence, and their teammates are doing an excellent job of looking for them," Crean said. "We moved the ball extremely well. … The more you attack, the more (the opponent) has to help, and that's where Dan and David really come in."
If the deep-shooting duo can keep taking open looks, Marquette's halfcourt woes likely will remain in the past. In the team's last three road games (all wins), the Golden Eagles have scored all of 18 fast-break points. Slowing the pace won't necessarily slow Marquette down anymore.
Now, about that foul shooting…
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