Five days separated a new high and a new low for Marquette men’s basketball (10-19, 5-13 Big East) in the 2025-26 season.
The Golden Eagles took a major step forward on Tuesday, finally winning a road game for the first time in one of their most impressive performances of the year. Behind 20 points, six rebounds and six assists from first-year sensation Nigel James Jr., they downed Georgetown 76-60 at Capitol One Arena.
But, Marquette followed it up with a shocking double-digit home loss to DePaul on Sunday, 62-51, after the lowest scoring first half of the 21st century.
Here are two notes from the 1-1 week:
After two months of progress, Marquette’s offense falls apart in historic fashion
Shaka Smart didn’t mince words when talking about his team’s 14-point disaster of a first half against the Blue Demons.
“It had been quite a while for us since our guys kind of had that deer-in-headlights look, but they had there for a stretch,” the Marquette head coach said.
Smart had a point. His team had been playing better offensively over the last two months, having scored at least 30 points in the first half of every game since Jan. 4 at UConn, when it dropped 28.
Until Sunday, when the blue & gold mustered only half that.
“I have tremendous respect for how they’d been playing,” DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann said. “They had legitimately been playing like a top four or five team in the Big East.”
After senior guard Chase Ross made a driving layup to give Marquette a 13-11 lead at the 7:39 mark, the Blue Demons outscored the Golden Eagles 21-1 the rest of the half.
Marquette shot 0-for-8 from the field in that time, 1-for-3 from the free throw line and turned the ball over five times. It also didn’t make a 3-pointer in the first 20 minutes, missing all 10 attempts.
The first half was a stark reminder of the low-hanging floor the Golden Eagles are capable of playing at. A level they had not been at in quite some time, and proof that not all progression through a season is linear.
“It’s my job to help prepare our guys and to keep pushing them to move forward,” Smart said. “Every time we take the floor, we have a chance to win. If you can’t get excited about that as a coach or player, there’s something wrong with you.”
The depth continues to be challenged
The Golden Eagles depth has been tested this season, to say the least.
Redshirt junior guard Sean Jones only appeared in eight games before being ruled out for the rest of the year with a turf toe injury on his left foot. In late December, Zaide Lowery departed the program, further dwindling Marquette’s backcourt reserves.
And, most recently, sophomore forward Royce Parham missed Tuesday contest against the Hoyas with back tightness. Starting in his place was sophomore forward Damarius Owens, who posted 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting in a career-high 34 minutes.
The shortened bench has put extra stress on the starting lineup.
On Tuesday, all five starters played 33 minutes or more and accounted for all but five of Marquette’s 76 points.
On Sunday — a day in which Ross battled a shoulder injury suffered at the end of Tuesday’s game and Parham looked less than 100% — the Golden Eagles reserves were again quiet. Owens had all seven of the bench’s points and was the only non-starter to attempt more than a singular field goal. The other three (Tre Norman, Caedin Hamilton and Michael Phillips II) were a combined 0-of-2 from the floor.
Smart has shortened his rotations over the last month, leading to increased minutes for the starters.
Redshirt first-year forward Josh Clark played just eight minutes in the month of February after being featured at the start of conference play. Similarly, Phillips II is playing just under five minutes a game after posting double digit minutes in four of Marquette’s first six Big East games.
What’s on tap?
Marquette begins the final week of the regular season Wednesday at Providence (14-15, 7-11). Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.
Then, the Golden Eagles return home for the final time to face No. 4 UConn on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CST. Marquette will honor seniors Ross and Ben Gold before the game.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.
