College Basketball Game of the Week: No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 6 Iowa State

Before getting into the actual preview of this game, there is just one thing that needs to be brought up. This is a top-10 matchup on a random Wednesday night in December. Why is this game on ESPN+? What could be better to watch on regular ESPN on a Wednesday night than a top-10 matchup between two pretty unknown teams?

Now into what could be an incredible matchup during this Big 12-Big East Battle.

No. 5 Marquette has risen up the rankings and appears to be the best team in the conference throughout the early part of the season.

The Golden Eagles are standing at 8-0 and already have a signature win over then-No. 6 Purdue. Additionally, Kam Jones, their star guard, can completely take over games.

Jones is averaging nearly 20 points per game on the season and is the main guy on the team through the early stretch of this season.

It is not a matchup of unbeaten teams, however, as Iowa State is currently 5-1 on the season. The Cyclones have played some difficult teams but don’t have a signature win like Marquette does this season.

Despite this, Iowa State played a very close game against then-No. 4 Auburn. Auburn is highly considered the best team in the country after the week it had, so to be able to only lose by two points to one of the best teams in the entire country is a good sign of things to come.

The Cyclones are a more well-rounded squad, with five players averaging double digits through their six games.

Even though he is not currently the leading scorer, Milan Momcilovic is the leader of this team and can score with the best of them in the country. His production in a highly ranked matchup will be key for Iowa State’s success.

However, the depth is there to back up Momcilovic. Two players are currently scoring more than him on average throughout the season. Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones are averaging just over 16 points per game and have been vital to the wins the Cyclones have gained.

The fact that the game is in Ames, Iowa, is a massive factor for this matchup. Although Marquette would have a slight edge on a neutral site, the home-court advantage is a massive benefit for Iowa State.

Home court is a massive advantage for any team throughout the season, but especially in a big-time matchup like this, the Cyclones will have the ability to feed off the crowd throughout the game to help them.

This game will feature some major scorers and will likely come right down to the wire. If the game does come down to the very end, there aren’t many better players to rely on than Jones for Marquette. He has made the big shots in prior years and can score at all three levels.

A top-10 matchup at the beginning of December is a matchup that will always be a focus, especially when resumes are being looked at at the beginning of March.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email asd5765@psu.edu