With nine days until tipoff, Marquette defense focused on ‘turkeys’

By Mark Strotman

With just nine days until Marquette tips off its 2011-2012 season (yes, we are excited, too), Buzz Williams’ group is working out any last kinks before they hit the Al McGuire court against Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 11.

This past Sunday, the team traveled to Kansas State face Frank Martin’s Wildcats. NCAA rules prohibit teams to comment on the closed scrimmage, but senior forward Jae Crowder said the purpose of the scrimmage was beneficial.

“It keeps letting us know what we have to work on, what are weaknesses and strengths are going into the season,” Crowder said. “And it’s very physical out there, so it’s keeping us humble and keeping our heads down to keep working on things we need to work on.”

CBS Sport’s Jeff Goodman tweeted that Vander Blue was especially impressive in the Sunday scrimmage, which is a good sign for the sophomore guard.

Marquette will play at George Mason this Saturday in another closed scrimmage, their final tune-up before opening night at the Bradley Center.

Jamail Jones said the team is antsy to get on the court but still focused on making improvements during this final week of the preseason.

He also revealed that the team is focusing defensively on racking up “turkeys.” Much like the term used in bowling for three strikes in a row, the team is awarded a “turkey” when they get three defensive stops in a row.

“That’s really our main focus, is how many turkeys can we get throughout the game,” Jones said. “So defense, defense, defense, really.”

Crowder also said the team is using this final week of preparation to improve on weak areas that came up at the end of last season.

“We’re focusing on all the things that came up last year, the things we couldn’t get back,” Crowder said. “Whether it be defensively or offensively, it’s about being ahead of our game on those things and capitalizing on the things we need to work on.”