Marquette at Villanova
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 28, 2012
Where: The Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania
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THE STORY: No. 18 Marquette brings a five-game winning streak into Philadelphia when it faces at noon Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. The Golden Eagles’ only Big East losses have been to Syracuse and Georgetown. The Wildcats have turned around their worst start in league history and have won two of their last three – letting a halftime lead slip away in a road loss to Louisville last time out. Three of Marquette’s four losses have been on the road. The Golden Eagles edged the Wildcats 81-77 on Jan. 1, behind a balanced scoring effort led by Darius Johnson-Odom’s 24 points.
TV: Noon ET, ESPN2, ESPN3.com
ABOUT MARQUETTE (17-4, 6-2 Big East): The Golden Eagles are a well-rounded bunch, with a potent offense and stingy defense. Different players represent Marquette among the league’s top five in scoring (Johnson-Odom, 18.1), field-goal percentage (Davante Gardner, 58.1), assists (Junior Cadougan, 5.6) and steals (Jae Crowder, 2.3). The Golden Eagles’ 76.3 points are second only to Syracuse’s 78, and their 17.5 assists are most in the league. They also harass opponents, ranking fifth in overall field-goal percentage defense and 3-point percentage defense.
ABOUT VILLANOVA (10-11, 3-6 Big East): The Wildcats were outscored by 15 in the second half of Wednesday’s 84-74 defeat at Louisville, after leading 44-39 at the break. Leading scorer Maalik Wayns (18.7 points) continued his recent hot stretch with a team-high 19 points, and has averaged 27.8 over his last four games since a woeful three-point night versus Syracuse on Jan. 11. James Bell, who averages 7.6 points, has reached double figures the last three games, including his first career double-double of 14 points and 13 boards against the Cardinals.
TIP-INS:
1. Marquette coach Buzz Williams collected his 100th victory with a 67-47 triumph over South Florida on Tuesday.
2. The Golden Eagles went to the foul line 13 times more than Villanova in their first meeting, but hit just 23 for 37.
3. Wayns and second-leading scorer Dominic Cheek combined for 18 points on 6-for-23 shooting (1-for-8 3-pointers) in the Jan. 1 game.
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