The #7 Marquette Golden Eagles have been off all week, but they will host the St. John’s Red Storm on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m. CT. St. John’s is in must-win territory for their NCAA Tournament hopes and they are looking to pull off the upset.
At this point in the season, the Golden Eagles are in a very good spot with an 8-3 record in BIG East Conference play. They are in second place and have a 17-5 overall record. As for the St. John’s Red Storm, they have a 14-9 overall record and a 6-6 conference record.
The Red Storm are currently in a three-way tie for sixth place in the conference with the Butler Bulldogs and the Providence Friars. When Marquette and St. John’s last met on Saturday, January 20, Marquette won that matchup over St. John’s by a final score of 73-72.
The Golden Eagles have won their last six games. Head coach Shaka Smart has his team always prepared and ready to play. Marquette last played last Saturday against the Georgetown Hoyas and they won that basketball game by a final score of 91-57.
In that contest, the Marquette Golden Eagles had four different players score in double figures. Kam Jones led the way with 31 points. Tyler Kolek scored 17 points, grabbed two rebounds, and recorded eight assists. David Joplin scored 15 points for Marquette and Oso Ighodaro also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Players to Watch For the St. John’s Red Storm Against the Marquette Golden Eagles
Rick Pitino’s squad knows it is in desperation mode against Marquette on the road. They played them tough last time and can very well play them tough again on the road. The St. John’s Red Storm last played on Tuesday against the DePaul Blue Demons and won that game easily by a final score of 85-57.
Three different players scored in double figures for St. John’s. Jordan Dingle and Daniss Jenkins each scored 14 points in that contest against the Blue Demons. Joel Soriano also scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Red Storm.
This is a game that the Marquette Golden Eagles will have to be ready from the opening tipoff. If they are not ready to go against the St. John’s Red Storm, St. John’s will steal a win from Marquette. The Golden Eagles will find a way to win this game over the Red Storm as long as they play their game.
