Defense wins championships. That is the mantra many coaches live by.
And while the Marquette women’s basketball team (13-8, 4-4 Big East) may not have a realistic chance for a conference or national championship, defense has been the key to its success this season and will continue to be the most important factor in its quest for a tournament invitation.
“We’ve been playing really, really good defense,” assistant coach Michelle Nason said. “We held Georgetown to 45 points and they were averaging 70.”
In their past six games, the Golden Eagles have been holding opponents to just under 60 points per game, only slightly above the season average of 57.7, good for eighth in the Big East.
Breaking down these numbers from the past six games even further shows just how important defense has really been. In its three victories, Marquette has allowed 47.6 ppg. In its three losses, Marquette gives up an average of 72 ppg.
Sometimes, it all does come down to defense. When Marquette plays good defense, it wins. It is that simple.
Actually playing good defense, on the other hand, is the difficult part. If Marquette hopes to come away with its second road victory in Big East play it will have to shut down a potent Syracuse offense.
The Orange (16-5, 3-5 Big East) are averaging over 74 ppg, third best in the conference behind Connecticut and Notre Dame.
“Obviously for us going into this game, defense will be the number one key,” Nason said. “They’re a very good team. They all have the ability to score.”
Their top three scorers are all posting double-digit averages with senior Nicole Michael leading the way. She is averaging 14.9 points on 41.5 percent shooting.
“They have four or five players that are all capable of 20-point nights, so it’s going to be a team effort on defense,” Nason said. “We’re not going to be able to stop them one on one. So if we could all play together, hopefully we can contain them.”
The Orange also have a very deep roster, with 10 players averaging at least 13 minutes a game. By comparison, Marquette only has eight players averaging at least 13 minutes per game.
Syracuse’s deep bench complements their aggressive style of play.
“We know they will play us tough and we know they will be playing in a zone defense,” junior guard Tatiyiana McMorris said. “We just want to play Marquette basketball, so whatever they give us we want to be able to take and come out with a win.”
A win will be crucial to keeping Marquette on the bubble for a NCAA Tournament berth. Right now they are listed by ESPN’s “bracketologist” Charlie Creme as one of the first four teams left out of the tournament, should it start today. He has listed the Golden Eagles’ visit to the Carrier Dome as one of this weekend’s most important games.
“Both teams are battling on the wrong side of the bubble right now,” Creme wrote on ESPN. “The Orange really need a good win. A victory won’t get the Eagles in, but a loss certainly will continue to keep them out.”
