Marquette Basketball: Five reactions to win over Creighton

Marquette Basketball added another solid win to its ledger with a victory at home over Creighton heading into the Big East tournament.

Marquette (18-12, 9-9) managed to keep its at-large hopes alive on Saturday with a second half comeback win against Creighton (21-10, 10-8) in the final collegiate game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Here are five reactions to the Golden Eagles’ season-saving 85-81 win over the Blue Jays.

‘Big Three’ comes to play

Marquette managed success early in the season when its top three players – Andrew Rowsey, Markus Howard, and Sam Hauser – all took care of the bulk of the offense. But as the Big East season wore on, one or two of those players often struggled on a given night, and the results showed in the win-loss column.

But in the last two games, Rowsey, Howard, and Hauser have lit up the scoreboard once again. After contributing 72 of 90 points in an overtime win at Georgetown, the three scored 69 of the team’s 85 points on a combined 13-23 shooting from beyond the arc.

And it wasn’t just scoring the ball where the three Marquette stars led the way. On his Senior Day, Rowsey provided 8 assists and a season-high 8 rebounds along with his 26 points. Howard finished with 25 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, and Hauser pitched in 18 points and 9 boards. These three are heating up at just the right time.

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Umm… Howard and Rowsey are ridiculous shooters

Even though Marquette (and Big East) fans have known this for two seasons, sometimes it just needs to be mentioned again. In the second half alone, Rowsey and Howard each went on their own personal heat checks from deep, with each shot seemingly more difficult than the last.

The Al McGuire logo on the Bradley Center floor at Marquette is sort of forbidden territory, but when Rowsey is hot, he is in a world of his own. He has an unlimited range. And even at 5-foot-11, Howard has an uncanny ability to hit step-back after step-back, no matter the size or the quality of the defender in front of him (check out that three against Khyri Thomas for proof).

Yes, these two have massive defensive limitations, but when they are going on offense, Marquette becomes one of the most fun teams in the country.

Oh yeah, and Hauser actually leads the team in three-point shooting. He is shooting a hair under 52 percent on over 170 attempts this season.

Marquette makes up for turnovers at the free throw line

The Golden Eagles turned the ball over 13 times to just Creighton’s four, and the Blue Jays turned those MU giveaways into several easy dunks on the other end.

But Marquette was able to make up for the difference in turnovers by getting to the line and hitting its free throws. Head coach Steve Wojciechowski has been upset with the Golden Eagles lack of free throw attempts throughout the season, but on Saturday, Marquette converted on 15 of 18 attempts, while Creighton went just 8-14.

Marquette entered the game fourth in the nation in free throw percentage (79.3 percent).

Golden Eagles use mini-run at the end of the first half

For the second straight game, Marquette got off to a strong start, only to see everything slip away midway through the first half. But just as they did against Georgetown, the Golden Eagles managed to go on a run in the final minute of the first half to remain within striking distance after the break.

Down 45-32 with 55 seconds left, Marquette pushed the ball following a steal, which led to a Hauser trey. And after a Creighton miss, Howard drove inside and nailed a layup in the final seconds. A 5-0 run doesn’t look like much, but it kept the game within reach, and proved vital in the second half.

Season not done yet

With season sweeps of Creighton and Seton Hall now in hand, Marquette is about as bubbly as it gets. According to Barttorvik.com’s projection system, the Golden Eagles are currently the final at-large team with a bye and have a 61.6 percent chance of reaching the tournament.

Next: Teams who need a big win during Championship Week

Depending on the opponent, one win in the Big East tournament could go a long way, but it still wouldn’t lock the Golden Eagles into the NCAA tourney field. Regardless, Marquette has put itself in an advantageous position heading to New York.

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