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Villanova Preview: Daunting Road Battle With No. 10 Marquette

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Villanova Wildcats Mascot March 18, 2022 David Hague/PSN

The Villanova Wildcats will take on the No. 10 ranked Marquette Golden Eagles at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, and it’s no stretch to say their season hangs in the balance when they do so.

As of the morning of Jan. 24, the Wildcats’ chances of qualifying for the Big Dance sit at just 15.4 percent, per teamrankings.com. They need to make up a good deal of ground — and do so in a hurry — to keep their tournament hopes alive.

Unfortunately for Villanova (12-8, 5-4 Big East), ESPN Analytics gives them just a 22 percent chance of coming out with the road win: not terrible odds when facing a top ten team, but not odds any Wildcats’ fan would like to see with their season on the line. ESPN Bet sets the money line at +380 for Villanova, with the point spread at -9.5 in Marquette’s favor and an over/under of 142.5.

The Wildcats currently hold the No. 59 spot in the NET rankings and a marginally better No. 51 per the KenPom system: Marquette sits at No. 17 and No. 13, respectively. As a slam dunk Quadrant 1 matchup for Villanova, escaping Milwaukee with a win could go a long way toward resurrecting the Wildcats’ tournament hopes… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Where to Watch; Who to Watch

FS1 holds the broadcasting rights for this game. As befits a top ten team, both Marquette’s offense and defense rank in the top 25 efficiency ratings in the country. Four Golden Eagles average more than ten points per game. Guard Kam Jones, a Wooden Award and Big East Player of the Year candidate alongside Villanova’s Eric Dixon, is putting up 19.1 points per game; forward David Joplin with 14.9; and guards Stevie Mitchell and Chase Ross with 11.2 and 10.5, respectively. Ross has only scored ten points combined in his past two games, however, and if he’s not at his best that’s a factor the Wildcats could exploit.

Looking at the other four major statistical categories, Joplin leads the Golden Eagles with 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Jones’ average of 6.5 assists ranks 13th in the nation, and Mitchell paced the team in steals with 2.3. Marquette’s team average of 10.6 steals per game ranked third in the nation, and while they possess an immaculate 16-3 record, most Big East teams have managed to play them close this year.

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