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The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

5 takeaways from Wisconsin Lutheran

Freshman+Deonte+Burton+looks+on+from+the+bench+in+Marquettes+game+against+Villanova.+%28Photo+by+Mike+Cianciolo+%2F+michael.cianciolo%40marquette.edu%29
Freshman Deonte Burton looks on from the bench in Marquette’s game against Villanova. (Photo by Mike Cianciolo / [email protected])

Marquette defeated Wisconsin Lutheran in their exhibition by a score of 115-47. Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Full court press impressive

Head coach Steve Wojciechowski said with the lack of size on the roster, collectivity would be key, and that mentality was certainly on display in his team’s first game.

On two occasions, Marquette forced two straight turnovers off the press, and it gave Wisconsin Lutheran fits.

“I think it’s a way for us to disrupt the other teams and I think it’s a strength of ours,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “The more they are thinking about our ball pressure on top, maybe the less they are thinking about getting the ball and pounding it inside on us.”

“They’re just so physical,” Wisconsin Lutheran coach Skip Noon said. “While they’re not extremely long they’re quick. They’re on the ball, every pass is challenged.”

Their aggressive defense did not end when WLC managed to get the ball into play. Wisconsin Lutheran turned the ball over 33 times, and the Golden Eagles made them pay with 47 points off those turnovers.

Senior guard Matt Carlino led the team with six steals, while senior forward Juan Anderson and redshirt freshman guard Duane Wilson each had five.

Sloppy first half shooting

Marquette flew past WLC from the start, but there were flaws despite the large lead. Nearly everyone was struggling to score outside of the paint. It took until the 13:37 mark for Marquette to earn a perimeter bucket when Deonte Burton drilled a three.

That would be the only 3-pointer Marquette would score in the first half. They went 1-11 from beyond the arch, four of the missed threes from Carlino. As a whole, the team shot 38 percent in the first half.

Wojciechowski must have said something in his halftime speech, because the Golden Eagles looked like a completely different team in the second half. The Golden Eagles shot 77 percent and an impressive 6-for-9 from 3-point range. Freshman forward Sandy Cohen made all three of his attempts beyond the arc.

Wojciechowski looked at the positive side of the first half, explaining that it is a good sign that the team is seeing success inside based even with a small lineup.

“If we can score in the paint we’ll be happy with that,” Wojciechowski said. “If we’re able to get (into the paint) on the relocation passes… we’ll get better shots.”

No worries with big man rotation

As mentioned previously, the most commonly pointed out flaw for the Golden Eagles is their lack of a true center until Luke Fischer is deemed eligible. Until then, the duties will be split between junior guard Steve Taylor Jr. and Anderson. Wisconsin Lutheran is not a very tall group (their biggest player stands at only 6’7”), but the two looked rather comfortable in their new hybrid roles.

Anderson led the team with a career-high 27 points, and Taylor led the team with 11 rebounds.

“I think it went pretty well, but then again, their big guys aren’t 6’10”,” Anderson said. “We might run into a 6’10” guy against Frank Kaminsky (and Wisconsin) or when we play Ohio State.”

Wojciechowski said the new rotation is still a work in progress. He was not happy with the 30 rebounds Lutheran wrangled in.

“We’re still trying to figure (it) out,” Wojciechowski said. “We have to be a better defensive rebounding team. It has to not just come from our post, but from all five guys.”

Deonte Burton’s personal dunk competition

Sophomore Deonte Burton was a little too aggressive with a dunk attempt in the first half, and the ball ended up bouncing back up to what felt like halfway to the roof. He made sure that he would not make that mistake again.

He made up for the miss with two highlight-worthy dunks, including one that showed his length arguably better than any of his previous slams. Although the dunks were the flashiest part of his day, he had a good game all-around. He finished with 17 points, five assists and three steals.

Solid free throw shooting

One of the few factors in basketball that is unrelated to an opponent’s level of talent is free throw shooting, and Marquette showed good signs from the line. The Golden Eagles made 20 of their 24 free throws on the day, with no player missing more than one of his attempts. Carlino, Duane Wilson, and sophomore Jajuan Johnson were all perfect from the line.

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