A pair of 2-1 teams will meet Sunday afternoon when Marquette takes on Missouri in the Legends Classic at Chicago’s United Center.
Following a tough 90-84 rivalry loss to Saint Louis at a neutral site, Missouri bounced back with a dominant 96-58 home win over SIU Edwardsville on Monday.
Jason Crowe Jr. led the way with 34 points on 11-of-16 shooting, the most points scored in a game by a freshman in program history. Toni Bryant added 18 points and seven rebounds.
“Dealing with adversity early, that (loss to Saint Louis) was my first adversity game. Coach during the game kept talking to me to try to move on and have a short memory,” Crowe said. “The game just came to me, I had a flow early.”
After a strong start, visiting Marquette couldn’t keep pace with No. 20 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Wednesday night, falling 84-70.
One positive development for the Golden Eagles was graduate transfer Colin Porter, who led the team with 21 points off the bench. Adrien Stevens added 16 points.
Meanwhile, star sophomore guard Nigel James Jr., a Bob Cousy Award watch list candidate, continued to struggle. James went 0-for-11 from the field and finished with no points, one assist and four turnovers. He has scored just 13 points in three games this season.
“He’s a good player, he’s done a lot of good things for us, we believe in him,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “There has to be a clarity, a real motivation. It’s a different season for him, higher expectations, lot of attention from other teams.”
The teams have met nine times, including three times in the NCAA Tournament, with Missouri holding a 5-4 advantage. Most recently, Missouri won a second-round tournament matchup in 2009.
–Field Level Media
