Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Hosts Cincinnati On Wednesday
1/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Site - Milwaukee, Wis. - Bradley Center (18,582)
Tipoff - 7:07 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - None locally
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Jr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.4 apg -- Tied career high with seven assists vs. DePaul
G #22 - Brian Wardle (Sr., 6-5, 205, Clarendon Hills, Ill.) 18.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg -- Double-figure scorer in last five and in 10 games this year
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Jr., 6-7, 218, Uppsala, Sweden) 8.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg -- Averaging 9.7 ppg in last three -- shooting 52.3% (11-of-21) in that stretch
F #2 - Odartey Blankson (Fr., 6-7, 205, Country Club Hills, Ill.) 5.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg -- Has five or more boards in seven outings - team high 43 defen sive rebounds
C #35 - John Mueller (Sr., 6-10, 240, Cedarburg, Wis.) 2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg -- Has started 42 of the team's last 43 games
Probable Cincinnati Starters
F #1 - Jamaal Davis (Jr., 6-9, 227, 9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
F #13 - Leonard Stokes (So., 6-6, 202, 13.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
C #50 - Donald Little (So., 6-11, 233, 7.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
G #11 - Kenny Satterfield (So., 6-2, 186, 17.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
G #22- Steve Logan (Jr., 6-0, 196, 13.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
Series Notes -- Cincinnati holds a 19-10 edge in the all-time series that started during the 1973-74 season ... Last year the Bearcats captured both meetings, 67-48 at Cincinnati and 72-60 in Milwaukee.
Game Info
After opening the C-USA portion of its schedule with a solid win at DePaul, the Marquette basketball team returns home on Wednesday (Jan. 10) to take on the Bearcats of Cincinnati. The Bradley Center (18,582) will serve as the site of the 30th meeting between the Golden Eagles and UC and tipoff is slated for 7:07 p.m. (CST). Following the game vs. Cincinnati, Marquette takes to the road when it plays at No. 11 North Carolina on Saturday (Jan. 13) starting at noon (CST). That game will be televised by ABC.
The Records
The Golden Eagles head into the Cincinnati bout with a 6-5 record (1-0 C-USA) following a 69-49 triumph at De-Paul on Jan. 6. In that game, the Golden Eagles trailed, 28-26, at halftime, but used a blistering shooting attack over the final 20 minutes of action to post the victory. MU connected on 61.3 percent (19-of-31) of its field goal opportunities in the second half en route to a 43-21 scoring bulge while holding the Blue Demons to 30 percent (9-of-30). Aiding in the effort was solid play on the boards that saw the Golden Eagles finish with a 40-26 advantage (22-12 in the second half). For the game, MU shot a season-high 50.8 percent while limiting DePaul to 34.6 percent.
A pair of Chicago-area natives sparked the win, led by senior Brian Wardle who came up with a season-high 27 points while also contributing a team-high six boards. He finished the game connecting on a season-high 11 field goals in 16 attempts including five-of-six from three-point range. Wardle enjoyed an outstanding second half, going 8-of-10 from the floor (3-of-4 from beyond the arc) and registering 19 points. Junior guard Cordell Henry posted 13 points and dished out a career-high tying seven assists. Henry also chalked up five boards on the afternoon.
Cincinnati comes to town with an overall slate of 10-3, 1-0 in C-USA. The Bearcats captured their league opener on Saturday evening at home with a 76-66 win over Charlotte. UC has won six of its last seven games with a 69-66 loss at Toledo (Dec. 30) the only setback in that stretch.
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 nine foes to a combined 24.7 percent (42-of-170). The Golden Eagles have held seven opponents to 25 percent or less from three-point range including four to less than 20 percent. In the DePaul game, MU held the Blue Demons to 16.7 percent (3-of-18) compared to their standard of 37.3 percent prior to the game. 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. 8, Marquette was No. 1 in C-USA in three-point field goal percentage defense (.255).
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 21-19/2nd season
Tom Crean's Career Record 21-19/2nd season
Marquette Hitting The Boards
Marquette has outrebounded seven opponents this season including five contests where it has finished with an advantage of 10 or more rebounds. The Golden Eagles have been outboarded in just three games this season with the greatest disparity being four (32-36 at Xavier). Marquette enjoyed a 40-26 edge in rebounds in the DePaul game (Jan. 6). The Golden Eagles hold a 35.9-29.7 per-game edge in rebounding and head ito the Cincinnati 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 14 opponents by 10 or more caroms and show a 12-2 record in those contests.
Cincinnati Head Coach Bob Huggins
Bob Huggins (West Virginia, `77) is in his 12th season as the head coach of the Cincinnati program where he owns a school record of 286-89. He has guided the UC program to nine consecutive 20-plus win seasons, 10 overall, along with nine straight berths to the NCAA Tournament. In 20 years of college coaching that includes stints at Walsh College (1980-81 through 1982-83) and Akron (1984-85 through 1988-89), Huggins has a career record of 454-161.
Marquette Frosh Make an Impact
MU freshmen Odartey Blankson and Scott Merritt have played significant roles through 11games for the Golden Eagles. The duo is averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game with both players averaging over 20 minutes per contest. Merritt is tied for No. 2 on the team in rebounding (5.4 rpg) and fourth in scoring (8.2 ppg) while Blankson (5.4 rpg) is scoring at a 5.4 per-game clip.
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. Two MU opponents are in this week's USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll (#11 North Carolina and #17 Wisconsin) while six others received votes including, Cincinnati (No. 26) and Xavier (No. 27).
Marquette Bench Answers The Call
After 11 games, the Marquette bench owns a 183-143 scoring edge (16.6 ppg vs. 13.0 ppg) against the opposition reserves. The Golden Eagle bench has outscored their counterparts in seven 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. Against DePaul, MU reserves registered an 18-7 scoring advantage.
Wardle Figures in MU Career Categories
In addition to his career point production, Brian Wardle also figures among the top 10 career performers in a number of categories. Entering the Cincinnati game, he is No. 7 in career three-pointers (155), No. 7 in three-point attempts (439) and tied for No. 6 in free throw percentage (.799).
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 11 games, recording a total of 230 attempts from the charity stripe (20.9/per game) compared to 226 for the opposition (20.5/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 11 games last year, MU had attempted 206 free throws (286 for opposition).
MU Tidbits
Through games played Jan. 8, Marquette ranked 1st in C-USA and ninth nationally in scoring defense (59.5 ppg) ... After 11 games last season, the Golden Eagles had converted 126 free throws compared to 151 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 (Dec. 23), 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, before following that with a 50 percent mark (8-of-16) against DePaul ... MU has held the opposition to 10 or fewer field goals in 11 of 22 halves ... MU has allowed just one half of of 50 percent or better from the floor (UMASS, 50% in the 2nd half) ... MU has 31 blocked shots through 11 contests -- last year the Golden Eagles didn't register 31 blocks until the 17th game.
Marquette in the Bradley Center
The Golden Eagles are in their 13th season in the Bradley Center. Marquette has a 145-57 all-time record (5-3 this year) there.
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. 15 Mon. Feb. 12 Mon. Jan. 22 Mon. Feb. 19 Mon. Jan. 29 Mon. Feb. 26 Mon. Feb. 5 Mon. Mar. 5 Mon. Mar. 12
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 four games and shows a 37.8-28.8 scoring advantage in that stretch ... In Marquette's six wins, it holds a 39.2-26.8 per-game edge in rebounding (+12.4) ... In the squad's five losses, the Golden Eagles are being outrebounded by a a 32.0-33.2 margin ... Through 11 games, Marquette is averaging 14.4 turnovers compared to the opposition's mark of 12.2 ... Marquette's seven turnovers in the DePaul game 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 eight games and stands 4-4 in those contests, 1-1 when registering fewer miscues ... Marquette has outshot seven of its 11 opponents from the floor and is 5-2 in those games ... MU posts a 12.7 -10.5 per-game advantage in offensive rebounds, and Saturday's 13 offensive boards vs. DePaul marked the squad's ninth game of 10 or more offensive rebounds this year ... In the last three games, MU has attempted 30 free throws (21 makes) compared to the opposition's total of 66 attempts (48 makes) ... MU has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in a half on three occasions ... In its six victories, MU enjoys a 66.3-56.3 scoring advantage and has shot 43.9 percent (138-of-314) from the floor while limiting the opposition to 37.6 percent (115-of-306) ... 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 13.8 assists in their five wins, 8.8 in losses.
Brian Wardle Notes
Named C-USA Player of the Week for week ending Jan. 7, Brian Wardle's team-high 18.3 points per game average is good for the No. 4 spot in C-USA in games played through Jan. 8 ... In addition, his 81.6 percent mark from the free throw line is also good for the No. 5 position ... Wardle has five games of 20 or more points this year and 21 during his career ... Wardle has scored in double figures in 10 of the team's 11 games this season ... Wardle, who is averaging a team-leading 35.2 minutes per game, also paces the club in three-point field goals (23), free throws with 40, free throw attempts (49) and free throw percentage (.816).
MARQUETTE PLAYER NOTES
# 2 Odartey Blankson
* Has started the last 10 MU contests
* Tied for No. 2 on team in rebounding (5.4 rpg) -- 43 defensive rebounds are No. 1 on the team
* Averaging 25.2 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
* Career-high tying seven assists vs. DePaul (Jan. 6) while scoring 13 points, his fifth double-figure game of the year
* Season-high 21 points vs. Western Carolina -- hit 7-of-10 from the floor in that game (3-of-3 in treys)
* Eight straight games with at least one steal -- has team-high 12 thefts to his credit
* Shooting 52.8 percent (19-of-36) from the field in his last four games
* Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic All-Tourney Team, averaging 13.0 points and 3.5 assists in two games
* No. 1 on team in assists (3.4 apg)
* Six assists, nine points 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
* First double-double of career with 11 points and season-best 13 rebounds vs. Western Carolina
* Tied for second on the team in rebounding (5.4 rpg)
* 28 offensive rebounds are second on the team and tie him for 12th place among C-USA players
* Team-best 12 blocked shots -- has blocked shots in 10 of team's 11 contests
* Picked up season-high 12 points vs. UALR
# 12 Brian Barone
* Averaging 15.2 minutes as a reserve through the first 11 games
* Played season-long 24 minutes at DePaul (Jan. 6) and came up with three points and season-high four assists
* Has scored in his last four games
* Has seven games of two or more assists
* Three points, two assists in 15 minutes vs. W. Carolina
* Played 20 minutes vs. UMASS and scored a season-best seven points
# 55 Greg Clausen
* Has seen action in nine games
* Has scored in four of his last five outings
* Season-high four rebounds vs. DePaul (Jan. 6)
# 22 Brian Wardle
* Has scored in double figures in his last five games -- averaging 20.2 points in that stretch
* Season-high 27 points vs. DePaul (Jan. 6), hitting 11-of-16 from the floor (5-of-6 treys) -- 10th double-figure scoring effort of the year
* 19-point 2nd halves vs. Dayton and DePaul
* Game-high 25 points vs. Dayton (12/30)
* Team-high 21-points vs. Xavier
* Team's top scorer in seven of 11 contests
* MVP of Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic with 37 points and10 rebounds vs. Centenary and CS Northridge
# 34 Jon Harris
* Seven points, four boards (14 min.) vs. DePaul
* 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 63.8 percent from the floor (24-of-38)
* 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
* Season-high 10 points vs. Centenary
# 35 John Mueller
* Has started the first 11 games
* Scored in eight appearances including a trio of four-point outings
* Three boards vs. DePaul (Jan. 6) in 10 minutes
* Five rebounds vs. UMASS (11/20)
* Season-high six rebounds in season opener vs. South Alabama
# 43 Oluoma Nnamaka
* Averaging 9.7 pts., 4.3 rebs., in last three games
* Nine points, four boards in 36 mins. vs. DePaul (1/6)
* Shooting 52.3% (11-of-21) from the floor in last 3 games
* Team-best 11 pts. vs. Wisconsin and tied for team honors with six boards
* No. 1 on the team in rebounding with a 5.6 per-game mark, 20th among C-USA players through Jan. 8
* 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds vs. Xavier
* Has scored in double figures in five games
* 27 offensive rebounds areNo. 2 on the team
* Season-best 14 points vs. CS Northridge (12/2)
# 33 David Diggs
* Has played in nine of MU's 11 games
* Hit first trey of the season and finished with three points vs. Western Carolina (12/20)
Tom Crean Television Show on Midwest Sports Channel
For the second straight season, Marquette Head Basketball Coach Tom Crean's weekly television show can be seen on Midwest Sports Channel. The Tom Crean Show will provide Marquette basketball fans with an update of the team and will include features on players, coaches and staff. It will also review past games as well as preview upcoming contests. The show will be hosted by the radio voice of Marquette Basketball, Steve "The Homer" True.
The following are the dates and times that the Tom Crean Show will air.
Day Date Time
Tue. Jan. 16 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 23 6:30 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 24 6:30 p.m. (replay of Jan. 23)
Tue. Jan. 30 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Feb. 6 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Feb. 13 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Feb. 20 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Feb. 27 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Mar. 6 6:30 p.m.
Tue. Mar. 13 6:30 p.m.
