On Saturday, Villanova will take the court following a loss for the first time this season. The ‘Cats haven’t loss back-to-back games since 2012-13, and they will look to keep that streak going as they host Marquette.
The Golden Eagles head to the Wells Fargo Center sitting at 11-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big East, a half-game ahead of the Wildcats. They are coming off an overtime victory at Providence.
Marquette has lost to Purdue, Wichita State, Georgia, and Xavier. Its best wins so far have come over LSU, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Providence. Like Butler last week, Marquette enters the game not having accomplished what it would have liked to in the non-conference, and hungry for a big win.
The Golden Eagles possess an elite offense that will test a Villanova defense that hasn’t played to Villanova standards over the past game and a half.
Marquette boasts a trio of lethal offensive threats. It all starts in the backcourt with the duo of Andrew Rowsey and Markus Howard.
Howard is coming off a 52-point outburst against Providence, showcasing his ability to take over the game. For the season he is averaging 22.6 points, shooting 48% from the field, 40% from three, and a perfect 45-45 from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile Rowsey has been equally as productive, adding 22 points per game of his own. He has shot 46% from the floor, 44% from three, and 90% from the charity stripe.
Overall, Howard and Rowsey have excelled offensively, posting 1.13 and 1.14 points per possession respectively, per Synergy Sports. They have been absolutely lethal in spot up situations, and have also excelled in isolation, as the pick and roll ballhandlers, and in hand off situations. Rowsey has also thrived coming off screens.
Looking for weaknesses in the pair, each have been below average in transition, netting less that 0.9 points per possession. Each is listed at 5’ 11”, so the ‘Nova guards will have a height advantage that they can look to exploit. Howard and Rowsey have also had some turnover issues, combining to average 5.1 per game.
Sophomore forward Sam Hauser has taken a nice step forward. He is averaging 14.1 points while shooting 50% from the field, 49% from deep, and 91% from the line. He has been especially effective on spot ups, coming off screens, and as the roll man in the pick and roll. He has been average in the post and has struggled in isolation situations.
The good news is that there is a steep drop in production after Marquette’s big three. Haanif Cheatham was averaging 8.2 points per game, but has left the program due to personal reasons. After Cheatham, no other Golden Eagle averages more than 5.5 points per game. Freshman forward Jamal Cain scored 16 in the loss to Xavier, and has shown an ability to get hot from three, but has yet to develop consistency and averages just five points per game.
The other good news is that as good as Marquette has been offensively, it has struggled in other areas.
The Golden Eagles have been poor on the defensive end, giving up 75.2 points a game. Neither Howard or Rowsey are great defenders. They have struggled to defend the pick and roll, as well as spot ups.
Marquette has also struggled rebounding the ball. The Golden Eagles are pulling down just 31.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 334th in the country, and they haven’t done much damage on the offensive glass.
For Villanova offensively, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. The Wildcats’ offense has been humming all season long, and Marquette hasn’t shown an ability to disrupt elite offenses. Villanova should be able to attack Marquette in a number of ways. ‘Nova could also look to use offense as a form of defense, attacking the trio of Howard, Rowsey, and Hauser and making them work on the defensive end.
Defensively, the keys are pretty clear, although executing them may be easier said than done. First and foremost, the ‘Cats must defend the three-point line. Marquette gets 43% of its points from deep, the ninth-most in the country. Conversely, it gets just 39% of its points on two-pointers, ninth-fewest in the country. Disrupting and challenging Marquette on the perimeter is a must.
In addition, ‘Nova must limit the trio of Howard, Rowsey, and Hauser as much as possible. While shutting down all three is virtually impossible, limiting them as much as possible is key. Make the likes of Jamal Cain, Sacar Anim, Matt Heldt, and Theo John beat you. Sell-out to stop Howard, Rowsey, and Hauser as much as possible and put the offensive burden on the rest of the rotation.
Finally, keep the big three off the free-throw line. Howard, Rowsey, and Hauser are almost automatic from the charity stripe, and you have to prevent them from making a living there and using the line to get going offensively. Putting any of those three on the line is virtually giving points away, and against a team like Marquette you simply can’t do that.
Marquette and its potent offense presents a fascinating test for the Wildcats. Under Jay Wright, Villanova has played from a defensive foundation, and over the last three halves of play the defense simply hasn’t been up to par. If that trend continues, ‘Nova could find itself in a tough spot. Marquette isn’t the team you want to face when trying to get right on the defensive end, but perhaps the challenge of the Marquette offense combined with what happened against Butler is just what the Wildcats need to regain their defensive mojo.
The challenge presented by Marquette combined with the fact that Villanova is coming off a loss creates an intriguing dynamic, and it should be interesting to see how the ‘Cats respond. The fact that Marquette was responsible for one of the Wildcats’ three regular season losses last year adds to the intrigue. This game provides a stiff test, and we should learn a lot about this ‘Nova team from how the game goes.
The game will air on FS1 at 8 Saturday night.
