Marquette vs Kansas Basketball: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

The Jayhawks better watch out: the sharpshooters from Marquette travel to Brooklyn to face No. 2 Kansas.

TV Schedule: November 21 at 7:00 PM EST (ESPN2)

Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)

If you’re looking for a high-scoring affair with three-pointers galore, look no further than one of the best matchups of the week, where the Marquette Golden Eagles travel to the Barclays Center to face the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks as a part of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Marquette enters the game on the heels of an ugly 23-point loss at Indiana and escaping an upset bid from Presbyterian on Saturday. The Golden Eagles dropped out of the top-25 following their disappointing week.

Kansas, the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, is currently 3-0 with quality wins in a 5-point victory over then-No. 10 Michigan State on opening night as well as an 18-point victory over Vermont in Allen Fieldhouse.

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Albeit unranked, Marquette could absolutely challenge the Jayhawks for 40 minutes. The Golden Eagles are perhaps the best three-point shooting team in the nation and are capable of posting over 90 points on any given night. Junior guard Markus Howard is one of the best scorers and most exciting players in the country and currently averages a team-leading 20 points and 5.5 assists per contest.

Junior forward Sam Hauser, another one of the nation’s best shooters, is coming off his second career double-double where he posted 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds; his brother, freshman wing Joey Hauser, has averaged 12.5 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds through four career games.

Marquette, however, lacks talent behind the trio. Sophomore Theo John has emerged as a post presence and Fordham transfer Joseph Chartouny is a solid backup option behind Howard, but neither have overly impressive numbers.

Kansas, on the other hand, has numerous scoring options and far better depth than its opposition. It’s hard to find a place to begin with the Jayhawks’ roster.

Senior Lagerald Vick is currently the group’s leading scorer with 22.3 points per game. The Memphis native is also averaging 5.0 rebounds. Additionally, Udoka Azubuike (19.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG) and Dedric Lawson (13.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG) combine for possibly the best frontcourt in the entire country.

And the scoring options don’t end there. Freshman Quentin Grimes is arguably the best shooter on the team, though he is averaging a mere 12.3 points through three games. Although recruited as a shooting guard, Grimes is clearly more versatile than many thought, as the Texas native boasts a team-high 5.7 assists per night.

Off the bench, Bill Self has several weapons in guards Marcus Garrett (4.7 PPG) and Charlie Moore (2.7 PPG) as well as forwards David McCormack (4.5 RPG), and KJ Lawson (2.0 PPG). They may not have impressive numbers, but there is no doubt that Kansas’ bench is loaded with talent.

On paper, the Jayhawks are clearly the favorite to win. If Marquette wants to stun Kansas, the Golden Eagles must satisfy two conditions: hold Kansas to under 80 points and shoot over 40 percent from beyond the arc. Against Indiana, the Golden Eagles shot just 21 percent from three-point land while the Hoosiers hung 96 points.

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In any result, expect little defense in this matchup. The winner of this contest could potentially score 95 or more points. The following matchup won’t be much easier for the winner, as Tennessee will most likely defeat Louisville on the other side of the NIT Season Tip-Off Bracket and will meet either Kansas or Marquette in the championship game.

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