The Marquette men’s basketball team may have been in the warm sunshine of the Virgin Islands this past weekend, but it took care of business on the court, making mincemeat of Winthrop (95-73), Mississippi (96-66) and battling Norfolk State to a 59-57 victory. Below is an evaluation of each player’s performance this weekend using an academic scale (A,B,C,D,F).

Senior forward Jae Crowder: In the 96-66 dismantling of Ole Miss, Crowder was an astounding 9-of-11 from the field and hit his first two 3-pointers. He finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. Against Norfolk State he posted his second double-double of the year (14 points, 11 rebounds). Crowder was expected to be the second fiddle to DJO, and he hasn’t disappointed thus far.  A

Senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom: He’s the No. 1 scoring option for this team, and it doesn’t seem like he’s played up to his full abilities yet. Yet, he’s averaging 20 points per game and scored that in all three games of the Paradise Jam tournament. Can’t complain with that production.  A

Redshirt junior center Chris Otule: After his 14 point outburst in the season opener, it was nice to see Otule reach double-digits again in the 95-73 victory over Winthrop (11 points). He is still a work in progress offensively. He had three blocks against a very long Ole Miss squad. He held his ground well and used his length to his advantage — something we’ve come to expect from Otule.  B

Junior guard Junior Cadougan: Now if only the TV people could pronounce his name correctly (Ca-doo-gan, not Ca-di-gan) there’d be something special here. Coach Buzz Williams has dubbed Cadougan his man at the point guard position, and Cadougan has run with it. He posted a consistent eight points and six assists in all three games of the Paradise Jam tournament and has shown an improved jumper from outside.  A-

Sophomore guard Vander Blue: It was a surprise to many when he was inserted into the starting lineup, but Blue has proven his worth. He dropped a career-high 26 points against Winthrop and has only once not posted double-digit points. His offense against Norfolk State was missing (he had zero points). He’s playing near-lockdown defense and is Marquette’s third best player at this point.  A-

Redshirt sophomore forward Jamil Wilson: Wilson was supposed to be the next Jimmy Butler, but he hasn’t had much of an opportunity yet. He played just 10, 19, and 10 minutes (respectively) in the three Paradise Jam contests and appears to be behind Blue and Jamail Jones for playing time at the small forward. Wilson uses his length well on the defensive end of the floor but looks tentative and unsure of himself offensively.  B-

Sophomore forward Jamail Jones: Jones has proven himself as a player that can score in bunches and with great athleticism. His jump shot is smooth and has an aura of confidence to go with it. He needs to get better closing out on defenders though, as he does not always come out under control and has a tendency to commit fouls in those situations, like he did against Ole Miss.  B-

Sophomore forward Davante Gardner: Gardner has proven himself to be much of the same player we saw last year but slimmer. He can still score in bunches off the bench — as he did against Ole Miss with his 15 points. His seven rebounds and points against Norfolk State were huge. But he still gets out hustled to loose basketballs and struggles to put himself in a good position to rebound the basketball.  B

Freshman forward Juan Anderson: In his first game back from his three game suspension, the 30-point victory against Ole Miss, coach Buzz Williams only played him two minutes. He saw zero minutes in the championship. He’s clearly behind on the depth chart with Jamil Wilson, Jamail Jones and Vander Blue as the top three players for the small forward position. It will be interesting to see how his role evolves as his suspension becomes a thing of the past.  F

Freshman guard Derrick Wilson: Defense was his mantra coming into the season, and defense is his mantra now. Wilson can lock down opposing point guards with the best of them. His offense has been non-existent — he scored two points at the Paradise Jam tournament — but Marquette hasn’t needed him to, as it scored 90-plus points in two of the three contests.  B

Freshman guard Todd Mayo: Mayo has hit 8-of-16 field goals at the Paradise Jam tournament and averaged 7.33 points per game over the three game stretch. He has shown a strong offensive ability in the Virgin Islands as well as on the season. His confidence and quick move to the basket have made him a valuable offensive asset off of the bench. B+