Marquette @ Villanova preview

Marquette at Villanova

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2020 ) Villanova 85, Marquette 68

Villanova is known for developing players as well as any program in the country.

Jermaine Samuels is a perfect example.

Hardly a top-notch recruit when he arrived on the Main Line, Samuels has now morphed into an extremely valuable player as a senior. Samuels poured in a career-best 32 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists as the Wildcats defeated Georgetown 84-74 on Sunday.

Fifth-ranked Villanova (12-2, 7-1 Big East) will look to stretch its winning streak to two when it hosts Marquette (9-10, 5-8) on Wednesday night.

"Jermaine was phenomenal," teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl said.

"In that first half, Jermaine just carried us," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We really had nothing else going."

Samuels knocked down his first six 3-point attempts and finished 10 of 17 from the field. He also played a stellar all-around game on both offense and defense. Without Samuels, the Wildcats might not have won.

"He came out with a fierce focus," Wright said of Samuels. "He did so many little things."

After falling 70-59 at St. John's on Feb. 3, the Wildcats responded in a big way against Georgetown. That's been a consistent theme for them under Wright.

Robinson-Earl contributed 14 points, Collin Gillespie added 12 and Justin Moore had 10 to complement Samuels' performance.

"I didn't have the game I wanted," Samuels said, referring to the loss against the Red Storm when he shot 1-for-6 and scored only two points. "It was getting back to our Villanova habits, coming out and executing. It wasn't just about the offense."

After a choppy loss at St. John's, Villanova came back to hit 17 of 18 free throws and record 21 assists on 27 made shots against the Hoyas.

Marquette will be looking to rebound from a tough 71-68 loss to then-No. 15 Creighton on Saturday.

D.J. Carton scored 16 points to lead Marquette while Jamal Cain added 14 and Theo John had 10.

The schedule becomes more daunting with five consecutive road games scheduled beginning with the trip to Villanova.

Marquette's defense was solid in the loss to the Bluejays, who dropped in only 6 of 17 long-range attempts.

"I would take our first-shot defense against this Creighton team most days of the week," Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "It's the second shots that broke our back."

Carton, a transfer from Ohio State, has continued to elevate his game. His biggest issue has been starting slow in the first half.

"We're a better team when he's aggressive," Wojciechowski said. "We've talked to him about that. His teammates understand that. And it's something that he'll grow into, I believe."

The Golden Eagles, like many teams, have struggled with injuries. John, their top shot blocker, has been playing with knee soreness. Other players are nicked up as well.

Wojciechowski has been forced to go deep to his bench, which included a 12-minute stint Saturday from Gardner-Webb transfer Jose Perez, who hadn't played since Nov. 27.

"At times, we've struggled to score from the perimeter," Wojciechowski said, "and in practice, (Perez has) shown the ability to make shots and score the ball."

--Field Level Media