MU eyes consistency as Big East season begins
The Marquette men’s basketball team flew to Omaha, Nebraska, immediately after its 69-60 loss at UCLA on Friday.
There’s no rest for a team trying to figure out how to get better.
The Golden Eagles (4-2) open Big East play at Creighton (4-1) on Monday, and the 20-game conference schedule promises to be grueling. The challenges will keep coming.
The obvious theme in both of the Golden Eagles’ losses is their carelessness with the ball. MU coughed the ball up 24 times against Oklahoma State and 18 against the Bruins.
“When we watch the tape, there’s obviously going to be a number of areas we can point out in terms of improvement,” MU head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “But the thing that jumps off the page is the empty possessions.
“We turn it over and there’s really no business for us to turn it over. So we have to solve that. In our two losses, we’ve spotted teams double figures in points off our turnovers. That’s just not a recipe for success.”
The Golden Eagles are still finding their identity on offense with key newcomers D.J. Carton, a sophomore transfer from Ohio State, and freshman forwards Dawson Garcia and Justin Lewis.
Carton seems to be settling in. He had a team-high 18 points against UCLA, though only four in the second half.
The freshmen are taking some firstyear lumps.
“Those two kids are going to be outstanding players,” Wojciechowski said. “This is new for them, being on the road. It’s the first time we’ve had a chance to travel away from Milwaukee ... it’s the first time that most of us have been on a plane since March. These road trips, there’s a lot of new things that they’re learning.”
Garcia scored 12 points against UCLA, but shot just 3 for 12. He missed all four of his three-point attempts.
“Dawson had some good looks,” Wojciechowski said. “Had the ball by the basket some. We as a team and Dawson as well, we got to be stronger when we get the ball inside and finish.”
Garcia has had several shot attempts blocked by the rim this season. The McDonald’s All-American is adjusting to a new level of skill and physicality.
“It’s hard being a freshman in a major conference,” MU senior guard Koby McEwen said. “Especially like with Dawson, you got all the hype behind you. Justin, too, he was a top-60 player coming out of high school. You got a lot of hype coming behind you.
“Sometimes the pressure can get to you. But our guys are more mature than that. They take a professional approach every single day.”
Lewis has been an incredible rebounder. He had 18 points and eight boards against Wisconsin, including the winning tap-in at the buzzer. But in MU’s last two games combined he has just nine points and six rebounds.
Against the Bruins, Lewis picked up three quick fouls in the first half and played just 12 minutes.
“I feel bad for him because he was really hamstrung by foul trouble,” Wojciechowski said. “I don’t think he ever got a rhythm of the game because he was having to be taken out a lot. Because he was in serious, serious foul trouble.”
Garcia and Lewis will be key players for MU’s success in the Big East. They are both versatile forwards who present matchup problems. It’s just a steep learning curve.
“They’re going to make mistakes,” McEwen said. “Sometimes it’s going to feel like hell, like they can’t make a basket, they can’t do anything right. That’s just being a freshman.
“I went through that. With a guy like me, Theo (John) and Jamal (Cain), who have seen the highest of the highs and lowest of the lows, we got to kind of help them find the middle ground and drag them along the way. Even some days they don’t want to be dragged, you got to pull them by the neck.”
The journey continues on Monday.