This was supposed to be the night Marquette proved its performance two weeks ago against this same Louisville squad was a fluke. Back then, the Golden Eagles couldn't hit a three-pointer, couldn't break down a zone defense and couldn't win on the road in the Big East. They lost by 20 that night at Freedom Hall.
Monday night was supposed to be different. Marquette had just won its first conference road game of the season Saturday at Cincinnati. It had shot a respectable 36.1 percent from beyond the arc in its past four games. Add to that the fact the game was televised as part of ESPN's Big Monday broadcast, and the Bradley Center seemed a probable locale for redemption.
Louisville, however, proved to be an uncooperative guest. The Cardinals dealt Marquette its first home loss of the season, prevailing 71-57.
"We didn't make shots; we didn't come out with that urgency to start the game off," said junior guard Wesley Matthews. "It hurts because we didn't get beat when we were at our best. As a competitor, you want to say you couldn't give anymore, and we can't say that."
Junior guard Dominic James was not a member of the starting lineup for the first time in his collegiate career. Wearing a protective black brace on his right wrist, James came off the bench to score eight points in 18 minutes of action. Head coach Tom Crean said James also was suffering from a bout with the flu.
Louisville proceeded to pick on James' replacement—sophomore guard Maurice Acker—from the opening tip. Cardinals guard Edgar Sosa, who Acker was charged with guarding while Marquette was in man-to-man defense, finished with a game-high 18 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range.
The Golden Eagles attempted to utilize a 2-3 zone defense, but the Cardinals found holes by darting passes into the baseline.
"We were worried about too many things that we couldn't control and not on the things we could control, and that's when our rotations get screwed up, and the basket gets left unprotected," Crean said. "We gave up too many easy baskets to start, and we didn't make enough shots, but we've got to grow up in a hurry."
Marquette won the rebounding battle (34-26) for the second consecutive game, but that statistic may speak more to Louisville's shooting accuracy than to an improved presence on the boards by the Golden Eagles. The Cardinals shot 51.1 percent from the field.
Wauwatosa East graduate Jerry Smith finished with 12 points for the Cardinals. Louisville forward Earl Clark scored 11.
But whereas Louisville shot the ball with precision, Marquette struggled to find an offensive flow. The Golden Eagles shot 32.0 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from beyond the arc. Matthews and junior guard Jerel McNeal led Marquette with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Marquette's shooting performance was not quite as dismal as the one displayed in the first meeting between the two squads this season, but it was not a sign of encouragement either.
With four of its next six games on the road, the Golden Eagles (16-5, 6-4 Big East) had hoped to build confidence and momentum Monday night. They had hoped to atone for a previous debacle.
Instead, Louisville was the team exiting the Bradley Center having just proved a simple, yet vital, point.
"You know what happens in this game? If you make shots, you look so much better," said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. "They didn't make shots. We made shots."