Paint Touches

Let’s be honest for a minute here. There is no concept more abused and improperly applied than an athlete’s “Nobody Believes in Us” mantra. Whether an underdog or 15-point favorite, teams will always find some slight to lack of respect given by fan, foe or father to will themselves to an inspired performance. I’m sick […]

For all the gratuitous hyperbole Buzz Williams tends to give to opposing teams, coaches and players, he wasn’t joking around or exaggerating when he said the Miami Hurricanes have a roster that looks more like an NBA team than a collegiate one. The outright ACC champions–both in the regular season and the conference tournament–were one […]

Yesterday we looked at how Miami–Marquette’s Thursday night opponent in the Sweet 16–uses the second-most pick-and-rolls in the country, doing so at one of the most efficient clips of any team. It’s where the Hurricanes’ offense begins and ends, and at the forefront of that is point guard Shane Larkin. The ACC Player of the […]

Like he is every offseason, Buzz Williams spent all four months as a student. He meticulously studied a different aspect of the game for one month, each month, to improve as a head coach. He said he wanted to focus on “things that I know the essence of the game will always come down to,” […]

Seven weeks ago, 2013 shooting guard Jajuan Johnson was ready to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Anthony Grant’s program had been on the 6-foot-4 wing the longest of any schools, and Marquette, a school Johnson had always been interested in playing for, had recently pulled back on their recruitment after a shake-up with the […]