Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Battles Indiana In Great Alaska Shootout Semifinals
11/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2001
MARQUETTE (3-0) vs. #20 INDIANA (2-0)
Friday, Nov. 23, 2001
Game Data
Site - Anchorage, AK * Sullivan Arena (8,700)
Tipoff - 8:30 p.m. AST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - ESPN (Bob Carpenter, Play-by-Play, Jimmy Dykes, Analyst)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Sr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 21.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg - Team's second-high scorer with 18 points vs. Tennessee
G # 3 - Dwyane Wade (So., 6-4, 210, Oaklawn, Ill.) 23.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 6.0 apg - Game-high 30 pts., and team-high 8 rebounds vs. Tennessee
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Sr., 6-7, 225, Uppsala, Sweden) 6.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg - Second on club with five boards vs. Tennessee
F #0 - Odartey Blankson (So, 6-7, 225, Country Club Hills, Ill.) 10.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg - Three straight games of double-figure scoring
F #34 - Jon Harris (Sr., 6-7, 225, Edwardsville, Ill.) 5.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg -- Has played in 89 career games at Marquette
Probable Indiana Starters (subject to change)
F # 1- Jared Jeffries (So., 6-10, 215, 14..5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
F #50 - Jeff Newton (Jr., 6-9, 210, 11.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
G # 3 - Tom Coverdale (Jr., 6-2, 200, 10.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
G #11 - Dane Fife (Sr., 6-4, 200, 11.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
G #32 - Kyle Hornsby (Jr., 6-5, 205, 9.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
Series Notes - Indiana holds a 7-1 edge in the all-time series against Marquette that saw the first game played during the 1921-22 season. The Hoosiers have won the last five meetings dating from the 1946-47 season. The last time the two schools met was on March 24, 1985, when IU claimed a 94-82 overtime win at Bllomington in a NIT game. MU's lone win over Indiana came on Dec. 20, 1932, by a 21-20 margin. Of the eight meetings, two have taken place on neutral courts.
Statistical Comparison
Marquette IndianaScoring Avg. 89.0 ppg 83.3 ppgScoring Def. 64.3 ppg 63.5 ppgScoring Margin +24.7 ppg +19.8Rebounding Avg. 42.7 rpg 43.5 rpgReb. Margin +9.7 +10.0FG% 44.9% 46.1%Opp FG% 37.1% 37.0%3 Pt. FG% 41.8% 55.2%FT% 72.9% 75.0%
Game Info
After posting a win over Tennessee in its opening-round game of the Great Alaska Shootout, the Marquette basketball team takes on Indiana in the semifinals. The winner of the Marquette - Indiana clash advances to the championship on Saturday (Nov. 24) starting at 8:00 p.m.
The Sullivan Sports Arena (8,700) will serve as the site of the Alaska Shootout and the Marquette-Indiana game will begin at 8:30 p.m. (AST). Alaska Standard Time is three hours behind the Central Time Zone. The MU-IU contest will be televised by ESPN with Bob Carpenter handling the play-by-play and Jimmy Dykes providing commentary.
The Records
Marquette heads into the Indiana contest with a 3-0 record following an 85-74 win over Tennessee on Wednesday. In that game, Marquette found itself trailing by a 30-19 margin with 7:48 left in the first half before cutting the gap to 42-37 at intermission. Helping the Vols to their lead was an excellent 66.7 percent mark from the field (16-of-24), including 57.1 percent from three-point range. Keeping Marquette within striking distance was sophomore Dwyane Wade who notched 13 first-half points. In the second half, the Golden Eagles blitzed Tennessee with a 23-6 run in the opening 6:07 to assume a 60-48 lead. Wade keyed the run with 13 points while sophomore Odartey Blankson chipped in six. Over the final 13:53 of the game, Marquette built a pair of 15-point leads and the closest UT could get from there was nine points with 4:15 left. The Golden Eagles kept UT at bay thanks in part to some excellent free throw shooting, sinking 27-of-35 for the game, including 15-of-20 over the final 10:17 of the game.
Wade paced the team's effort with a game-high 30 points while also pacing the club with eight boards and seven assists. Wade connected on 8-of-17 from the field (5-of-7 in the second half) and connected on 13-of-17 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Cordell Henry totaled 18 points and sophomore Odartey Blankson finished with 10 points to round out the team's double-figure point producers. Marquette enjoyed a 34-26 edge on the glass, 21-11 in the second half.
Indiana, ranked No. 20 in the nation by the Associated Press, meets Marquette with a 2-0 record following a 101-66 win over Alaska Anchorage on Wednesday. Indiana was led in scoring by guard Dane Fife with 20 points while forward Jared Jeffries totaled 18 points. The Hoosiers opened their regular season on Nov. 18 with a 65-61 win over C-USA member Charlotte.
Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean
Tom Crean is in his third season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles' program. Last year, he directed the program to a record of 15-14 including a 9-7 mark in C-USA play, good for third place in the American Division. The nine wins in the conference marked the most wins by a Marquette team in C-USA since 1996-97 when that team posted a 9-5 showing. Included in the team's victory total from a year ago were sweeps of American Division foes Cincinnati, DePaul and Saint Louis, along with a key triumph at Memphis. The sweep against UC marked the first time a C-USA team had come away with a regular-season sweep against the Bearcats, while the wins over SLU marked the first time since 1997 that the Golden Eagles had swept that series.
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 24-10 (23-8 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 33-28/3rd season Tom Crean's Career Record 33-28/3rd season
Marquette Marches To the Stripe
Marquette's 35 free throw opportunities against Tennessee marked the third straight game that the Golden Eagles had attempted 30 or more from the charity stripe. Entering the Indiana game, MU has attempted 118 free throws (39.3 ftpg) after three games compared to the opposition's 68 attempts (22.7 ftpg). During Crean's tenure as head coach, Marquette has a 9-2 won-lost slate when shooting 30 or more free throws (1-0 in '99-00, 5-2 in 2000-01 and 3-0 in '01-02).
Rebound Notes
After being outrebounded by Loyola in the season opener by a 38-35 margin, Marquette has outrebounded its last two opponents. The Golden Eagles pounded Chicago State by a 59-35 margin on the glass on Nov. 18 before finishing with a 34-26 edge against Tennessee in the opening round of the Alaska Shootout. . Since Crean has been head coach at Marquette, the Golden Eagles have outrebounded 37 of 61 opponents and show a 29-8 record in those games. Five times a Crean-coached MU team has posted a rebound advantage of 20 or more boards.
Indiana Head Coach Mike Davis
Mike Davis (Alabama, '83) is in his second season as head coach of Indiana and owns a school and career mark of 23-13. Last season, Davis guided the Hoosiers to an overall record of 21-13 including a 10-6 effort in Big Ten play. He also led the program to a berth in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to his current post, he served as an assistant at Indiana for three years (1997-2000) and helped that program to a record of 63-32.
Cordell Henry In The Zone
Marquette senior Cordell Henry enters the Indiana game shooting a team-high 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the floor including a red-hot 65 percent (13-of-20) from three-point range. In addition, the 5-foot-10 guard has knocked down 14-of-17 from the foul line for a mark of 82.4 percent. Henry has scored 16 or more points in each of MU's first three games and has connected on 50 percent or better of his field goal opportunities in each outing thus far. Career-wise, he is quickly approaching the 1,000 career-point plateau with 912 points and holds down the No. 9 spot on the school's three-point field goal list with 104. Entering Friday's action vs. Indiana, he has 10 career games of 20 or more points.
Dwyane Wade Making His Mark
Sophomore Dywane Wade has certainly made an impact on Marquette's program after three games, leading the team in scoring (23.3 ppg), rebounding (10.3 rpg) and assists (6.0 apg). Wade is coming off a 30-point performance against Tennessee on Wednesday evening, the second-highest point total by a Golden Eagle this year. The 6-foot-4 Wade has led MU in rebounding, assists and steals in each of the team's first three games. His 13 free throws against Tennessee were the most by a Marquette player since Brian Wardle's 16 against Charlotte in 1999.
Tom Crean Radio Show Makes Season Debut on Nov. 27
The Tom Crean Radio Show will make its season debut on Tuesday, Nov. 27, on WISN Radio (1130 AM). The show runs from 7:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and is hosted by the voice of Marquette Basketball, Steve "The Homer" True. The second airing of Coach Crean's show will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 18. The first two shows will be broadcast from Champps Restaurant in Greenfield. After Jan. 1, all shows will be on Monday nights, 7:30-8:00 p.m.
Marquette's Second Appearance in Alaska Shootout
This year's appearance is the second by Marquette at the Alaska Shootout with the previous time coming in 1981. With head coach Hank Raymonds at the control, MU defeated McNeese State (88-57) and Iona (67-54) in the first two games before coming out on the short end of an 81-64 decision to Southwestern Louisiana in the championship game.
More Tidbits To Ponder
Marquette's 267 points (89.0 ppg) through three games represents the highest season-opening three-game total since the start of the 1966-67 campaign when that squad totaled 268 points ... Marquette has totaled 80 or more points in each of its first three games, the first time since 1994 that Marquette has accomplished that ... Marquette has done a good job of taking care the ball through three games, turning it over 38 times (12.7 tpg) compared to the opposition's mark of 60 (20.0 tpg) ... The Golden Eagles have had fewer turnovers in each of the first three games ... Marquette has held 30 of its last 32 opponents to less than 50 percent from the field ... The Golden Eagles are 2-0 when registering 15 or more assists this year, 15-3 during Crean's tenure as head coach.
Streaks & Last Time It Happened
Consecutive Games - Cordell Henry - 89
Consecutive Starts - Cordell Henry - 60
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games - Wade, Henry, Blankson - 3
Consecutive Games with a Three-Pointer - Cordell Henry - 5
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 30+ Points - Dwyane Wade (30) vs. Tennessee - Nov. 21, 2001
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 20+ Points - Dwyane Wade (30) vs. Tennessee - Nov. 21, 2001
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 10+ Rebounds - Dwyane Wade (14) vs. Chicago State - Nov. 18, 2001 Odartey Blankson (12) vs. Chicago State - Nov. 18, 2001
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 15+ Rebounds - Jarrod Lovette (15) vs. Louisville - Feb. 20, 1997
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had Double-Double (Points-Rebounds) - Dwyane Wade (19-14) vs. Chicago St.-Nov. 18, 2001, Odartey Blankson (10-12) vs. Chicago State - Nov. 18, 2001
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 10+ Assists - Cordell Henry (10) vs. DePaul - Feb. 22, 2001
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Made 15 or More Free Throws - Brian Wardle (16) vs. Charlotte - Feb. 13, 1999
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Made 12 or More Free Throws - Dwyane Wade (13) vs. Tennessee - Nov. 21, 2001
The Last Time a Marquette Team Had Five or Fewer Turnovers - (5) vs. Cincinnati - Mar. 10, 1996
The Last Time Marquette Shot 55% or Better From The Floor - (57.4%, 27-47) vs. Wisconsin - Dec. 23, 1999
The Last Time An Opponent Shot 55% or Better From the Floor - Tennessee (60.0%, 27-45) - Nov. 21, 2001
The Last Time Marquette Had 20 or more Assists in a Game - 22 vs. Chicago State - Nov. 18, 2001
The Last Time an Opponent Had 20 or more Assists in a Game - Memphis (20) - Feb. 2, 2001
The Last Time An Opponent Scored 40+ points - Larry Hughes (40) - St. Louis - Jan. 24, 1998
The Last Time an Opponent Scored 30+ Points - Altron Jackson (35) - South Florida - Jan. 17, 2001
The Last Time an Opponent Scored 20+ Points - Marques Maybin (22) - Louisville - Feb. 24, 2001 (3ot)
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Rebounds - Ryan Blankson (10) - Loyola - Nov. 17, 2001
The Last Time an Opponent Had 15+ Rebounds - Cam Stephens (15) - Charlotte - Jan. 20, 2001
The Last Time an Opponent Had a Double-Double (Points-Rebounds) - Patrick Okafor (17-10) - Houston - Feb. 28, 2001
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Assists - Edwin Young (10) - Dayton - Nov. 28, 1998
The Last Time an Opponent Made 12 or More Free Throws - Vandarel Jones (12) - Southern Miss - Jan. 30, 2001
The Last Time A Marquette Opponent Had 5 or Fewer Turnovers - S. Florida (5) - Feb. 22, 1998
MARQUETTE PLAYER NOTES
# 0 Odartey Blankson * Has scored in double figures in all three MU games - 10 pts. vs. Tennessee * No. 3 on the team in scoring and No. 2 in rebounding (7.0 rpg) * 10 pts., 12 rebs., vs. Chicago State was first double-double of the year and third of his career * 12 rebounds vs. Chicago State tied career high (12 vs. UAB last year) * 17 defensive boards are No. 2 on the team * Has started the last 31 Marquette games dating from last season * 2000-01 Conference USA All-Freshman Team * Eight career games of double-figure scoring
# 1 Todd Townsend * Gave the team a lift off the bench vs. Tennessee with season highs in points (7) and rebounds (4) vs. Tennessee * Averaging 8.7 minutes per outing after two games * Scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in nine minutes vs. Chicago State
# 3 Dwyane Wade *No. 1 on the team with a 23.3 points per game average * Season-highs in points (30) and assists (7) vs. Tennessee * Tops on club in rebounds (10.3 rpg), assists (6.0 apg), steals (3.7 spg) * Has a team-leading 29 free throws to his credit * 19-point, 14-rebound performance vs. Chicago State represented his first career double-double * Has been the team's leading rebounder in each of the first three games -- eight vs. Tennessee * Tossed in a team-high 21 points in season opener vs. Loyola
# 4 Cordell Henry * No. 2 on squad with a 21.7 points per game average * Shooting a team-high 63.3 percent from the floor (19-of-30) * Leads MU with 13 three-point field goals and is shooting a team-best 65 percent from beyond arc * Notched a career-best 31 points, 23 in the first half, vs. Chicago State * Has three or more treys in each of MU's first three contests * Hit a career-best 75% from the floor (9-of-12) in the Chicago State game * Has scored in double figures in all three Marquette games * Six treys vs. Chicago State was a career high * Has 41 career games of double-figure scoring -- 10 of 20 or more pts. * Career 76.1% career free throw shooter (188-of-247)
# 5 Scott Merritt * Averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds after three games * Averaging 18.3 minutes of action through three games * Season-high six boards vs. Chicago State * Four career games of double-figure scoring
# 10 Travis Diener * Averaging 6.3 points after three games * Averaging 19 minutes per game * Five points and three assists in 17 minutes vs. Chicago State * 11 points (6-of-7 from foul line) in season opener vs. Loyola * Has one trey in each of MU's first three encounters
# 21 Kevin Menard * First action of collegiate career was a six-minute stint vs. Chicago State -- scored two points and had a block
# 30 Ron Howard * 10-minute outing vs. Chicago State -- hit a pair of free throws, en route to two points, while grabbing two rebounds
# 33 David Diggs * Averaging 8.7 minutes per outing after three games * Hit a trey and finished with three points (1 reb.) vs. Tennessee * 10 minutes vs. Chicago State -- grabbed two rebounds and had an assist
# 34 Jon Harris * Has started all three MU games * Season-long 27 minutes vs. Tennessee and finished with six points and two boards * Totaled eight points (3-of-4 from floor) and had six rebounds vs. Chicago State * Averaging 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per outing
# 40 Terry Sanders * Averaging 14.0 minutes as a reserve in MU's first three games - has scored in all three contests * Hit three-of-four from the floor and both free throw attempts and tied his career high with nine points vs. Chicago State * Second on the team with three steals
# 43 Oluoma Nnamaka * Has started all three Marquette games, averaging 24.7 minutes per effort * Five rebounds vs. Tennessee - second on the team * Team's second-leading scorer with 12 points vs. Loyola * Team-best five offensive boards vs. Loyola * Has 34 career outings of double-figure scoring
Marquette Hits The Boards
During Head Coach Tom Crean's tenure, the Golden Eagles are 29-8 when finishing with an advantage in rebounding. The following lists Marquette outings where it has outboarded the opposition by 10 or more caroms during Crean's tenure as head coach
Date Opponent Rebounds Result
11/18/01 Chicago State 59-35 W, 102-492/22/01 DePaul 34-24 W, 82-641/10/01 Cincinnati 36-24 W, 47-441/6/01 DePaul 40-26 W, 69-4912/20/00 Western Carolina 41-26 W, 78-6612/9/00 Arkansas-Little Rock 38-24 W, 48-4612/1/00 Centenary 41-25 W, 66-4711/20/00 UMASS 43-30 W, 68-643/1/00 UAB 46-24 W, 68-582/26/00 Memphis 36-25 L, 49-532/2/00 Southern Miss 35-20 W, 79-671/29/00 Charlotte 41-28 L, 54-601/15/00 Louisville 49-25 W, 66-6412/29/99 Coppin State 52-18 W, 63-5512/3/99 West. Michigan 41-29 W, 76-6911/27/99 Wofford 50-22 W, 74-5911/20/99 Chicago State 57-47 W, 62-43
