The defending national champs are in the midst of a slump, and playing the Big East’s top team won’t make life any easier for the Villanova Wildcats.
After being snubbed in the NCAA’s top 16 seed reveal a few weeks ago, the Villanova Wildcats appeared poised to make a run. The Wildcats were 19-4 and had won 11 games in a row entering their matchup with Marquette, but they have dropped four of five since then.
Villanova is currently on a three-game skid, with the latest loss being a 66-54 setback at Xavier. Normally a loss to the Musketeers on the road isn’t a resume killer, but Xavier has been bad this season, entering that game with a 14-13 record and a 6-8 mark in Big East play.
Villanova has simply been unable to put the ball in the basket, shooting 33.9% from the floor against Xavier while scoring 54 points in 69 possessions. All three of those losses were on the road, however, so Villanova may look to benefit from some home cooking against Marquette.
The Golden Eagles have been riding the momentum of their win over Villanova to build a four-game winning streak of their own. Marquette took care of business over the weekend, beating the struggling Providence Friars 76-58 in Rhode Island.
Junior forward Sam Hauser starred for Marquette, piling up 18 points and a team-high 13 rebounds in the win. The Golden Eagles are a game and a half ahead of the Wildcats in the Big East standings, so if they complete a series sweep they have a tremendous shot at capturing the league’s regular season title.
How to watch Marquette vs. Villanova
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 27
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Villanova, PA
- Venue: Finneran Pavilion
- TV: Fox Sports 1
- Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
The first time these two teams met, Marquette escaped with a one-point win in Milwaukee. This game has the potential to be another close matchup, which is an exciting prospect for college basketball fans.