It didn’t take long for head coach Steve Wojciechowski to find something in common with graduate senior Joseph Chartouny.
“The only last name that’s butchered more than his is mine,” Wojciechowski said. “It’s nice to have somebody that you can share that in common with.”
Now Chartouny and the Golden Eagles have a task much more difficult than pronouncing Wojciechowski or Chartouny: taking down No. 2 Kansas.
“You don’t even have to look at the rankings. Kansas is one of the top teams in the country,” junior guard Markus Howard said. “Having the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with them is going to be really good for our team.”
When the Golden Eagles take the floor Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, turnovers will be a major concern for Marquette. The team has turned the ball over on 21.8 percent of possessions, one of the highest rates in the country.
The only BIG EAST team to turn the ball over more often this season is Georgetown. Meanwhile, Kansas has only turned the ball over on 17.2 percent of possessions.
“The big thing for us is we have to take better care of the ball,” Wojciechowski said. “A lot of the breakdowns that we’ve had defensively have been a result of not executing offensively. … Our care for the ball has to be a lot better.”
Those mistakes could be deadly against the Jayhawks, whose adjusted defensive efficiency in KenPom ranks fourth in the country. The team also has a variety of offensive threats.
“There’s a reason why most people think they’re as good as a team there is in the United States,” Wojciechowski said. “They can hurt you in so many different areas.”
If the Golden Eagles focus on Kansas’ perimeter threats, 7-foot-1 Udoka Azubuike is averaging 19.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Fellow post dweller Dedric Lawson averages a team-high 9.0 rebounds per game and is involved on more than 30 percent of the team’s possessions, per KenPom.
If the Golden Eagles focus on Azubuike and Lawson, the Jayhawks have an arsenal of sharpshooting guards. Senior Lagerald Vick and freshman Quentin Grimes have gone a combined 24 for 40 from 3-point range this season.
“You’d trade three for two, so we’re going to try to defend the 3-point line the best we can and hopefully slow down (Azubuike) as well,” junior forward Sam Hauser said.
The versatility of the Jayhawks’ offense has put Wojciechowski in a difficult position preparing for the team’s first game of the National Invitation Tournament Season Tip-Off.
“It’s a double-edged sword because they’re frontcourt puts amazing pressure on the rim,” Wojciechowski said. “But they’re generally at their best when they’re hitting threes. … It’s not like, ‘Take away the inside game and you’re fine,’ or, ‘Take away their outside game and you’ll be fine.’”
Wojciechowski said he expects the game to show many of the team’s weaknesses. It will also give the team a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Howard will be without his mother’s pumpkin pie but said he is looking forward to the opportunity to grow with the team.
“Most kids our age are home with their parents having Thanksgiving dinner,” Howard said. “The fact that we’re going to be able to spend time together as a team is only going to expand our relationships and get us closer.”
At the dinner table Thursday, Wojciechowski won’t be mispronouncing Chartouny’s name.
“When you’re recruiting, you have to get it right the first time,” Wojciechowski said. “You can’t mess that up.”