Tale of the tape

Tale Of The Tape: #21 Notre Dame At #22 Marquette

Once again, Mike Brey has his team near the top of the Big East, competing for a double bye in the conference tournament. Irish fans are hoping he can find success in the NCAA Tournament this year as well.	Coaching	Buzz Williams got a huge win on Monday night against Syracuse, keeping Marquette’s hopes for a conference title alive. The Golden Eagles don’t have any marquee names, but they play well as a unit.
In their last game, a win against Cincinnati, ND shot 46 percent from the field. The front-court tandem of Tom Knight and Jack Cooley combined to go 11 for 14.	Offense	Forward Davante Gardner was the star against Syracuse, only missing one shot overall (a free throw) and scoring a career-high 26 points. This is a very efficient offense that gets to the free throw line often.
ND’s last two opponents have shot under 35 percent, perhaps a sign that this team is starting to play better on the defensive end. They foul less often than all but four teams in the country but don’t force many turnovers.	Defense	Marquette’s defense is average across the board. They use a group approach to keep the opposition off the boards—the three leading rebounders average between 4.7 and 5 boards a game.
Notre Dame doesn't have much depth, so if foul trouble becomes an issue the Irish could be in trouble.	Bench Depth	Gardner came off the bench to deliver his impressive performance earlier this week. Williams uses his reserves a decent amount and they are fairly productive.

These teams are somewhat similar and are evenly matched. In what should be a low-possession game, Marquette gets the slight edge at home.

-Andrew Kahn, College Football Contributor

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