Defense has been a question mark at times throughout the year for Marquette, but it has been outstanding in their first two tournament games.

Marquette was able to force Syracuse into committing 18 turnovers and shooting only 33 percent from behind the arc.

Darius Johnson-Odom scored 17 points and Jae Crowder came off the bench to chip in with 16.

The Golden Eagles advance now to the Sweet 16 to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Eagles came out firing on all cylinders from the start in a game that did not live up to the hype.

Many expected a close game that came down to the wire, but the final result was never really in doubt.

Jimmy Butler lead the way with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to pace Marquette.

Marquette now advances to the next round to take on a familiar foe in conference rival Syracuse.

The Marquette Golden Eagles held their own this season in the rugged Big East Conference, finishing with a .500 record in conference play and 20 victories overall.

Now the Golden Eagles open the NCAA tournament on Friday with a challenge that will test the lessons learned battling their Big East mates this season.

Marquette, the No. 11 seed in the East regional, takes on No. 6 Xavier in Cleveland. The Musketeers have one of the top players in the nation in guard Tu Holloway, and slowing the junior will be priority No. 1 for Marquette.

The Golden Eagles lost to Louisville in an ugly 81-56 defeat in the Big East quarterfinals last Thursday. Senior guard Jimmy Butler scored 14 points in the loss, and leads Marquette in scoring at 16.0 points per game. The Golden Eagles have lost three of their past five games following a three-game winning streak.

The winner gets either No. 3 seed Syracuse or No. 14 Indiana State in the third round on Sunday.

—30—

Marquette won their first two games of the Big East tournament, and that should be more than enough to get them into the Big Dance.

It seemed like the players had tired legs from their third game in three days, especially in the second half.

Marquette trailed by just five points at halftime but completely fell apart in the final 20 minutes.

Jimmy Butler lead the way with 14 points and six assists. Darius Johnson-Odom added 13 points.

With two wins already in the Big East tournament, Marquette has gone from a possible bubble team to a lock for an NCAA tournament berth.

Darius Johnson-Odom rebounded from a rough start to hit two key three-pointers in the closing momens.

Johnson-Odom finished with 12 points, just four off his average, which leads the team.

Marquette advances to the next round of the tournament where they will face the Louisville Cardinals, which is another winnable game.

Austin Freeman came back from an injury in the second half and played at less than 100 percent to give his team the spark it needed.

Freeman managed to score 20 points and backcourt mate Chris Wright lead the team with 20 points and five assists.

The guard’s ankle hurt him throughout the game, but he said it didn’t feel quite as bad to play on it.

Head coach John Thompson said Freeman will be re-evaluated but the team hopes he can play against Connecticut.

Marquette’s tough man-to-man defense stymied the Hoyas, but the Eagles didn’t shoot any better themselves.

Darius Johnson-Odom lead the team with 20 points, but did not get enough help from his teammates.

It was the biggest margin of loss for Marquette this season, which is a testament to how tough they play.

At the same time, it still counts as a loss and drops Marquette back to the .500 mark in league play.

Jae Crowder scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Marquette, which is looking to add to its tournament resume.

Marquette built an 11-point halftime lead and was able to withstand a Syracuse rally in the second half.

Jimmy Butler made a couple of big shots down the stretch that helped push his team over the .500 mark in conference play.

Head coach Buzz Williams pointed out that Syracuse has lost four straight games and how hard it is to win each night in the Big East.

Hayward, who finished as the university’s second all-time leading scorer, wasn’t projected to be anywhere close to a first round selection. Despite his undeniable productivity, Hayward was seen as an undersized forward, a power forward in a small forward’s body. But apparently that didn’t scare off Minnesota, which undoubtedly noticed the recent success of undersized, high-energy forwards such as Paul Millsap and Glen Davis in recent years.“It’s just surreal right now,” Hayward said. “I am very blessed and I want to thank everyone that made it possible. The coaches, Todd Smith my strength coach, everyone at Marquette and throughout my basketball career who has helped me develop.”

Hayward is the first Marquette player to be drafted since Steve Novak in 2006. He leaves Marquette as the all-time leader in games played, with 138.

Wade, who is from Chicago, has been rumored to be interested in returning home to play for the Bulls. However, it is also known that Wade really loves Miami and has made the city his new home.

The guard planned to talk to several other prominent free agents to see where they intended to sign. He is hoping to lure at least one star to the Heat in an attempt to make another run at an NBA championship.