IU basketball travels to Chicago this weekend to take on Marquette at the United Center. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM ET on Sunday afternoon on ESPN.
Indiana leads the all-time series against Marquette 8-2. The two programs last met at the 2018 Gavitt Games at Assembly Hall. IU won 96-73 on November 14, 2018.
The first of IU Basketball’s four non-conference games kicks 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.
The Golden Eagles are known for their full-court pressure and their fast-paced, ball-screen-heavy offense. They will put pressure on IU on both ends of the floor. Marquette was picked to finish fifth in the preseason in the 11-team Big East and has reached the NCAA tournament in four straight seasons.
In the first two games, Marquette easily defeated Albany 80-53 and Southern 100-82 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Indiana, meanwhile, takes a 98-51 drubbing of Alabama A&M in its season opener on Wednesday in Bloomington.
MEET THE GOLDEN EAGLES
A rarity in college basketball today, Smart did not enter the transfer portal recruiting last spring. Marquette’s roster is made up of returners and freshmen, with an emphasis on player development over time rather than quick fixes from the portal.
The Golden Eagles have listed their top three scorers from last season, including NBA draft pick Kam Jones, but are returning a pair of starters and relying on their bench from last season to fill the other holes.
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-4 native of Dallas, Texas, averaged 10.5 points per game last season, along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Ross had five steals in the season opener against Albany and had 23 points against Southern on Wednesday.
The other returning starter for Marquette is 6-foot-4 senior Ben Gold, a native of New Zealand. Gold can stretch the floor — he made 53 three-pointers last season compared to just 33 twos — and nearly had a double-double on Wednesday with 10 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes against Southern. Gold has three blocked shots in two games and is an above-average defensive player.
Junior point guard Sean Jones, a 6-foot-1 guard from Columbus, Ohio, is back this season after missing the 2024-25 season following a torn ACL he suffered in January 2024. As a sophomore in the 2023-2024 season, Jones averaged 5.8 points, two assists and 1.5 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game as a backup. He started the first two games for the Golden Eagles this season and is expected to be one of the team’s field leaders in his fourth season with the program. He is a career 27.7 3-point shooter on 83 attempts.
Junior wing Zaide Lowery was Marquette’s top reserve last season and is in his third season in the starting lineup. The Springfield, Missouri native is 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and made 37.5 percent of his 3s last season. Last season at Villanova, he had a 25-point game off the bench and scored in double figures twice more. Through the first two games, Lowery averaged 12.5 points and went 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-1, 245-pound sophomore. A native of Santa Maria, California, Hamilton was a late addition to the program, signing with the Golden Eagles in August 2023, just before the start of the fall semester. He played sparingly as a freshman – 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 key for Marquette as the Golden Eagles need new bodies to maintain their style of play. Smart’s teams have always played at a fast pace, with an emphasis on forcing turnovers with their pressing.
In the season opener against Albany, Marquette had five players record double-digit minutes off the bench and against Southern, four reserve minutes recorded double-digit minutes.
Sophomore forward Royce Parham was seen as a likely starter in the preseason, but the 6-foot-4 Pittsburgh man came off the bench in the first two games. Parham, an All-Big East freshman team selection last season, averaged 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds.
Freshman guard Adrien Stevens, the No. 78 player in the latest 247Sports rankings for the 2025 class, is calling for rotation minutes through two games. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he has a sturdy frame and a defense-first mentality. Through two games, Stevens is 4-for-9 on 3s in 28 total minutes and has not committed any turnovers.
Another freshman guard, 6-foot-2 point guard Nijel James, was the No. 86 player in the class of 2025 and has played 30 minutes through the first two games. James has six steals in 30 minutes of action so far.
Junior guard Tre Norman had raw shooting numbers from the perimeter last season. Last season he hit only 6-for-32 from distance. In two games, the 6-foot-2 Norman averages 4.5 points in 11.5 minutes.
Two other Golden Eagles who could get minutes Sunday include 6-foot-10 sophomore big man Joshua Clark and 6-foot-10 sophomore Damarius Owens. Owens, a top 100 recruit in the class of 2024, 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 in the first two games.
KEYS FOR INDIANA
• Handle the pressure: Turnovers going to happen against Marquette. What IU can’t afford are live-ball turnovers that lead to easy buckets on the other end for the Golden Eagles. Marquette’s pressure is relentless and can wear down opponents. With IU’s limited depth, fatigue could become a factor.
• Defend without mistakes: It goes without saying that IU’s depth is an issue right now. The point guard and ball-handling duties are currently entirely in the hands of Tayton Conerway and Connor Enright. Both boys can easily play 30 minutes or more, but they must avoid mistakes.
• Force hard shots in half the court: Like IU, Marquette doesn’t crash the offensive glass hard. The Golden Eagles traditionally rank in the top 50 nationally in two-point field goals and will take and make a healthy number of three-pointers. Ross and Lowery are both capable of getting things going from the perimeter, much like gold as a big piece. Indiana will have to defend, just like in the second half of the Baylor exhibition, to prevail on Sunday afternoon.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This is an important game for both teams as they hope to earn a win that will add significance to their NCAA tournament resume.
The computers consider it a toss-up, with KenPom projecting a two-point IU win and a 58 percent chance that the Hoosiers will prevail.
Bart Torvik also projects a two-point Hoosier win with a 60 percent chance of an IU win.
With only 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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