Zaide Lowery is an intriguing option for Marquette after injuries have depleted its bench

The Marquette men’s basketball team has been hit with adversity on multiple fronts.

A plague of cold shooting has infected the entire roster, with the Golden Eagles shooting 27.3% on three-pointers in their five Big East games. Even more distressing is a rash of injuries, with backup point guard Sean Jones lost for the season with a torn ACL and sixth man Chase Ross out indefinitely with a separated shoulder.

The games don’t stop, however, and MU (11-5, 2-3 Big East) tries to get back on track against Villanova (11-5, 4-1) at 1:30 p.m. Monday at Fiserv Forum.

“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” MU head coach Shaka Smart said after a 69-62 loss to Butler on Wednesday. “The schedule doesn’t get any easier. Adversity is an opportunity.”

Zaide Lowery should see increase in minutes

The biggest opportunity might come for freshman guard Zaide Lowery.

The 6-foot-5 Lowery has played sparingly this season. Ross hurt his shoulder in MU’s loss at Seton Hall on Jan. 6, a game in which Lowery played just 13 seconds as a defensive substitution at the end of the first half.

“He’s got a lot of potential,” Smart said. “He just needs experience. And he needs to continue to grow in his understanding that he can do it.”

In the loss to Butler, Lowery got valuable experience. He checked in at the 8:15 mark of the first half and had an immediate impact on defense. That is the area in which the long-limbed and athletic Lowery can have an impact, especially with tough defenders Ross and Jones sidelined.

Lowery was only credited with one steal in the game, though it probably should have been two, but he disrupted several possessions.

“Sometimes in moments likes this you try to give certain veteran guys a chance to respond and show who they really are,” Smart said. “But I thought he had better energy than a lot of the guys that played more.”

Just after checking in, he harassed Butler’s Jahmyl Telfort and forced Pierre Brooks’ pass to go out of bounds. On the next defensive possession, he seamlessly switched onto Posh Alexander and then pounced on a loose ball when Telfort fumbled a pass. In the second half, Lowery knocked the ball away from Telfort and then showed off his athleticism by sprinting the other way for a one-handed dunk.

“He should have played more, the way he played,” Smart said.

Lowery gives Shaka Smart another athletic option

Lowery has scored 18 points on 4-for-15 shooting over 12 games. He is shooting 2 for 7 on three-pointers, but he knocked down 1 of 2 against Butler, including one from the right wing that he shot with confidence.

Last month, Lowery said it took him a while to get comfortable at this level, especially with the sporadic playing time.

“I wasn’t super confident,” he said. “Not even about me shooting the ball or dribbling or nothing like that, but I wasn’t confident in the game and doing well.

“That’s something that I was focused on. Instead of getting in the game and doing what I need to do.

“Now I’m getting in the game and playing defense on the best player on the other team. And I’m way more comfortable because my teammates helped me get to that point. That stage where I need to be. So I’m thankful to them and all the coaches and stuff.”

Now with the depleted roster, Lowery’s teammates really need him.

“That’s maybe the one positive to take from (the Butler loss) for us is how Zaide played,” Smart said. “He’s capable of that and more.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Zaide Lowery is an option off bench for Shaka Smart and Marquette