Marquette Golden Eagles started the year, 2-0. This is something they’ve done often. But then they play a top-tier opponent that is in a Power 5 Football conference and they crumble like a cheap suit. As Paint Touches noted, Marquette is 1-6 in those games if you include last night. They fell to Oklahoma State, 70-62. Marquette was in this game in the first half only to start out freezing cold from the field which led to a Cowboys pull away.

Player of the Game: Justin Lewis – This guy is a future stud for Marquette. Lewis came off the bench and delivered the goods for the Golden Eagles. Lewis finished with six points, 13 rebounds, and a block shot. Many things went wrong for Marquette, but one of them that went right was Lewis’ performance. He established himself as the first guy off the bench for the Golden Eagles and someone that is immediately a reliable option for Wojciechowski.

Honorable Mention: Jamal Cain – Even though he probably shot too much last night, Jamal Cain had a nice day at the office. He finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds for a double-double. Cain pulled down six offensive rebounds. To me, Cain had all the makings of being this year’s Sacar Anim where he finds himself as a scoring threat in his senior year. Lewis will push him for starter minutes, but healthy competition is always a good thing.

One Thing I Liked About Marquette: They forced turnovers – Marquette turned the ball over 24 times, but they also forced 18 from Oklahoma State. Maybe that’s what makes things so frustrating. There was a definite window of opportunity for the Golden Eagles to get some fast baskets. Even though Oklahoma State won, the defense felt like it was still there for the Golden Eagles.

One Thing I Didn’t Like About Marquette: Zone offense and press break need to happen – In the early part of the season, I’m more focused on players screwing up versus the coaching staff. This is a young team. They’re a team that didn’t practice for two weeks because of COVID-19. They showed those warts on Tuesday. They had no movement when it came to breaking a zone, and they looked flustered with the press break. Oklahoma State will not be the only team to throw this at them. We’ll see if Wojciechowski is better prepared for the next time this happens.

Next up: Marquette gets ready to take on their rival Wisconsin on Friday night. This will be one of the many games that will yearn for the fans without any. That is truly sad. It is going to be a battle. Wisconsin is a damn good team and experience will factor it. KenPom projects that Marquette will lose by two points only so maybe more of a toss-up than we think.

Charlie.