The Marquette Golden Eagles are still searching for their first road victory of the season after falling 87–76 to the Butler Bulldogs. Marquette now sits at the bottom of the Big East at 2–8 in conference play and 7–14 overall. While it never felt like the Golden Eagles were truly out of tonight’s game, a late 13–4 run by the Bulldogs put any comeback hopes to rest. Led by star junior guard Finley Bizjak’s 28-point explosion, Butler took the lead just two minutes in and never looked back.
Photo Cred: Butler University
What We Liked
While tonight’s offense often felt dictated by the three-ball, Marquette was still able to get into the paint and score at will. The Golden Eagles finished the night shooting 25-for-35 on shots inside the paint, continuing an encouraging trend for the offense. Though Marquette endured a night to forget from beyond the arc, their consistent paint penetration generated open looks from deep throughout the game.
After yet another outing of double-digit minutes, sophomore forward Demarius Owens appears to have carved out a real identity within Marquette’s rotation. The former top-100 prospect continues to showcase his athleticism on a nightly basis on both ends of the floor. Owens’ off-ball cuts and half-court athleticism have added a new wrinkle to a Marquette offense that desperately needs movement away from the ball.
Photo Cred: Marquette
Areas for Improvement
The Golden Eagles chose to live—and ultimately die—by the three tonight, shooting a pedestrian 5-for-27 from deep, their worst mark of the season. The three-point shot has come in ebbs and flows for Marquette all year. Prior to tonight’s contest, the Golden Eagles were shooting 37% from deep as a team over their last four games. Nobody had the touch from beyond the arc in this one, as Chase Ross and Royce Parham both went 0-for-5, while freshman Adrian Stevens finished 1-for-7. Marquette’s overreliance on the three limited the offense throughout the night, evidenced by just 14 free-throw attempts—their second-lowest total of the season.
With continued absences from Zaide Lowrey and Sean Jones paving the way for young players such as Nigel James Jr. and Adrian Stevens, the roster has never been thinner. Only six players logged double-digit minutes for the Golden Eagles, with four eclipsing the 30-minute mark. Marquette’s lack of depth in both the frontcourt and backcourt forced players like Ben Gold, Royce Parham, and Nigel James Jr. to play nearly the entire game. While it appears Shaka Smart still has yet to fully trust developmental pieces such as Joshua Clark or Michael Phillips, the sustainability of a six-man rotation remains to be seen.
