The last time these two teams met, they were on an island. At the Maui Invitational, Purdue narrowly won the hard-fought battle by a mere three points. Both teams later went on to notch a couple more NCAA Tournament wins. Even though the Boilermakers and the Golden Eagles lost talent to the NBA, the excitement was not lacking. A packed stadium made for a loud environment for the matchup of two 4-0 teams. Purdue, usually dominant in non-conference matchups (not losing a regular season game to such opponents since December of 2020), knew this was not a game to count their eggs early.
The game started neck and neck with a one-point difference at the first break. High energy was the theme for both teams, and many points came from the fast break. What may have been surprising to some was the rebounding of the Golden Eagles and the Boilermakers. This had been a concern for Purdue due to the loss of Zach Edey, as well as Marquette due to the lack of rebounding in prior games. Coach Smart’s defense-minded style again proved to work with 21 deflections and a seven-point lead at halftime.
Stevie Mitchell did not miss a beat coming out at half and controlling the pace of the game and went on to get a career-high of 21 points. Kam Jones kept the defense busy doing a little bit of everything. He ended the game with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists. This etched himself in Marquette lore, being the first to accomplish a Triple Double since Dwayne Wade in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. One shocking takeaway from the box score was the number of turnovers Marquette could force, coming in at 15! To compare, the Boilermakers only had three turnovers in their last prior matchup against Alabama. This was a massive downfall for Purdue, with the Marquette offense not missing a beat.
The game ended, and so did Purdue’s non-conference regular season win streak. The Golden Eagles’ 18 points off turnovers were essential in their 18-point win over the Boilermakers (76-58).
Coach Matt Painter(Purdue) and Shaka Smart(Marquette) both had a great show of their skill as the holes left by their talent lost to the NBA are starting to fill in. Seth Davis on X wrote, “Marquette’s Shaka Smart doesn’t use the transfer portal. He’s still winning.” Cancelling any doubt of the ability to have everyone step up on that team. For Purdue, their home win streak still sits at 21. Furthermore, after beating #2 Alabama, they have proved they are still a force to reckon with. I don’t think many people would question either team’s ability to make it to the Tournament.
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Next up: Marquette heads to the Bahamas to take on Georgia in a one-off non-conference excursion. Early tip is at 10am CST on Saturday, streaming on FloSports.
The Barn 