Marquette faces tough test vs No. 5 Nova

Published Dec. 22, 2020 6:30 a.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 5 Villanova (7-1, 2-0) vs. Marquette (5-4, 1-2)

Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 5 Villanova presents a tough challenge for Marquette. Marquette has . Villanova has won its last four games against conference opponents dating back to last season.

SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership could play a big role in this game's outcome. Koby McEwen, Dawson Garcia, Jamal Cain and Theo John have collectively accounted for 61 percent of Marquette's scoring this season. For Villanova, Collin Gillespie, Caleb Daniels and Jermaine Samuels have collectively scored 44 percent of the team's points this season.JUMPING FOR JEREMIAH: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has connected on 33.3 percent of the 24 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 6 for 12 over his last three games. He's also made 70.8 percent of his free throws this season.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Wildcats have recently gotten buckets via assists more often than the Golden Eagles. Marquette has 46 assists on 86 field goals (53.5 percent) over its past three matchups while Villanova has assists on 56 of 86 field goals (65.1 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Villanova offense has recorded a turnover on only 12.4 percent of its possessions, which is the second-lowest rate in the nation. The Marquette defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 15.9 percent of all possessions (ranked 305th among Division I teams).

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