Marquette takes down Buffalo behind Howard’s outstanding night

Hello there. Robert O’Neill reporting live for Big East Coast Bias We begin tonight with a breaking story out of Milwaukee, where it took just 19 minutes for one man to completely and singlehandedly derail the perfect season of the Buffalo Bulls.

That man was Markus Howard, and his 40(!!!!) point second half propelled the Marquette Golden Eagles to their seventh straight victory as they took down the #14 Bulls, 103-85. There’s a lot to talk about from the entire game, but Howard’s 40 point half will be what’s remembered forever.

Howard finished the game with 45 points, tying his own Marquette regulation record, and really struggled in the first half, which made the 40 point half that much more insane. Howard had just five points at halftime and was just 1-7 from the field as Joey and Sam Hauser did the bulk of the work on offense in the first frame.

Both Hausers had nine points in the first half, as all nine of Joey’s came on threes, while Sam worked it inside more. They really showed how dangerous Marquette could be as they have two guys who can still hurt you if Howard isn’t having a good game.

Then, the half ended, and it seemed like a spark was lit for Markus Howard. He hit a three early in the half, then took the game over. At one point, Howard scored 24 straight points for Marquette, something he’s done multiple times this season. It’s hard to put into words what he did, and it’s hard to find a superlative to describe him at this point. All you can do when he gets going like that is strap in and enjoy the ride.

The other big presence for Marquette Friday evening was Theo John. John had six points and nine rebounds, both of which are fine numbers, but his SEVEN BLOCKS are what really stands out. The sophomore has had a fantastic season so far and that looks like it will keep continuing right into conference play.

Despite the score and Howard’s otherworldliness, Buffalo didn’t make it easy for Marquette. Jeremy Harris and Dontay Caruthers each had 20+ points, while CJ Massinburg had 19. What was on display Friday in Milwaukee was a perfect example of two teams no one wants to square off with come March.

Marquette improves to 10-2 and will host Southern to wrap up their nonconference schedule next week.