Villanova Wildcats 12-3 (3-1) at Marquette Golden Eagles 6-10 (1-4)
Where: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, WI)
When: Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2:30 PM
Betting Line: TBD
How to Watch: TNT
How to Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
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Net Rankings: Villanova 29, Marquette 156 (Quad 3 opportunity)
KenPom: Villanova 25, Marquette 116
Torvik: Villanova 30, Marquette 137
About Marquette: The Golden Eagles have really struggled this year, as evidenced by their record. Since the new landscape with year-to-year transfers has started, head coach Shaka Smart has gone against the grain. Smart has not dipped into the transfer portal, instead opting for the old-school way of developing. It’s admirable, but this year it seems to have caught up with them, despite returning 10 players from last year’s NCAA tournament team.
Marquette is led by Big East First-Team selection Chase Ross. The 6’5” senior guard averages 16 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Though his percentages are down significantly, from both the field and from deep, from a year ago. Behind Ross is freshman Nigel James Jr. The 6’ guard was a 4-star recruit, and thus far is averaging 12.4 points and a team-leading 3.9 assists per contest. That’s the list for double-digit scorers. The Golden Eagles have 12 players who average at least 7 minutes per game, but as of late they are using a 9-man rotation. Sixth-leading scorer Sean Jones has missed the past two games with a foot injury.
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Marquette is currently 342nd in the country in three-point percentage, averaging 29.5% as a team. The Golden Eagles are even worse from the field, shooting 40.3% (good for 344th at the moment). Those struggles extend to the free-throw line, where Marquette shoots it at 69.2% (0.1% better than Villanova).
Notes on Nova: The Wildcats are coming off of a tough loss at home against Creighton. The defense in the second half was a huge problem, so the opportunity is there to bounce back on that end against a well-below average Marquette team. Marquette also struggles to defend the rim (only 0.5 blocks per game more than Villanova), so if the ‘Cats are patient they should be able to get what they want on offense. Matt Hodge, Bryce Lindsay and Devin Askew are all looking for better performances in Milwaukee, where the Wildcats have already picked up a win this year against Wisconsin.
