Marquette handled business against DePaul on Wednesday night, barely, and earn a date with Villanova as its reward.

Having already seen the Golden Eagles twice this season, we won’t waste a ton of time breaking down what they do. Instead, we’ll rely on our previous game previews and recaps. You can see our first breakdown of Marquette here, and the recap of the first game here. The preview of the second game can be found here, while that game recap can be seen here.

Villanova handled Marquette twice this season but did so by only a combined 13 points. The Golden Eagles are a dangerous offensive team and won’t be intimidated by Villanova.

The ‘Cats have to handle Marquette’s trio of Markus Howard, Andrew Rowsey, and Sam Hauser. If that group is held in check it will be extremely difficult for Marquette to find the firepower to keep up with the ‘Nova offense. Keeping that group off the free-throw line is key, as all are lethal from the stripe.

Villanova also needs to handle business on the glass. Marquette is not a great rebounding team, and the ‘Cats can’t allow the Golden Eagles to gain an advantage from a relative weakness. The Marquette offense can punish opponents with extra opportunities, so controlling the glass will be key.

Coach Woj had this to say about playing Villanova following last night’s win: “Against Villanova you have to play a pretty flawless game in all aspects, offensively, defensively. They present so many challenges on both ends of the floor. We’re going to have to play our best basketball.”

Marquette is playing for its NCAA tournament life, and a win over Villanova might just be enough to push them into the field of 68. So we can expect their best effort, and ‘Nova will have to respond and match that intensity.

The game is on FS1 at 7.