What happened to Marquette's defense against Tucker DeVries and Indiana?
CHICAGO – The first real test for the Marquette men’s basketball team did not go well for the Golden Eagles .
The biggest worry for MU after a 100-77 loss to Indiana on Nov. 9 at the United Center is that the perimeter defense, which seemed to be the strength of the Golden Eagles , was shredded repeatedly by the Hoosiers.
It was the worst defeat for MU since an 81-53 loss at top-ranked Connecticut on Feb. 17, 2024 . According to ESPN Stats and Info, it was the first time a Shaka Smart-coached team gave up 100 points. Indiana also had not scored 100 points against a high-major opponent since Jan. 19, 2016.
BOX SCORE: Indiana 100, Marquette 77
"We knew coming into the game that they had a lot of offensive weapons," Smart said. "We talked about as a team, in order to beat a team like that, you have to make them miss.
"You can't hope that they miss. Didn't do nearly a good enough job of that."
Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson make MU miserable
If it wasn't Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson (combined 50 points) getting loose for 12 3-pointers, it was Wilkerson and Tayton Conerway (combined 16 assists) getting into the paint and finding Indiana teammates.
MU's defense forced eight turnovers, with only three steals, while Indiana had 27 assists on 33 made field goals.
"We have to guard the basketball better, to begin with," Smart said. "We have to guard screening action better, off the ball.
"We have to have five guys connected as one. In plays where there is maybe a breakdown in coverage to help each other. We were too individual on defense tonight. Where it was like 'Hey, let me just try to guard my guy.' But against a team like that you have to have five guys on a string."
The Golden Eagles had no answers for DeVries in the first half when dropped 24 of his 27 points.
"Just communication," MU senior Chase Ross said. "We have to get up on screens, talk.
"They ran a lot of flex (action) and just off-ball action, so we just got to keep talking. And be aware of where our guys are at."
Chase Ross has 19 points, but MU needs more offense
A big question about this MU team heading into the season was how it could generate points in the halfcourt when the opposing team isn't turning the ball over for transistion opportunities.
There was a big disparity in 3-point shooting between the teams. Indiana shot 14 for 28 (50%) from deep while MU was at just 4 for 16 (25%).
The Golden Eagles had only 10 assists.
"I thought the ball stuck a little bit today," Smart said. "Transition is where we're at our best. We had some good possessions of that today.
"But when we got to the halfcourt, there were too many pauses. We want flow. So that's one of the things we'll focus on. Then individual players understanding, 'Yes, I want to be aggressive, assertive but sometimes when go in there with not much of a plan, it actually slows us down and we got to get to the next action.
"So flow, ball movement, better cutting. We had some stretches there where we had good offensive rebounding. That's a team that this team has to have to be our best."
MU's only consistent source of offense was getting to the free-throw line (29 for 33). Ross got 10 of his team-high 19 points from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles were in the foul-shooting bonus early in the first half.
"There was a lot of possessions where it was just one pass and shot," Ross said. "Got to get to multiple actions, move the ball around."
Nigel James Jr. starts in the second half for MU
MU will be looking for answers after a dispiriting loss.
Smart tried to find a spark in the second half by inserting freshman guard Nigel James Jr. in place of Sean Jones in the opening lineup. James finished with 16 points in 18 minutes.
"Just fire," Smart said. "Fire.
"Today was not a level of fire, passion, energy that we need to have. I thought he played with that in first half and for most of the second half. He's the one guy on our team that, right now, he's going to be ultra-aggressive. We got to help him play with poise when he does that.
"But we had some other guys that were too passive. Then when they got that way, they got quiet, too. That's a bad combination."
MU plays Little Rock on Nov. 12 at Fiserv Forum, but then will get another test against Maryland at home on Nov. 15.
"Just stay with it," Ross said. "It's another experience we can put in our back pocket.
"We can learn and grow from it. It's early on in the season, the season's far from over. So just keep growing from that."
Marquette's probable starters
Guards:Sean Jones, Chase Ross, Zaide Lowery
Forwards: Ben Gold , Caedin Hamilton
Marquette-Indiana prediction
Indiana is a smart passing team with center Reed Bailey and has a knockdown shooter in Tucker DeVries. MU's defense could get overly aggressive and give those two players holes to exploit. This will be a fun one with both teams willing to get up and down.
Predicted score:Indiana 83, Marquette 80
How to watch Marquette-Indiana
Date: Sunday, Nov. 9
Start time:Noon CT
TV channel:ESPN
MU-Indiana will be broadcast nationally on ESPN with Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Tom Crean (analysis) on the call. Crean is a former coach at both schools.
Marquette-Indiana odds
Indiana is a 2.5-point favorite, with the over-under set at 157.5, per BetMGM.com
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What happened to Marquette's defense against Tucker DeVries and Indiana?
