Junior Cadougan: Don’t let the 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting fool you. This was one of the senior point guard’s worst performances of the year. Cadougan (five turnovers) couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm and, in rare form, was poor in transition. He should bounce back, but the box score doesn’t tell the story of his performance today. Grade: D
Vander Blue: The junior shooting guard’s expectations have risen, so a seven-point effort on eight shots is going to draw criticism. He was quiet for much of the early evening, and as Buzz Williams has noted, three rebounds isn’t enough for Marquette to win. Not a bad performance, but not a good one. Grade: C
Trent Lockett: Another quietly efficient night for the senior transfer. He’s very much turning into a high-end glue guy for the Golden Eagles, playing solid defense, rebounding and scoring around the rim. The four turnovers hurt, but he played a Marquette-high 34 minutes in the loss. Grade: B-
Juan Anderson: The sophomore starter grabbed three early rebounds but three personal fouls meant more minutes for Steve Taylor and Jamil Wilson. It’s tough not to love his activity inside, and he hit a nice Joe Fulce-esque baseline jumper late. All-around a decent game for the switchable. Grade: C+
Chris Otule: He made a few bone-headed plays but his six rebounds were the most he’s grabbed in conference play and he added seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. The 30 minutes he played were also a career-high. Grade: B
Davante Gardner: It was assumed Gardner was going to struggle against a physical, solid-rebounding backcourt, but his numbers hit rock bottom today. With just two points and one rebound in 11 minutes, he’ll need to be much better on Monday if Marquette wants to have a chance. Grade: D
Jamil Wilson: The stretch of solid games came to end today, as Wilson struggled to four points on 2-of-4 shooting and two rebounds in 19 minutes. He did grab two steals and block a crucial shot, but overall he was another victim of Marquette not being able to get into a rhythm most of the evening. Grade: C+
Todd Mayo: Looked fluid on offense and played solid defense all night. At one point had seven of nine Marquette points during a 9-2 run, and stayed aggressive in the second half. He had a quick trigger late but, all-in-all, was Marquette’s most consistent players. Williams may wish he had played his shooter more than 13 minutes. Grade: B+
Derrick Wilson: Three personal fouls in eight minutes is no good, but Wilson was very smart with the ball, made good decisions and played suffocating defense on the perimeter. He probably deserved more playing time, but when Marquette began to lose the lead in the second half Williams had to go with Cadougan. He was the only guard/wing not to have a turnover. Grade: B-
Steve Taylor Jr.: Another very impressive performance for the freshman. He grabbed six offensive rebounds (eight total) and scored four points in just 12 minutes. His post defense still leaves A LOT to be desired, as he doesn’t contest too many shots and allows too many looks, but he’s being used to crash the glass and score inside, and he did both today. GRADE: B
Jake Thomas: DNP-CD
Jamal Ferguson: DNP-CD
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