Kam Jones returns from injury to have college-high 31 points in Marquette's rout of Georgetown

WASHINGTON – Even a few hours before the Marquette men's basketball team tipped off against Georgetown on Saturday, Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart didn't know if starting guard Kam Jones was going to play.

Jones hurt his right ankle in practice on Jan. 26, and he played just five minutes the next day against Seton Hall. He was scratched from Tuesday's victory at Villanova. Then he wasn't even among the starters during the game-day shootaround before facing the Hoyas at Capital One Arena.

Then just before the game, there was hope.

"He was out there in warmups, and the staff said he felt good and looked good," Smart said. "So we loved the fact that he was able to go."

That is an understatement.

Jones looked like his old self from the jump ball and poured in a college-high 31 points as the ninth-ranked Golden Eagles dominated Georgetown, 91-57.

Box score:Marquette 91, Georgetown 57

The red-hot Golden Eagles (17-5, 8-3 Big East) have won six straight conference games, putting their 2-3 start in the league in their rear-view mirror. Against the Hoyas (8-13, 1-9), MU again looked like one of the top teams in the nation.

Kam Jones scores 31 points in 21 minutes

A big reason for MU's return to form is that key players have come back from injuries.

Stevie Mitchell missed four games in December after hurting his hamstring. Chase Ross has been back in the lineup for two games after sitting out five with a separated shoulder.

Even if Smart had doubts about Jones' availability, Jones knew he was going to play after coming into the arena on Friday night.

"Night shooting last night," Jones said. "The problem was I knew it was going to hurt.

"It was just my mind-state. Because if you're going to be out on the court, you got to go. So I really had to train my mind and just push into the ground with that leg. It was still hurting tonight, so definitely going to get some treatment on that."

Jones looked good from the start, hitting one of his trademark spinning layups off the glass on his first attempt. A few minutes later, he knocked down a three-pointer.

He finished 12-for-15 in 21 minutes, knocking down 7 of 9 from beyond the arc.

"I think every night is going to be a good night, honestly," Jones said. "Sometimes, I'm kind of shocked at myself when it's not a decent night.

"So when games like this happen, humbly, it kind of feels like what I'm supposed to do. But you also try to embrace the moment."

Jones really caught fire in the second half as MU turned the game into a laugher. It was the most lopsided Big East loss in Georgetown's storied history.

Jones had 23 points in the second half. He breezed past his former college high of 26 points set last season in a loss to Wisconsin.

"Honestly, I didn't look at the board (showing players' points) until one Tyler (Kolek) threw me a pass and I just looked at him and I shot it," Jones said. "Then I realized, I've done hit a few in a row.

"So I looked up there, I think I had 24 at the time. I was like, oh, alright. The only play that I was chasing it was the two that got me 31."

Kam Jones also broke out of shooting slump

Before Tuesday's game, Jones had only missed one game in his three seasons at MU: A double-overtime loss to Creighton on Jan. 1, 2022, because of health and safety protocols.

"I told my teammates before the game how I felt about not playing and how that was making me feel," Jones said. "That was not a good feeling.

"(Sitting out), you give your heart out to players like Sean (Jones, who is out for season with torn ACL). Chase missed a few games. Stevie. It makes you see things a lot differently."

Before his ankle injury, Jones had suffered through some shooting woes during Big East play. During the Golden Eagles' 2-3 start in conference games, Jones went 8 for 42 (19%) on three-pointers.

"We have a great mental-skills coach, Russ (Rausch, who works for Vision Pursue), I talk to him a lot," Jones said. "We talk about different things, to do different practices to stay level.

"To keep trusting. Sometimes you can only trust so much. Sometimes, you're like, man, I want to play. I want to play well. (Assistant) Coach (Neill) Berry he just put his arm around me and would just be, like, keep walking. Keep having faith. That was helping me a lot to help me stay level."

Jones has never lacked for confidence. So, deep down, he knew that a breakthrough was coming.

"Really just acceptance," Jones said. "That's been a big word we've been using this year.

"Accepting what it is. Accepting that you haven't been playing well. Accepting what has happened. You can't do anything about it. You can change and do what you want in the future. So putting your mind toward that and playing for something bigger than you."

Shaka Smart loves MU's disruptive defense

There were several other stars for the Golden Eagles.

David Joplin made 4 three-pointers and scored 15 points. Tyler Kolek continued his hot play with 17 points and eight assists.

But the most impressive performance was probably MU's defense. The Golden Eagles are ranked in the top 15 of the defensive efficiency rankings on college basketball statistical website KenPom.com.

MU forced Georgetown into 19 turnovers and scored 35 points off them. The Hoyas had just five points off MU's 12 miscues.

"Just getting our hands on the basketball is a huge point of emphasis," Smart said. "We have to. We don't have the biggest, strongest team.

"We don't have necessarily the most athletic team. But our guys have good hand quickness. They have good anticipation. They're very good at helping one another.

"The system that we have, we're sometimes going to put two on the ball on purpose. And when we do that, we have to get a deflection. Otherwise, teams are going to pop it around and get open shots."

MU gets a week off before facing St. John's next Saturday at Fiserv Forum. That will be good for Jones' ankle, but Smart will also try to keep his team rolling despite the brief break.

"We have to make it a positive," Smart said. "I think, first and foremost, addressing physical health.

"We've got a few other guys on the team that are banged up, that haven't necessarily been 100% to be able to practice full-out every day. So this gives us a little bit of time to work on those things. You get to this part of the year, that's every Big East team.

"But I think, really for us, we have 22 chips in our pocket that have been earned from the games we've played. Wins and losses. And actually the chips that come from losses might even be more valuable. And so over the next seven days, really examining those, learning from those, continuing to move forward in some of the areas that make us our best when we're really clicking.

"And then understanding that even if we don't have a game tomorrow or the next day or the next day, there's still and urgency that has to exist in our minds if we want to move toward doing something special later in the year."