No. 1 for a reason
The reigning national champions and No. 1 team in the country (for now) bounced back from their first loss of the season in style. Villanova turned an 11-point halftime lead into a 30-point advantage inside of the last ten minutes. The Wildcats posted an astounding 79.59 effective field goal percentage despite cooling off significantly after the game was out of reach. Kris Jenkins led all scorers with 23 points.
Howard carries the load
Freshman Markus Howard did all he could offensively to keep the Golden Eagles in it, scoring 15 of Marquette’s 33 first half-points. His 4 of 5 performance from the 3-point line pushed his total up to 21 by the end of the night. Howard was the team’s lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing night.
Hart for POY?
With a number of signature performances in nonconference and consistently impressive two-way play Josh Hart has thrust himself to the top of National Player of the Year lists all over. The senior kept things gong with another fine night on Saturday, posting 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Not Fischer’s finest
Marquette’s post presence was lacking in Philly as Luke Fischer struggled to make an impact. The senior scored a season low four points on 1 for 5 from the field and grabbed just four rebounds. The Golden Eagles opted to go small or to play with Matt Heldt for much of the second half. Despite the rough night, Fischer is still having a career year by nearly every metric.
Still Wilson-less
Duane Wilson was held out for the second straight game after exiting Marquette’s BIG EAST opener against Georgetown with an injury. All eight available players were used.
Best stat line
Markus Howard: 21 points, 4 for 5 from 3-point range, three rebounds, three assists
Stat of the night: Kris Jenkins was 6 for 9 from 3-point range
Up Next: Marquette will return home after a two game road trip to host Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles fell to the Pirates 69-66 back on New Years Day.