Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Closes Out Regular Season
3/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Date - March 3, 2001
Site - Charlotte, NC - Halton Arena (9,105)
Tipoff - 12:05 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - ESPN Regional (Jim Brinson, Play-by-Play, Jeff Mullins, Analyst)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Jr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 13.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.3 apg --Team-high 22 pts. vs. Houston was 6th game or 20-plus points this year 14.0 G #22 - Brian Wardle (Sr., 6-5, 205, Clarendon Hills, Ill.) 18.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 apg -- Shooting 88.4% from foul line (23-of-26) in last three games
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Jr., 6-7, 218, Uppsala, Sweden) 10.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg -- Scored in double figures in six of last eight games
F #2 - Odartey Blankson (Fr., 6-7, 205, Country Club Hills, Ill.) 6.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg -- Team-high six boards vs. Houston - Avg. 8.3 rebs. in last 3 gms.
C #35 - John Mueller (Sr., 6-10, 240, Cedarburg, Wis.) 1.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg -- Has started 57 of the team's last 58 games
Probable Charlotte Starters
F # 1 - James Zimmerman (Sr., 6-5, 200, 9.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
F # 5 - Rodney White (Fr., 6-9, 230, 19.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
C # 3 - KenKay Jones (Fr., 6-9, 215, 4.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
G #21 - Diego Guevara (Sr., 6-2, 185, 7.9 ppg, 2.5 apg)
G #31 - Jobey Thomas (Jr., 6-4, 195, 14.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
Series Notes -- Charlotte holds a 9-7 edge in the all-time series that saw the first game played in the 1977 NCAA Tournament ... In games played at Charlotte, the 49ers stand 6-0 against Marquette, 4-0 at Halton Arena ... Earlier this year (Jan. 20), Charlotte received double-figure scoring from four players and used a 40-34 advantage on the glass to record a 74-71 win in Milwaukee ... Leading the way for MU in that game was Cordell Henry with a career-high 28 points while Oluoma Nnamaka tallied 15 points along with a career-best 14 rebounds.
Game Info
After dropping a close road decision to Houston on Wednesday, the Marquette basketball team closes out the regular season on Saturday (Mar. 3) when it plays at Charlotte. Halton Arena (9,105) on the Charlotte campus will serve as the site of the 17th meeting between the schools and tipoff is slated for 12:05 p.m. (CST). The game will be televised by ESPN Regional with Jim Brinson and Jeff Mullins handling the play-by-play and analysis, respectively.
Following the Charlotte encounter, Marquette will turn its attention to the C-USA Tournament in Louisville, Mar. 7-10.
The Records
The Golden Eagles head into their game against Charlotte with an overall record of 14-12 including a 9-6 C-USA mark, good for a second-place tie in the American Division with Charlotte. Marquette (4-3 in conference road games this year) is looking to regroup after dropping a 67-64 verdict at Houston on Wednesday. In that contest, the Golden Eagles fell behind by a 38-29 margin at halftime as the Cougars parlayed 10 MU turnovers into 17 points, negating a fine shooting half by Marquette (56.5%). During the second half, MU trailed by as much as 13 points (38-51) with 12:41 on the clock and still faced an uphill battle when the Cougars still led, 61-51 with 5:18 left. From there, MU mounted a steady comeback, using an 11-4 run to whittle the gap to three points (62-65) with 58 seconds left. A pair of charity tosses by Cordell Henry with 48 seconds left cut the gap to one point, 65-64. When UH sank one of two free throws with 26 seconds left, Marquette had a shot to tie the game, but a three-point attempt missed its mark. Henry finished the game with a team-high 22 points, hitting 10-of-17 from the floor, while doling out seven assists. Oluoma Nnamaka and Brian Wardle rounded out the double-figure point producers with 13 each. Marquette finished with a 51.0% percent mark from the floor, but the Cougars ended the game with a 35-28 edge on the glass.
Charlotte hosts Marquette with an overall ledger of 17-10, 9-6 in C-USA action. The 49ers have won five of their last six games and are coming off a 90-66 dismantling of DePaul on Wednesday. Charlotte is 9-2 in home games this year.
Blankson Battling on the Boards
Freshman Odartey Blankson's team-high six rebounds against Houston marked the third straight and fourth in the last five games where he had either led or shared for the team lead in rebounding. In the last three games, the 6-foot-7 Blankson is averaging 8.3 rebounds and is now tied with Oluoma Nnamaka for the team's lead in caroms with a 5.5 per-game effort.
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 22-10 (21-8 at the Bradley Center, 1-2 at the Milwaukee Arena). He is 1-2 against Charlotte. 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 29-26/2nd season Tom Crean's Career Record 29-26/2nd season
Marquette And The Boards
Marquette has outrebounded 15 opponents (12-3 in those contests) this season including seven contests where it has finished with an advantage of 10 or more rebounds. The Golden Eagles have been outboarded in 10 games this season (2-8). In MU's most recent game, Houston recorded a 35-28 margin on the glass, 11-4 on the offensive end. The Golden Eagles hold a 34.4-31.8 per-game edge in rebounding and are in the No. 4 spot (through games played Mar. 1 spot in C-USA in rebound margin (+2.6). Since Tom Crean has been Marquette's head coach, the Golden Eagles have outrebounded 16 opponents by 10 or more caroms and show a 14-2 record in those contests.
Charlotte Head Coach Bobby Lutz
Bobby Lutz (Charlotte, `80) is in his third year as head coach of the 49ers' program. Entering Saturday's game, he owns a school record of 57-37. Prior to his current post, he had served as an assistant at Charlotte starting in the1995-96 season. In 12 seasons of head coaching, which includes a nine-year stint at Pfeiffer, Lutz has a career slate of 238-128.
Golden Eagles Foul Shooting Notes
After enjoying a 10-game streak where it shot 70 percent or better from the foul line, Marquette has slipped in the last two games, converting on 64.4% (38-of-59). Despite the last two games, MU still paces C-USA in free throw percentage with a mark of 70.9%. In league outings, MU ranks No. 1 with a 74.8% standard. Over the last 12 games, the Golden Eagles have connected on 74.0 percent (237-of-320) from the line.
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 (#4 North Carolina and #24 Wisconsin) while two others received votes. Through Mar. 1, Marquette, ranked 88th in the RPI, has played four teams that rank among the top 50 squads in the country according to the RPI, all of which are in the top 35.
Other Notes From the Houston Game
The 66-64 score marked the fourth straight game between Marquette and Houston that had been decided by four or fewer points ... Marquette's four offensive rebounds tied the squad's season low in that category ... Marquette's 51.0% mark from the floor was the fourth time this season that the club had reached or surpassed that mark in a road contest ... The Golden Eagles hit on just one of 11 from three-point range (.091), the team's second-lowest percentage of the campaign ... UH's 40-34 edge in rebounds snapped a MU four-game streak where it finished with more boards.
Wardle Figures in MU Career Categories
In addition to his career point production, Brian Wardle also figures among the Marquette top 10 career performers in a number of categories. Entering the Charlotte game, he is 5th in career three-pointers (191), No. 4 in three-point attempts (535) and No. 6. in free throw percentage (80.7%).
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 26 games, recording a total of 599 attempts from the charity stripe (23.0/per game) MU has attempted 23 or more from the foul line in 16 games including 39 vs. UMASS, the most attempts by a Crean-coached MU squad, and 38 vs. Louisville (2/24). During Crean's tenure, the Golden Eagles stand 26-12 in contests when finishing with 15 or more free throw attempts (13-10 this year). After 26 games last year, MU had attempted 437 free throws.
MU Tidbits
Through games played Mar. 1, MU holds down the No. 2 spot in C-USA in overall scoring defense (64.4 ppg) ... After 26 games last season, the Golden Eagles had converted 281 free throws compared to 425 this year ... Marquette has outrebounded four of its last five opponents, showing a 36.8-33.0 per-game edge ... Marquette is 1-2 in overtime games this year, 2-3 during Crean's tenure ... MU has held the opposition to 10 or fewer field goals in a total of 19 of 52 halves ... MU has allowed just eight halves 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, So. Miss, 50.0%, 2nd half, Louisville, 56%, 2nd half, Saint Louis (2/11), 51,6%, 2nd half, & DePaul (2/22), 52.0%, 2nd) ... MU has registered 10 games of six or more steals ... Marquette is 6-0 this year when recording 15 or more assists, 13-3 during Crean's tenure.
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. 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 14 of the last 19 games ... Last season after 26 games, Marquette was averaging 15.7 turnovers per game compared to this year's mark of 13.3 ... In Marquette's 14 wins, it holds a 36.0-28.4 per-game edge in rebounding (+7.6) ... In the squad's 12 losses, the Golden Eagles are being outrebounded by a 35.8-32.5 margin ... Through 26 games, Marquette's opponents are averaging 11.9 turnovers per game ... 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 15 games and stands 7-8 in those contests, 5-4 when registering fewer miscues ... Marquette has outshot 17 of its 26 opponents from the floor and is 12-5 in those games ... MU posts a 12.2 -11.8 per-game advantage in offensive rebounds, and claims 19 games of 10 or more offensive rebounds this year ... Marquette is averaging 28.2 points during the first half of play (28.1 for the opposition) and 37.3 during the second half/overtimes (36.2 for opponents) ... MU has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in a half on five occasions ... In its 14 victories, MU enjoys a 69.0-59.4 scoring advantage and has shot 45.7 percent (321 of-708) from the floor while limiting the opposition to 39.9 percent (300-of-751) ... In the 12 setbacks, MU has been outscored by a 61.5-70.2 margin ... MU is 8-4 when leading at halftime ... Marquette is averaging 13.4 assists in its 14 wins, 8.9 in losses.
Brian Wardle Notes
Enters the Charlotte contest with two or more treys in 12 of his last 14 games ... Named C-USA Player of the Week (Jan. 7) after totaling 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting vs. DePaul ... In seven conference road games, is averaging 20.0 points and shooting 45.2% from the field (47-of-104) ... No. 3 in C-USA in scoring in league (19.9ppg) games through Mar. 1 ... Averaging 18.9 points and shooting 44.8 percent from the floor in MU's 14 wins ... Has 13 games of 20 or more points this year and 29 during his career ... Tied for No. 8 in 3pt. FG% (.388) in overall C-USA contests through Mar. 1 ... No. 5 in C-USA in FT% in overall contests (.831) ... His 59 treys tie him for fourth most by a Marquette senior ... His 18.8 per-game average is sixth highest by a MU senior.
This and That
Marquette has attempted more free throws than its opponents in 12 games and stands 10-2 in those contests, 17-2 during Crean's tenure as head coach ... The Golden Eagles have two or more blocked shots in 18 games this season and have 61 blocks through 26 games, surpassing last season's 29-game total of 44 ... Marquette has not allowed any of its first 26 opponents to reach the 50 percent plateau from the floor this year and holds down the No. 5 spot among league squads in FG% defense (.410) through Mar. 1 ... Marquette has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in seven games this year (5-2) ... In the last five games, MU is shooting 44.7 (123-275) from the floor vs. the opposition's mark of 42.2 percent (122-of-289).
