Thursday, January 21st 2010

By Brian Decker

It was a new week, but the same story for the Marauders. Mac knocked off the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Wednesday night, but fell earlier in the week to the CIS No. 8 Windsor Lancers at home.

The 1-1 week underlines the story that has charaterized the Marauders’ season thus far, with an undefeated record against teams under .500, but an 0-for showing against the elite teams of the OUA this year.

Mac now sits at 7-6 and fourth in the OUA West, 3.5 games back of the Lakehead Thunderwolves and three back of the Lancers, teams that have knocked off the Marauders in the past two weeks.

Those teams represent two of the five teams that have beaten the Marauders this season, and each one of those has a common trait: each has featured in the CIS top-10 this year.

Such an observation is not to conclude that the Mac boys cannot compete with the best the province has to offer. Each game has been close, including an overtime loss to the No. 6 Ottawa Gee-gees and a close game that was put out of reach by technical fouls against the No. 2 Carleton Ravens. Rather, it merely illustrates the level of play that the Marauders need to reach before the playoffs.

The expectations thrown upon Head Coach Joe Raso and his team earlier this season haven’t been met, to be sure. Ranked as high as no. 3 in the country this season, Mac now verges on falling completely falling out of the coaches’ vote picture.

But there are signs of life and improvement from the team. Cam Michaud, who looked lost at times in the first semester, averaged 19.7 points per game over a three-game stretch the last two weeks, and Tyrell Vernon has regained his shooting confidence after a tough start to the year.

McMaster’s performance against Windsor illustrated its current state of affairs in terms of strengths and weaknesses. While the offence has depended heavily on Keenan Jeppesen to create shots all season, Michaud and Vernon torched the Lancers for a combined 44 points, adding a dimension a team that has struggled at times to put points on the board.

But once again, ugly free throw shooting plagued the Marauders, who went a frustrating 17-31 from the line, including a mystifying 5-14 performance from Jeppesen.

The trend of brick-laying at the charity stripe is startling. Against the no. 2 Carleton Ravens, Mac missed 12 heaves from the charity stripe in an 83-74 loss. Last week against the no. 6 Lakehead Thunderwolves, the maroon and grey shot 54 per cent in a 76-70 defeat. Mac shot just 62 per cent from the line against Laurier.

Jeppesen led the Marauders against the Golden Hawks, pouring in 22 points while grabbing eight rebounds and converting five steals. The supporting cast scoring more is encouraging, but there is no doubt who the Marauders’ first option is. Averaging 19.7 points per game on close to 50 per cent shooting with an uncanny ability to find open teammates, the Stoney Creek native’s skills will be invaluable if Mac is to make a charge.

While not out of contention by any means, The Marauders know they must convert the games against tough teams. When they do, they might not win a title, but they’ll be better than ugly, or bad. They’ll just be good.

Tags: Basketball, cam michaud, keenan jeppesen, men's basketball, Tyrell Vernon