Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Hosts UMASS
11/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Golden Eagles (0-1) vs. Massachusetts (1-0)
Nov. 20, 2000 -- Game #2
ESPN2
Game Data
Site - Milwaukee, Wis. o Bradley Center (19,150)
Tipoff - 6:05 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - ESPN2 (Bob Carpenter, Play by Play, Larry Conley, Analyst)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #10 - Cordell Henry (Jr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
10 points in season opener vs. South Alabama
G #22 - Brian Wardle (Sr., 6-5, 205, Clarendon Hills, Ill.) 17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Team-high 17 points and tied for team high with six rebounds vs. South Alabama
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Jr., 6-7, 218, Uppsala, Sweden) 4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
one free throw shy of reaching 100 in his career
F #34 - Jon Harris (Jr., 6-7, 225, Edwardsville, Ill..) 1.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
played 18 minutes in season opener as a starter vs. S. Alabama
C #35 - John Mueller (Sr., 6-10, 240, Cedarburg, Wis.) 4.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Tied for team high with six rebounds vs. South Alabama
Probable UMASS Starters
F # 2 -Jackie Rogers (Jr., 6-8, 230, 8.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg)Game InfoF #20 - Winston Smith (Sr., 6-5, 228, 4.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
C #33 - Kitwana Rhymer (Sr., 6-10, 256, 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
G #30 -Shannon Crooks (Jr., 6-2, 222, 20.0 ppg, 2.0 apg)
G # 5-Monty Mack (Sr., 6-3, 200, 19.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg**) **Denotes 1999-2000 stats
Marquette looks to record its first win of the season on Monday (Nov. 20) when it entertains the Minutemen of Massachusetts. The game is the second of six consecutive home dates for the Golden Eagles. Following the contest against UMASS, Marquette's next action takes place on Fri., Dec. 1, when it hosts Centenary in the opening round of the Blue and Gold Coca-Cola Classic. The other first-round match-up will see Kent State tangle with Cal State Northridge.
The Records
Marquette stands 0-1 following a 67-54 setback at home against South Alabama on Nov. 14, snapping a streak of nine consecutive opening-game victories for the Golden Eagles. Marquette led by a 26-20 margin after the first half, but shot only 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from the floor during the second half of action compared to USA's effort of 48 percent (12-of-25). Over the final 20 minutes of play, South Alabama outscored MU by a 47-28 margin and converted on 20-of-29 attempts from the foul line. For the game, MU shot 31.5 percent from the floor (17-of-54) while USA finished with a 40.4 percent (19-of-47) effort. Leading the Marquette scoring attack was senior Brian Wardle with 17 points while junior Cordell Henry was the other MU player to finish in double digits with 10 points. Wardle, along with senior John Mueller, shared team honors in rebounding with six caroms. UMASS comes to town with a 1-0 record following a 67-65 win at home over Iona on Saturday evening (Nov. 18). Junior guard Shannon Crooks led the team in scoring with 20 points while junior forward Eric Williams, playing in his first game with the program following his transfer from Syracuse, chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. Bolstering UMASS will be the return of senior guard Monty Mack, a first-team All-Atlantic 10 player last season. Mack missed the squad's two exhibition games and the season opener due to suspension. UMASS returns eight letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team that posted an overall record of 17-16 and that earned a spot in the NIT. In Atlantic 10 action, the Minutemen finished with a 9-7 record and finished third in the East Divsion of the conference.
The Marquette-UMASS Series
Marquette claims a 1-0 record against UMASS with the only meeting between the schools taking place on March 14, 1970, in the opening round of the NIT (New York) where Marquette came away with a 62-55 victory. Directed by head coach Al McGuire, Marquette would go on to claim the NIT title that season, besting St. John's, 65-53, in the finals.
Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean
Tom Crean is in his second season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles' program. In his initial year, Crean (Central Michigan, `89) guided Marquette to an overall record of 15-14 that included a berth to the NIT, the school's 13th appearance in that tournament. In C-USA play, Crean led MU to an 8-8 record, good for fourth place in the American Division. In games played in Milwaukee, Crean stands 12-5 (11-4 at the Bradley Center, 1-1 at the Milwaukee Arena). Prior to being named the school's head coach on March 30, 1999, he served as an assistant for 10 seasons. His coaching resum? includes stops at Michigan State (1989-90), Western Kentucky (1990-94), Pittsburgh (1994-95) and most recently again at Michigan State (1995-99).
Tom Crean's Marquette Record 15-15/2nd season Tom Crean's Career Record 15-15/2nd season
Marquette To Face Three A-10 Teams This Year
Marquette's game against UMASS is one of three games that the Golden Eagles have against teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2000-01. On Saturday, Dec. 16, Marquette travels to Xavier before closing out 2000 with a contest at Dayton on Dec. 30. Last season, A-10 teams that Marquette played included Xavier (won, 65-63 at Milwaukee, lost 67-63 at Xavier in NIT) and Dayton (lost 63-60 at Milwaukee).
UMASS Head Coach Bruiser Flint
Bruiser Flint (St. Joseph's Univ., `87) is his fifth campaign as the head man at UMASS and owns a school and career record of 72-57. During his tenure, he has guided the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and one NIT bid. In his second season (1997-98), he guided the squad to an overall record of 21-11. Fifth on the school's all-time victory chart, he is the second-fastest coach in UMASS history to reach 50 wins (87 games).
Marquette Faces Formidable Schedule in 2000-01
Marquette faces one of the most challenging schedules in the history of the program in 2000-01, playing a minimum of 12 opponents that participated in postseason play last year including two Final Four Teams (Wisconisn, Dec. 23, and North Carolina, Jan. 13). The Golden Eagles will play at least eight teams that recorded 20 or more wins during the 1999-2000 campaign.
Marquette Bench Notes
Though it dropped its season opener to South Alabama, the Marquette bench outscored the Jaguars' bench by a 18-9 margin. Four of the six MU reserves who saw action in the USA game played 10 or more minutes including freshmen Scott Merritt (20 min., 7 pts.), Terry Sanders (20 min., 4 pts., 3 reb.) and Odartey Blankson (19 min., 7 pts., 4 reb.).
Wardle Figures in MU Career Categories
In addition to his career point production, Brian Wardle ranks among the top 10 career performers in a number of categories. Entering the UMASS game, he is eighth in career three-pointers (135), seventh in three-point attempts (391) and seventh in free throw percentage (.796).
MU Career Three-Point Field Goals
No. Player (years) No.MU Career Three-Point Attempts5. Tony Miller (1992-95) 178
6. John Cliff (1997-2000) 169
7. Roney Eford (1993-96) 150
8. Brian Wardle (1998-SA) 135
No. Player (years) No.MU Career Free Throw Percentage5. John Cliff (1997-2000) 486
6. Tony Miller (1992-95) 482
7. Brian Wardle (1998-SA) 391
No. Player (FTM-FTA) Pct.5. Brad Luchini (215-265) 81.1%
6. Robb Logterman (163-204) 79.9%
7. Brian Wardle (224-282) 79.4%
8. Lloyd Walton (170-216) 78.7%
Three-Point Streak On the Line Marquette has made at least one three-point field goal in 348 consecutive games. The last game without a trey was against Wake Forest on Feb. 2, 1989. Marquette knocked down four treys in the season opener vs. South Alabama.
Marquette and the Foul Line
A goal of this year's Marquette is to get to the foul line more and the Golden Eagles accomplished that in the South Alabama game, registering 23 attempts from the charity stripe, tying the third-highest mark by a Crean-coached Marquette squad. During Coach Crean's tenure, the Golden Eagles stand 13-3 in games when finishing with 15 or more free throw attempts.
MU Tidbits
Brian Wardle enters the UMASS game just 13 points from moving past Damon Cobb (UAB, 1996-99) into 10th place on C-USA's all-time scoring list ... Wardle has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 home contests ... Wardle owns 16 career contests of 20 or more points ... Cordell Henry's nine-game streak of at least one three-point field goal is the longest on the team ... His 62 career treys are second most among this year's crop of Marquette players behind Wardle's total of 135 ... Henry is just four assists shy of reaching the 200 career mark ... Freshman Scott Merritt's three blocked shots in the South Alabama game were the most by a Marquette player since the season opener of 1999-2000 when John Polonowski swatted away four Chicago State attempts in a 62-43 win ... Senior John Mueller's starting assignment in the South Alabama game was his 32nd in the last 33 MU games ... Mueller started 28 of MU's 29 games last year (Xavier in the NIT was the only one he did not start) and he had started the last three contests of the `98-99 campaign.
Tune in to the Golden Eagles
Steve "The Homer" True and George Thompson are in their 10th season on the Marquette Basketball Radio Network. Milwaukee's WISN AM 1130 is the flagship station of the Marquette Basketball Radio Network. The network includes the following affiliates: Fans wanting to listen to the games via the internet can do so by going to www.radio1130.com.
WFAW AM 940 (Fort Atkinson)Marquette in the Bradley Center The Golden Eagles are in their 13th season in the Bradley Center. Marquette has a 139-54 all-time record (0-1 this year) in the BC.WRJQ AM 1570 (Appleton)
WCLO AM 1230 (Janesville)
WOMT AM 1240 (Manitowoc)
WBKV AM 1470 (West Bend)
Streaks & Last Time It Happened
Consecutive Games - Cordell Henry - 59
Consecutive Starts - Brian Wardle - 37
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games - Cordell Henry - 4
Consecutive Games with a Three-Pointer - Cordell Henry - 9
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 30+ Points - Brian Wardle (31) vs. South Fla., - Feb. 24, 2000
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 20+ Points - Cordell Henry (26) vs. Xavier, Mar. 15, 2000
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 10+ Rebounds - O. Nnamaka (12) vs. UAB - Mar. 1, 2000
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 15+ Rebounds - Jarrod Lovette (15) vs. Louisville - Feb. 20, 1997
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had a Double-Double (Points-Rebounds) - Oluoma Nnamaka (11-12) vs. UAB - Mar. 1, 2000
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 10+ Assists - Marcus West (11) vs. Dayton - Dec. 21, 1997
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Made 12 or More Free Throws - Brian Wardle (16) vs. Charlotte - Feb. 13, 1999
The Last Time A Marquette Team Had Five or Fewer Turnovers - (5) vs. Cincinnati - Mar. 10, 1996
The Last Time An Opponent Scored 30 + Points - Larry Hughes (40) - Saint Louis - Jan. 24, 1998
The Last Time an Opponent Scored 20+ Points - Ravonte Dantzler (20) - South Alabama - Nov. 14, 2000
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Rebounds - David West (11) - Xavier - Mar. 15, 2000
The Last Time an Opponent Had 15+ Rebounds - Quentin Richardson (17) - DePaul - Feb. 16, 2000
The Last Time an Opponent Had a Double-Double (Points-Rebounds) - David West (16 pts., -11 rebs.) - Xavier - Mar. 15, 2000
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Assists - Edwin Young (10) - Dayton - Nov. 28, 1998
The Last Time an Opponent Had 12 or More Free Throws - Mike Kelley (12) - Wisconsin - Dec. 23, 1999
The Last Time A Marquette Opponent Had Five or Fewer Turnovers - South Florida (5) - Feb. 22, 1998
MU's Top Offensive Scoring Efforts Under Tom Crean
Date Opponent Pts.2/2/00 at Southern Miss 79
12/3/99 Western Michigan 76
3/8/00 vs. Houston 75
12/23/99 at Wisconsin 74
11/27/99 Wofford 74
MU's Top Defensive Scoring Efforts Under Tom Crean
Pts. Date Opponent Allowed1/5 ST. LOUIS 38
11/20 CHICAGO STATE 43
12/4 APPALACHIAN ST 51
12/20 HAMPTON 52
Statistical Comparison
Marquette MassachusettsScoring Avg. 54.0 ppg 67.0 ppg
Scoring Def. 67.0 ppg 65.0 ppg
Scoring Margin -13.0 ppg +2.0 ppg
Rebounding Avg. 35.0 rpg 29.0 rpg
Reb. Margin -2.0 rpg -1.0 rpg
FG% 31.5% 54.0%
Opp. FG% 40.4% 46.7%
