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| Jamil Wilson (left)/AP Images |
By Lauren Dellipoali
In their defeat over Uconn at the XL Center in Hartford, the 6-7 redshirt sophomore put up nine points, had six boards, blocked a shot and played 39 minutes. His length on the defensive end stymied UConn bigs Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi.
Wilson transferred from Oregon back to his native state, and with injuries to key players Chris Otule and Davante Gardner, Marquette has needed Wilson’s size and defensive abilities.
The Golden Eagles are 4-1 since Gardner, their third-leading scored and rebounder was injured, and Wilson is a big reason behind it. He allows Marquette to play a smaller line-up, which in turn allows them to be faster and more efficient, and they have become more dangerous in the open floor.
Marquette has won 10 of its last 11 games and has proven that they can hang around with the likes of Syracuse. With the Big East being virtually wide-open, it would not be a surprise to see Marquette right up there come the end of the regular season and make a run during the Big East Tournament.
Buzz Williams knows how important his team’s chemistry is, and he has said that he may not insert Gardner back into the lineup when he is healthy. With Wilson in the line-up the Golden Eagles have become harder to defend, and that will make them tough to eliminate in March.
