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Long layoffs
The Marquette Golden Eagles haven't taken the floor since their home loss to the in-state rival Wisconsin Badgers on December 6. That's quite the layoff -- the longest they'll have this season -- so it'll be interesting to gauge how the Golden Eagles fare with possible rust that they'll have to shake off. Whatever troubles they have from the 10 day period off the court will have to come off quickly as their opponent hasn't faced nearly the same amount of days away from the court. The Sun Devils just played on the 13th, winning 81-74 over Pepperdine.
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Cooling off the Sun Devils
Marquette is currently the favorite to win this game, but the big matchup within the matchup to watch for is how the Golden Eagles defend Arizona State and their efficient ways of shooting. ASU is 18th in the country in eFG% (56.6%), 29th in FTRate (48.5%), 19th in 3PT FG% (40.8%) and 40th in 2PT FG% (53.1%). When you factor in that Marquette is 306th in eFG% defense and 327th in 2 PT FG% defense, this has the recipe for an absolute disaster if the Golden Eagles don't come in with a strong defensive game plan.
Gone Fischin'
One way that the Marquette Golden Eagles can step up defensively from here on out is with their big-bodied transfer Luke Fischer. Fischer is now eligible to take the floor after sitting out for the fall semester at Marquette University. The 6-foot-11 center from Germantown, Wisconsin originally played for the Indiana Hoosiers, where he averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game behind the likes of Noah Vonleh and others. Fischer will no doubt be getting a big opportunity and although I think it's unlikely he starts, he will definitely see a good portion of playing time on Tuesday night.