The No. 1 ranked Villanova Wildcats look to hold on to the top spot when they visit the Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East matchup Sunday. This is the second meeting between the two teams, as Villanova defeated Marquette 100-90 on Jan. 6.
Villanova (19-1, 6-1) is coming off of a dominant 89-69 victory over Providence College, but lost junior guard Phil Booth to a broken hand in the process. The Wildcats will look to leading scorers Jalen Brunson (18.8) and Mikal Bridges (16.7) to make up for Booth’s lost production of 11.6 points per game. Jay Wright’s team has not lost since Dec. 30 and has been No. 1 in the AP Poll for three consecutive weeks.
MORE: No. 1 Villanova handed another unlucky break with guard Phil Booth injured hand
Losers of two out of the last three, Marquette is looking to get back on track with a victory over the Wildcats. In their last outing, against No. 8 Xavier, the Golden Eagles fell 89-70. At 13-7 (4-4), Marquette is looking to move up in the Big East and improve its postseason resume.
Sunday’s game comes a little over a year after Villanova’s last visit to Milwaukee. On Jan. 24, 2017, Marquette upset the No. 1 Wildcats 74-72. This weekend, Villanova will look to avoid a repeat of last year’s outcome.
A win Sunday would be Marquette’s second home upset of the season; on Jan. 9, it beat the then-No. 13 Seton Hall Pirates behind senior guard Andrew Rowsey’s 31 points. Rowsey (20.1) and sophomore guard Markus Howard (22.1) have led the Golden Eagles' scoring efforts this season.
MORE: Markus Howard scores 52 points to lead Marquette past Providence
Can Villanova avoid a repeat of last year and remain the nation’s top ranked team? Find out in Sunday’s matinee.
Villanova vs. Marquette
Time: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Jan. 28
Location: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee
TV: FOX
Streaming: fuboTV (sign up for a 7-day free trial)
