Connecticut 93 Marquette 82
The Connecticut Huskies came into the Bradley Center perfect on the road. The Marquette Golden Eagles stepped onto the court untarnished, untouched, and invincible at home. The Huskies left Milwaukee with their road winning streak in-tact. The Golden Eagles, on the other hand, lost not only home perfection, but their starting point guard of four years. Dominic Jame broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot–the same injury Liam McMorrow suffered in the preseason. Coach Buzz Williams walked into the post-game press conference, stated James’s injury, and declared, “His career at Marquette is over.”
Uh-oh.
One of the Big Three is down, and out. He will continue to be an immensely important part of this team, no doubt. But the play must go on. As the guys proved last night, they are a formidable bunch that can adjust on the fly. “Tonight,” Buzz Williams said, “Our character was revealed.”
It certainly was. Marquette gave America’s second-ranked team a run for their money. Coach Jim Calhoun won his 800th career game last night, and said that the win over Marquette was one of the toughest of the season. A.J. Price had alot to do with that, going 8 for 12 from 3-point land, and finished with an astounding 36 points.
A back-and-forth offensive battle in the second half brought the sellout crowd–the Bradley Center’s first on a weeknight–to its feet. As Marquette Tribune Sports Director John Borneman said during the incredible see-saw tilt in the second half, “They are unconscious out there!”
The Golden Eagles forced 15 turnovers, which resulted in 25 points. Plus, as Coach Williams loves to say, they got paint touches. But in the end, Marquette’s perimeter excellence was not enough to match UConn’s 46 rebounds. Jerel McNeal led the Golden Eagles in scoring, again, with 26 points. His senior counterpart, Wes Matthews, had 20. Lazar Hayward was limited to just 15 points. But Jimmy Butler played phenomenally, crashed the boards, and finished with 12 points off the bench. His role will obviously increase with the loss of James for the season.
Credit Buzz Williams’s crew. They fell behind in the first half, watching the Huskies make a 16-0 run. They fought back without their point guard of four years. They battled with a team taller than them at nearly every position. They even had five players with 4 fouls, but had enough composure to keep everyone in the game. This team is resilient, they prove that every time they step onto the court. All season, they have been scrutinized. Yet they have continued to excel.
Now, they are about to be scrutinized like never before. The season is not over. Buzz Williams knows that. At 12:01 today, they had to shake off the loss of their home perfection, their loss to a BIG EAST rival, and the loss of their heart and soul. This team is down, but don’t you dare count them out.
Brad Galli
MUTV Assistant Sports Director