Last week, No. 6 Marquette men’s basketball (9-1) faced No. 3 Iowa State and No. 20 Wisconsin, in what was one of the more challenging weeks the team will have during the regular season. The Golden Eagles emerged from the gauntlet 1-1, dropping just one spot in the AP Poll.
Saturday, Marquette will don their battle-tested armor to duel Dayton (8-2). This season, the Flyers have lost twice to top-12 ranked teams by a combined seven points. When the blue and gold travel to Dayton, Ohio, it’ll try to become the third on that list.
Marquette flaunts a start for the books
Despite their loss to Iowa State, the Golden Eagles are hanging-ten on a wave of momentum. This has been the best 10-game-start for the program since the 2011-12 season’s 10-0 introduction.
As a bonus, last Saturday, the squad defeated Wisconsin for the first time since 2020 by a final at Fiserv Forum of 88-74. Senior guard Kam Jones finished the I-94 matchup with 32 points, just two shy of his career high. Junior guard Chase Ross was back after sustaining a minor ankle injury in Ames, and led the Golden Eagles with eight rebounds. Junior forward Ben Gold went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc against the Badgers and was a force on defense.
Ben Gold (@BenG0ld) denies John Tonje as #5 @MarquetteMBB defeats #11 Wisconsin (@BadgerMBB) 88-74 at the Fiserv Forum (@FiservForum) on December 7, 2024 #mubb pic.twitter.com/AqOSWLdcEY
— Marquette Overload (@MUOverload) December 8, 2024
Marquette is averaging 11.2 steals per game, tied for second in the nation. The duo of Ross and senior guard Stevie Mitchell both boast 2.5 steals per game, tied for 23rd in the nation.
“Chase Ross and Stevie—their toughness is 11-out of-10,” head coach Shaka Smart said after the team’s triumph over Wisconsin in which they forced 16 turnovers. “Those guys continue to fight and battle. I can’t say enough how appreciative I am of their toughness.”
It’s LOWD in Dayton
The official Dayton men’s basketball Twitter bio tells fans to “Be Lowd.” Lowd is a term coined by the Flyer’s “Red Scare student section” to describe the thunderous environment inside UD Arena. Lowd’s impact, undoubtedly heard, has also proved itself in Dayton’s home record.
The Flyers are 7-0 on their campus this season. They haven’t let a home game slip through their fingers since Feb. 25, 2023. Most recently at UD Arena, an 86-62 win over Lehigh bolstered that trend.
Last Saturday, preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection forward Nate Santos dropped 24 on the Mountain Hawks’ beaks. He went 8-for-11 from the floor and a squeaky-clean 6-for-6 from 3-point range. The second best single-game long-ball percentage in program history. Santos is second in average points scored behind A-10 Preseason All-Defensive Team selection Enoch Cheeks: the Flyer’s stat star. Cheeks sports a team-leading average 16 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
Junior guard Malachi Smith has been hot from beyond the arc all season. He has a smaller volume of shots, but when he takes one, he makes it, going 63.2% on 12-of-19 shooting.
In this week’s AP Poll, Dayton received 38 votes—141 behind No. 25 Mississippi State.
How to follow the game
Tipoff is on Saturday, December 14 at 6 p.m. CST in Dayton, Ohio.
Watch: CBS Sports Network will carry the game with Chris Lewis (play-by-play) and Steve Lappas (analyst) on the call.
Live updates: Follow @JackAlbrightMU and @MUWireSports on Twitter/X.
Radio: 95.7 WHIO, 94.5 ESPN Milwaukee and Sirius XM.
This preview was written by Ben Hanson. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @benhansonMU.
