Marquette Golden Eagles - Do they have what it Takes?

Buzz Williams is one lucky guy. He's the Indiana. Williams had been at Marquette only one season, but the transition was nearly seamless, with the players responding to his obsessive attention to detail and openness about developing personal relationships.

There's all that, and, yeah, it doesn't hurt to have a trio of senior starting guards -- Jerel McNeal, Dominic James, and Wesley Matthews, each of whom are four-year starters. Talk about a rarity and a luxury for a major-college program. Williams lets these guys run free, which helps explain why Marquette was at or near the top of the Big East scoring list all season. McNeal, 6-foot-3, will have to be a point at the next level, but he knows his current role is to score about 20 points per game. The Warriors are a bit slump-proof on offense because they get to the line as much as any Big East team.

But the Warriors are constructed differently than fellow league heavyweights Louisville. The Warriors aren't as balanced in their scoring, relying heavily on McNeal, Matthews and Lazar Hayward, with a side dish of James. Those four take more than 80 percent of the team's shots.

Moreover, the Warriors aren't exactly the same kind of defensive demons that UConn and Louisville are, although they're not shabby and McNeal is a defensive ace. And while the Huskies and Cardinals are noted for their size and length, the same is not true for Marquette.

Starting senior big man Dwight Burke (6'8" and 250) is there to eat up space and play 20 minutes a game. The rebounding work is mostly done by the 6'6" Hayward, who is a matchup nightmare on offense because he can take bigger men outside while being too athletic inside.

This is an experienced, tested team hungry to at least get to the Sweet 16. The Warriors are capable of more, especially if you think the 36-year-old Williams is ready for the big time. They’ll open up the tournament against a feisty Missouri in the second round.

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