What to Expect: IU basketball vs. Marquette

IU basketball travels to Chicago this weekend to take on Marquette at the United Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon on ESPN.

Indiana leads the all-time series against Marquette 8-2. The two programs last met in the 2018 Gavitt Games at Assembly Hall. IU won 96-73 on Nov. 14, 2018.

The first of IU basketball’s four marquee non-conference games tips off this weekend in the Windy City.

The Hoosiers will get a stiff test from Marquette, led by Shaka Smart. The 48-year-old Smart is in his fifth season in Milwaukee after previous stints at VCU, where he reached the Final Four in 2011, and Texas.

Known for full-court pressure and an up-tempo, ball-screen-heavy offense, the Golden Eagles will put pressure on IU on both ends of the floor. Picked to finish fifth in the preseason in the 11-team Big East, Marquette has reached the NCAA tournament in four straight seasons.

In its first two games, Marquette easily beat Albany 80-53 and Southern 100-82 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Indiana, meanwhile, is coming off a 98-51 thrashing of Alabama A&M in its season-opener on Wednesday in Bloomington.

MEET THE GOLDEN EAGLES

A rarity in today’s college basketball, Smart did not recruit the transfer portal last spring. Marquette’s roster is comprised of returnees and freshmen, emphasizing player development over time rather than quick fixes from the portal.

The Golden Eagles graduated their top three scorers from last season, including NBA draft pick Kam Jones, but return a pair of starters and are relying on their bench from last season to fill the other gaps.

Senior guard Chase Ross, who started all 34 games last season, is the new go-to guy for the Golden Eagles. A career 35.1 percent 3-point shooter, the 6-foot-5 native of Dallas, Texas, averaged 10.5 points per game last season to go along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Ross had five steals in the season-opener against Albany and 23 points on Wednesday against Southern.

The other returning starter for Marquette is 6-foot-11 senior Ben Gold, a native of New Zealand. Gold can stretch the floor – he made 53 3-pointers last season compared to just 33 2s – and nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes against Southern on Wednesday. Gold has three blocked shots through two games and is an above-average defensive player.

Junior point guard Sean Jones, a 5-foot-10 guard from Columbus, Ohio, is back this season after missing the 2024-25 season following a torn ACL that he suffered in January of 2024. As a sophomore in the 2023-24 season, Jones averaged 5.8 points, two assists and 1.5 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game as a backup. He’s started the first two games this season for the Golden Eagles and is expected to be one of the team’s on-floor leaders in his fourth season with the program. He’s a career 27.7 3-point shooter on 83 attempts.

Junior wing Zaide Lowery was Marquette’s best reserve last season and has moved into the starting lineup in his third season. The Springfield, Missouri, native is 6-foot-5, 205 pounds and made 37.5 percent of his 3s last season. He had a 25-point game off the bench last season at Villanova and scored in double figures two other times. Through the first two games, Lowery is averaging 12.5 points and is 4-for-9 on 3s.

Through the first two games, the final starting spot has gone to sophomore big man Caedin Hamilton, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound sophomore. A native of Santa Maria, California, Hamilton was a late addition to the program, signing with the Golden Eagles in August of 2023, just before the start of the fall semester. As a freshman, he played sparingly – 6.3 minutes per game – but has moved into the starting lineup this season to provide size and some rim protection. In Wednesday’s win against Southern, Hamilton had 12 points in 21 minutes.

Depth is essential for Marquette as the Golden Eagles need to have fresh bodies to maintain their style of play. Smart’s teams have always played at a brisk pace with an emphasis on forcing turnovers with their pressure.

In the season opener against Albany, Marquette had five players log double-figure minutes off the bench and against Southern, four reserves played double-figure minutes.

Sophomore forward Royce Parham was viewed as a likely starter in the preseason, but the 6-foot-8 Pittsburgh native has come off the bench in the first two games. An All-Big East freshman team selection last season, Parham averaged 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds.

Freshman guard Adrien Stevens, the No. 78 player in the final 247Sports rankings for the 2025 class, is making his case for rotation minutes through two games. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he has a sturdy frame and a defense-first mindset. Through two games, Stevens is 4-for-9 on 3s in 28 total minutes and hasn’t committed a turnover.

Another freshman guard, 6-foot point guard Nijel James, was the No. 86 player in the 2025 class and has played 30 minutes over the first two games. James has six steals thus far in 30 minutes of action.

Junior guard Tre Norman had rough shooting numbers from the perimeter last season. He was just 6-for-32 from distance last season. In two games, the 6-foot-4 Norman is averaging 4.5 points in 11.5 minutes.

Two other Golden Eagles who could see minutes on Sunday include 7-foot-1 sophomore big man Joshua Clark and 6-foot-7 sophomore Damarius Owens. A top 100 recruit in the 2024 class, Owens struggled last season as a freshman and has work to do to crack the regular guard and wing rotation. Clark sat out last season and is just 2-for-7 from the field through the first two games.

KEYS FOR INDIANA

• Handle the pressure: Turnovers are going to happen against Marquette. What IU can’t afford is live-ball turnovers that lead to easy buckets on the other end for the Golden Eagles. Marquette’s pressure is relentless and can wear opponents down. With IU’s limited depth, fatigue could become a factor.

• Defend without fouling: It goes without saying that IU’s depth is an issue right now. The point guard and ball-handling duties right now are entirely in the hands of Tayton Conerway and Connor Enright. Both of those guys can easily handle playing 30 minutes or more, but they have to avoid foul trouble.

• Force tough shots in the halfcourt: Like IU, Marquette doesn’t crash the offensive glass hard. The Golden Eagles have traditionally ranked in the top 50 nationally in 2-point field goal percentage and will take and make a healthy volume of 3-pointers. Ross and Lowery are both capable of getting things going from the perimeter, as is Gold as a stretch big. Indiana will need to defend like it did in the second half of the Baylor exhibition to prevail on Sunday afternoon.

WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO

This is an important matchup for both teams, who are hoping to earn a win that will matter on an NCAA tournament resume.

The computers view it as a toss-up, with KenPom projecting a two-point IU win and a 58 percent chance for the Hoosiers to prevail.

Bart Torvik also projects a two-point Hoosier victory with a 60 percent chance for an IU win.

With just four non-conference games that will carry weight, a win on Sunday would be huge for the Hoosiers to build momentum ahead of a stretch that includes the next five games in Bloomington.

(Photo credit: Marquette Athletics)

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