Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Squad Opens C-USA Play
1/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Data Site - Chicago, Ill. o Allstate Arena (17,500)
Tipoff - 1:07 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play)
Television - Midwest Sports Channel (Pat Hughes, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Jr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 10.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.0 apg --Led or shared for team's lead in assists in seven games
G #22 - Brian Wardle (Sr., 6-5, 205, Clarendon Hills, Ill.) 17.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg -- Double-figure scorer in last four and in nine games this year
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Jr., 6-7, 218, Uppsala, Sweden) 8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg -- Has scored in double figures in five games
F #2 - Odartey Blankson (Fr., 6-7, 205, Country Club Hills, Ill.) 5.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg -- Has five or more boards in his last seven outings
C #35 - John Mueller (Sr., 6-10, 240, Cedarburg, Wis.) 2.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg -- Has started 41 of the team's last 42 games
Probable DePaul Starters
F #32 - Bobby Simmons (Jr., 6-7, 210, 18.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg)
F #52 - Lance Williams (Jr., 6-9, 250, 12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
C #45 - Steve Hunter (So., 7-0, 220, 12.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
G #11 - Rashon Burno (Jr., 5-7, 185, 10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
G #15 - Imari Sawyer (Fr., 6-1, 170, 13.0 ppg, 6.8 apg)
Series Notes -- Marquette holds a 51-40 advantage in the all-time series that started during the 1917-18 season ... Marquette has won four of the last six meetings played in Chicago ... Last season, the Golden Eagles topped DePaul, 69-60, at the Allstate Arena (Jan. 12, 2000) before the Blue Demons bounced back to record a 55-35 win at Milwaukee(Feb. 16, 2000)
Game Info
After closing out 2000 with a tough loss at Dayton, the Marquette basketball team plays its first game of the new year on Saturday (Jan. 6) when it opens C-USA play at DePaul. The Allstate Arena (17,500) will serve as the site of the 92nd meeting between the Golden Eagles and Blue Demons and tipoff is slated for 1:07 p.m. (CST). The game will be televised by Midwest Sports Channel with Pat Hughes and George Thompson handling the play-by-play and analysis, respectively. Following the game vs. DePaul, Marquette returns home next Wednesday (Jan. 10) when it entertains Cincinnati starting at 7:00 p.m.
The Records
The Golden Eagles head into the DePaul bout with a 5-5 record following a 61-60 setback at Dayton on Dec. 30. In that game, the Golden Eagles faced an 11-point deficit (31-42) with 16:07 left, but gamely fought back to take a 56-54 lead with 2:57 on the clock when freshman Scott Merritt tipped in a missed shot. The Flyers reclaimed the lead and had a 59-58 advantage with 1:45 left before a baseline jumper by Brian Wardle with six seconds gave the Golden Eagles a 60-59 edge. However, the Flyers dashed the hopes of Marquette when Yuanta Holland's lay-in with two ticks on the clock gave the home team the victory. Senior Brian Wardle led the team with a game-high 25 points, 19 in the second half, after hitting 10-of-20 from the floor including four-of-seven from three-point range. Merritt was the other Golden Eagle to finish in double figures with 11 points and he also finished with five rebounds. Ironically, Marquette shot a season-high 50 percent from the floor (24-of-48) while holding the Flyers to 38 percent. MU also outshot UD from three-point range, 63.6 percent (7-of-11) to 26.3 percent (5-of-19).
DePaul has won its last four affairs and hosts Marquette with a record of 8-4 (1-0 C-USA). The Blue Demons' last outing was an 85-75 win at home over Fairfield on Dec. 30. DePaul's win in conference action was a big 68-43 decision over Saint Louis on Dec. 19.
Marquette Tough on the Trey
After seeing its first two opponents shoot 39.2 percent (11-of-28) from three-point range, Marquette has held its last eight foes to a combined 25.6 percent (39-of-152). The Golden Eagles have held six opponents to 25 percent or less from three-point range including three to less than 20 percent. Against Dayton, MU held the Flyers to 26.3% from beyond the arc compared to their effort of 35.1% entering the contest. As of Jan. 4, Marquette wasNo. 1 in C-USA in three-point field goal percentage defense (.263).
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 17-7 (16-5 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 20-19/2nd season Tom Crean's Career Record 20-19/2nd season
Marquette Hitting The Boards
Marquette has outrebounded six opponents this season including four contests where it has finished with an advantage of 10 or more rebounds. In the Dayton contest, both teams registered 30 boards. The Golden Eagles have been outboarded in just three games this season with the greatest disparity being four (32-36 at Xavier). The last time Marquette enjoyed an edge of 10 or more rebounds was the Western Carolina game (Dec. 20) when it registered a 41-26 bulge. The Golden Eagles hold a 35.5-30.1 per-game edge in rebounding and head ito the DePaul game in the No. 2 spot among C-USA teams in rebound margin. Since Tom Crean has been Marquette's head coach, the Golden Eagles have outrebounded 13 opponents by 10 or more caroms and show a 11-2 record in those contests.
DePaul Head Coach Pat Kennedy
Pat Kennedy (Kings College, `75) is in his fourth season as the head coach of the DePaul program where he owns a school 54-52 (47-29 since 1998-99). Last year he guided DePaul to a record of 21-12, the program's first 20-win campaign since 1991-92. In 21 years of college coaching that includes stints at Iona (1980-81 through 1985-86) and Florida State (1986-87 through 1996-97), Kennedy has a career record of 380-243.
Marquette Frosh Make an Impact
MU freshmen Odartey Blankson and Scott Merritt have played significant roles through 10 games for the Golden Eagles. The duo is averaging 14.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game with both players averaging over 20 minutes per contest. Merritt is No. 3 on the team in scoring (8.4 rpg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg) while Blankson is No. 2 in boards (5.6 rpg).
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, Jan. 13). The Golden Eagles will play at least eight teams that recorded 20 or more wins during 1999-2000. Three MU opponents are in this week's USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll (#12 Wisconsin, #14 North Carolina, and #24 Cincinnati) while five others received votes.
Marquette Bench Answers The Call
After 10 games, the Marquette bench owns a 165-136 scoring edge (16.5 ppg vs. 13.6 ppg) against the opposition reserves. The Golden Eagle bench has outscored their counterparts in six games, with Minnesota (16-19), Xavier (11-16), Wisconsin (10-25) and Dayton (16-20) the teams to have its subs score more than the MU subs.
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 10 games, recording a total of 227 attempts from the charity stripe (22.7/per game) compared to 214 for the opposition (21.4/per game). MU has attempted 23 or more from the foul line in six 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 18-6 in contests when finishing with 15 or more free throw attempts. After 10 games last year, MU had attempted 186 free throws (264 for opposition).
MU Tidbits
Through games played Jan. 4, Marquette ranked 1st in C-USA and was tied for the No. 16 spot nationally in scoring defense (60.5 ppg) ... After 10 games last season, the Golden Eagles had converted 113 free throws compared to 150 this year ... After seeing a streak of 355 games with at least one three-point field goal come to an end in the Wisconsin game, the Golden Eagles shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from beyond the arc vs. Dayton, the best effort by a Crean-coached MU squad ... MU has held the opposition to 10 or fewer field goals in nine of 20 halves ... MU has allowed just one half of of 50 percent or better from the floor (UMASS, 50% in the 2nd half) ... MU has 30 blocked shots through 10 contests -- last year the Golden Eagles didn't register 30 blocks until the 16th game.
Inside the Numbers
After being outscored in the second half in five of its first seven games, Marquette has outscored the opposition during the second half in the last three games and shows a 36.0-31.3 scoring advantage in that stretch ... In Marquette's five wins, it holds a 39.0-27.0 per-game edge in rebounding (+12.0) ... In the squad's five losses, the Golden Eagles are being outrebounded by a a 32.0-33.2 margin ... Through 10 games, Marquette is averaging 15.1 turnovers compared to the opposition's mark of 12.7 ... Over the last four contests, MU has turned the ball over an average of 14.8 times vs. 12.3 for the opposition ... Marquette has outshot six of its 10 opponents from the floor and is 4-2 in those games ... The Golden Eagles post a 12.7 -10.6 per-game advantage in offensive rebounds, but in the last two games, opponents show a 21-17 advantage in that category ... In the last three games, MU has attempted 50 free throws (33 makes) compared to the opposition's total of 67 attempts (45 makes) ... MU has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in a half on three occasions ... In its five victories, MU enjoys a 65.8-57.8 scoring advantage and has shot 42.3 percent (108-of-255) from the floor while limiting the opposition to 38.1 percent (97-of-254) ... In the five setbacks, MU has been outscored by a 55.8-63.2 margin ... MU is 4-2 when leading at halftime ... The Golden Eagles are averaging 12.8 assists in their five wins, 8.8 in their losses.
Brian Wardle Notes Brian Wardle's team-high 17.4 points per game average is good for the No. 7 spot in C-USA in games played through Jan. 4 ... In addition, his 81.6 percent mark from the free throw line is also good for the No. 5 position ... Wardle has four games of 20 or more points this year and 20 during his career ... Wardle has scored in double figures in ninet of the team's 10 games this season ... Wardle, who is averaging a team-leading 35.3 minutes per game, also paces the club in three-point field goals with 18, free throws with 40, free throw attempts (49) and free throw percentage (.816).
MARQUETTE PLAYER NOTES
# 2 Odartey Blankson
* Has started the last nine MU contests
* Averaging 26.5 minutes per game -- tops MU frosh
* 12 points vs. W.Carolina (12/20) was second double-figure scoring effort of the year
* Team's top rebounder in three games
* 11 points, team-best nine boards vs. Minnesota (Dec. 7)
# 4 Cordell Henry
* Last game was an eight-point, five-assists effort vs. Dayton (12/30)
* Shooting 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field in his last four games
* Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament
Team, averaging 13.0 points and 3.5 assists in two games
* No. 1 on team in assists (3.0 apg)
* Season-high six assists vs. Cal State Northridge (12/2)
* Notched 17 pts. vs. Centenary, 14 in the second half
# 5 Scott Merritt
* 11 points, second-high on the team, and five boards vs. Dayton (12/30)
* Has four double-figure scoring games
* Third on the team in rebounding (5.4 rpg)
* 27 offensive rebounds are second on the team and tie him for 11th place
among C-USA players
* Team-best 11 blocked shots -- has blocked shots in nine of team's 10 contests
* Picked up season-high 12 points vs. UALR
# 12 Brian Barone
* Averaging 14.4 minutes as a reserve through the first 10 games
* Has scored in his last three games -- three pts., and three rebounds (tie
season high) vs. Dayton
* Has six games of two or more assists
* Three points, two assists in 15 minutes vs. W. Carolina
# 33 David Diggs
* Has played in eight of MU's 10 games
# 22 Brian Wardle
* Has scored in double figures in his last four games -- averaging 18.5 points in that stretch
* 25 points vs. Dayton (12/30) was his ninth double-figure scoring effort of the year
* Team-high 21-points vs. Xavier
* Has four contests of 20 or more points including 26 vs. UMASS and 23 vs. CS Northridge
* Team's top scorer in six of 10 contests
* MVP of Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic with 37 points and10 rebounds vs. Centenary and CS Northridge
* 81.6% mark from the foul line (40-of-49) is No. 1 on the team and 5th in C-USA
(as of 1/4)
# 34 Jon Harris
* Finished with team-high six rebounds vs. Dayton (12/30), the second time this season he has led team
* Has four games of six or more rebounds
* Shooting 61.8 percent from the floor (21-of-34)
* Hit 4-of-5 from the field en route to 8 points vs. Western Carolina
* Tied with Merritt for team's lead in rebounding vs. UMASS with nine
* Six offensive boards vs. Minnesota and finished with eight in that contest
* Picked up season-high 10 points vs. Centenary
# 35 John Mueller
* Has started the first 10 games
* Has scored in seven appearances including a trio of four-point outings
* Five rebounds vs. UMASS (11/20)
* Season-high six rebounds in season opener vs. South Alabama
# 43 Oluoma Nnamaka
* Averaging 10.0 pts., 4.5 rebs., in last two games
* Nine points, three boards in 28 mins. vs. Dayton (12/30)
* Shooting 58.3% (7-of-12) from the floor in last two games
* Team-best 11 pts. vs. Wisconsin and tied for team honors with six boards
* No. 1 on the team in rebounding with a 5.8 per-game mark and is 19th among C-USA players through Jan. 4
* 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds vs. Xavier
* Has scored in double figures in five games
* First double-double of the year (fourth of his career) with 11 points and 11 rebs. vs. UALR
* 25 offensive rebounds areNo. 2 on the team
* Season-best 14 points vs. CS Northridge (12/2)
# 55 Greg Clausen
* Has seen action in eight games
* Has scored in three of his last four outings -- 2 pts. vs. Dayton (12/30) in 7 minutes
* Played nine minutes against Xavier, and grabbed a season-high three
rebounds, and vs. W. Carolina
