Lineup changes have lifted MU out of funk
Marquette was stuck in a funk, losing six of seven games from Jan. 23-Feb. 14.
MU coach Steve Wojciechowski decided to shake things up, changing the starting lineup for the first time since the fourth game of the season.
Junior guard Greg Elliott got the starting nod against Butler on Feb. 17, with senior forward Jamal Cain moving to the bench. Both responded, combining for 31 points and 20 rebounds in a 73-57 win.
Wojciechowski then changed the opening lineup again against North Carolina on Wednesday, putting Cain back in and moving senior guard Koby McEwen to the bench. The result was another hot start and an 83-70 non-conference win on the road.
"Those guys deserve to start based on their play," Wojciechowski said.
The Golden Eagles (11-12, 6-10 Big East) look to keep up the positive momentum in their fifth straight road game when they return to conference play against Connecticut (11-6, 8-6) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The biggest reason Wojciechowski cited in altering the starting lineup was to get more production off the bench. Since freshman forward Justin Lewis suffered an ankle injury, sitting out for six of the last seven games, Wojciechowski has been looking for "juice" from the reserves. Cain provided that with 14 points and 14 rebounds against Butler.
But the biggest beneficiary of the move has been Elliott, who has notched his two highest scoring games at MU with 17 points against Butler and 15 at
North Carolina.
Elliott's three-point shooting has jump-started MU's offense, going 6 for 11 from behind the arc in the two starts. The Golden Eagles built a 16-point lead in the first half against Butler and led by 18 points in the opening 20 minutes against North Carolina.
"That's my shooter," MU freshman forward Dawson Garcia said of Elliott. "He's been killing it. I know if he's open, he's going to knock it down."
Cain got into foul trouble against the Tar Heels, finishing with three points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. But MU's bench players provided solid minutes.
McEwen, junior forward Jose Perez and sophomore point guard Symir Torrence combined for 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including 3 of 6 on threepointers. That trio also had some trouble against North Carolina's full-court defense, committing seven turnovers,
"They gave us a huge lift," Wojciechowski said of their shooting. "That's two games in a row now. That's a very welcomed sight."
The 6-foot-5 Perez has played in five straight games, with injuries to Lewis to freshman forward Oso Ighodaro (foot) leaving the Golden Eagles short-handed. Perez, who transferred to MU after two seasons at Gardner-Webb, has some old-school craftiness to his game. He knocked down a three-pointer and a fade-away in the lane while also battling on defense against the Tar Heels' mammoth front line while Cain and senior center Theo John were on the bench with foul trouble.
McEwen had a team-high six assists against the Tar Heels, threading the needle several times to set up big dunks by John. He also calmly sank a long jumper at the end of the shot clock, pushing MU's lead to 71-61 with 5:01 remaining after North Carolina fought back into the game.
Torrence also knocked down a key shot, draining a three-pointer that gave MU a 63-49 lead with 10:53 remaining. The sophomore needed to see the ball go through the net after going 0 for 6 from long distance since Jan. 27. Torrence, who started the first three games of the season, is just 5 for 32 (15.6%) from deep this season.
"Sy hit huge shot," Wojciechowski said. "Jose was very good. I thought Koby was good of the bench. You don't beat North Carolina without a team effort.
"And that's the guys who start the game, that's guys who get in the game. Everybody who got in the game made winning plays. Not just shots. And that's the thing I'm most proud of."