NCAAB Game Preview - Marquette at Villanova
Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:30 PM EST

Kansas
58
WVU
49
F
Lou
58
GaTec
64
F
Crei
87
Seton
82
F
Bama
91
Aub
95
F(OT)
Marq
71
Vill
72
F
Xav
61
Butl
66
F
Hou
62
SoFL
58
F
SouthCar
75
UGA
59
F
(N/A)
55
Tows
71
F
UConn
75
SMU
79
F
Mercer
70
Woff
68
F
BC
58
Mia-FL
85
F
LoyIL
73
Evans
66
F
Maine
63
UMassL
71
F
Stony
75
Bingha
70
F
UNH
50
Vermt
74
F
GMas
72
VCU
67
F
VMI
67
Chat
86
F
Rut
66
OhSt
72
F
Canis
66
Niag
69
F
WCU
62
UNCG
82
F
Buck
59
Navy
60
F
HolyC
82
Leh
89
F
Rich
74
LaSal
47
F
Albany
60
Hartfo
66
F
Citad
67
ETSU
91
F
Lafy
48
Army
65
F
LoyMD
76
Amer
81
F
Furm
86
Samf
71
F
InWor
60
NWSt
70
F
ECU
56
Tuls
70
F
Temp
72
Tul
68
F
W IL
72
SDak
85
F
NOrl
68
CenAR
73
F
SFA
75
TXAMC
67
F
SIU
38
Valpa
55
F
Drake
62
MOSt
97
F
SHSU
79
SeLA
70
F
NebOm
78
ORU
81
F(OT)
IlSt
63
NrthIA
71
F
Lamar
65
Nich
69
F
IndSt
61
Brad
72
F
MTSU
72
UAB
83
F
Fla
78
TAMU
61
F
Prov
69
StJon
80
F
Clem
72
Pitt
52
F
IaSt
61
Okla
90
F
Mich
79
NW
54
F
HCU
67
AbCh
81
F
UCIrv
63
UCRiv
59
F
Fres
84
SJSU
78
F(OT)
Nev
82
UNLV
79
F(OT)
LongB
50
HI
49
F
No. 15 Villanova looks to rebound vs. No. 18 Marquette
Tue Feb 11, 2020 12:10 PM

Villanova will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Marquette on Wednesday.

After ascending to No. 10, the Wildcats (17-6, 7-4 Big East) have since dropped home games to Creighton and Seton Hall and a road contest at Butler when Kamar Baldwin hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Saddiq Bey led the Wildcats with 22 points, but they shot just 36.1 percent and fell 70-64 to the Pirates last Saturday.

No. 15-ranked Villanova, which doesn't feature one scholarship senior, will have another difficult challenge against the No. 18-ranked Golden Eagles.

"We're going to try to win the next game," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "Once you go back to work, you don't think about it as a three-game slide. You do now. Once we go back to practice, we just think about getting better the next day.

"It's the same way if we have a three-game winning streak. You just concentrate on your next game."

The Wildcats started 10-0 at home before recent losses to Creighton and Seton Hall. This home matchup against Marquette will take place at their cozy arena on Philadelphia's Main Line.

"We have to play better to beat one of the best teams in the country," Wright said. "We didn't today. We'll be OK. We'll get better."

Villanova shot 9 of 27 from beyond the arc, with Collin Gillespie going 0 for 5.

Despite the poor shooting and three-game skid, the Wildcats are well on their way to an eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 15th in the last 16 years.

Marquette (17-6, 7-4) will be attempting to stay hot, as it is in search of a fourth straight victory.

The Golden Eagles have won at Xavier and at home against DePaul and Butler heading into this key matchup at Villanova.

In its last game, Marquette rolled past the Bulldogs, 76-57, on Sunday behind Markus Howard's 17 points and 16 each from Koby McEwen and Brendan Bailey.

Howard is only four points from tying former Boston College standout Troy Bell's career Big East scoring mark of 1,388. In addition, Howard trails the Big East leader -- former Syracuse star Lawrence Moten, who recorded 1,405 points.

More than statistics, Marquette continues to pile up wins at the right time. It has won six of seven overall to vault into the national rankings.

"We needed the bye week badly," Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "Obviously I was not pleased with our defense heading into the bye week. By a long shot. The bye week did give us a chance to rest some guys that have been battered and bruised. But, more than anything, that gave us a chance to get back and work on our defense."

Howard, the leading scorer in the country at 27.4 points per game, always draws so much attention from the defense. It also has opened up opportunities for his teammates.

"It's always fun playing with a player like Markus," Bailey told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He's the best scorer in the country and teams know that so they're going to focus their defense around Markus. And that's when everybody else has to step up. When someone's open and gets the ball, we got to be ready to shoot. We just got to find the open spots on the floor."

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
Marquette  
Villanova  

Hot Players (Last 10 team games)

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