Seniors Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder were honored on Senior Day following Marquette’s 83-69 win over Georgetown, marking the last time the duo will play for Marquette in the Bradley Center.
But with the way both are playing, they could still have plenty of basketball games in a Marquette uniform.
Crowder, a unanimous selection to the first team All-Big East squad, powered Marquette with 26 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and five steals in the win. It was perhaps the senior’s most impressive performance of the year.
Johnson-Odom was not efficient in the win, making five of 12 shots and six of 10 free throws, but he still managed 17 points and passed Steve Novak and Trevor Powell for 13th on Marquette’s all-time scoring list.
It was a fitting end for both players, and it also helped Marquette earn the No. 2 seed in this week’s Big East Tournament. It marks the Golden Eagles’ highest finish since joining the conference in 2005, something coach Buzz Williams said made the senior’s performances even more impressive.
“I think their stats speak for themselves,” Williams said. “Those kids really want to win and have been accountable on a daily basis. For it to happen on this stage, with this type of magnitude for what was at stake in the game speaks to the heart of both those guys.”
Marquette will wait until Thursday to play, and they will not know their opponent until Wednesday. No. 15 Providence and No. 10 Seton Hall will play Tuesday, and the winner will face No. 7 Louisville. That winner will then face the Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Johnson-Odom said last Wednesday’s loss to Cincinnati coupled with the Senior Day win have Marquette feeling good as they travel to New York.
“It gives us some momentum going into New York,” Johnson-Odom said. “That’s always a positive thing to have. I’m glad we got that Cincinnati loss out of the way rather than lose in New York. We learned a lot from that loss, and today we just played with great poise and energy.”
Marquette has been knocked out in the quarterfinals round of the Big East Tournament the past two seasons, but behind Johnson-Odom and Crowder expectations have risen.
Williams applauded the way both seniors have handled those expectations, both in their leadership and humility. That, he said, can go unnoticed at times.
“Those guys have represented our brand, their specific brand, and never had an edge that was vocalized, but had an edge in how they played,” Williams said. “There’s very few lion chasers in our world anymore. Those dudes are lion chasers and they don’t talk about it. And that’s evident.”
Much of Crowder’s success had come while sophomore center Davante Gardner was on the bench. After missing eight games, the sophomore returned and scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in regular season finale.
His return gives Marquette a third scorer and additional front court depth that will be crucial deep into the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. It showed Saturday afternoon, and capped a historic regular season.
Crowder reflected on the Senior Day win and his time at Marquette.
“I’ll never forget this day as a whole,” Crowder said. “It will always be with me for however many years I’ll be playing basketball. It’s been two of the best years of my life.”
With the way Crowder and the Golden Eagles are playing, the best two years of his life could continue deep into March.