Both Villanova basketball programs will take on Marquette on Wednesday, with the women facing the Golden Eagles at the Finneran Pavilion at 6:30 and the men traveling to Milwaukee for an 8:30 tipoff. Both Marquette squads are near the top of the Big East, meaning the Wildcats will need a strong effort to win either matchup. 

Women’s Basketball

Ranked No. 19, Villanova’s women’s basketball team returns home to the Finneran Pavilion on February 1st, National Women and Girls in Sports Day, to take on Marquette. The Wildcats head into play 18-4 on the season and 9-2 in the Big East. The Golden Eagles boast a 14-7 overall record, 7-5 in conference play. 

This is the second time this season that the two teams will meet. The Wildcats clinched the first matchup, winning a close, 54-52 game in Milwaukee. In the win, the Wildcats had three players, including Villanova’s all-time leading scorer, senior Maddy Siegrist, reach double digits, while the Golden Eagles had two girls in double figure. Marquette owned a 38-36 advantage on the backboards. 

While a home court advantage is big for the Wildcats, as Villanova has won 18 out of its 19 home games this season, the team is coming off a tough road loss to UConn, snapping a nine game winning streak. In Sunday’s matchup, the Wildcats fell short by just five points, helping the Huskies secure the top seed in the Big East. 

As for the Golden Eagles, they currently sit in fifth place in the Big East. They come into Wednesday’s matchup on a three game winning streak. 

The game will air on FS2 and will feature an entirely female crew. 

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team (10-11, 4-6 Big East) heads to Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday for a Big East matchup against No. 14 Marquette. The Golden Eagles currently boast a 17-5 overall record and are tied for first in the Big East with a 9-2 conference record. 

The last time these two teams saw each other was over a month ago, when the Golden Eagles edged out the ‘Cats, 68-66. The game was not settled until the final seconds. A pair of free throws from Marquette proved to be the difference as the clock ran out. 

However, Villanova is a far different team than when it first faced Marquette. On Sunday, senior guard Justin Moore returned for the Wildcats, playing for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon in March. With Moore back in the rotation and freshman Cam Whitmore with a monstrous 21 point, nine rebound game for the ‘Cats on Sunday, Villanova hopes to light a spark going into a packed February schedule. 

As for Marquette, the Golden Eagles are a run-and-gun team, featuring one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. Marquette averages 82.6 points, with a 11.7 scoring margin over its opponents. Leading the pack is sophomore guard Kam Jones, who is averaging 16 points per game. Jones shot 55.6% from the field and 57.1% from the three point line the last time he faced the Villanova defense. 

The game will air nationally on FS1.