Marquette Basketball: 3 keys for Golden Eagles to upset No. 1 UConn Huskies
By Kyle Craib
Move the Rock
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets center, NBA Champion and two-time MVP, is renowned for the absurd passes he’s been able to dish out during his career. He’s a man of few words, but perhaps none stick out more than his comments about assists:
“Assists make two people happy, points just make one [person] happy."
Perhaps in-between caring for his horses and celebrating championships, Nikola may have made a visit to Connecticut to share his vision with Dan Hurley.
This season, UConn leads the conference in assists (17.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76). The Huskies share the wealth in the passing game, too, with Tristen Newton (5.7), Cam Spencer (3.4) and Stephon Castle (3.2) all averaging over three helpers per game.
Marquette trails closely behind with 16.5 assists per game and a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, but their method of moving the rock is far more front-loaded.
Tyler Kolek leads the charge for his team with an eye-popping 7.4 assists per game, tied for second-best in the nation. The senior guard distributes the final pass on 40 percent of his team’s scoring while he’s on the court, good enough for sixth in the NCAA.
Alongside the Big East’s perennial assist leader, Oso Ighodaro tops all other seven-footers in the conference with 2.8 assists per game. This extra wrinkle in the Golden Eagles’ offense could make a big difference against the size of UConn’s Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan down low.
In the Huskies’ two losses during this campaign, the team has failed to reach their average number of assists. The drop from 17.9 to 11 per game had caused this high-powered offense to dry up for spells. UConn’s conference-leading 82 points per game dwindled down to 62.5.
However, good ball movement is only half the battle. Marquette will need to capitalise on open shots when they present themselves.
Juniors Kam Jones and David Joplin both attempt over five long–range shots per game, shooting an efficient .370 and .409 respectively. If Smart can get his offence up to speed and utilise the passing game early, Jones and Joplin should have plenty of opportunities to run up the score and keep the Huskies’ crowd out of the game.