Darius Johnson-Odom's scoring ability makes the red-hot Golden Eagles a major problem in the Big East.
Marquette’s senior scoring guard Darius Johnson-Odom is the man behind the Golden Eagles surge to sole possession of second place in the Big East and six game winning streak.
Johnson Odom is averaging 18.5 points per game and MU is one game behind Syracuse for the lead in the Big East. Marquette sits at 18-4 and 7-2 in conference play.
Buzz Williams squad would have dropped a game to Villanova yesterday, if it wasn’t for the jumper of Johnson-Odom. Down by a whopping 18 points, Johnson-Odom hit for eight straight points including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead down to ten at the half. He dropped 26 points in the game including six rebounds and five assists and the Eagles won.
It’s this type of senior leadership down the stretch of games that is going to make Marquette a real problem in the big dance come March. At that time of year, when the stakes are the highest and it’s win or go home, I tend to trust the senior guard who has been there before in the biggest moments down the stretch of games and knows how to react.
Johnson-Odom has been there before. He lost in the first round and then made the sweet 16 last season in his two years at Marquette after spending a season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. If Marquette is going to get past the field of 16 this season, it’s going to be on the strength of Johnson-Odom’s sweet jumper. He’s hitting at nearly 45% from the field and 40% from 3-point distance.
At the next level, Johnson-Odom projects as a scoring guard. While most all four-year college scoring guards that are 6-2 must learn to play the point guard, his game looks like it will translate well to the pro game. He is extremely elusive off the dribble and could prove some instant offensive punch off the bench at the shooting guard position. He will be under-sized, but at 6-2 215 has the physical tools and speed to play the off-guard spot in the league. He has the NBA range combined with mid-range pull up jumper adds to his value as a scoring guard.
