NCAA Basketball: Marquette hopes to remain undefeated at home as they host Wisconsin
In one of the more underrated rivalries in NCAA basketball, Marquette will look to upset Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
In a Saturday afternoon full of fantastic college basketball games, the 17th ranked Wisconsin Badgers find themselves on upset alert as they head to Milwaukee to face the Marquette Golden Eagles. Wisconsin is currently 8-2 and have yet to lose to an unranked opponent. Marquette is 7-2 and is 5-0 at the BMO Bradley Harris Center.
Wisconsin is rolling on a four-game winning streak. Signature wins over Georgetown, Syracuse and Oklahoma have put the Badgers at number 17 in the latest AP Poll. Led by a big three of senior guard Bronson Koenig, sophomore forward Ethan Happ, and senior forward Nigel Hayes, Greg Gard’s squad is one of the most experienced in the nation, as well as one of the best teams defensively in the NCAA.
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Koenig is currently averaging 15.5 points per game, a team high. He has scored 20+ points on five occasions this season.
Wisconsin’s front court of Happ and Hayes is arguably the best in the country.
Happ, a 6’10” sophomore, is averaging a double-double this season, with 13.5 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. He is shooting 70 percent from the floor.
Hayes, who withdrew his name from the NBA Draft this offseason, is averaging 12.9 points per contest this season, a drop from his 15.7 points per game in the 2015-16 season. The 6’8″ senior is contributing in several ways, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game.
Wisconsin is an outstanding team defensively. The Badgers allow 59.7 points per game, which ranks 15th in the NCAA. A 70-point performance from the Oklahoma Sooners last weekend was the most points Wisconsin has allowed in a game this season.
Meanwhile, Marquette is on a winning streak themselves, despite playing little high level competition. The Golden Eagles suffered their most recent loss on November 18 against the Pitt Panthers. Their other loss came from the Michigan Wolverines in an 18-point blowout.
Marquette is a very balanced team in terms of their scoring. Four Golden Eagles average double figures, and seven average seven or more points per game. Senior guard Jajuan Johnson leads the pack with 14.4 points per game.
6’10” senior big man Luke Fischer is scoring 13.9 points per game and adding 6.2 rebounds per game in only 24 minutes an outing. He is shooting a remarkable 76 percent from the field, which is sixth in the nation.
Sophomore guard Haanif Cheatham (11.7 points per game) and freshman guard Sam Hauser (10.3 points per game) have been two other very productive players for Steve Wojciechowski.
The consistency in scoring for Marquette has been impressive thus far in the season. Only twice has Marquette scored under 80 points in an outing, and in those two games they were defeated. They have scored over 90 points in a contest on four occasions this season. Their 86.7 points per game ranks inside the top 20 in the NCAA.
Winning the rebounding battle is essential for the Golden Eagles to win. Marquette is 7-0 when they win the rebounding battle at the conclusion of the game, and are 0-2 when they lose the rebound battle. As previously stated, Wisconsin is a fantastic team on the glass, which will make it that much more difficult for Marquette to grab more boards.
The first half is extremely important for the Badgers if they want to be victors. With the exception of the Oklahoma game, Wisconsin is 7-0 when leading at the half and are 0-2 when trailing at the half.
Additionally, Wisconsin needs a strong start. In a loss to Creighton, Wisconsin found themselves down 8-0 a minute and a half into the game. In the Maui Invitational Championship, North Carolina was up 11-3 about eight minutes into the game, and Wisconsin never gained the lead after that point.
I envision a Wisconsin victory in this contest, despite the game being on Marquette’s home floor. Why? Mainly because of their rebounding and Marquette’s lack of. Wisconsin’s defense will carry them to a victory no greater than 10 points.