The Big East conference took about a two-week hiatus from playing games over the holiday. They wanted the players to get a mental health break from playing and if they could safely, see their families. Thankfully for Marquette and Georgetown who played on Saturday, they were able to do it and there were no positive tests. But as you see when people have a long layoff from work, things started very slow for Marquette. So slow that the Golden Eagles trailed by 18 at one point in the second half to a bad Georgetown team. There was a 4.2% chance Marquette would win and yet they did winning 64-60.

Player of the Game: Jamal Cain – One thing that has been cool about Marquette for a long time is players seem to get senior bumps. We saw it last year with Sacar Anim. This year, it’s Jamal Cain. He had a career-high 23 points with four made threes. He also added six rebounds as well. Cain hit big shot after big shot for the Golden Eagles including the dagger to put away Georgetown on Saturday night.

Honorable Mention: Dawson Garcia – This is more for Dawson’s rebounding than anything else. He got it done on the glass on Saturday. He pulled down 13 total rebounds which included nine defensive rebounds and four offensive. He was the only other Marquette player to finish with above 100 offensive rating in this game.

What went right for Marquette: They played great defense to finish this game off – Marquette’s defense was under fire to begin 2021. They showed up in this one when it mattered the most. They clamped down on Georgetown and prevent them from doing virtually anything. In the last quarter of the game, Marquette outscored Georgetown, 27-8.

What went wrong for Marquette: Let’s not put yourself in this spot again, okay? – Here’s the thing, they would not have been able to come back against most teams in college basketball. This team was ravaged by transfers. James Akinjo and Mac McClung should be leading this team, and yet they’re playing elsewhere. They’re not good. Marquette cannot expect that to happen again.

Next up: Marquette plays UConn at the Fiserv Forum. In the past, Marquette has had some good fortune against UConn when they both played in the Big East. We’ll see if that holds true as they return. James Bouknight is a problem. The 6’5 guard gives off a lot of Myles Powell vibes in terms of taking over a game. Marquette’s defense will have to be ready for him.

Charlie.