Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Hosts Tulane in C-USA Matchup
1/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Date -- Jan. 27, 2001
Site - Milwaukee, Wis. -- Bradley Center (19,150)
Tipoff - 1:05 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - None
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Jr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 11.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.5 apg --Has scored in double figures on nine occasions
G #22 - Brian Wardle (Sr., 6-5, 205, Clarendon Hills, Ill.) 17.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg -- 20 points vs. St. Louis was 7th game of 20-plus pts. this year
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Jr., 6-7, 218, Uppsala, Sweden) 9.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg -- Averaging 14.3 points in his last three games
F #2 - Odartey Blankson (Fr., 6-7, 205, Country Club Hills, Ill.) 5.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg -- Tied for team's lead with five boards vs. Saint Louis
C #35 - John Mueller (Sr., 6-10, 240, Cedarburg, Wis.) 2.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg -- Has started 47 of the team's last 48 games
Probable Tulane Starters
F #4 - Ledaryl Billingsley (Sr., 6-7, 250, 17.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg)
F #5 - Brandon Brown (So., 6-8, 220, 11.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
F #13 - Linton Johnson (Jr., 6-8, 205, 13.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg)
G #2 - Brandon Spann (So., 6-1, 185, 17.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
G #45 - Wayne Tinsley (Fr., 6-5, 218, 7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Series Notes -- Marquette claims an 10-3 lead in the all-time series against Tulane that started in the 1968-69 season ... In games played at Milwaukee, Marquette shows a 5-1 record against the Green Wave ... Last year, Tulane snapped a two-game losing streak to Marquette with a 73-68 triumph at New Orleans.
Game Info Hoping to continue the momentum generated from a win over Saint Louis on Wednesday, the Marquette basketball team returns home to battle Tulane on Saturday (Jan. 27). The Bradley Center (19,150) will serve as the site of the 14th meeting between the Golden Eagles and Green Wave and tipoff is slated for approximately 1:05 p.m. (CST). Following the Tulane outing, Marquette stays at home when it hosts National Division leading Southern Miss on Tuesday (Jan. 30) starting at 7:05 p.m.
The Records
The Golden Eagles head into the Tulane affair with an overall record of 9-7 including a 4-1 C-USA mark, good for first place in the American Division. Marquette is coming off a 73-64 victory at Saint Louis on Wednesday, the program's first win there since 1997. In that game, Marquette led for the majority of the first half but saw SLU use an 8-3 run over the final 4:19 of the half to take a 28-24 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Golden Eagles exploded for 49 points and shot a keen 65 percent from the floor (13-of-20) en route to a 49-36 scoring advantage. After being saddled with foul trouble for the majority of the first half, senior Brian Wardle tallied 17 of his team-high 20 points over the final 20 minutes of action. Wardle sank four-of-six from the floor, including three-of-four from beyond the arc during the second half and finished with his seventh effort of 20 or more points this season. Henry played a strong floor game as well, dishing out four assists and coming up with two steals in a season-long tying 38 minutes. Junior Oluoma Nnamaka rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 points while freshman Odartey Blankson and junior Jon Harris each came up with a team-best five boards. Aiding in the team's win was solid foul shooting that saw Marquette knock down 18-of-22 in the second half.
Tulane (7-11, 0-5 C-USA) meets Marquette looking to end a six-game losing streak. In their most recent performance, the Green Wave dropped a 91-69 decision at home to Memphis.
Nnamaka Continues Roll
Junior Oluoma Nnamaka's 14 points against Saint Louis marked his third straight game of double-figure scoring, his longest streak of the current campaign, and one game shy of tying his career long. In addition, the 6-foot-7 Nnamaka sank six-of-seven free throws against the Billikens, boosting his season total to 77.8 percent, good for ninth place among C-USA players. In his last three games, he has converted 16-of-19 from the charity stripe (84.2 percent). In the team's 11 home games this year, he is averaging 9.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.
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 19-8 (18-6 at the Bradley Center, 1-2 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 24-21/2nd season
Tom Crean's Career Record 24-21/2nd season
Marquette Hitting The Boards
Marquette has outrebounded 10 opponents (9-1 in those contests) this season including six contests where it has finished with an advantage of 10 or more rebounds. The Golden Eagles have been outboarded in five games this season (0-5). Marquette finished the Saint Louis match with a slim 26-25 advantage on the glass. The Golden Eagles hold a 34.7-31.0 per-game edge in rebounding and stand tied for third (through games played Jan. 25) in C-USA in rebound margin (+3.7). Since Tom Crean has been Marquette's head coach, the Golden Eagles have outrebounded 15 opponents by 10 or more caroms and show a 13-2 record in those contests.
Tulane Head Coach Shawn Finney
Shawn Finney (Fairmont State, `85) is in his first year as a college head coach. Prior to his current post, Finney spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Kentucky where he helped that program to an overall slate of 86-23. He was a member of the Wildcats' staff during 1997-98 season when UK captured the national championship. Finney also served as an assistant coach at Georgia (1995-96 through 1996-97) and Tulsa (1990-91 through 1994-95).
On Jan. 27
On Jan. 27, 1958, Marquette received 13 points and 17 rebounds by Ron Glaser in subduing Toledo by a 58-55 margin ... On Jan. 27, 1967, Marquette started an eight-game winning streak when it registered a 80-70 win at Detroit. George Thompson paved the way for the win with 27 points.
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 (Wisconsin and North Carolina). The Golden Eagles will play at least eight teams that recorded 20 or more wins during 1999-2000. Two MU opponents are in this week's USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll (#6 North Carolina and #16 Wisconsin) while four others received votes. Through Jan. 24, Marquette, ranked 58th in the RPI, has played or will play seven teams that rank among the top 50 squads in the country according to the RPI, three of which are in the top 30.
Other Notes From the Saint Louis Game
Marquette's 49 points in the second half in the Saint Louis game represented the highest-scoring half by a Crean-coached Marquette squad ... The team's 65.0% percent mark from the floor in the second half also represented the second-highest effort for a half during Crean's tenure ... Marquette's 11 turnovers boosted the team's record to 4-1 this year when finishing with 12 or fewer turnovers ... MU's 22 free throws represented the team's fourth game of 20 or more makes from the foul line this year -- last season the most free throws Marquette made in any games was 18 (twice).
Marquette and the Foul Line
A goal of this year's MU team is to get to the foul line more and the Golden Eagles have accomplished that after 16 games, recording a total of 352 attempts from the charity stripe (22.0/per game) MU has attempted 23 or more from the foul line in eight games including 39 vs. UMASS, the most attempts by a Crean-coached MU squad, and 36 vs. Centenary. During Crean's tenure, the Golden Eagles stand 21-8 in contests when finishing with 15 or more free throw attempts (8-6 this year). After 16 games last year, MU had attempted 296 free throws.
MU Tidbits
Heading into Saturday's game vs. Tulane, MU holds down the No. 2 spot in C-USA and is tied for 20th nationally in scoring defense (61.8 ppg) ... After 16 games last season, the Golden Eagles had converted 186 free throws compared to 236 this year ... In the last two games, Marquette is shooting 76.2 percent (48-of-63) from the foul line ... MU has held the opposition to 10 or fewer field goals in a total of 15 of 32 halves ... MU has allowed just four halves of of 50 percent or better from the floor (UMASS, 50% in the 2nd half, Cincinnati, 50, 1st half, S. Florida, 50%, 1st half & Saint Louis, 50.%, 2nd half) ... MU has registered six games of six or more steals ... Marquette is 4-0 this year when recording 15 or more assists.
Tom Crean Radio Show Dates
The Tom Crean Radio Show can be heard locally on WISN (1130 AM). The show is hosted by the voice of Marquette Basketball, Steve "The Homer" True, and can be heard from 7:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The following is a list of dates that the show can be heard.
Mon. Jan. 29 Mon. Feb. 26Mon. Feb. 5 Mon. Mar. 5Mon. Feb. 12 Mon. Mar. 12Mon. Feb. 19Inside the Numbers
Marquette has faced a halftime deficit in its last eight games (4-4) ... After being outscored in the second half in five of its first seven games, Marquette has outscored the opposition during the second half in eight of the last nine games ... In Marquette's nine wins, it holds a 37.2-26.7 per-game edge in rebounding (+10.5) ... In the squad's seven losses, the Golden Eagles are being outrebounded by a a 36.6-31.4 margin ... Through 16 games, Marquette is averaging 13.8 turnovers compared to the opposition's mark of 12.3 ... Marquette's seven turnovers in the DePaul game (Jan. 6) represented a season low and tied the fewest number by a Crean-coached MU team... MU has turned the ball over more than its foes in 10 games and stands 5-5 in those contests, 3-2 when registering fewer miscues ... Marquette has outshot 10 of its 15 opponents from the floor and is 7-3 in those games ... MU posts a 12.8 -12.3 per-game advantage in offensive rebounds, and claims 13 games of 10 or more offensive rebounds this year ... Marquette is averaging 25.8 points during the first half of play (26.3 for the opposition) and 36.3 during the second half (35.4 for opponents) ... MU has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in a half on four occasions ... In its nine victories, MU enjoys a 65.6-57.1 scoring advantage and has shot 43.9 percent (203-of-462) from the floor while limiting the opposition to 39.4 percent (178-of-452) ... In the seven setbacks, MU has been outscored by a 57.7-67.7 margin ... MU is 4-2 when leading at halftime ... Marquette is averaging 12.9 assists in its nine wins, 8.4 in losses.
Brian Wardle Notes
Named C-USA Player of the Week (Jan. 7) after totaling 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting vs. DePaul ... Team-high 17.8 points per game average is good for the No. 4 spot in C-USA through Jan. 25 ... Averaging 18.7 points and shooting 46.6 percent from the floor in MU's nine wins ... Has seven games of 20 or more points this year and 23 during his career ... Averaging a team-leading 34.3 minutes per game, also paces the club in three-point field goals (34), free throws with 62 free throw attempts (75).
Marquette Leads C-USA In Nailbiters</>
After 16 games, Golden Eagles have played a league-high nine games that have been decided by five or fewer points. The Golden Eagles have kept their home fans on the edge of their seats with the last four and seven of the last eight home contests being decided by five or fewer points. Close games have become a part of Marquette's routine during the Coach Crean era with 19 of his 45 games being decided by five or fewer points. This year, MU is 5-4 in such games while posting a 9-10 record during Crean's tenure.
This and That
Marquette has attempted more free throws than its opponents in seven games and stands 6-1 in those contests, 13-1 during Crean's tenure as head coach ... The Golden Eagles have two or more blocked shots in 10 of 16 games this season however the team has just one block in the last three outings ... Marquette has not allowed any of its first 16 opponents to reach the 50 percent plateau from the floor this year and holds down the No. 3 spot among league squads in FG% defense (.399) ... Marquette has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in two of the last three and in a total of four games this year (3-1).
