Marquette Loses in Maui Final

In probably the best game I have watched this year, Duke was able to outlast Marquette. This game was really a battle right down to the end. The game was extremely physical filled with very aggressive defense and was really a test of stamina as each team was playing their third game in three days. Duke went on to win and freshmen Kyle Singler won MVP of the tournament. Singler was my pre tournament pick to win MVP but, was a bit of a surprise after his lackluster performance in the game against Illinois.

As impressive of James's and McNeal's outside shooting was in the previous game it was back to last seasons shooting tonight. Both players struggled greatly from outside and at times there was no passing just settling for the outside shot which were not falling.

With the struggles of James and McNeal the other players on Marquette each took turns making big plays. Mathews having a strong drive and finish and knocking down a big three in the corner. Hayward hitting a big three and then having a nice put back dunk. Cubillan knocking down a tying three pointer and then playing pressure defense and forcing a turnover. Ackers also knocked down a three and had a couple big penetration and dishes for assists late in the game. As can be seen from the big plays that I remember this game was really a team effort, which is something I really like about Marquette is that it always seems to be a different guy that comes up with a big play to help the Golden Eagles win.

The biggest reason that Duke was able to win is that Marquette had no one to guard Singler, who was able to score inside and out with ease. Also Demarcus Nelson, who in my opinion should of been MVP, could not be stopped from getting inside and finishing strong.

Now that the high school season has started my summaries of college basketball will probably diminish and be few and far between as I will be focusing the majority of my thoughts on high school basketball.