Marquette Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser
 

Marquette Golden Eagles

Big East (18-12, 8-10)

 
Marquette has been consistently on the bubble under Coach Steve Wojciechowski. However, the team has failed to win an NCAA Tournament game in their two appearances during the last three years. This may be the best chance to date for Coach Wojciechowski to pick up an NCAA Tournament victory.
 
Big Wins: 11/29 vs USC (101-79), 1/4 Villanova (71-60), 2/9 Butler (76-57)
Bad Losses: 1/7 Providence (80-81), 3/3 at DePaul (68-69), 3/7 at St. John’s (86-88)
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski
 
Why They Can Surprise:
When the Golden Eagles need a bucket, they have a clear top option. Markus Howard has had a superb senior season, averaging 27.8 points, 3.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds. Howard will put up a ton of three-pointers and connects on 41.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. The impressive three-point shooting does not end with Howard though. Sacar Anim, Koby McEwen, Brendan Bailey, Jamal Cain and Greg Elliott are all capable outside shooters. And all but McEwen hit at least 38 percent of their attempts. This is a very potent offense and Marquette can beat anybody when their shots are falling.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite having a very experienced backcourt, Marquette will often lose the turnover battle. That is in large part because this is not a team that attempts to force turnovers, but they will also turn the ball over themselves quite often. The Golden Eagles can make up for some of those lost possessions with their impressive rebounding, but in order to make a deep tournament run, Howard and McEwen must keep the team under control and cherish every possession.
 
Probable Starters:
Markus Howard, Senior, Guard, 27.8 ppg, 3.3 apg
Koby McEwen, Junior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 5.0 rpg
Sacar Anim, Senior, Guard, 13.1 ppg, 1.4 apg, 4.1 rpg
Brendan Bailey, Sophomore, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Theo John, Junior, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
Jamal Cain, Junior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Jayce Johnson, Senior, Center, 3.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Greg Elliott, Sophomore, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 1.3 apg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.8 (29th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.6 (283, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.0 (217, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (76, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.0 (9, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.2 (12, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (72, 3)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (42, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (138, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.9 (232, 8)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Murray State
2018 NIT First Round win over Harvard
2018 NIT Second Round win over Oregon
2018 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Penn State
2017 NCAA Round of 64 loss to South Carolina
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Davidson
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Butler
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Miami
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Syracuse
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over BYU
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Murray State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Florida
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Xavier
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Syracuse
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to North Carolina
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Washington
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah State
2009 NCAA Round of 32  loss to Missouri
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Kentucky
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Stanford
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
 
*all team stats through 3/8