Erratic Golden Eagles have epic collapse
Marquette is all over the place this season.
Sometimes the Golden Eagles are good. Sometimes they are bad. Sometimes they are maddeningly both in the same game.
MU blew an 18-point lead in the second half and suffered an embarrassing, 65-54, loss to Connecticut on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.
It was the inverse of MU’s mercurial performance Saturday, when the Golden Eagles rallied from an 18-point deficit after halftime to beat Georgetown.
“At times this group can play really good basketball,” MU head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “But we haven’t shown the consistency needed in Big East play to beat really good teams across the board.”
Wojciechowski, in his seventh season at MU, has overseen some wildly inconsistent teams in recent years. In the 2018-19 season, the Golden Eagles were ranked in the top 10, but lost six of their last seven games, including a blowout loss to Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Last season’s team was still on track to make the NCAA Tournament, but also dropped six of seven before the coronavirus pandemic stopped play.
“I have to do a better job coaching them,” Wojciechowski said. “Ultimately it’s my responsibility. Anything that happens within or around our program falls on my shoulders.”
MU (6-6, 2-4 Big East) was rolling and went up, 43-25, after freshman forward Dawson Garcia dropped in a layup with 15:39 remaining. The Golden Eagles looked like the team that beat thenNo. 4 Wisconsin and then-No. 9 Creighton last month and well on their way to another signature victory.
Then the offense went ice-cold and the porous defense that has plagued MU all season showed up. Shooters have feasted on open looks against the Golden Eagles and Tyler Polley scored all of his collegiate-high 23 points as the Huskies (5-1, 2-1) surged in the second half.
What is vexing is that MU’s defense looked sharp in the first half. The Golden Eagles were swarming ball-handlers and forced eight turnovers before halftime.
Senior guard Koby McEwen did an admirable job guarding Connecticut star James Bouknight, who came into the game averaging 23.2 points. McEwen harassed the Huskies guard into 3-for-9 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
Bouknight left the game with just over three minutes remaining in the first half after McEwen landed on Bouknight’s left arm while both dived for a loose ball. He returned but was in obvious pain and finished with just six points.
A diminished Bouknight would seem like a boon for MU, but Polley took over the game. After MU went up 18, Connecticut nailed back-to-back threes, including one from Polley, to gain confidence.
Polley hit a three-pointer with 8:07 remaining to put the Huskies up, 48-47. MU senior center Theo John answered with a three-point play, but that was MU’s last gasp as Polley immediately came down and nailed another three.
“I thought we, for 25 minutes, played really well,” Wojciechowski said. “When you’re playing a team as good as UConn in the Big East, teams are going to punch back.
“I didn’t think we showed the toughness to respond to them turning up the energy like we need to do.”
In the final 15 minutes, MU shot 4 for 19, including eight straight misses. The Golden Eagles were 2 for 10 on threepointers after halftime.
It all added up to the most soulcrushing loss of the season. The Golden Eagles’ game at Villanova on Friday was postponed due to COVD-19 issues with the Wildcats, so MU will get a week to stew before facing Providence next Tuesday.