After Wednesday’s tough loss against the Creighton Blue Jays, Marquette fans wondered what the Big East season had in store for them. They took on 10th ranked Villanova on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats are considered one of the Big East favorites. Marquette looked like the ones that were the favorites. Golden Eagles dominated the first half and had a lead as big as 20 points. They had to hold on in the second half as things tightened up, yet Marquette did a good job of not letting it get too close. Marquette scores another important victory as they win 71-60.

Player of the Game: Markus Howard – Solid game for the Marquette senior. He had 29 points and eight rebounds. Howard did most of his work at the free-throw line going 12-for-13. But he made things happen all over the court. Howard hit a couple of big threes and had a great floater game going throughout the game. Howard played a very effective point guard game on Saturday. I also thought his defense was much better than what we’ve seen in the past.

Honorable Mention: Theo John – This could be taken a lot of ways, but I’m handing it to Theo John. Here’s why – 1. He did not show any signs of moping after only playing eight minutes on Wednesday and kicked ass all game. 2. He became a force in the paint with four blocks and Villanova settled for bad outside shots. 3. John grabbed 10 rebounds and continued his role as a space-eater. Sometimes, the best look at the character of a person is seeing how they respond when shit gets tough. John came through in a big way.

One Thing I Liked: Koby McEwen’s bounce-back game – Marquette bounced back as a team, but Koby McEwen had a personal bounceback. The Marquette junior finished with 22 points on 5-for-12 shooting with making 10 free throws. McEwen found his flow early in this game hitting a few big shots. My buddy Mach pointed out that when McEwen sees a couple of shots fall, he gets his confidence going in the right direction.

One Thing That Bummed Me Out: Marquette’s lack of Saturday home games – I realized this today when looking at their schedule that Marquette will not play another Saturday home game until the end of February. This is due in large part to the success of the Milwaukee Bucks. Gamedays feel a little more fun when they’re played on a Saturday.

Next up: Marquette takes on Providence on Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum. Friars are suddenly hot starting 2-0 in the Big East and on a three-game winning streak. They’ve found their mojo again. Marquette is projected to win by nine points per KenPom. Golden Eagles’ defense could be a real issue for Providence whose offense has been very bad to start the year.

Charlie.