Matchup Preview: UConn hosts Marquette in a Big East matinée

Over the course of this season, Dan Hurley has proven to be adept at finding flaws in his UConn team’s performance and keeping his guys motivated. Despite cruising to victory over Georgetown and doing the same against DePaul this past week, the Huskies’ head coach was not taking it easy.

This was his courtside interview as UConn held a 52-29 lead at halftime in Chicago.

This consistent high motor and drive has come to define UConn. Now sitting at 23-2 after winning 13 straight, holding the longest active winning streak in the nation, sitting first in the Big East standings, with five weeks at No. 1 in the polls, the Huskies have continued to push themselves to new heights despite dealing with injuries and off shooting nights.

The home stretch of the season lies ahead, and it kicks off with a banger.

Enter Marquette, the reigning Big East regular-season and tournament champions. The Golden Eagles got the better of Hurley’s Huskies twice last season, splitting the season series before taking a decisive victory in the Big East semifinals. They’re led by the senior duo of Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro on a team that returns a lot of production from last year.

After a shaky start in league play, Marquette (19-5, 10-3 Big East) is back in form, comfortably in 2nd place in the Big East and riding an eight-game winning streak of its own. The Golden Eagles are ranked fourth in the polls and maintain high hopes to make more noise in the NCAA Tournament than they did last year.

UConn vs Marquette Preview

When: Saturday, February 17, 3:00 PM ET

Where: XL Center - Hartford, CT

TV: FOX (Tim Brando, Donny Marshall)

Radio: UConn Sports Network – 97.9 FM

KenPom Prediction: UConn 77, Marquette 70

Matchup Stats

UConn has an edge or is near even in every major offensive efficiency metric compared to Marquette, especially rebounding and getting to the free-throw line. The Huskies are a slightly better shooting team.

The defensive matchup is more of a mixed bag, but UConn has the edge in keeping opponents’ shooting and rebounding percentages down.

via TeamRankings.com

Pre-Game Notes

• Saturday will be UConn’s second top-five matchup of the season. UConn was ranked No. 4 and Kansas No. 5 when they met in Allen Fieldhouse earlier this season.

• This is the third top-five showdown in the new Big East history going back to 2013, and UConn’s first Big East top-five matchup since 2009.

• The Huskies currently are tied in the all-time series against Marquette, 8-8, after going 1-2 last season.

• UConn is fully healthy for Saturday’s game, Dan Hurley said.

• Marquette’s backup point guard Sean Jones suffered a torn ACL last month and appears to be out for the season.

• Cam Spencer now leads the Big East in 3P% after shooting 13/25 (52%) over his past four games.

• Tyler Kolek leads Marquette in scoring (16.1 PPG) and assists (7.4 APG) while also averaging five rebounds per game.

• Ighodaro leads his team in rebounding (7.5 RPG) while also averaging 14.3 points per game.

• Tristen Newton was named to the Naismith POY Mid-season Team along with Kolek.

Marquette Golden Eagles Scouting Report

Expectations were about as high as possible for Shaka Smart’s squad entering this season after putting together one of the most surprising campaigns in the country last year. Picked 9th in the preseason poll, Marquette won the Big East regular-season and tournament championships, becoming the first team besides Villanova to achieve that feat since 2013.

Along the way, Marquette earned a Big East Player of the Year award (Tyler Kolek), had two All-Big East Second Team selections (Kam Jones & Oso Ighodaro), and a Sixth Man of the Year Award (David Joplin). But they lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

As six of their top seven players announced their return, the stage was set for another great season as Smart’s squad was picked first in the league’s preseason poll.

Now at 19-5, Marquette is 11th in KenPom (23rd Offense, 13th Defense) and looking to push UConn for the Big East regular-season crown with a win Saturday.

King Kolek

Any conversation about Marquette’s offense has to start with Kolek. The 6’3 Senior is as ball-dominant of a point guard as exists in college basketball today. Kolek’s nearly flawless court-vision paired with his tough and crafty ability to finish at the rim went a long way to earning him an All-American selection last season.

His combined abilities to shoot, pass and drive make him the one of the best pick-and-roll operators in the country, and Marquette will use the action ad nauseum. In the words of Coach Shaka Smart: “There’s no perfect way to guard him.”

Look for Stephon Castle to draw the assignment on Kolek to start. Him against Newton will also be a fun back-and-forth to watch between two legit scorers who fill up the stat sheet.

Continuity

In addition to Kolek, the Marquette team that the Huskies see on Saturday will have many familiar faces. Rounding out the Golden Eagles’ four returning starters are G Kam Jones, G Stevie Mitchell, and C Oso Ighodaro.

Marquette also brings back all of its major bench pieces from last season, most notably F David Joplin, who has slotted into the starting rotation with the departure of Olivier-Maxence Prosper to the NBA. According to KenPom, Marquette ranks 3rd in the country in ‘Minutes Continuity,’ putting them at the top of the Big East by a healthy margin.

Having this much experience with so much experience playing together is one of Marquette’s major advantages as a team. They know how to force teams into bad games, got a good taste of success last season, and should be motivated to push UConn in this marquee matchup.

Deflection Counter

Famous for having a quick-paced, free-flowing offense, Marquette’s defense rarely receives much attention. But according to KenPom, the Golden Eagles are 13th in the nation in efficiency, ranking 5 spots higher than the Huskies (who have been surging since Donovan Clingan's return from injury).

Not stacked with great defensive physicality or shot blockers, the MU defense is centered around playing at high intensity and earning the all-important 32 deflections.

According to Coach Shaka Smart’s defensive philosophy, deflections are the best measure for a defense’s disruptiveness, and teams that achieve 32 deflections win roughly 90 percent of their games. Watch for the Golden Eagles to get into the passing lanes and attempt to force UConn out of its set-plays and into improvisation.