University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Marquette
UCONN MEETS MARQUETTE IN BIG EAST DUEL
2/26/2021 11:28:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Feb. 26, 2021
STORRS, Conn. – The last eight days of the regular season will feature three BIG EAST Conference games for the UConn men's basketball team, starting with Saturday afternoon's contest against Marquette at Gampel Pavilion. The game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff, televised on the FOX Network.
UConn (11-6 overall, 8-6 BIG EAST) will be trying to build its resume for an NCAA Tournament bid during the final games – against Marquette, Seton Hall (March 3) and Georgetown (March 6) – as well as in the Big East Tournament.
The Huskies currently rank fourth in the BIG EAST standings, which will be decided by winning percentage at the end of the season because the number of games each team has played will vary due to cancellations because of the pandemic. The top five teams in the standings will get a bye to the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
UConn and Marquette have already played once this season, a 65-54 UConn win in Milwaukee on Jan. 5. In that game, UConn sophomore James Bouknight was injured, but senior Tyler Polley came off the bench to score 23 points and spark the Huskies' victory.
Bouknight has returned to action from that injury, which led to elbow surgery, and still leads the team in scoring (20.1). He is coming off two straight double-doubles, including 20 points and 10 rebounds in UConn's 70-57 win at Georgetown on Tuesday. Junior R.J. Cole, averaging 15.6 ppg in UConn's last five outings, is second in scoring (12.4) and first in assists (4.3), while junior Tyrese Martin is also averaging double figures (12.0) and is the team's top rebounder (7.4).
Marquette (11-12, 6-10) is coming off a huge victory, topping North Carolina, 83-70, in Chapel Hill on Wednesday in a non-conference game. The Golden Eagles are led by Freshman of the Year candidate Dawson Garcia, who is the team's top scorer (13.1) and rebounder (6.7).
Marquette is 5-5 on the road this season. The Golden Eagles hold a 6-4 edge over UConn all-time. They hold a 4-1 record at UConn, 1-1 at Gampel Pavilion. UConn is 5-3 at home this season.
