Jay Wright had every reason to fear Markus Howard more than any other Marquette player. His Villanova Wildcats team was facing Howard and the Golden Eagles in the first game after Howard scored 52 points in an overtime victory against Providence.
Even though Howard was as good as advertised, scoring 37 points in a 100-90 Marquette loss, another player had Wright squeamish entering play.
“Going into our game with them, we feared Hauser going for 30,” Wright said. “He just hasn’t really had to.”
Hauser seems to have that effect on BIG EAST coaches. Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard made sure to keep an eye on him too when the Pirates came to Marquette.