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Big East Basketball: Could Marquette’s upset against Villanova result in NCAA Tournament berth?

By Carmine Carcieri

Jan 24, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles players celebrate with fans after their game against the Villanova Wildcats at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Golden Eagles won 74-72. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles players celebrate with fans after their game against the Villanova Wildcats at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Golden Eagles won 74-72. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Marquette handed Villanova their eighth regular season Big East basketball loss since realignment.

Marquette had a golden opportunity on Tuesday night to earn a season-defining win that the majority of teams across the country cannot match.

Related Story: Butler explodes on offense in second half to knock off Marquette

And the Golden Eagles did just that. They knocked off the No. 1 team in the country and the defending National Champs, Villanova, 74-72 at the Bradley Center. Marquette trailed by 10 with 5:15 remaining, but went on a crazy run that eventually sparked a court-storming.

Marquette was led by suddenly resurgent Katin Reinhardt, who scored 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting and dished out four assists. Reinhardt received help from Luke Fischer, who had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and Duane Wilson, who dropped 11.

Steve Wojciechowski’s unit shot 50 percent from the field overall, 47 percent from beyond the arc and had 17 assists on 26 field goals. They also turned the ball over just 12 times and held Villanova to just 18 percent from beyond the arc.

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Marquette’s defense wasn’t spectacular, however, it was certainly good enough to pull out a win.

This was a huge victory in the big picture for Marquette. The Golden Eagles are now 14-6 and 5-3 in the Big East. They sit in fourth place (ahead of Xavier) in the Big East standings and own quality victories over Villanova, Creighton, Seton Hall and Georgia. In fact, they beat two top 10 teams in the past two games, one on the road (Omaha) and one at home.

The Golden Eagles are a NCAA Tournament team. As long as they win the games they are supposed to win against the St. John’s, Providences and DePauls of the world, they should be in the Big Dance. Their body of work is impressive and they certainly pass the eye test as they are one of the most impressive offensive teams in the nation.

Meanwhile, this a ginormous development for the Big East. The conference is on pace to get six teams in the field, which is 60 percent of the league.

That’s incredible and speaks to the talent of a conference that was claimed to be “dead” just a few years ago.

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Regardless of the loss, Villanova is still in the mix for a number one seed. They are still one of the more fundamentally sound teams in the nation and have multiple weapons on the offensive end. They lack depth and a true big that can make plays in the post, but this is only Villanova’s eighth Big East regular season loss since realignment. They will be just fine.

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