Marquette 49, Georgetown 48
This was a tight game the whole way through between two great defensive teams. Both are tough to drive on - for Georgetown it is because of their length, while Marquette's defenders have quick hands that create a lot of steals. This was more of a great defensive battle that was fun to watch as opposed to an ugly offensive affair.
Otto Porter finished with 13 points and lead the Hoyas with 13 shot attempts. He was able to get a lot of good looks in the mid-range area, where he is generally very successful with his jumper. Porter isn't a guy who creates these mid-range looks with the ball in his hands, instead he has an old school approach where he actually spots up from 15-18 feet. He has no problem getting his shot off in this area with his quick, high release. Porter also gets mid-range looks off curls and post up opportunities. He has solid fundamentals in the post and can hit contested turnaround jumpers.
His ball handling isn't very creative and he lacks an explosive first step. On a couple of occasions, he had trouble creating any kind of space against Jamil Wilson. Porter's go-to off the dribble move is a behind the back move, which is mainly only successful in creating a small space for jumpers.
When he does get penetration, Porter is a great passer and has the length and smoothness to finish at the rim - but again, he isn't very explosive. One thing I like about Porter is that he is always around the boards when the shot goes up and looking for someone to box out. There are a lot of parts that scream "old school" about his game and his toughness is one of them. It goes back to the days of pickup basketball against his dad and uncles.
Defensively, Porter is a great team defender who creates problems with his feel for the game and length. He stuffs the box score with steals and blocks. He is versatile and can cover just about anyone in the college game. In the NBA, his versatility, IQ, and length should make him an above average defender although he will struggle more with the spacing of the NBA game. He is not especially quick laterally.
Vander Blue - Blue continues to hit jumpers this year, a new development in his game. He takes some extremely tough, acrobatic shots and has a knack for making them. These high percentage shots aren't ideal, but certainly show his talent. He needs to be a much more reliable threat spotting up though. He's like a wide receiver who makes the highlight reel plays, but struggles to make the routine plays consistently.
After a strong game against UConn, Junior Cadougan couldn't make anything vs Georgetown. Cadougan is the heart and soul of the offense and as he goes, so does the scoring. He still was able to manage the game as always though, and helped Marquette squeeze out an ugly win.
Trent Lockett has struggled finding his role with his new team, but played one of his best games thus far, grabbing 10 rebounds. He should become more of a factor in the physical battles that the Big East brings.
This was a tight game the whole way through between two great defensive teams. Both are tough to drive on - for Georgetown it is because of their length, while Marquette's defenders have quick hands that create a lot of steals. This was more of a great defensive battle that was fun to watch as opposed to an ugly offensive affair.
Otto Porter finished with 13 points and lead the Hoyas with 13 shot attempts. He was able to get a lot of good looks in the mid-range area, where he is generally very successful with his jumper. Porter isn't a guy who creates these mid-range looks with the ball in his hands, instead he has an old school approach where he actually spots up from 15-18 feet. He has no problem getting his shot off in this area with his quick, high release. Porter also gets mid-range looks off curls and post up opportunities. He has solid fundamentals in the post and can hit contested turnaround jumpers.
His ball handling isn't very creative and he lacks an explosive first step. On a couple of occasions, he had trouble creating any kind of space against Jamil Wilson. Porter's go-to off the dribble move is a behind the back move, which is mainly only successful in creating a small space for jumpers.
When he does get penetration, Porter is a great passer and has the length and smoothness to finish at the rim - but again, he isn't very explosive. One thing I like about Porter is that he is always around the boards when the shot goes up and looking for someone to box out. There are a lot of parts that scream "old school" about his game and his toughness is one of them. It goes back to the days of pickup basketball against his dad and uncles.
Defensively, Porter is a great team defender who creates problems with his feel for the game and length. He stuffs the box score with steals and blocks. He is versatile and can cover just about anyone in the college game. In the NBA, his versatility, IQ, and length should make him an above average defender although he will struggle more with the spacing of the NBA game. He is not especially quick laterally.
Vander Blue - Blue continues to hit jumpers this year, a new development in his game. He takes some extremely tough, acrobatic shots and has a knack for making them. These high percentage shots aren't ideal, but certainly show his talent. He needs to be a much more reliable threat spotting up though. He's like a wide receiver who makes the highlight reel plays, but struggles to make the routine plays consistently.
After a strong game against UConn, Junior Cadougan couldn't make anything vs Georgetown. Cadougan is the heart and soul of the offense and as he goes, so does the scoring. He still was able to manage the game as always though, and helped Marquette squeeze out an ugly win.
Trent Lockett has struggled finding his role with his new team, but played one of his best games thus far, grabbing 10 rebounds. He should become more of a factor in the physical battles that the Big East brings.
