Marquette faces tough test vs No. 15 Creighton

Published Feb. 4, 2021 5:30 p.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 15 Creighton (13-5, 9-4) vs. Marquette (9-9, 5-7)

Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 15 Creighton presents a tough challenge for Marquette. Marquette has won two of its three games against ranked opponents this season. Creighton came up short in an 86-79 game to Georgetown on Wednesday.

PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: Senior leadership could play a big role in this game's outcome. Dawson Garcia, Koby McEwen, Jamal Cain and Theo John have collectively accounted for 61 percent of Marquette's scoring this season and 57 percent of the team's points over its last five games. For Creighton, Denzel Mahoney, Damien Jefferson and Mitch Ballock have collectively scored 46 percent of the team's points this season, including 55 percent of all Bluejays points over their last five.DOMINANT DENZEL: Mahoney has connected on 36.1 percent of the 119 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 7 of 20 over his last three games. He's also converted 71.2 percent of his free throws this season.

WINLESS WHEN: Marquette is 0-6 this year when it scores 63 points or fewer and 9-3 when it scores at least 64.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Bluejays have recently gotten baskets via assists more often than the Golden Eagles. Marquette has 35 assists on 73 field goals (47.9 percent) over its past three matchups while Creighton has assists on 49 of 80 field goals (61.3 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Creighton offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.9 percent of its possessions, which is the 29th-best rate in the nation. The Marquette defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 15.7 percent of all possessions (ranked 329th among Division I teams).

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