Notre Dame faces another stiff test this afternoon as it looks to continue to build up its NCAA Tournament resume. The Irish will look to extend their winning streak to four games. In order to do that they will have to beat one of the hottest teams in the country. Buzz Williams and the No. 15 Marquette Golden Eagles (19-4 overall, 8-2 Big East) will look to win their eighth game in a row in hopes of staying right in the thick of the race for the top spot in the conference.
Marquette dropped two of its first three conference games and four of six overall during a rough three week period that stretched from December 19 to January 7. After back-to-back road losses to Georgetown (73-70) and Syracuse (73-66) the Golden Eagles got hot. They pounded St. John’s (83-64) and No. 21 Louisville (74-63) en route to seven straight wins, putting them just a game behind Syracuse at 8-2 in Big East play.
The Golden Eagles are one of the top scoring teams in the conference, ranking second in the Big East at 76.1 points per game. Marquette is an aggressive offensive team that excels at getting to and converting from the free throw line. Marquette leads the conference in free throw attempts and ranked second with a 71.1-percent conversion rate from the line. The Golden Eagles also move the ball extremely well on the offensive end, leading the conference with 17.4 assists per game.
Notre Dame has won three straight games, two of which came against ranked opponents. The Irish will be hitting the court for the first time since last Sunday’s 50-48 upset victory over Connecticut in Storrs. Mike Brey’s club will look to continue its home dominance against Marquette. The Irish have won 11 of 12 at home on the season and 31 of its last 32 home contests dating back to February of 2010. Staying hot at home would pull the Irish within a half of game of Marquette in the Big East and would give them their win over a ranked team in its last four games.
2011-2012 MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES
HEAD COACH: Buzz Williams
ASSISTANT COACHES: Tony Benford, Aki Collins, Scott Monarch
2011-2012 RESULTS (19-4 overall / 8-2 Big East)
Mount St. Mary’s W 91-37
Norfolk State W 99-68
vs. Winthrop * W 95-73
vs. Ole Miss * W 96-66
vs. Norfolk State * W 59-57
Jacksonville W 88-56
at Wisconsin W 61-54
vs. Marquette # W 79-77
Green Bay W 79-61
Northern Colorado W 93-72
at LSU L 59-67
Milwaukee W 64-50
Vanderbilt L 57-74
Villanova W 81-77
at Georgetown L 70-73
at Syracuse L 66-73
St. John’s W 83-64
Pittsburgh W 62-57
Louisville W 74-63
at Providence W 79-72
South Florida W 67-47
at Villanova W 82-78
Seton Hall W 66-59
* - Paradise Jam Tournament
# - Jimmy V Classic
STARTING LINEUP
G Junior Cadougan 6-1 Jr. 6.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 5.5 apg
G Darius Johnson-Odom 6-2 Sr. 18.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.9 apg
G Vander Blue 6-4 Soph. 8.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.2 apg
F Jae Crowder 6-6 Sr. 16.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.3 spg
F Davante Gardner 6-8 Soph. 9.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.9 spg
KEY RESERVES
G Todd Mayo 6-3 Fr. 9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 apg
F Jamil Wilson 6-7 Soph. 6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg
G Derrick Wilson 6-1 Fr. 0.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg
BACKCOURT
Guard Darius Johnson-Odom was a second-team All-Big East player a season ago, but as a senior he has emerged as one of the top players in the conference. The 6-foot-2 guard ranks third in the Big East in scoring at 18.3 points per game. He is third in the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.3) and has hit 39.8-percent of his attempts from behind the arc. Johnson-Odom is a strong athlete and a strong defensive player despite a lack of ideal size height. Point guard Junior Cadougan ranks fifth in the conference at 5.5 assists per game and has a solid 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season. He is a solid floor general for the Golden Eagles but is not much of a scoring threat. Cadougan is hitting just 37.6-percent of his shots from the field. Sophomore Vander Blue is an outstanding athlete that started the season on fire. Blue scored in double figures in seven of Marquette’s first 10 games. Since that fast start Blue has scored in double figures just once. In Marquette’s win over Seton Hall on Tuesday night, Blue had a great night from the field, hitting seven of his 10 shots on his way to 16 points and eight rebounds. Blue has struggled with his shot all season long, but when his shot is falling Blue can be hard to contain on the perimeter. Blue is a good passer on the perimeter, averaging 3.2 assists per game, making him a factor even when his shot isn’t falling. Freshman guard Todd Mayo has been a strong player for the Golden Eagles off the bench, averaging 9.0 points per game.
FRONTCOURT
Marquette does not have a deep bench in the frontcourt ever since 6-foot-11 center Chris Otule went down with a season ending injury. The Golden Eagles go just three deep in the frontcourt and only have one player in the rotation that stands over 6-foot-7. Senior Jae Crowder is undersized at just 6-foot-6, but he makes up for it with a great motor. Crowder ranks seventh in the conference 16.6 points per game and tenth in the conference at 7.6 rebounds a game. The senior is strong on the defensive end, ranking third in the conference in steals (2.3 per game). He has also blocked 23 shots on the season. Center Davante Gardner is averaging 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The sophomore is an efficient player inside, hitting 57.7-percent of his shots, good for fifth in the conference. Sophomore Jamil Wilson is Marquette’s lone frontcourt player on the bench. He is a solid bench player that averages 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Wilson has blocked an impressive 27 shots on the season despite standing just 6-foot-7.
