Villanova Preview: ‘Cats Travel to Struggling Marquette

Villanova Men’s Basketball will face the team with the worst record in the Big East when they travel to face Marquette at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10. 

Although they entered the season as an NCAA Tournament hopeful, the Golden Eagles have struggled to a 6-10 record this season (1-4 Big East) after struggling to replace key starters from last season like Kam Jones. Head coach Shaka Smart retained most of his bench from last season and brought in a star-studded freshman class, but the Golden Eagles haven’t figured things out yet.

KenPom rates Marquette at No. 116, their offensive efficiency checking in at No. 174, their defensive efficiency at No. 85 and their tempo at No. 65.

Villanova (No. 24 overall) ranks No. 23 in offense, No. 32 in defense and No. 354 in tempo. Villanova and Marquette check in at No. 29 and No. 156 respectively in the NET rankings, making this a Quadrant 3 matchup for the Wildcats (12-3, 3-1 Big East). As such, they can’t suffer another off day like they did their last time out against Creighton. 

ESPN Analytics simulations see Villanova winning in 69.6 percent of simulations, while DraftKings sets the Wildcats as a 4.5 point favorite (-192 on the money line). The over/under rests at 145.5. 

TNT holds the broadcasting rights to this matchup.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

Marquette went with a starting lineup of forwards Royce Parham (6-foot-8) and Ben Gold (6-foot-11), along with guards Adrien Stevens, Nigel James Jr. and Chase Ross. 

Ross leads the team in points (16.0) and steals (2.1) per game; Gold has a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game, while James, a true freshman and member of the ESPN Top 100, runs the offense with 3.9 assists per game, an interesting counterpart to Villanova guard Acaden Lewis.

Parham rounds out the statistical leaders with 0.6 blocks per game. 

The Golden Eagles take 41.3 percent of their shots from three but make just 29.6 percent of them, Stevens (21-of-56) serving as their best sniper. As a team, Marquette makes just 40.3 percent of their shots and, although defense is their calling card, they’re allowing opponents to convert 44.1 percent of the time. They could succeed in taking the three-point line away from the Wildcats, as their opponents attempted threes just 38.1 percent of the time and made a paltry 34.4 percent of those shots.

Villanova’s ability to win on the glass — opposing teams outrebound Marquette 39.2 to 37.4 — and to limit turnovers (the Golden Eagles force 14.3 per game) could prove the difference maker. Similarly, although they rank third and fourth in scoring for Marquette, Parham and Gold’s size down low could pose issues for a Wildcats team that head coach Kevin Willard says struggles against length.

Scouting the Wildcats

Villanova should roll with a starting lineup of forwards Duke Brennan and Matt Hodge and guards Bryce Lindsay, Lewis and Tyler Perkins, as they have for much of the season. Brennan ranks third in the nation with 11.4 rebounds per game, and his 12.3 PPG means he’s averaging a double-double. Lindsay leads the team in scoring with 16.0 PPG, and each of the Wildcats’ starters clears the double digit mark.

Hodge (10.4 PPG and a team-high 0.6 blocks per game) stands 6-foot-8 but attempts 65.4 percent of his shots from three point range. A redshirt freshman, he’s a streaky shooter, making 33.3 percent of his threes, but his ability to create a mismatch on the outside makes him a fascinating player to watch. Lewis (12.5 PPG) leads the team in assists (5.0) and steals (2.0), a combination that, along with his excellent layup package, makes him adept at turning defense into offense. Perkins (11.4 PPG) rounds out the starting lineup and serves as an excellent defensive contributor with scoring upside.

The Wildcats typically roll with a bench of sixth man Devin Askew, a 6-foot-5 point guard who can contribute on both ends of the court, wing Malachi Palmer and seven foot tall center Braden Pierce. They also got Zion Stanford (6-foot-6), who missed the first month of the season to injury, in on the action against Creighton, so watch to see if he can carve out more minutes as he finds his feet. 

After a poor defensive showing against the Blue Jays, watch to see how the Wildcats respond on that end of the floor.