Buzz Williams' head coaching career at Marquette hadn't even officially started yet, but he was already being asked to describe his emotions during the men's basketball team's 94-73 win over Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday.

It was only an exhibition game, but that didn't keep Williams from realizing the meaning of the moment.

"It was very humbling, very emotional," a noticeably moved Williams said. "I'm unbelievably grateful … I did not think, when I moved to Milwaukee, that nine and a half months later I'd be the head coach" at Marquette.

But he is the coach at Marquette now, and for both Williams and the Golden Eagles Friday's season opener against Houston Baptist will be the signal of a new era.

Marquette enters the game as a team with high expectations, coming off a season in which it won 25 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Houston Baptist Huskies will be heavy underdogs after finishing last year 13-15, including a 5-11 road mark.

Like Marquette, the Huskies lack much size, with the tallest player on their roster (junior center Mario Flaherty) standing at 6-foot-9. In Houston Baptist's 104-88 exhibition win over East Texas Baptist Saturday, Flaherty scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. The Huskies were led in scoring by senior guard Gordon Watt, who had 26 points and nine rebounds, while fellow senior Baron Sauls added 25 points of his own.

Marquette got 23 points from junior forward Lazar Hayward against Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday, and senior guard Jerel McNeal added 22. But despite the 21-point win, many of the Golden Eagles were dissatisfied with the team's performance.

"We're disappointed in ourselves because there were times when we turned it on and there were times when we just shut down and seemed like two completely different teams," senior guard Wesley Matthews said. "We're not going to put a blame on anything other than us just not being disciplined, and that's what we need to be."

The Golden Eagles might not need to fully correct that issue by Friday in order to beat the Huskies, but Williams said it will be a point of emphasis in every game as the season moves forward.

"I think there was a distinct difference between our good possessions and our bad possessions, both offensively and defensively," Williams said. "We have to become much more efficient on both ends of the floor.

"There can't be such a disparity between bad possessions and good possessions."