Marquette men’s basketball keeps a clock in its weight room so the people staring at it always know how much time is remaining until the next game.
After a long, eight month off-season of grinding and preparing, that clock finally hit zero Monday night.
Marquette (1-0) took the Fiserv Forum floor for the first time in 227 days as it welcomed Albany (0-1). The Golden Eagles used an unrelenting defensive effort — one that resulted in a program-record 13 kills (three defensive stops in a row) — to advance past their first challenger of the season, 80-53.
“We really challenged our guys to convert when we were in the kill zone,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “We felt like we hadn’t done a good enough job of that in our scrimmages.”
The blue & gold instituted a pattern of illustrating their depth early in Monday’s game.
In the first halves, Smart substituted first-year guard Nigel James Jr. in for Chase Ross (in the first half) and Sean Jones (in the second half) before the 16-minute mark. He followed suit with sophomore forward Royce Parham in place of redshirt sophomore forward Caedin Hamilton.
In total, the Golden Eagles played 12 scholarship players in each half, a conscious decision of Smart’s.
“The way that we’ve built our roster, the way we’ve built our team, I think we’ve got a few young guys, meaning [first-years] and sophomores. Let’s be honest, their best basketball is ahead of them,” Smart said. “But the way you get to that point of them playing their best basketball, [is getting] them some game reps.”
It’s obvious that Smart isn’t going to look down his bench and bring seven guys off it every single night, but the fifth-year head coach believes that they are in a a good spot, especially down low.
“I think our front court is in a much better position than it was at this time last year,” Smart said. “But we’ve still got so far to go.”
Eleven of the 12 scholarship players that saw the floor scored, but junior guard Zaide Lowery said it was the starting group that especially set the tone for MU.
“The first five guys that started the game, I feel like they showed a level of energy,” Lowery said. “[Smart] always talks about just playing your hardest that way when the other guys come in the game, they’ll be ready to go.”
The first half was a physical rock fight. The two teams combined to shoot 6-for-33 from deep and committed 21 turnovers. Despite only scoring four points off the 11 turnovers they forced, the Golden Eagles led 30-21 after 20 minutes of play.
Then the second half started, and Marquette flipped a switch. The Golden Eagles went on a 14-0 run in five minutes at the start of the second half. Lowery tacked on seven points during that period before finishing with 13. The Golden Eagles led by 18 or more from that point on.
“Once it became obvious that we could hit the zone, meaning ball screen the zone, Smart said. “and that [Sean Jones] and [James Jr.] could create some penetration using those screens, that was our main strategy.”
The Golden Eagles shot 51.9% (14-for-27) from the field in the second half, forcing 10 turnovers and turning them into 12 points. MU outscored Albany 50-32 in the second half.
Jones made his long-awaited return to the court Monday after 663 days away from it due to an ACL tear. The Columbus, Ohio native played 20 minutes, finishing with six points and four assists.
“It’s great to have [Jones] back,” Smart said. “He’s really been through a long haul, and to work his way back, it’s been huge.”
First-year guards Nigel James Jr. and Adrian Stevens both made their debuts in the blue & gold against the Great Danes. James Jr. showed his defensive ability that has often been raved about, coming away with three steals.
Senior guard Chase Ross led the way with a team-high 15 points. Sophomore forward Damarius Owens was the third player to join Ross and Lowery in double-digits, scoring 11 points.
It’ll be a quick turnaround for Marquette as it comes right back down to Fiserv to take on Southern on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.
