Marquette had a week off before heading to New Jersey to play Seton Hall. Golden Eagles had been flip-flopping wins and losses more than a local politician. Somehow, Marquette found themselves in the middle of the Big East which is a current trainwreck, but they could develop some separation from some of the others. Marquette rebounded from 20 bad minutes of basketball to win 77-66 with Jamil Wilson's biggest effort of the season along with Golden Eagles cleaning up on the glass and the free throw line yet concerns are still there about this team.Other than Jake Thomas, Wilson suffered the most criticism of any Marquette player this season. Reason being is most Marquette fans put him on a pedestal assuming he would make the 'senior leap' as we have seen with Golden Eagles players before. This did not happen with Wilson. He is one of the most athletic players in Buzz Williams' tenure, but at the same time, one of the most frustrating players to watch. Wilson stepped up in a major way on Tuesday night.
Wilson came out firing against the Pirates nailing four straight threes and another basket having 14 quick points. He is only a 32 percent 3-point shooter so it came with much surprise when Wilson made it rain out there like he had unlimited dollar bills. He finished the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds notching his second double-double of the season. Wilson seemed to be involved with the offense more so than other games of remembrance. For the first time this season, it felt like the offense actually ran through him. This could be a very encouraging sign moving forward with Marquette. In the last two games, Wilson is averaging 21 points and eight rebounds a game. Hopefully, this is not just another trick by the magician.
What does not get talked about much is how Marquette really is not a good free throw shooting team. For the second, they rank tied for 202nd by shooting 68 percent from the charity stripe. I do not think there have been many games where Marquette lost the game from the line, yet still, it is an elephant in the room for this squad. They did a great job Tuesday night making 30 of 34 free throws. Sometimes, the difference from a game being a 10 point advantage to a nail-biter finish is free throws. Further, Marquette going to the line 34 times is a great thing. They shot only 14 threes and got to the line 34 times; this should be the prototype for this team.
Marquette had their own issues with giving up offensive rebounds, but last night, they were the time giving it to the opposition. One of the big reasons the Golden Eagles won this game was their ability to clean up around the glass. Chris Otule, Davante Gardner and Wilson all pulled down three or more offensive rebounds providing another offensive opportunity for Marquette which they usually converted on with 14 second-chance points. Additionally, Seton Hall only had three offensive rebounds and only had 19 for the game. I hope the Golden Eagles big men and the whole team watch this tape seeing how well they can rebound game in, game out.
While it was great to see Marquette fight back and get a big win, there were still some noticeable concerns with the Golden Eagles. Seton Hall shot 53 percent from the field, and at certain points of this game, Pirates were shooting around 60 percent. If it were not for the free throws and offensive rebounds, Marquette could have gotten wiped out. Additionally, Seton Hall made 10 threes including five of them from Brian Oliver, the second-best shooter in the Big East. Oliver found himself open more times than not. Golden Eagles need to find a way to be better perimeter defenders. I do not know if this starts with who plays at guard position or what, but it might be Marquette's biggest defect this season.
Marquette has now won two straight games. They win another game, it will be a winning streak. They have happened before. It will not be easy taking on Xavier. Golden Eagles will be tied for third in the Big East, and the conversation about the bubble can start again. But until then, Marquette is still on the outside looking in but another win continues to give everyone hope.
Charlie.
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