Fifth-ranked Marquette and No. 11 Wisconsin will look to bounce back from their first losses of the season when the in-state rivals meet in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Marquette (8-1) dropped an 81-70 decision at No. 6 Iowa State on Wednesday, and Wisconsin (8-1) lost 67-64 at home to Michigan on Tuesday in the Big Ten opener for each team.
The Golden Eagles ran off 10 straight points to tie Iowa State at 61-61, only to see the Cyclones answer with a 14-0 run.
“It’s a really valuable lesson for our guys,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said in a post-game radio interview. “Sometimes a game like this can smack you across the face and let you know what it really, really takes to go on the road against a Top 10 team and win.”
Marquette lost starting guard Chase Ross, who went out in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return. Ross’ status for Saturday’s game has not been divulged.
“I wish I knew,” Smart said afterward. “He’s in a boot right now. We’ll get him checked out when he gets back. He’s such a valuable player for us.”
Reserve guard Zaide Lowery also was out with a knee sprain and has been ruled out against Wisconsin.
Marquette’s leading scorer this season, Kam Jones, had 14 points vs. Iowa State but made just 6 of 21 shots from the floor. The Golden Eagles shot just 38.6 percent.
Jones averages 19.0 points per game and David Joplin adds 15.0 points and team-best 6.0 rebounds. Stevie Mitchell averages 11.9 points and Ross contributes 10.6.
The Badgers, meanwhile, seized a 64-61 lead against Michigan on Max Klesmit’s turnaround jumper from the lane with 2:37 left but failed to score after that.
Wisconsin struggled to contain 7-footers Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, who combined for 44 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. Goldin scored the final six points for the Wolverines.
Wisconsin, which entered the game No. 1 in the nation in free-throw percentage at 86.4, was 14 of 19 from the line against Michigan.
Graduate transfer John Tonje, who led with 18 points against Michigan, averages a team-leading 22.3 points. John Blackwell is next at 15.0.
Nolan Winter averages a team-high 5.6 rebounds, with Steven Crowl and Tonje adding 5.1.
Klesmit, who shot 43.7 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from 3-point range last season, is shooting just 32.6 and 25.4, respectively, this season. He was 3 for 14 from the floor vs. the Wolverines, including 1 of 9 from beyond the arc.
“You’ve got to keep shooting,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said of Klesmit’s slump following the Michigan game. “Work on it. You can’t be hesitant, you can’t be gun shy. You keep working stuff in practice, getting extra shots. You’ve just got to work your way out of it.”
Wisconsin has won the last three meetings vs. Marquette, including 75-64 last season when the Golden Eagles were ranked No. 3. Klesmit had 21 points, all in the first half, and Crowl added 16 for the Badgers, who held a 38-23 edge on the boards.
–Field Level Media
