The #9 Marquette Golden Eagles fell Saturday 77-69 to the #25 UConn Huskies, and in so doing, they joined a record-tying number of ranked teams who suffered defeat on a single day of college basketball.
Ordered highest to lowest, the following teams lost to fellow top 25 foes:
#5 Florida, #6 Houston, #9 Marquette, #14 Mississippi State, and #23 Ole Miss. Of these, only the Rebels fell to a team ranked higher than they were: #1 Auburn.
#3 Iowa State, #7 Michigan State, #11 Kansas, #12 Kentucky, #21 Louisville, and #24 Vanderbilt also lost to teams outside the AP rankings, bringing the total number of ranked losses to 11.
Playing before a record crowd in Fiserv Forum, Marquette dropped to 18-4 (9-2) overall. #15 St John’s, who escaped with a two-point win over Providence, now sits a game ahead of them for first in the Big East.
The Golden Eagles had notched three wins in a row, and three straight covers, before losing Saturday as 6.5-point favorites. Heading into a clash with the Red Storm on Tuesday, how can they improve?
Coach Shaka Smart Talks Familiar Pitfalls for Marquette Golden Eagles vs UConn Huskies
In his postgame presser, coach Smart referenced the gap in shooting splits between his team and the Huskies: Marquette shot 39.7% from the field and 31.8% on threes, compared to 59.5% and 63.2% for UConn. While he acknowledged the obvious impact of this difference, he highlighted the “details underneath,” “stuff on both ends of the floor where we need to be better.”
The game marked another instance in which the team found themselves down at the break, 40-29, and this time they weren’t able to pull it out despite winning the second half. Although he does not believe slow starts are the root problem, Smart recognized that they have been an issue.
“Even in our nine wins in Big East play, I think we’ve been down at halftime in five or six of them,” he said. “It’s not the recipe for being the best you can be.”
One thing Smart addressed specifically was inefficiency at the free throw line, where Marquette finished 12-22 to UConn’s 15-19.
For his part, star guard Kam Jones scored 22 points but went just 3-8 from the stripe. Huskies sophomore Solo Ball poured in 25 on 7 of 9 from deep and grabbed 11 rebounds.
“I have to do a better job as a sports psychologist,” the coach admitted, referencing the team’s free throw struggles amidst the hype and pressure of National Marquette Day. “I got to do a better job helping them relax. That wasn’t the only issue we had, but it was significant.”
UConn Down, St John’s To Go: A Telling Pair of Games To Test Golden Eagles’ Mettle
The turnover column was one of the box score oddities in the game, in addition to the discrepancy in shot attempts–both favored Marquette. The defense forced 25 giveaways to just 8 for the Golden Eagles, leading to 21 extra shots on offense. “If you told me before the game, ‘You’re going to have 21 more field goal attempts and more free attempts,’ that’s a pretty good chance to win,” Smart said.
He credited the defense with attacking the ball and “doing a good job at times pressuring,” but these positives were offset by much larger mistakes. “Time and time again, we lost dangerous guys on their team. We need to be much better. Our poise, our discipline in certain situations, it just wasn’t good enough. And that comes back to me and us as coaches.” Smart said he needs to do a better job setting players up for success.
What can the team translate from Saturday’s loss into the upcoming matchup? From a technical aspect, Smart excepts to encounter a similar defense, featuring abundant switches. From an emotional standpoint, he discussed the way tough in-conference play prepares a team during the season.
“There’s a level of experience you gain from wins, and there’s experience you gain from losses. It’s not exactly the same, but sometimes unfortunately you need both.”
The last games of the season are against these same Huskies and St. John’s, on March 5 and 8. Obviously Marquette has a lot to improve versus UConn; facing the Red Storm Tuesday should further indicate how equipped they are to battle Big East elite.
“Saint John’s is playing probably better than anyone in our conference,” conceded Smart. “They’ve got a heck of a coach and a heck of a roster. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, a great opportunity.”
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on X at @ezsniper14 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
