Marquette Basketball: Why MU will be better than Wisconsin in 2019-20
By Brian Foley
Guard Play
Much of the continued optimism around the Golden Eagles simply comes down to “they have Markus Howard and you don’t.”
Howard is an electric scorer with unlimited range, a cagey floater, and an ability to worm his way to the free throw line. He will almost certainly become MU’s all-time leading scorer in the first week of the season – he sits just 30 points behind current top dog Jerel McNeal – and though he doesn’t fit the pure point guard mold, he should take another step forward in that area as a senior. Howard is already garnering all sorts of preseason plaudits, and may be the most ballyhooed Golden Eagle entering a season since Dwyane Wade.
The Badgers did well to shut down Howard last winter (he had 27 points on 29 shots), but MU’s improved backcourt depth this year will ease his burden over the course of the long season. Last year, Marquette’s only guard options behind Howard were grad transfer Joseph Chartouny, who proved to be a dud as he moved from the Atlantic-10 to the Big East, and Sacar Anim, who performed admirably but is probably a better fit as a “3”.
This year, Howard will supplemented in the backcourt by redshirt junior Koby McEwen, who averaged 15 ppg, 5 rpg, and 3 apg in two years with Utah State and is already earning fans in Milwaukee. Additionally, some of the others poised for big roles include sophomore Brendan Bailey, who provides incredible 3-and-D potential, redshirt sophomore Greg Elliott, who has Defensive Player of the Year capabilities if he can stay on the floor, and freshmen Symir Torrence and Dexter Akanno. Marquette will be forced to play much smaller this season without the Hausers manning the two frontcourt spots, but the sheer quantity and quality of guards will make head coach Steve Wojciechowski’s life much easier.
On the flip side, the Badgers will have a very limited guard rotation. D’Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison will be the starters, but neither seem ready to serve as the focal point of an above-average offensive unit. Trice’s inefficiency is particularly concerning; of the 338 players with at least an 18 percent usage rate and 100 two-point attempts last year, he finished 331st in two-point percentage at 37.7%, a mark which is right in line with his career numbers.
Behind Trice and Davison is Brevin Pritzl, who is not known a game changer, and Kobe King, who has shown some flashes of promise but is yet to put together an extended stretch of competent play against high-level opponents. Wisconsin needs to find improved efficiency from Trice and Davison, as well as more consistency from King, to improve. Barring major leaps from all three, Howard and the Golden Eagles will have the superior guard play, which makes Marquette a safer bet for success in 2019-20.