Villanova vs. Marquette Recap + Creighton Preview

Villanova begun their two-game road trip in Milwaukee on Wednesday night by taking on Marquette. The Wildcats suffered a tough loss against the Golden Eagles, and they now prepare to battle a rising Creighton team.

Marquette Game Recap:

Three starters for Villanova: Cam Whitmore, Eric Dixon, and Brandon Slater were in foul trouble early, especially Whitmore, who only played a total of 14 minutes on Wednesday evening. With that being said, the Wildcats actually played pretty well offensively during the first twenty minutes of play. Mark Armstrong and Brendan Hausen knocked down threes in key moments with extended playing time due to starters being in foul trouble. Justin Moore, who was playing in just his second game this season, also scored nine points in the first. However, Villanova turned the ball over eight times within the first 17 minutes of the first half. Somehow with all of the turnovers and bad passes, Villanova lead Marquette at the break, 35-34.

In the second half, Caleb Daniels, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, started to take over the game. Within the first five minutes of the second, Daniels had seven points and 12 points overall. However, Tyler Kolek and the Golden Eagles responded with a run of their own to take a 48-44 lead over the Wildcats. With just six minutes left to play, the Wildcats cut the deficit and took the lead on a 6-0 run lead by Eric Dixon. Once again, Villanova had trouble closing out the game in the last five minutes. Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek continued to hit shots and made Villanova pay for their 19 total turnovers. Due to some late fouls, the Golden Eagles really extended their lead as they defeated the Wildcats, 73-64.

Caleb Daniels and Eric Dixon both scored 14 points on Wednesday night. Freshman Brendan Hausen also contributed 12 points over 18 minutes off the bench. Cam Whitmore played just 14 minutes due to foul trouble while scoring five points. Overall, the Wildcats shot 47.7% from the field and 40.7% from three-point range.

Tyler Kolek was the leading scorer of the game with 20 points for Marquette, including shooting 3-6 from behind the arc. Golden Eagles’ Guard Kam Jones also shot 6-13 from the field for a total of 18 points. The Golden Eagles shot 42.3% from the field and 37% from behind the arc after some crucial threes down the stretch.

Creighton Preview:

Villanova and Creighton will face off for the first time this season in Omaha at the CHI Health Center. The Wildcats have lost two-straight games against Marquette and Providence and are just 4-7 in Big East play. According to ESPN, Villanova is averaging 70.1 points per game and shooting 43.9% from the field this season.

The Creighton Bluejays have won five straight games, including their most recent win against Georgetown. Creighton has been perhaps the hottest team in the Big East over the last couple of weeks as they are now 8-3 in Big East play. The Bluejays are 10-1 at home and are averaging 77.3 points per game, according to ESPN. The Bluejays are led by C Ryan Kalkbrenner and G Baylor Scheierman. Kalkbrenner has averaged 15.2 points per game and seven rebounds. Scheierman averages 13.4 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, and three assists.

The game begins at 7:30pm and will be televised on FOX.