Looking for a revenge victory, No. 5 Marquette will host Providence in a Big East Conference game Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
Marquette (21-6, 12-4) won its 10th game in the past 11 outings on Sunday, beating Xavier 88-64.
The most recent time Marquette and Providence faced off, the Friars controlled the game throughout, winning 72-57 at home on Dec. 19 in the first Big East contest of the season for both teams.
This past Sunday, on his 22nd birthday, Marquette’s Kam Jones matched his career high by scoring 34 points for the second consecutive game. Oso Ighodaro added 12 points and Tyler Kolek contributed 11 points and 10 assists.
“I thought our guys had really good energy throughout the game,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “Our ability to switch I think was a factor but overall, really good defensive effort by our guys.”
Jones was named Big East player of the week on Monday for the second time this season. He shot 71.9 percent from the floor in the past two games, becoming the first Big East player to score 34 points or more in consecutive games since Marquette’s Markus Howard in 2019-20.
“Happy for Kam to get 34 points on his birthday. He’s present,” Smart said. “When you are in the moment and you can shoot the ball or attack like him, then great things are going to happen.”
Providence (18-9, 9-7) also most recently played Xavier, with the Friars winning 79-75 last Wednesday before getting the weekend off.
Devin Carter led Providence with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Jayden Pierre had 17 points and five assists, and Corey Floyd Jr. added 11 points off the bench.
“Really proud of our guys for our effort. Tough game, tough environment,” Providence coach Kim English said. “Some tough circumstances, foul trouble. All that matters this time of the season is just finding a way to win.”
Carter leads the Friars this season with averages of 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The blocks category belongs to Josh Oduro, at 1.4 per game.
Jones leads Marquette in scoring with 15.8 points per game, followed by Kolek at 15.1.
Kolek leads the nation with an average of 7.7 assists per game while Ighodaro averages a team-high 7.3 rebounds.
On the injury front, Providence remains without Bryce Hopkins for the rest of the season after he tore an ACL earlier this season. Justyn Fernandez also is out with a knee injury but could be back in early March.
Marquette is without Sean Jones for the remainder of the season after he also tore an ACL earlier in the season but otherwise has a clear report.
In the Dec. 19 matchup with Marquette, Carter led Providence with 22 points and added eight rebounds while Davonte Gaines had 18 points. The now-injured Hopkins contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.
Kolek had team highs of 21 points and nine rebounds for Marquette, but Jones shot just 5 of 14 from the field and Marquette shot 4 of 20 from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles made just 32.1 percent of their shots from the floor.
–Field Level Media
