Marquette hasn't been to the Final Four since 1977. "There is incredible excitement and enthusiasm," Marquette coach Tom Crean said. "It's great to see. But when you watch the film of Kansas, reality kind of hits you right across the head."
Kansas has a ridiculously swift transition game and excels at playing the secondary break as well. The Jayhawks are averaging 82.5 points per game and shooting just under 50% from the floor. With such a highly effective transition game, the keys for Marquette will be limiting turnovers, getting back on defense, and slowing the transition game.
Marquette absolutely must limit turnovers. Kansas' break is very effective off of missed baskets, so providing the Jayhawks with additional easy buckets off turnovers is a sure way to lose. With Travis Diener primarily handling the ball, Marquette has a solid point guard who makes good decisions. Pay close attention to how the Jayhawks choose to guard Diener. Should other Marquette players be forced to handle the ball more, Kansas may force a few turnovers.
The second major key for Marquette is getting back on defense. Although Kansas' halfcourt offense is effective, it is nowhere near as effective as their transition offense. Its a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. Marquette will need to drop back at least two players as quickly as possible, and at times may drop back three. Unfortunately, dropping back in this manner has a price in the form of reduced offensive rebounding. For this reason, shot selection is critical for Marquette. If you see a large number of fall-away jumpshots and covered threes taken, regardless of how many seem to be going in during any short period of the game, then the game is really just a ticking clock until Kansas' celebration.
