Marquette and November losses are an undefeated combination in this decade. Golden Eagles have not been undefeated in December since 2011-2012. Now, there are some reasons to explain that… One, Marquette usually schedules difficult competition. Two, Marquette had some lean years where Matt Carlino was the habitual leading scorer. Three, Steve Wojciechowski-coached teams love to stub their toe early in the season. Marquette lost one game by 10 or more in November during the Wojciechowski era. Why does this happen? Is it with the way they train early in the year? How does this keep happening to this Marquette team? Wisconsin destroyed Marquette with a dominating second-half performance winning 77-61 for their first loss of the year.

Player of the Game: Koby McEwen – I would not call Koby’s performance a bright spot, but I do think he played decently in this game. He hit some big three-pointers in an attempt for Marquette to get on a run. Sadly, Wisconsin responded every time. McEwen still found a way to score with Markus Howard struggling in the second half. McEwen needs to be better inside the three-point arc. Going 1/5 with two pointers is not ideal.

Honorable Mention: Greg Elliott – I liked what we saw from Greg Elliott in the second half. That dude did not look scared at all. He kept coming at the more physical Wisconsin team. Elliott is a mighty mouse in his way. Greg made his case for why he deserves more time on the basketball court. It will be difficult though as I’m not sure Elliott and Howard can be on the court at the same time. The only thing is Marquette did it with Andrew Rowsey and Howard who is a much shorter duo.

One Thing I Didn’t Like: We need to talk about Brendan Bailey – There were some expectations that Bailey could be the second-best scorer for Marquette this year. Those are out the window. Bailey is still struggling on offense. He does not seem confident in his three-point shot and takes it soft to the lane. He needs to toughen up. Bailey’s confidence looks shot, but the good news, it is very early in the season.

Another Thing That I Didn’t Like: We saw the worst-case scenario with Marquette – If Howard cannot score, Marquette is completely fucked. That’s not a good feeling. They need to find a third scorer. Is it Theo John? Is it Sacar Anim? Could it be Jamal Cain? They need to find a way to support Howard when he cannot score the basketball. I pray that Wisconsin did not cook up the blueprint against Howard.

Next up: Marquette gets a week off before they take on Robert Morris. They have five days of practice before taking on Robert Morris at the Fiserv Forum on Saturday afternoon. Right now, Robert Morris’ adjusted efficiency defense ranks 292nd in college basketball. This is a get-right spot for the Golden Eagles.