But with the NCAA loosening its rules about public exhibitions against Division 1 foes, Smart is getting full dress rehearsals for his team.
MU had its first preseason game on Oct. 19, and the Golden Eagles earned an 87-60 victory at the Resch Center.
The Golden Eagles did have one closed-door scrimmage against Colorado on Oct. 10. But they will have a tough exhibition finale against Michigan State on Oct. 25.
“The guys treat them like real games,” Smart said. “There was no difference between the way they were tonight and the way they will be at an away game.”
Smart substituted liberally, so MU had a lot of different lineups on the floor, but here are takeaways from MU’s victory:
Nigel James is All-American level good
MU sophomore guard Nigel James is ready to take the leap to national star after earning Big East freshman of the year last season.
James played 30 minutes and affected the game in every way. He scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers. He handed out 10 assists and pulled down four rebounds. The 6-foot guard leveraged his elite athleticism with a spectacular block at the rim and a steal that led to one of his signature one-handed dunks.
Rise UP ⬆️💥#MUBB | #WeAreMarquettepic.twitter.com/wmpgvMEVPh
— Marquette Men’s Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) October 20, 2026
“He does two things exceptionally well,” UW-Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb said. “He gets downhill … they all get downhill, they do what’s called ‘stampede the catch’ where you’re almost running into the catch … so you’re constantly on alert. Like he’s so fast you’re backing up.
“And then if you back up too far he can shoot the basketball. Now he can really shoot. And then if you close up, he’s got an unbelievable hesitation. And they play with great space.”
Golden Eagles shoot well from 3-point range
MU shot an eye-catching 14 for 24 (58.3%) on 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles struggled last season from long range, finishing 289th in the country at 31.8%.
Is this a glimpse of what this MU team can be from beyond the arc?
“We’ve been emphasizing in practice shooting threes,” said forward Royce Parham, who was 2 for 3 on 3-pointers. “We do drills at the end of practice to kind of get out of practice.
“We do this thing called ping shooting, like where we have to get a certain number (in a certain amount of time). So obviously guys have been in the gym every single day working on that.”
Smart always talks about 3-point shooting being a “volatile statistic,” but he liked the looks his team generated.
“I thought the 3s we took tonight were largely high-quality shots,” he said. “If we shoot really high quality, step-in 3s in rhythm, we’re going to shoot a good percentage. If we’re shooting contested 3s, not in rhythm or not high percentage, then we won’t shoot a high percentage.”
Damarius Owens gets the starting nod
James, Parham, Adrien Stevens and Sananda Fru are probably locked in as starters, but the final spot has been a competition between Nolan Minessale and Damarius Owens.
Owens got the nod against Green Bay. He only took three shots, scoring two points.
Minessale played 20 minutes and had six points, three assists and three blocks.
“He’s been terrific in the preseason,” Smart said. “I’d say he’s probably been our most consistent spirit out there on the court, in terms of bringing the right spirit and mind-set.
“The right disposition. The right unselfishness. Every day in practice. Now when you get in the game, there are different circumstances occur, things that come up. And you, as we like to say, have to shift from who you are walking around and who need to be, and rip someone’s head off. Bottom line, for him, I told him ‘You’ll be a starter for us if you’re an elite defender.’ That’s what we need with that group. He’s certainly capable of that.”
Ahmere Carson went off in first half for Green Bay
It’s early in the preseason, so there is plenty to work on for MU.
The Golden Eagles had 15 turnovers, and both Fru and Parham were whistled for four fouls.
“I feel like sometimes as a team we turn the ball over too much,” Parham said. “Obviously get all our plays down and get our defense set.
“And just come together as one. Obviously, it’s not going to be perfect now.”
Then there was UW-Green Bay guard Ahmere Carson, who lit up MU for 27 points in the first half, making all 10 of his shots.
“Any time a guy does that, you have to do something to break his rhythm,” Smart said. “We did some zone. We did some zone to man.
“We tried some different matchups on him. We were ready the second half, if we needed to, to flat out double him. Fortunately, we didn’t need to.”
Carson had just two points after halftime, and drew the ire of Gottlieb.
“He was awful in the second half,” Gottlieb said. “He didn’t run back on defense after he turned the ball over. He didn’t help out.
“You can see what the good Ahmere is. The issue with Ahmere Carson is there is no consistency. No consistency. He is an unbelievable talent. That’s why we signed him, we knew he’s an unbelievable talent. He’s capable of great things. But he is not yet a winning basketball player or a great teammate.”
Colin Porter is eligible to play for Marquette … as of now
In the fluid situation of NCAA players seeking a fifth-year of eligibility, Colin Porter was in uniform for MU.
He was held out of MU's intrasquad scrimmage earlier this month when a temporary injunction was dissolved. But this week a judge in Kentucky granted another temporary injunction in Porter's case.
So the four-year starter at Liberty made his debut for MU and made a 3-pointer in nine minutes, while always showing some feisty defense.
Nash Walker sits out with a concussion
MU guard Nash Walker has been snakebit by injuries in his brief time at MU.
While redshirting last season, Walker hurt his shoulder and missed most of the summer recovering from surgery.
Earlier this week, Walker took a blow to the head in practice and suffered a concussion. He was in street clothes against UW-Green Bay.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nigel James Jr. helps Marquette beat UW-Green Bay in exhibition game