Markus Howard is one of the best players in Marquette Golden Eagles’ history. In his three-plus years, Howard has done some iconic things. He added a game to his resume last night. Howard finished with 40 points resulting in over half of Marquette’s points last night in a dramatic victory over Davidson. Marquette’s point guard revived this team who could not do much offensively all game long. Golden Eagles added another resume win taking down a Davidson squad that isn’t exactly playing well, but by the end of the year, they’ll likely be hovering around the tournament.

Player of the Game: Markus Howard – This is an obvious one. Howard went back and forth with Kellan Grady all night long. Reading the recaps and the comments after the game, Howard is trying not to be a ball-dominant player. Last night, Marquette gave him the green light to take over and he did just that. Howard is a special player and hope you’re enjoying watching him regularly.

Honorable Mention: Sacar Anim – After a rough start to the season, Sacar Anim had himself a solid game. He finished with 12 points all inside the arc. Anim can be the second guy for Marquette if need be. Koby McEwen was very bad last night, but if Marquette can get Howard, Anim, and McEwen rolling at the same time, they’re a good team.

One Thing To Like: Marquette’s defense dominated this game – Sure, we can be mad about the offense looking like trash, but the defense was pretty damn impressive. Davidson did not make a single three in this game. That’s hard for a team to do, and the Wildcats are a three-point shooting team. Grady went off, but he also had eight turnovers in this game. Marquette frustrated Davidson all game long.

One Thing To Hate: Marquette still needs to figure out their offense – My kingdom for a good offensive game. I’m trying to figure out who’s at fault here. Is it Steve Wojciechowski for not figuring out how to make his offense work without the Hauser brothers? Is it due to multiple players needing to become dudes, and they’re not ready? We shall see with this team. At some point, they’re gonna break out and it will be awesome. I’m not convinced that this will be the offense all season long.

Next up: Marquette will be in the semifinals against USC. If they win, they’re playing with house money for the rest of the tournament. If you expect Marquette to fix their offense in this game, it ain’t happening. Per KenPom, USC ranks 11th in the country in their two-point percentage. Marquette can shoot on these guys which could be the reason they win this one. USC’s offense hasn’t been much better.

Charlie.