Marquette Golden Eagles and the Gavitt Games do not mix. Since their inception, Marquette had some of their worst losses of the season in those games. Who knows why, but they haven’t been good to the Golden Eagles. They tried to break the ‘curse’ when they faced Purdue on Wednesday night. They also were trying to get their first-ever win against the Boilermakers in their school’s history. It looked bleak early on as Marquette trailed 38-20 in the first half. But Marquette had a second half for the ages defensively. They shut down Purdue and held them to only 16 points leading a huge comeback as the Golden Eagles won 65-55. Steve Wojciechowski gets a major career win under his coaching belt and Marquette gets an early resume booster.

Player of the Game: Koby McEwen – What a game from this kid? Koby McEwen took over in the second half. He had 18 of his 23 points in the second half and became the number one option for Marquette. McEwen did it in a variety of ways attacking the rack, mid-range, and three-pointers. McEwen served as the perfect compliment to Markus Howard. Having a full-sized guard that can create his own shot like McEwen is something Marquette hasn’t had in a while.

Honorable Mention: Theo John – While Markus Howard did keep Marquette in this game early, Theo John played a major role in helping Marquette come back. John did a great job in the paint defending against Matt Haarms. He only committed two fouls all game. The interior defense that John brings game in and game out is one of the best things about watching him. The fact he only had two fouls tonight is an encouraging sign for him. Maybe he figured out how the refs officiate him and made adjustments.

One Thing I Liked: The defense, the MFin defense – Holy shit, what a performance. They shut things down like Jon Taffer to a bad bar. Purdue did not score a field goal in the last six minutes of the game. Purdue only scored 16 points for the half. For reference, McEwen outscored him by himself. This is a defensive effort that Marquette fans have not seen in some time. They did a great job on the perimeter and in the paint. Purdue could not get an easy bucket.

One Thing I Didn’t Like: Don’t let slow starts be an issue – It’s one game, but the slow start was less than stellar. Marquette cannot put themselves in a hole like that and expect the defensive turnaround each game. Part of me thinks the slow start has more to do with them gelling as a unit versus poor shooting. It is not a concern yet, just something to watch for.

Next up: Marquette plays Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. I hate that this game is early in the season but so be it. Golden Eagles get a chance to win their third game of the year. Badgers struggled against St. Mary’s earlier this year, and Marquette looks to have the advantage especially in the paint. I could see Ed Morrow or Theo John having big games.

Charlie.