Marquette Gameday: Podcast & Matchup Preview

UConn may have clinched the Big East regular-season crown, and the Marquette Golden Eagles will be without their best player tonight, but Dan Hurley’s squad still has plenty on the line.

Going into a road meeting with the No. 8-ranked team in the country, the Huskies have a chance to make a play for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They need to win out to set a record for wins in Big East play and also have the opportunity to sweep the team that won both Big East trophies in 2023 and was picked to win the league again this year.

As we enter March, UConn appears to be firing on all cylinders, led by two veteran guards and a crew of young stars. They’re ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and KenPom rankings, with two road games left in the regular season before next week’s Big East Tournament.

“Obviously when you get to Big East tournament time, there's going to be a different level of urgency,” Hurley said in a call with the media yesterday. He emphasized that they’re still looking to finish the season strong.

Fast Break Pod

After the Seton Hall game, our podcast crew discussed the stakes for these last two games and the Huskies’ potential path through the Big East Tournament.

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Marquette Preview

TV: 8:30 p.m. on FS1 (Jason Benetti and Bill Raftery)

Radio: UConn Sports Network (Mike Crispino and Wayne Norman)

Odds: UConn -5, over/under 151

KenPom Predicted Score: UConn 76, Marquette 74 (56 percent win percentage)

Marquette is still dangerous

Shaka Smart’s squad is 3-1 since their last meeting with UConn, a monstrous loss to the Huskies in Hartford on February 17, notching wins over Xavier and Providence.

Kolek was out for their last game, a 14-point loss at Creighton, and is expected to be out for the rest of the regular season.

While Kolek has the star power and award hype, this Marquette roster has plenty of talent and depth aside from him. Big man Oso Ighodaro should be available and junior guard Kam Jones has been playing well lately, recently posting consecutive 34-point performances against DePaul and Xavier.

“Kam Jones has been on a tear,” Hurley said. “Ighodaro will be back…they’re still champions and have one of the best cultures in college sports.”

The 6-foot-5 Jones will likely be the defensive assignment for freshman Stephon Castle, who has been taking on the top assignments in the league this season.

“I see a guy who’s dangerous at all three levels, just being super aggressive,” Hurley said of Jones. “A huge challenge because of the range.”

UConn is super tough to guard

“Some of UConn’s sets are so intricate it seems like they’re improvising,” says Jordan Sperber, a basketball analyst who broke down the Husky offense.

This is definitely worth a watch.

More bench minutes in these last two?

Hurley has repeatedly stated that he wants to increase the numbers in his rotation, as right now seven guys see the majority of the court time: five starters plus Samson Johnson and Hassan Diarra.

“We’re not gonna do anything that’s gonna hurt our chances to win the next possession,” he explained. “[But] getting to eight, getting to nine down the stretch here… we’d love to be playing deeper than we are right now.”

Freshmen Jaylin Stewart and Solo Ball have had their moments, but also have had freshman mistakes. They’re the most likely candidates to see more time in these final two games.

“J-Stew and Solo, having those guys confident and feeling like they can help us down the stretch is something that we have talked about,” Hurley said. “We wanted to get those guys more minutes and opportunities, they practice well.”

Off the bench, Diarra has been great and Johnson seems to be improving. Hurley said the junior big man has been “sturdier on the backboard [and] more decisive offensively.”

Hurley also mentioned that Marquette’s Ighodaro is an ideal template for the movement center role he envisions Johnson excelling in for the Huskies.

“With the way Donovan’s got it going right now, Samson finding his stride and being an impact player right now gives us that ‘no breather’ at center, that two-headed monster, that most teams don’t have,” he explained.