College basketball fans get an early Christmas present in the form of a Friday night game between two top-25 teams as the no. 14 Buffalo Bulls visit the no. 20 Marquette Golden Eagles. At home, the Golden Eagles are slight 2.5-point favorites.
Buffalo heads to Milwaukee as one of the nation’s remaining unbeaten teams. While the Bulls are certainly for real, finding quality wins in their 11-0 record is tough. Buffalo’s best wins came against a West Virginia team that’s no longer ranked and a Syracuse team that’s off to a sluggish start. However, both of those wins came on the road, so the Bulls won’t be intimidated going on the road against Marquette.
As for the Golden Eagles, they’re currently riding a six-game winning streak, putting them at 9-2 on the season. Marquette’s only losses have come at Indiana, who are now ranked, and on a neutral court to no. 1 Kansas. The Golden Eagles have also scored wins against Louisville, Kansas State, and in-state rival Wisconsin, so they are already putting together an impressive resume early in the season.
Little Man, Big Game
The most impactful player for Marquette this season has been junior guard Markus Howard. Listed at just 5’11’’, plays a lot bigger than he is. He’s currently leading the Golden Eagles with 23 points per game. But he’s also dishing out over four assists per game and collecting over four rebounds, an astounding number for a player of his size. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Howard is that he’s averaging close to seven free-throw attempts per game. He’s not afraid to take it to the basket and invite contact.
Howard has also had some of his biggest games against Marquette’s toughest opponents. He went off for 45 points in their win over Kansas State and scored 27 more on an off-shooting night against Wisconsin. Obviously, Marquette is not a one-man show. Brothers Sam Hauser and Joey Hauser are both averaging double figures to give the Golden Eagles plenty of scoring in the frontcourt. But Buffalo needs to have an answer for Howard on the defensive end.
Old Men on the Block
If there’s one thing that stands out the most about Buffalo is how experienced they are. The Bulls have five seniors among their top seven scorers. This is a veteran group that throttled Arizona in last year’s NCAA Tournament and has gotten off to an 11-0 start this season. It’s a team with great chemistry that’s filled with players that want to fight for one another.
If there’s one weakness for Buffalo it could be a lack of size outside of Montell McRae and Nick Perkins. However, the Bulls are a scrappy bunch, getting over seven rebounds per game from 6’3’’ guard CJ Massinburg, who’s also the team’s leading scorer and embodies Buffalo’s blue-collar attitude.
Running of the Bulls
There’s no doubting Buffalo’s ability to win games in tough road environments. The Bulls are tough, gritty, and willing to get after it defensively. They also have a more balanced scoring attack whereas Marquette has a steep drop-off after their three leading scorers. Buffalo will do just enough to slow down Howard and steal a win. Bet on Buffalo upsetting Marquette on Friday night.
