1. 20.7: percent Miami shot from the field in the first half.
The ‘Canes couldn’t hit the ocean if they fell out of a boat in the opening stanza. They shot 6-of-29, and Kenny Kadji was the only player to hit more than one field goal (3-for-8). Miami guards Durand Scott, Trey Mckinney-Jones and Rion Brown combined to go just 1-of-16 in the first half, including 0-of-6 from long range. The poor early shooting buried Miami in a deep hole early, and their second half shooting (47.1 percent) wasn’t enough to dig them out.
2. 8: lowest number of points for any player who scored for Marquette.
Jamil Wilson had 16 points. Vander Blue and Davante Gardner notched 14. Chris Otule scored 11. Junior Cadougan and Trent Lockett each scored eight. Marquette played offense as a team in the win, and the statistics reflect it. Miami couldn’t key on just Blue or Wilson, since both created and made their own shots with regularity. Gardner and Otule made Miami miss Reggie Johnson down low, as they pushed around Kadji and Julian Gamble for easy buckets.
3. 4: This one is two-fold, and both involve Shane Larkin.
The first four is the number of assists Larkin had. That’s only slightly below his average of 4.6 per game, but with Marquette’s struggles against ball screens defensively, one might have expected him to exceed his average regardless of the score. That low number is a tribute to Cadougan and Derrick Wilson’s defense on him, as well as Miami missing a lot of jumpers. The second four is the amount of field goals Larkin made. He went 4-for-8, which is decent, but the fact that Marquette limited him to just eight attempts was part of the reason it will play Saturday and Miami will not.
4. 14 and 12: Number of free throws Marquette made and number of free throws Miami attempted.
This is one of Buzz Williams’ biggest keys to victory in every game for Marquette, and even though the numbers weren’t staggeringly good for MU, it was enough for it to prevail. Only three Miami players (Gamble, Larkin and Scott) actually went to the free throw line in the game.
5. 11: total number of fouls committed by Marquette.
Foul trouble was never a concern for the Golden Eagles. Cadougan picked up his second foul late in the first half, but Larkin had two as well for Miami, and Derrick Wilson filled in admirably. More importantly, Gardner and Otule were charged with a combined three fouls. Marquette never had to sub out their big men for foul trouble, and they could play aggressively for all 40 minutes. They did that, and will face Syracuse Saturday as a result.