There were countless players that head coach Shaka Smart could’ve given praise to after Marquette men’s basketball’s 86-62 win over Creighton on Tuesday night.
He could’ve started with his first-year phenom Nigel James Jr. The reigning Big East freshman of the Week delivered another eye-popping performance with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds — capped off by a windmill dunk from the 6-foot point guard.
Nigel James Jr. puts the EXCLIMATION POINT on a 24 point Marquette win
#MUBB pic.twitter.com/ssxBIVHpfG
— Jake Dale (@JakeDaleMU) January 28, 2026
“I thought he was going to reverse it, because I’ve seen him do that before,” first-year guard Adrien Stevens said. “But the windmill I was like, ‘Woah.’ He’s a special player.”
Smart also could’ve lauded Stevens for his play on both ends. With former Marquette great Stevie Mitchell in the building to receive the McCahill Award, Stevens did his best Mitchell impression, scoring 14 points and snagging four steals while posting a +30 plus/minus.
“I watch a lot of Stevie Mitchell film,” Stevens said.
Heck, he could’ve praised sophomore forward Royce Parham, who tied his career-high in scoring with 19 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
Parham, along with the nine other Golden Eagles (8-14, 3-8 Big East) who saw the floor Tuesday, was in-part responsible for two skunks — MU’s term for six stops in a row — and holding the Bluejays (12-9, 6-4) scoreless for over six minutes in the first period.
But as Smart weighed his options, he took more of a big picture approach when asked the question ‘How have you guys maintained your focus this season, without letting in spiral?’
“Our team has gone through some challenges,” Smart said. “But, the one thing I give our guys a lot of credit for, is every day they come to Kasten Gymnasium, they come to work, they come with energy. They run into the gym, literally, together as a group from the weight room, everyone’s high-fiving. There’s a level of energy there.
“Does that mean it’s perfect? No. But, they’re growing up.”
To grow up, you must first be little. For much of the 2025-26 campaign, Marquette was little. A nonconference schedule full of growing pains saw the Golden Eagles go through all sorts of struggle and heartbreak.
Just a over month ago, on Dec. 20, Marquette watched a six-point lead at CHI Health Center disappear in the blink of an eye courtesy of a 25-2 Bluejay run. The game ended in a 84-63 blowout win for Creighton, but it didn’t see the same MU team it saw in Omaha during their return trip to Milwaukee.
“Offensively, they are playing better,” head coach Greg McDermott said. “They had a stretch there where they couldn’t make a shot at the rim, and some of them had nothing to do with the defense. It’s just kind of dumb luck that they went through a few games there where they really struggled at the rim, and they’ve cleaned that up.”
The Golden Eagles were 16-of-23 on layups Tuesday night, one of their best marks of the season at the rim.
“I would say [it comes down to] poise,” Stevens said. “We trust the guys that we have to make layups. We’re here because we can make layups.”
Marquette came out of the gates blazing on both ends of the floor, sinking 14 of their first 22 field goal attempts and holding the Bluejays to seven made field goals in 26 possessions.
Overall, the blue & gold shot 68.8% from the field (22-for-32) and 5-for-9 from deep in the first half. The main difference, though, was the battle in the paint. MU held the advantage in the lane, 34-8.
Eventually, all of this led to a 52-23 for the Golden Eagles heading into halftime.
“I really thought in the first half, every guy that went in the game for us had a single-minded purpose to play Marquette defense,” Smart said. “Which, we don’t take for granted because that’s been elusive for us much of this year.”
MU held the Bluejays to just a 30.3% (10-of-33) from the field, and 2-of-17 from beyond the arc in the first frame (11.8%).
After its sluggish start, Creighton was never able to get back in the game. The Bluejays gave it a shot down the stretch, trimming MU’s lead to 15 with 3:26 to play, but it wouldn’t be enough to spoil the late-night party the Golden Eagles were throwing.
Marquette picked up its third win of Big East play, and if anything has become clear by now, it’s that it can hang at home.
Next up? A date at Seton Hall on Saturday morning at the Prudential Center at 11 a.m. CST.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at matthew.baltz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.