Marquette Golden Eagles bench guys had their chance to show off against Seton Hall Pirates since it was a blowout win. When they face the Villanova Wildcats on Friday, some of them will be contented to being cheerleaders again.
The Golden Eagles return to action two days after their 24-point drubbing of the Pirates and will face Big East no. 6 Villanova who are hungry to set things right again after losing their last two.
Marquette head coach Shaka Smart savored the chance to give minutes to his bench players in win over Seton Hall.
Freshman and walk-on player Jack Anderson finally recorded his first ever points in college basketball during the last 30 seconds of the game, sending the crowd and his veterans into a frenzy.
“I thought the guys that came off the bench had a good spirit about them,” Smart said after the game.
“I had subbed a few guys at different times because I didn’t like a play or two. But I thought the guys that came in had a great energy and willingness to try and make the next play.”
That was fun and well-deserved for the hardworking guys but things will shift when they return to the court.
Marquette Golden Eagles vs Villanova Wildcats preview
“Obviously, the competition goes up for us on Friday.”
That is what Smart said after the win over the Pirates. He played a total of 15 games in their last outing. Expect the rotation to be shorter when they visit Wells Fargo Center.
The Wildcats may have lost their last two and are 8-8 in the conference but they are no pushovers.
They can trip anyone, including a top team like Marquette.
They recorded their biggest win last week when they upset conference no. 1 St. John’s Red Storm. Before that, they also beat Xavier Bulldogs which beat the Golden Eagles on January 18.
Smart and company need to build momentum going in to the NCAA tournament and they can’t lose afford to be complacennt.
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