Player Grades: Marquette vs Notre Dame

Vander Blue (6 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) Blue was uncharacteristically bad in the first half, pressing for the first time in quite some time. He had two turnovers and put up a couple bad shots. It didn’t get much better in the second half from an offensive standpoint, although he did stop putting up as many bad shots. That makes three straight poor games for the junior, who will need to step up in the month of March for Marquette to be able to win away from the Bradley Center. C-

Junior Cadougan (7 pts, 4 ast, 2 reb) Junior opened his senior day by hitting a 3-pointer in the midst a flurry of buckets to get a comfortable lead on the Irish. The rest of the game was very indicative of his Marquette career. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid, and good enough to get the W. He limited his turnovers, committing only two, hit 3-7 shots and kept the offense rolling for the most part. Players like these are often only appreciated once they’re gone. Junior gets an appropriate send of from the Bradley Center. B

Chris Otule (16 pts, 8-8 fg, 4 reb) The big man was unstoppable inside and that’s not just hyperbole. He hit all eight of his shots in the game with an assortment of post moves that had Davante taking notes. He wasn’t just getting it done on the offensive side, though. Chris blocked two shots and altered a few others, keeping the ND bigs from ever getting it going.  With the lead down to nine and Notre Dame clicking on offense, Otule had the biggest rebound of the game off a Blue miss, grabbing the the O board and putting it back in plus the foul. No one knows whether this will be his last game at the BC, but there is no doubt this was his best. A+

Juan Anderson (3 pts, 2 ast, 12 min) Juan got a bit more burn in this one than against Syracuse on Monday thanks in large part to an early three he hit that gave  DJO goosebumps (or so he said on Twitter). Apart from the three, Juan had a couple good feeds and played solid defense. He didn’t grab a rebound and could have done a bit better on a few Notre Dame offensive boards. Overall a solid contribution that should give him a bit of confidence down the stretch. B-

Trent Lockett (8 pts 4 reb, 4 ast) Trent was playing very well in the first half before picking up two cheap fouls on back-to-back possessions with just under seven minutes to go in the first half. His biggest asset to this team will continue to be his aggressiveness on the glass. Lockett corralled in an errant free throw with 1:33 left in the game, denying Notre Dame a chance to cut it to single digits. It was a play that Buzz highlighted in his past game presser, and a trait the coach said is essential on this team. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a very good free throw shooter in the clutch, hitting all four of his today. Yes he had four turnovers, but Trent Lockett will finish his only season in Milwaukee having never lost at home. B+

Davante Gardner (5 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast) The tough part about having two very good big men is finding time for both of them. Davante was never able to get it going today as he saw his minutes limited by Otule’s dominance. The big Oxtule lineup wasn’t effective tonight, either, with Gardner ending up at the top of the arc too often. It wasn’t a bad game by any stretch, just one where his impact was limited. B

Jamil Wilson (19 pts, 4 reb, 6-10fg) Jamil’s unassuming first half gave way to NBA Jam Jamil, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds in a two minute stretch of the second half. Wilson ended up scoring 17 of his career high 19 points in the half. Think about that. Jamil scored over half of Marquette’s points in the second half, keeping Notre Dame at bay when they came within striking distance. Wilson has gotten double digit point totals seven of the last eight games and become one of the team’s main offensive weapons. No better time for the junior to be trending up. A

Steve Taylor (3 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast) Much like Davante, Steve was limited not because of poor play, but because the man ahead of him was stellar. Taylor only saw six minutes but hit a three from the top of the arc in that time, grabbed a board, and recorded an assist. Just too many players playing well today. B+

Todd Mayo (5 pts, 11 min, 2 to) Mayo came out guns blazing when he finally got into the game, hitting two straight jumpers, but a careless turnover relegated him to the bench for the rest of the half. He did see some more time in the second half, but was a bit careless with his passing. He still remains a potent weapon off the bench, with the ability to start up the microwave at any time. B-

Derrick Wilson (0 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast) The only play of note from Derrick was an uncharacteristic step-back jumper that didn’t hit rim in the first half. Other than that, it was business as usual in his eight minutes of action. C

Jamal Ferguson, Jake Thomas and Dylan Flood all get NAs.