MU to finish tough month with Villanova
When Marquette finalized its early season schedule in October, the slate of games in December loomed as a grueling challenge.
The Golden Eagles (5-4, 1-2 Big East) have endured a bumpy road this month and are set to play their final game of 2020 against Villanova (7-1, 2-0) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Fiserv Forum. The Wildcats, picked by Big East coaches to win the league, are ranked No. 3 in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 5 in The Associated Press Top 25.
Villanova will be the third top-10 opponent for MU in December. The Golden Eagles won the previous two, against then-No. 4 Wisconsin on Dec. 4 and at then-No. 9 Creighton last week.
There have also been some ugly blemishes for MU, which is incorporating key newcomers D.J. Carton, Dawson Garcia and Justin Lewis this season. The Golden Eagles were hurt by turnovers in a loss to Oklahoma State on Dec. 1, foul trouble in a defeat at UCLA on Dec. 11 and defensive mistakes in back-to-back losses to Seton Hall and Xavier last week.
"We played a monster schedule," MU head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "And it's happened fast. For all of our guys, but especially our new faces."
The matchup with Villanova caps an especially frantic stretch for the Golden Eagles, who played four games in four cities from Dec. 11-20.
"I feel like our guys are playing tired," Wojciechowski said after the loss to Xavier. "And you can't do that.."
Fortunately for MU, the team gets a break after Wednesday, returning Jan. 2 at Georgetown.
But first, the Golden Eagles will have to figure out how to slow Villanova, which has lost only to Virginia Tech in overtime on Nov. 28 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
MU has a size advantage down low. Garcia and senior center Theo John were effective around the basket against Xavier, combining to shoot 12 for 17 on two-point attempts. The 6-foot-11 Garcia is adjusting to the physicality of the college game, and John has shown great touch on hook shots with either hand. Expect the Golden Eagles to feed the big guys early and often.
"We want to play through the post," Wojciechowski said. "I thought our guys were efficient offensively when we got the ball there. There were moments in the game where I felt like we lost sight of that. Those things can't happen."
As Wojciechowski pointed out repeatedly after the loss to the Musketeers, MU's offense isn't the problem. The Golden Eagles were helpless on defense against hot-shooting Xavier, which finished 13 for 24 on three-pointers, including 7 of 10 in the second half.
"We're not going to win in the Big East when you let the team shoot percentages that Xavier shot," Wojciechowski said. "We have to rectify that."
That will be a challenge with Villanova, which is one of the top offenses in the country. The Wildcats are No. 4 in offensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com, a college basketball analytics website. As usual under head coach Jay Wright, Villanova shoots well (37.2% on three-pointers) and rarely coughs up the ball (No. 3 in turnover percentage, per kenpom).
Just another challenge for MU in a month full of them.
"We have a chance to be a good team," Wojciechowski said. "We're going to have a number of opportunities to show improvement and we obviously have to get better. Especially on the defensive end."