Marquette @ Providence preview
Amica Mutual Pavilion
Last Meeting ( Feb 25, 2017 ) Marquette 69, Providence 73
Winning ugly at times is a necessity in the rough and rugged Big East. Marquette, riding the hot hand of Andrew Rowsey, did just that against Georgetown on Saturday and will try for a second straight conference win when it visits Providence on Wednesday.
The Golden Eagles were outrebounded by nine and overcame a poor shooting performance - going the entire second half without a two-point field goal - but Rowsey scored 26 of his 35 points after the break to pull out a 74-65 victory over the Hoyas. "One thing I was proud of is that we were able to win a game where we shot 38 percent. That obviously was a step forward," Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I thought we were physical on defense; forcing 25 turnovers was a positive development. I thought our guys were connected defensively." The Friars, who opened league play with a 94-72 triumph at St. John’s on Thursday, couldn’t overcome a subpar performance of their own in an 83-64 loss at then-No. 23 Creighton on Sunday. Providence shot 3-of-23 from beyond the arc and lost steady point guard Kyron Cartwright after he re-aggravated an ankle injury that forced him to miss the Dec. 22 game against Sacred Heart.
TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
ABOUT MARQUETTE (10-4, 1-1 Big East): The Golden Eagles were saved Saturday by connecting on half of their 26 3-point attempts with Rowsey leading the way with six 3-pointers and finishing 11-of-11 from the line. Rowsey (22.4 points, first in Big East), Markus Howard (20.5 points, second) and Sam Hauser (14.4 points) account for 69.4 percent of the team’s offense with Rowsey totaling 66 points and 12 3-pointers in the first two Big East games. After a five-game stretch in which he averaged 29 points on 28-of-59 shooting beyond the arc, Howard has scored only 36 points on 6-of-22 shooting from 3-point range in his last three games.
ABOUT PROVIDENCE (10-5, 1-1): Prior to the Creighton loss, the Friars were ranked 18th in the nation in 3-point shooting at 41.1 percent. “I want us to shoot 3s. I think we’re a decent shooting team and the guys that shoot it normally shoot it at a decent percentage,” Providence coach Ed Cooley told the Providence Journal. “We just missed some open shots. I thought there were like six or seven that were wide open that we just missed. If you just make half your open ones, maybe the game plays out differently.” Cartwright (9.0 points, 6.3 assists), who had 21 points, 15 assists and four steals in the Friars’ win at St. John’s, is questionable Wednesday after playing only seven minutes in the second half and 22 for the game Sunday.
TIP-INS
1. Marquette leads the series 16-8, but Providence swept last season's two meetings by a total of five points. Cartwright averaged 17 points and seven assists.
2. Rowsey’s 35 points versus the Hoyas was the most for a Marquette player since Matt Carlino scored 38 against Georgia Tech on Nov. 27, 2014.
3. Howard, who is 38-of-38 from the free-throw line in 2017-18, has made 47 straight charity tosses dating to last season’s home finale against Creighton on March 4.
PREDICTION: Marquette 75, Providence 71