Marquette’s motivation will be tested
A trying season just keeps getting more overwhelming for the Marquette men's basketball team.
The Golden Eagles (9-11, 5-9 Big East) have lost five of their last six games, and the schedule does them no favors. MU will continue a tough stretch of five straight road games against Seton Hall (11-8, 8-5) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Newark, New Jersey.
It is the first time MU will play five straight away from home since the 198081 season, when the then-Warriors were not affiliated with a conference.
The road swing did not start well for MU with Villanova steamrolling to a 9664 victory on Wednesday night. With the hopes for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth extinguished, MU head coach Steve Wojciechowski was asked how the team will stay motivated for the rest of the season.
“We have a lot to play for,” Wojciechowski said. “Every time we step on the floor, especially in a time period like this, it's a gift. And you have to honor that gift.
“I thought we did for 19-plus minutes in the first half. I didn't feel like we did in the second half and that's my responsibility.”
MU was within 61-52 with 11:33 remaining. But Villanova made its next 3 three-point attempts and the Golden Eagles' defense completely deflated. The Wildcats ballooned that lead up to 33 points by shooting 11 for 16 in that stretch, including 7 for 11 on three-pointers.
“We have to compete much harder than we did in the second half, especially on the defensive end,” Wojciechowski said.
Villanova, ranked fourth in USA Today's Ferris Mowers coaches poll and No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25, is capable of embarrassing opponents, as MU is well aware.
According to college basketball analytics website KenPom.com, three of the Golden Eagles' worst four performances in defensive efficiency since 2002 have come against Villanova under Wojciechowski, who became MU's coach for the 2014-15 season.
Wednesday's loss – in which the Wildcats shot 34 for 54 (63%) overall, 13 for 22 (59%) on three-pointers and 15 for 16 (94%) on free throws with nine turnovers – was the worst by that metric.
The other dubious defensive performances since 2002 were: a 93-81 loss to the Wildcats in Philadelphia on Jan. 7, 2017, a 99-52 defeat to Louisville on Jan. 26, 2005 and a 94-70 rout by eventual national champion Villanova in the 2018 Big East tournament.
MU is ranked last in defensive efficiency in Big East play this season.
It will be interesting to see how MU responds after such a dispiriting loss in an emotionally taxing season. Wojciechowski, like all college basketball coaches, has worried about his team's mental health this season. MU players are living alone in hotel rooms to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
“Our guys have gone through extreme isolation,” Wojciechowski said earlier this month. “We've talked to them about the right things to do and the wrong things to do. They're often times alone.
“And when you think about a college experience, at least the one I had, there were very few times when I was alone. And so it takes its toll. And our guys have maintained a good attitude.
“But there's no question, every time you take a COVID test, which is pretty much every day, there's anxiety about the results. There is. It doesn't make them weak. They care a lot about playing.”