It seems that Marquette is the school that always gives us a tough game, despite the ups and downs, whether they finish middle-of-the-pack or on top of the hill. They are a smaller, more athletic team that will try to use their athleticism and deep shooting ability to catch opponents off-guard.
Regardless, the Golden Eagles can fill up a box score quickly, and though they have eight losses on the season, none of the final scores were very ugly.
Despite only having two players taller than 6'7" (and only one playing double-digit minutes), Marquette has been surprisingly effective on the boards. Not unlike the undersized Villanova teams of years-past who out-rebounded larger opponents.
In Big East play, they have turned the ball over a miniscule 10.2 times per game, and it will be important for the 'Cats to take advantage of any turnovers that they do get.
The Golden Eagles' leading scorer is junior guard Darius Johnson-Odom (who "emerged" last year when he dropped 16 points on the 'Cats in January) who has averaged 16.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. DJO's 3-point percentage (38.3%) is down from last year (47.4%), but he remains an effective shooter from deep and with three other players shooting over 40% from beyond the arc, the Golden Eagles are hardly hurting in that department.
Their best three point shooter is senior point guard Dwight Buycks, who shoots 43.8% from deep and also averages 10.4 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Buycks and DJO are joined in averaging double-digit scoring by senior forward Jimmy Butler and junior forward Jae Crowder, averaging 15.6 and 13.5 points per game, respectively. Crowder is also the team's leading rebounder with an average of 6.9 rebounds per game and Butler is not far behind with 6.5.
For the 'Cats to get the win, they will need to control the pace of the game and score points against a Marquette defense that ranks only 82nd in the nation. Good ball movement and a commitment to getting the ball inside early, will help the 'Cats score more consistently.
Long 2-pointers are an inefficient shot, but have been more and more prevalent in this Wildcats offense -- a sign that the 'Cats are "settling" for a jumpshot. By getting the ball inside, defenses will have to back off of Stokes (at least a little) and it will open up opportunities for good outside shots.
The Breakdown:
| Position | Marquette | Villanova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Power forward
Advantage:
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33-Jimmy Butler Sr., 6-7, 220 A glue guy. Really active on offensive glass. He can drive it. Good, solid all-around player.
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0-Antonio Pena Sr., 6-8, 235 Continuing his transformation into Dante Cunningham. An undersized power forward, good mid-range shooter and a good passer for a big.
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Point guard
Advantage:
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23-Dwight Buycks Sr., 6-3, 190 He’s more of a combo guard. He’s not going to blow by you off the dribble, but he’s a very good shooter.
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2-Maalik Wayns So., 6-2, 185 A jet. He’s one of the fastest guys with the ball in America. Great in transition. He can really push the ball, but has been less effective in the half-court offense
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Shooting guard
Advantage:
Tie |
1-Darius Johnson-Odom Jr., 6-2, 215 Really talented. A lefty with a variety of moves and a quick release. He has a great shot-fake and gets to the line.
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10-Corey Fisher Sr., 6-1, 200 A combo guard. He gives them two point guard types. A scorer. He makes play in the role that Scottie Reynolds played the last few years.
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Small forward
Advantage:
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32-Jae Crowder Jr., 6-6, 225 They play him as a second big, but he really wants to be a shooter. He’s not afraid to take a 3-point shot and he can post up, too.
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24-Corey Stokes Sr., 6-5, 220 A great shooter with range. When he is on, he’s the best shooter in the league.
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Center
Advantage:
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42-Chris Otule So., 6-11, 260 He gives them a little post presence. He plays hard and fouls the hell out of you.
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13-Mouphtaou Yarou So., 6-10, 250 An animal. A physical, athletic and still-developing presence. Very good defensively, but still developing his offensive game.
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Marquette bench
Junior Cadougan is a quick, little point guard. He’ll look to score. Vander Blue is an athletic wing and a good defender. Davante Gardner is a freshman who gives them some depth up front.
Villanova bench
Isaiah Armwood and Maurice Sutton are long post guys. Both can block a shot, but neither one is very physical. Dominic Cheek’s is the spark for this team, and starts some games in place of Wayns. Bell is a tough defender, who doesn’t look to score very much.
The game will tip off on Wednesday night at 7:00pm from the Pavilion and it will be broadcast on ESPNU.
As always, please check out Ed's Closest to the Pin contest.