Marquette probably has not dropped to bubble status, but the Golden Eagles will be looking to regain momentum when they host Butler on Saturday in Milwaukee.
Marquette (17-10, 9-7 Big East) has dropped three of four games — including a loss at Butler — since climbing to No. 18 three weeks ago after a second victory over Villanova.
Butler (13-16, 6-12), which defeated the Golden Eagles 85-79 two weeks ago, has lost three straight, including a 66-60 defeat at Seton Hall on Wednesday.
Marquette is coming off an 83-82 loss at Creighton on Sunday after leading 78-73 with just over five minutes remaining. The Golden Eagles committed 16 turnovers, leading to 24 points.
“I thought our guys put us in great position in the last four minutes of the game,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “We didn’t make some plays that you’ve got to go make down the stretch to win that game.”
Forward Justin Lewis leads Marquette with 16.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Darryl Morsell averages 13.0 points. Freshman guard Kam Jones has scored 19 and 18 in his last two games.
Tyler Kolek dishes out 5.9 assists per game and leads the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3. The Golden Eagles are 11-3 at home, where they have won six straight.
Chuck Harris leads Butler in scoring at 10.8 points per game. Bo Hodges, who missed the first 14 games with a muscle strain, averages 10.4 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds. Hodges, who transferred from East Tennessee State after the 2019-20 season, has led the Bulldogs in rebounds in six of the 13 games he has played. He had a season-high 25 points against Seton Hall.
“We’d love to have had him for the entire time he’s been here,” coach LaVall Jordan told the Indianapolis Star. “We haven’t seen Bo until now, really, to be honest. And he’s a competitor. He believes in the guys in the locker room, and they believe in him.”
Six of Butler’s last nine games have been decided by three points or fewer.
In the first meeting with Marquette, Butler led 42-27 at the half and then held on down the stretch. The Bulldogs hit 13 of 28 shots from beyond the arc and had five players in double figures, led by Bryce Golden’s 22. Justin Lewis led the Golden Eagles with 27 points and nine rebounds.
–Field Level Media
