The Wisconsin Badgers are just hours away from tip-off against the 5-4 Marquette Golden Eagles in the Kohl Center in Madison.
Wisconsin is fresh off of a strong win over the Northwestern Wildcats where the Badgers put up 55 points in the first-half. The Badgers struggled in the second-half and were outscored by 11 points, but still secured a 12-point win. Marquette could pose a different type of challenge for the Badgers as the four-loss Golden Eagles have plenty to prove.
Wisconsin Badgers Host Marquette Golden Eagles After 88-74 Loss a Season ago
Last season, Wisconsin dropped the contest against Marquette 88-74 as the Golden Eagles were led by Kam Jones (Indiana Pacers guard) and David Joplin. Marquette looks far different from a year ago as the team lacks the overall firepower that the 2024-25 roster had.
The Golden Eagles average 11.9 turnovers per game while attempting less outside attempts and shooting slightly worse from the field this season. In a short sample, the overall offense is up with Marquette averaging 81.4 points per game this season and only scoring 76.9 a season ago. Additionally, the team has eight players with over 15 minutes per game as multiple players are contributing towards the final product.
Marquette has already been tested a handful of times this season against programs like Indiana, Maryland, Dayton, Oklahoma, and Valparaiso. The Golden Eagles were only able to secure a victory against Valparaiso out of that group, and overtime was needed to do so. Indiana tore through the defense en route to a 100-77 win that likely exposed what the true Golden Eagles’ identity looks like this season.
How can the Wisconsin Badgers Defeat Marquette?
Marquette has primarily been a one-dimensional team on offense this season with senior guard Chase Ross finally earning his chance to lead the team. Ross has led the offense in scoring seven out of nine games this season while averaging 20.3 points per game. Ross is shooting 50.5% from the field and 79.7% from the foul line which are both career-highs.
Outside of Ross, the Golden Eagles have kicked the basketball to Nigel James Jr. who is averaging 12.3 points per game. James is the clear second scoring option given his skills as a finisher around the rim and a perimeter threat. Multiple other players combine to do the rest of the scoring, but the Golden Eagles only have three players with more than 50 shot attempts and a field goal percentage of above 40%.
The depth of the roster for Marquette is mainly untested and the players have proved to be inefficient to start the year. If the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense can force Ross to pass, the Golden Eagles will have to rely on less effective options. The Golden Eagles averaged 73.5 points per game in the games where Ross did not lead the team in scoring. The team scores 83.8 points per game when Ross is the primary scorer.
On offense, the Badgers will need to play as clean of a game as possible as the Golden Eagles’ defense is filled with pick-pockets. Marquette has 90 steals this season with four players already responsible for double-digits steals. 21 steals against Dayton is largely what kept the team in the game. Opposing teams are averaging just 5.5 steals against Wisconsin this season.
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