Marquette looks to knock off No. 16 Providence

Published Jan. 3, 2022 3:31 p.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 16 Providence (13-1, 3-0) vs. Marquette (8-6, 0-3)

Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 16 Providence looks to give Marquette its fifth straight loss to ranked opponents. Marquette's last win vs a ranked opponent came against the then-No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini 67-66 on Nov. 15, 2021. Providence has moved up to No. 16 in the latest AP rankings following wins over Seton Hall and DePaul last week.

STEPPING UP: Justin Lewis has averaged 15.2 points and eight rebounds to lead the way for the Golden Eagles. Darryl Morsell is also a top contributor, putting up 12.8 points per game. The Friars are led by Nate Watson, who is averaging 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.

CLAMPING DOWN: The Friars have given up only 57 points per game across three conference games, an improvement from the 62.3 per game they gave up in non-conference play.JUMPING FOR JUSTIN: Lewis has connected on 25.8 percent of the 66 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 4 for 24 over his last five games. He's also made 75.4 percent of his free throws this season.

STREAK STATS: Providence has won its last three road games, scoring 63.3 points and allowing 54.7 points during those contests. Marquette has lost its last three home games, scoring an average of 65 points while giving up 73.3.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Golden Eagles have recently gotten baskets via assists more often than the Friars. Marquette has an assist on 48 of 82 field goals (58.5 percent) across its previous three matchups while Providence has assists on 33 of 71 field goals (46.5 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Marquette is ranked second in the Big East with an average of 73 possessions per game. The fast-paced Golden Eagles have pushed that total to 74.9 possessions per game over their last three games.

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