Scouting Marquette

The Bulls will have to slow down Darius Johnson-Odom tonight if they want to stand a chance.

Here we go again. The Bulls are back in action tonight as they take on the 14-9 (5-5) Marquette Golden Eagles. The Bulls return home to the Sun Dome after suffering the worst defeat on the season, getting hammered by Syracuse. The Bulls are 8-16 (2-9) and are beginning to look forward to the offseason, but they will have to focus against the Eagles. Marquette is 16th in the country in scoring (79.3) while USF ranks 308th (62 points per game - yes, there are over 300 teams better than us). The Eagles rank 148th in rebounding (35 per game) to USF's 37.4 (68th in the nation). They are 9th in field goal percentage (.486 - USF is ranked 280th at .415) and 11th in assists per game (17.2 - USF ranks 200th at 12.6 per game). Here are some of the key players for Marquette. [keep reading]

The Golden Eagles are led by Darius Johnson-Odom (6'2" 215-pounds). The forward leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game and averages 2.7 assists per game. He has solid range and can drive to the hoop as well. He will be a tough matchup for Gilchrist and can get by him easily. G/F Jimmy Butler (6'7" 220-pounds) is a dangerous shooter, averaging 15.6 points per game (shooting 49% from the field and 42% from 3-point range). Forward Jae Crowder (6'6" 225-pounds) averages 14.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. He is the main presence inside for the Eagles and will matchup with Anderson and Famous in the paint. Guard Dwight Buycks (6'3" 190-pounds) averages 10.3 points per game and 4.3 assists per game, he will matchup with Anthony Crater which could make for a long night. Center Chris Otule (6'11" 260-pounds) only averages 5 points per game and 2 rebounds per game, but against the interior size of USF, he could have a big game.

Other players to watch:

Guard - Junior Cadougan - 6'1" 205-pounds - 2.7 PPG 3 APG

Guard - Vander Blue (love the name) - 6'4" 190-pounds - 7 PPG

Guard - Davonte Gardner - 6'8" 290-pounds - 4.4 PPG

Outcome of the game: Marquette is a guard orientated team, which is the exact opposite of the Bulls. The Golden Eagles like to spread the court, pass early and often, and go for outside shots. They can get inside as well with their speed and are all excellent shooters. The Bulls are bad at guard position and rely on the big men to anchor the paint. Look for Marquette to spread the court and get the USF bigs out of position and push the tempo when they want. This game could get ugly if USF is unable to slow the tempo and get something out of the guards.

Final score prediction: Marquette 77 USF 65