Bouncing back a top priority
Team hopes to shake off slump
The start of 2017 hasn’t gone the way the Marquette men’s basketball team had hoped after entering the new year coming off a victory in its Big East opener.
First, the Golden Eagles looked poised to steal a win at Seton Hall only to let it get snatched away one missed rebound at a time. Then, with five days between games, Marquette was “noncompetitive” against then-No. 1 Villanova, according to head coach Steve Wojciechowski, falling behind by as many as 30 points in a loss that wasn’t as close as the final 12-point margin.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Marquette (10-5, 1-2 Big East) will return home from its winless two-game trip looking to right the ship and even the season series against Seton Hall (12-3, 2-1) just 10 days after the teams met in Newark, N.J.
“This will tell you a lot about our team, this game on Wednesday,” senior center Luke Fischer said after the loss to Villanova on Saturday. “Revenge game for us coming off a poor performance like this, the way we come out and play will really speak a lot to what our team is about.”
What Marquette hopes to be is a team that is still playing meaningful basketball in March. The Golden Eagles haven’t made the NCAA Tournament in the past three years and every win is critical in convincing the selection committee that they deserve to be in the 68-team discussion.
Thus far, though, Marquette has yet to force its way into the conversation. The Golden Eagles have wins over major conference teams, beating Vanderbilt on a neutral court, Georgia on the road and Georgetown at home, but they have lost to the five best teams on their schedule.
Those five losses include the one at Seton Hall, a team that according to many national bracket projections would be in the tournament if the season ended today — Marquette would be on the outside looking in. The Pirates and Golden Eagles both hope to finish in the top half of the conference and Wednesday’s game could prove to be crucial.
As much as the big picture matters, the Golden Eagles are squarely focused on shaking off their slump and halting the Pirates’ three-game winning streak over them dating to last season.
“Obviously we have a great deal of respect for Seton Hall. I think our guys are anxious to get back out there and play and try to win another Big East game,” Wojciechowski said.
Marquette expects to get some help in achieving that goal. Redshirt junior guard Duane Wilson, who suffered a left groin injury Dec. 28 against Georgetown, is expected to play Wednesday.
In getting Wilson back, Marquette returns one of its veteran leaders. The Golden Eagles also will need improved performances from two of the other players who have been around the longest, seniors Jajuan Johnson and Fischer.
Johnson has struggled offensively during Marquette’s two-game skid, going 8 for 24. He made up for his shooting woes with eight rebounds and six steals against Seton Hall, but also recorded five turnovers.
Fischer’s struggles were more noticeable in the loss to Villanova when he went 1 for 5 from the field and failed to grab a defensive rebound for the second successive game before being benched for the final 12 minutes.
“In the last 51 minutes, he doesn’t have a defensive rebound and obviously for a guy that size, he can do a lot better than that,” Wojciechowski said.
The weight of turning things around isn’t solely on Marquette’s seniors, including graduate transfer Katin Reinhardt, but they’re the ones who will be most adversely affected if the Golden Eagles are unable to turn things around. Outside of Reinhardt, who experienced the NCAA Tournament while at USC, the others would graduate without ever taking part in the big dance.
Finding a way to get there could start Wednesday night.
“Do we have the mental toughness to bounce back and learn from our mistakes and not repeat them and show the grit and the fight for 40 minutes that will put you in a Big East game,” Wojciechowski asked.
“I think that’s what we’ll find out.”