Marquette gets big performance from bench players in easy victory over Seton Hall

Marquette men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart has talked a lot recently about how good the bench players have performed in practices, even getting the best of the starters.

The Golden Eagles reserves have taken some lumps this season, but they had probably their best performance of the season in an 80-56 victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday at Fiserv Forum.

The bench accounted for 36 points for MU (20-6, 11-4), which is ranked 16th in the Associated Press top 25 and 15th the USA TODAY coaches poll, against the Pirates (7-19, 2-13)

BOX SCORE: Marquette 80, Seton Hall 56

“I thought the guys that came off the bench had a good spirit about them,” Smart said. “I had subbed a few guys at different times because I didn’t like a play or two.

“But I thought the guys that came in had a great energy and willingness to try and make the next play.”

Tre Norman finding ways to make an impact

Tre Norman’s nine points led the bench effort, and that tied his career high.

“In practice, it just brings a lot of confidence,” Norman said. “The past couple weeks we’ve been finding our ground and our sturdiness as a second-five group.

“Each and every day we take the opportunity, when we go in as a five all together, that we’re not taking a back-seat to nobody. We try to go out there and kill.”

The 6-foot-4 inch guard has impacted games on the defensive end, but he has struggled shooting the ball.

“Control the controllables,” Norman said. “Right now, my defense is ahead of my offense and I’m just still trying to find my confidence on the offensive end.

“I know it will come because I know the type of player that I am. I’m in the game, so it’s not like I’m going to be salty because I’m not making a shot or nothing. I know I can guard. I feel like I’m a great defender and I know that’s what the team needs from me in order for us to win.”

He’s only shooting 5 for 27 on three-pointers this season, but he’s found success bullying his way to the basket.

“I know what type of player I am,” Norman said. “Downhill has always been a speciality of mine. College pace is obviously different from high school.

“I’m finding my way. Each game is getting more comfortable. Each game is starting to feel more and more like practice. Just being out there and me not feeling like I got so much pressure on my back.”

Damarius Owens shows off potential again

It’s easy to see the talent in the versatile, 6-foot-7 freshman Damarius Owens.

He’s shown flashes this season, including scoring 11 points at Iowa State, but has struggled to produce consistently.

Coming into the game, Owens had missed his last 6 three-point attempts dating back to Jan. 18. But he knocked down both his shots from long range and finished with eight points.

He also showed off his tantalizing athleticism by cutting backdoor and throwing down a two-handed dunk.

“Really good just to see another one go in,” Owens said. “Regardless, make or miss, that confidence is always going to be there.

“So just letting them fly and my teammates trusted me. They tell me to shoot and they’ll crash if I miss. So just believe in that.”

MU’s bench scoring even extended to the walk-ons, who played the final minutes. Jack Anderson, who was a big-time scorer at NCAA Division III Keystone College, got his first bucket with the Golden Eagles.

“That’s my guy, I was ecstatic,” Owens said. “I’m pretty sure if you watch it back, you saw me doing like tuck-jumps.

“He’s elite. Just seeing that makes me happy. He pushes me every single day. He’s my brother, so it just made me happy.”

Marquette honors Jim Chones and Oso Ighodaro

MU had two former stars in the building for the game.

Oso Ighodaro, now a rookie with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, was honored with the school’s McCahill Award, given to a student-athlete with high academic achievements.

At halftime, Jim Chones’ No. 22 was raised to the rafters, the 10th player in school history to be honored. The Racine native played at MU 1970-72, with his teams going 49-1 before he left school early to turn pro.

“Every game when they play that video before the starting lineup, I’ve seen that video a thousand times so I don’t watch the video,” Smart said. “I just look up in the rafters and I think about those guys.

“And I think about the coaches as well, Al McGuire and Hank Raymonds, that are up there. Just what they put into this program. How they created success. The fact that they went through adversity just like we do. The fact that their road wasn’t always a smooth one. They all come from different backgrounds.

“And so it’s great that he’s up there next to Dwyane Wade because it’s two of the best guys, two of the most accomplished guys to ever play here.”

More: Lisa Joplin is more than just a Marquette player’s mom. She’s a hairstylist and confidant

Probable Marquette starters

Guards: Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, Chase Ross

Forwards: Ben Gold, David Joplin

Probable Seton Hall starters

Guards: Isaiah Coleman, Garwey Dual, Jahseem Felton

Forwards: Godswill Erheriene, Prince Aligbe

Marquette vs Seton Hall odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday

• ODDS: Marquette by 18.5

• O/U: 135.5

Marquette-Seton Hall prediction

The Golden Eagles can’t take this one lightly. Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway still has his team playing hard, and Dylan Addae-Wusu could cause some problems guarding Kam Jones after Addae-Wusu sat out the first matchup with an injury. The guess here is that a week off has done wonders for MU’s banged-up players, and their shooting stablilizes in this game.

Prediction: Marquette 75, Seton Hall 63

What channel is Marquette vs Seton Hall on tonight?

• TV: CBS Sports Network

• Stream: You can stream the game on the CBS Sports app through your television carrier. Also, FUBO has a free trial for new subscribers.

• Announcers: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst) and Evan Washburn (reporter) will call the game

Marquette’s remaining schedule

• Feb. 21: at Villanova, 6 p.m.

• Feb. 25: Providence, 6 p.m.

• March 1: at Georgetown, 7 p.m.

• March 5: at UConn, 7:30 p.m.

• March 8: St. John’s, TBA

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette’s bench players score 36 points in win over Seton Hall