The game tape won’t be screened by future coaches when they are teaching how to execute in crunch time.
But the Marquette men’s basketball team doesn’t care anything about that after gutting out a 66-65 victory over Xavier on Jan. 7 at Fiserv Forum.
The six-game losing streak is over. No longer can anyone point out that the Golden Eagles (6-10, 1-4 Big East) don’t have any victories over high-major teams. There is no more lingering fear in the minds of MU fans that the team will finish 0-20 in the conference.
BOX SCORE: Marquette 66, Xavier 65
“Our guys, they care about winning as much or more than anyone in this building tonight,” MU head coach Shaka Smart said. “And they feel the weight when they don’t win.
“That comes with the territory of being a basketball coach or a basketball player at this level. I tell the guys all the time, ‘We have to be big boys. You can’t have it both ways.’ “
Shaka Smart praises MU’s work on offensive glass
The last time MU played at home, the Golden Eagles allowed Seton Hall to close on a 13-0 run and the MU players left the court in a daze after a stunning loss. It was a concerning pattern this season, with the Golden Eagles seemingly unable to close out tight games.
It almost happened again.
The Golden Eagles took a 53-40 advantage when Adrien Stevens knocked down a corner 3-pointer on a beautifully-executed, after-time out play.
Then the Musketeers (9-7, 1-4) reeled off 11 straight points in just over a minute, and you could feel the collective tension in the building.
Freshman guard Nigel James Jr. (10 points, six assists) shocked MU back to life with a tough layup for a 55-51 lead with 10:03 left in the game.
The last stretch of the game was a wild ride.
MU senior guard Chase Ross, forced into more playmaking duties with James battling foul trouble and backup point guard Sean Jones out with a foot injury, committed four turnovers in the final 4:07.
One of the them led to a layup by Malik Messina-Moore that gave Xavier its only lead at 65-64 with just over 2 minutes left.
Smart called a timeout.
“We can do it,” Smart said he told his team. “I think in a lot of ways, building a belief and an understanding that whatever it is we’re called to do, we can go do.
“Listen, in this kind of context we’re in. There’s a lot of messaging that guys get to the contrary. Sometimes it’s created in your own head. But the reality is we’re trying to go out there and get a score and a stop. That’s exactly what the guys did.”
That meeting of the minds didn’t halt the drama. After the huddle, Ross immediately coughed the ball up again. But MU’s defense forced a miss, then James found Ben Gold underneath the basket for a dunk that gave the Golden Eagles the lead back at 66-65 with 48 seconds left.
Another shot by Xavier went awry. On MU’s end, Ross missed a close attempt but Gold was fouled while grabbing the board.
Gold clanged the front end of a one-and-one free throw, but Messina-Moore missed a tough running 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Whew.
The Golden Eagles could finally exhale.
“It’s just a lot of joy,” sophomore Royce Parham said. “We haven’t won in like a month or so.
“It was just great to get one under our belt. We know that all these games are close and we know we can win all these games.”
MU’s work on the offensive boards was huge. The Golden Eagles grabbed 19 of their 39 misses, leading to 17 second-chance points.
“We don’t win the game without offensive rebounding,” Smart said. “We talk about that a lot.
“There’s some components of the game that are effort-based, that we say we have to have to win. Offensive rebounding is one of them. Neither team shot the ball particularly well tonight, so for us to have the edge on the offensive glass by nine and an edge overall on rebounding by 13 is a big deal.”
Ben Gold and Royce Parham have good games in another starting lineup
That scrappiness was personified by Gold and Parham.
Gold was inserted in the starting lineup in place of the struggling Caedin Hamilton. He took several hard fouls, but finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
“Ben was banged up out there,” Smart said. “But he kept battling and fighting.”
Parham was aggressive in attacking the basket, notching 14 points and eight boards.
“Going into the game, all my coaches trust me to go be aggressive,” Parham said. “All my coaches encourage me to be aggressive, just them being like in my ear helping me have the confidence to constantly go at the basket and try to get a bucket for our team to help us win.”
Smart has cycled through many lineups this season, but he liked the look of the James-Stevens-Ross-Parham-Gold combination.
“This year’s team we maybe have lineups that are better on defense, not as good on offense,” Smart said. “Different players are better on defense than offense or vice versa.
“Obviously we need to have Chase, NJ, Royce, Ben when he’s playing well. They give us our best chance, I think Adrien is emerging with his confidence. He hit some huge 3s for us tonight.
“Right now that’s our best five. That’s who started the game tonight. That’s who will likely start the game on Saturday (vs. Villanova).”
What channel is Marquette vs Xavier on? TV, livestream
Marquette vs Xavier odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Jan. 7
Marquette vs Xavier prediction
It might not feel like it because of the mounting losses, but the Golden Eagles have played better in their last two games. Now the question is if MU can close out a victory. With struggles shooting the ball, the Golden Eagles aren’t likely to win easily, so this one will come down to the wire and have MU fans nervously gnawing at their fingernails. This should be the breakthrough.
Predicted score: MU 71, Xavier 68
Marquette’s probable starters
Guards: Nigel James Jr., Chase Ross, Adrien Stevens
Forwards: Caedin Hamilton, Royce Parham
Marquette basketball schedule 2025-26
Here are the next five games for the Golden Eagles (all times Central):
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It wasn’t pretty, but Marquette gets its first victory in a month
Reporting by Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
