Even if not at its best, No. 7 Marquette has continued finding ways to win games.
Meanwhile, it’s been nearly two years since DePaul won a regular-season Big East contest.
The visiting Golden Eagles will vie for a sixth consecutive victory and attempt to hand the Blue Demons their 39th straight league defeat on Tuesday night in Chicago.
Marquette (14-2, 5-0 Big East) remains the only undefeated team in Big East play but is shooting just 42.6 percent — including 30.8 percent from 3-point range — in those league contests. However, the Golden Eagles have remained stout defensively, allowing their Big East opponents to shoot 42.8 percent overall and 31.9 from distance while permitting an average of 65.4 points.
In its most recent game last Tuesday, Marquette trailed Georgetown by as many as 14 points and nine at halftime. But despite shooting a season-low 35.6 percent and committing 13 turnovers against the Hoyas, the Golden Eagles used a 16-4 surge after halftime and gutted out a 74-66 victory.
“You want to learn from winning,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “In the Big East, you’ve got to bring your hard hat.”
National player of the year candidate Kam Jones was held to 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting against the Hoyas. He was picked up by teammate Chase Ross, who scored a career-high 27 points. Ross, who went 7 of 12 from the field and recorded a season-high six steals versus Georgetown, totaled 22 points in his previous four games.
“Just trusting in the process in what we do. … Trusting in your team, your coaches,” Ross said. “We can also move forward and do what we got to do to win.”
Jones and Ross are two of four Marquette players averaging double-figure points.
Marquette has won the last four meetings with the Blue Demons (9-8, 0-6), who have tripled their win total from last season — thanks to a relatively favorable non-conference schedule. However, even with an entirely new roster under first-year coach Chris Holtmann and some renewed confidence, DePaul continues to struggle in conference play.
The Blue Demons, whose last Big East victory during the regular season came against Xavier on Jan. 18, 2023, have shot 37.7 percent from the field, including 31.6 from beyond the arc, while averaging 65.2 percent during Big East action. Meanwhile, DePaul’s six league opponents this season shot 51.5 percent — including 45.5 percent from beyond the arc — and averaged 83.7 points.
During Saturday’s 77-63 home loss to Xavier, the Blue Demons shot 39.6 percent from the floor and succumbed to a 21-3 first-half run that allowed the visitors to gain control of the contest.
“We’ve just got to stick together and keep going,” said DePaul’s CJ Gunn, an Indiana transfer who has totaled 37 points in the last two games.
“It’s a journey, We’re a brand-new team. It’s a long season. We’re not stressing the next one.”
In addition to Gunn’s recent offensive work, Missouri State transfer NJ Benson has averaged 12.2 points and 9.6 rebounds while starting the last five games for DePaul.
–Field Level Media
