Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Squad Prepares For Villanova
11/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2002
Game Data
Site - New York, N.Y. * Madison Square Garden (19,763)
Tipoff - 5:35 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analysis)
Television - ESPN2 (Dan Shulman, Play-by-Play, Dick Vitale, Analysis, Jay Bilas, Sideline Reporter)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change) - exhib. stats
G #34 - Travis Diener (So., 6-1, 165, Fond du Lac, Wis.) 6.5 ppg; 6.5 apg, 2.5 spg 2001-02 C-USA All-Freshman Team
G #3 - Dwyane Wade (Jr., 6-5, 210, Robbins, Ill.) 17.8 ppg; 6.6 rpg; 3.35 apg Preseason Candidate for Wooden and Naismith Awards
F #5 - Scott Merritt (Jr., 6-10, 245, Wauwatosa, Wis.) 8.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg 52 career blocked shots -- tops among current MU players
F #20 - Steve Novak (Fr., 6-10, 210, Brown Deer, Wis.) 5.5 ppg; 1.5 rpg 2001-02 Parade Magazine Fourth-Team All-American
F #40 - Terry Sanders (Jr., 6-8, 225, Milwaukee, Wis.) 7.0 ppg; 3.5 rpg Played in all 33 games during 2001-02 season
Probable Villanova Starters (exhib. stats)
F #12 - Andrew Sullivan (Sr., 6-7, 215, 9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
C # 5 - Ricky Wright (Jr., 6-7, 222, 14.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
G # 3 - Derrick Snowden (Jr., 6-0, 170, 12.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
G #14 - Allan Ray (Fr., 6-2, 175, 18.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
G #15 - Randy Foye (Fr., 6-3, 185, 17.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 7.5 apg)
Series Notes - Villanova holds a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series that saw the first game played on Dec. 31, 1960. Friday's meeting will represent the first time the schools have met on the hardwood since Mar. 7, 1980, when the Wildcats posted a 77-59 triumph in the NCAA Tournament in Providence.
Marquette Returns to The Big Apple -- Marquette's appearance in the 2002 AT&T Wireless Coaches vs. Cancer Classic marks the first time it has played in Madison Square Garden since the 1995 NIT Tournament. In the NIT semifinals, the Golden Eagles topped Penn State, 87-79, before coming out on the short end of a 65-64 overtime decision to Virginia Tech in the championship game.
Early Starting Dates
The Nov. 15 season opener against Villanova marks the second-earliest starting date in Marquette hoop history. The earliest date that MU has opened a season is on Nov. 14 on four occassions, the most recent being in 2000 against South Alabama in the Preseason NIT. The month of November has been kind to Marquette over the years with the program posting a record of 39-13, 9-2 during Tom Crean's tenure as head coach.
Game Info
The Marquette men's basketball team opens the 2002-03 season on Friday, Nov. 15, when it takes on Villanova in the AT&T Wireless Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Historic Madison Square Garden (19,763) in New York will serve as the the site of the eighth meeting between the two schools and tipoff is slated for 5:35 p.m (CST). The game will be televised by ESPN2 with Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale handling the play-by-play and analysis, respectively. The two-day event starts on Thursday (Nov. 14) with Syracuse tangling with C-USA member Memphis (6:00 p.m., CST) followed by Oklahoma vs. Alabama. On Friday, Texas will battle Georgia after the Marquette-Villanova contest. All games will be televised by ESPN2.
Last Season
Marquette finished the 2001-02 season with a 26-7 overall record, the most wins by a Marquette squad since the 1975-76 season. In addition, the Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and ended the year ranked No. 12 in the final Associated Press Poll and No. 18 by ESPN/USA Today. MU posted a 13-3 won-lost slate in C-USA action and advanced to the league's championship contest.
Villanova posted a 19-13 overall record a year ago (7-9 in Big East action). The Wildcats advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT where they came out on the short end of a game to Temple.
Marquette captured both its exhibition games, defeating Team Nike, 84-60, on Nov. 2 and the Wisconsin All-Stars, 82-70, on Nov. 10. Junior guard Dwyane Wade paced the team's scoring attack in both contests, notching 21 points against Team Nike and 20 in the Wisconsin All-Star outing. Senior front liner Robert Jackson turned in a pair of big performances, tallying 19 points and a team-high 16 rebounds in a starting capacity against Team Nike, before coming back with 16 points and eight boards vs. the Wisconsin All-Stars.
Villanova also came away with a pair of wins in exhibition action, topping Hoop Group, 98-74, on Nov. 6 and the Long Island Panthers, 88-60 on Nov. 11.
Marquette In Preseason Rankings
Marquette holds down the No. 18 position in the Associated Press Preseason Poll. It marks the first time since the 1982-83 season that a Marquette squad has been ranked among the top 20 teams in the AP's Preseason Poll (18th in the '82-83 AP Preseason Poll). Prior to the start of the '96-97 season, MU was ranked 25th in the AP's Preseason rankings. The Golden Eagles stand 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Poll.
Diener A Marksman
Travis Diener established himself as one of C-USA's top three-point shooters last season, pacing all league players in three-point field goal percentage (.442) in overall action. Diener, whose 57 treys established a Marquette freshman record, turned in 19 games of two or more three-pointers including a personal best of five vs. Cincinnati in the C-USA Tournament Championship game.
In addition to his shooting prowess, he was steady when handling the ball with a fine 3.18-1 assists-to-turnover ratio.
Tom Crean begins his fourth season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles' program. Named the 2001-02 C-USA Coach of the Year, the first MU coach to be afforded that honor, Crean guided Marquette to an overall record of 26-7 including a 13-3 ledger in C-USA play, the most wins by a MU team in league action. In addition, Crean was named the District 11 Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the District V Coach of The Year by the USBWA.
In 2000-01, 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 then marked the most wins by a Marquette team in C-USA since 1996-97.
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.
In games played in Milwaukee, Crean stands 37-10 (35-8 at the Bradley Center, 2-2 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 again at Michigan State (1995-99).
Tom Crean's Marquette Record 56-35/4th season Tom Crean's Career Record 56-35/4th season
Defense A Trademark
During Tom Crean's tenure as head coach, the Golden Eagles own a 31-5 record when limiting foes to 60 or fewer points (16-1 last year). Last season, the Golden Eagles ranked No. 2 among C-USA teams and No. 9 nationally in scoring defense (60.7 ppg). In addition, MU held down the No. 3 spot among C-USA teams and the 26th spot on the national front in field goal percentage defense (.402).
Rebound Notes
Tom Crean-coached Marquette teams have always stressed rebounding with the Golden Eagles outrebounding 57 of 91 opponents during Crean's tenure. MU shows a 46-11 record under Crean when outboarding the opposition, 19-3 during the 2001-02 campaign. Last year, MU stood No. 3 among C-USA teams in rebound margin (+4.5) in overall and league play (+2.7).
Playing With the Lead
During Crean's stay at Marquette, the Golden Eagles have been tough to beat when leading at halftime. Marquette stands 41-8 when leading at the intermission including a 21-1 effort last season. The only game MU lost last season when leading at halftime was at East Carolina (MU led 27-20 at half).
Marquette Sets Student Season Ticket Sales Record
The Marquette student body is eagerly awaiting the upcoming season as evidenced by the record number of student season tickets sold. A total of 3,128 student season tickets were sold for the 2002-03 season, bettering the previous mark of 3,015 for the 1994-95 season.
Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright
Jay Wright (Bucknell, '83) is in his second season as head coach of Villanova. Wright, the school's eighth basketball coach, compiled a 19-13 won-lost mark in his first year with the Wildcats. Now in his ninth season as a head coach, Wright takes a career mark of 141-98 into Friday's bout vs. Marquette. Prior to his current post, Wright spent seven seasons at Hofstra where he hammered out a record of 122-85.
Wade A Preseason Candidate For Wooden and Naismith Awards
Marquette's Dwyane Wade certainly has compiled an impressive list of preseaon accolades including being named a preseason candidate for both the Wooden and Naismith Awards. The 6-foot-5 Wade, tabbed as the 2002-03 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, led Marquette in scoring (17.7 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg), assists (3.4 apg), steals (2.4 spg) and blocked shots (1.1 bpg) en route to Conference USA First-Team honors last season. An honorable mention All-America pick by the Associated Press in '01-02, Wade was tabbed by Basketball Times as college basketball's Newcomer of the Year. Other preseason recognition Wade has drawn includes:
Athlon's - First Team All-American ESPN.com - Second Team All-American The Sporting News - Second Team All-American Street & Smith's - Second Team All-American FoxSports.com - No. 1 Shooting Guard
Odds and Ends
Dating from last season MU has held its last 21 of its last 22 opponents to less than 50 percent from the field ... The Golden Eagles own a 21-4 record during Crean's tenure when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor (12-0 last season) ... Marquette has held 58 of its last 62 opponents to less than 50 percent from the floor ... MU stands 24-3 during Crean's stint as head coach when registering 15 or more assists this year (11-0 last year) ... Marquette proved to be a strong second-half team last year, registering scoring advanatges in 28 of 33 games ... MUwill open the home portion of its schedule next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 22-23) when it hosts the Pepsi Blue and Gold Classic ... The Golden Eagles own a 16-game home win streak, the program's longest since a 23-game skein, Feb. 21, 1995 through Dec. 6, 1996.
Jackson Makes Debut
Senior Robert Jackson, a 6-10, 260-pounder, makes his Marquette debut on Friday after sitting out last season following his transfer from Mississippi State. During his three years at Mississippi State, Jackson averaged 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds over the course of 86 games. In his final year at MSU (2000-01), he averaged 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 25 games, 24 of which he started. He ranked ninth among SEC performers in rebounds and he was second in offensive rebounds (3.84 orpg).
MARQUETTE CAGER KARON BRADLEY OUT THREE TO FOUR WEEKS FOLLOWING ARTHROSCOPIC KNEE SURGERY
Marquette freshman guard Karon Bradley (Katy, Tex.) will be sidelined for three to four weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 12). Bradley suffered a tear of his lateral meniscus in his left knee during Sunday evening's exhibition win over the Wisconsin All-Stars. Bradley had a MRI taken on Monday that revealed the tear and had surgery to repair it today.
Bradley had played a total of 31 minutes in Marquette's first two exhibition contests and averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 assists.
Streaks & Last Time It Happened
Consecutive Games - Scott Merritt - 62
Consecutive Starts - Dwyane Wade - 20
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games - Dwyane Wade - 17
Consecutive Games with a Three-Pointer - Travis Diener - 8
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 30+ Points - Dwyane Wade (35) vs. DePaul - Jan. 19, 2002
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 20+ Points - Cordell Henry (27) vs. Houston - Mar. 8, 2002
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 10+ Rebounds - Odartey Blankson (16) vs. Southern Miss - Feb. 9, 2002
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 15+ Rebounds - Odartey Blankson (16) vs. Southern Miss - Feb. 9, 2002
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had Double-Double (Points-Rebounds) - Dwyane Wade (15-12) vs. TCU - Jan. 23, 2002
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 60% or Better From The Floor - (60.3%, 35-58) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Dec. 19, 2001
The Last Time Marquette Shot 55% or Better From The Floor - (57.4%, 31-54) vs. Houston - Mar. 8, 2002
The Last Time An Opponent Shot 60% or Better From the Floor - Tennessee (60.0%, 27-45) - Nov. 21, 2001
The Last Time An Opponent Shot 55% or Better From the Floor - Wisconsin (58.0%, 29-of-50) - Dec. 22, 2001
The Last Time Marquette Had 25 or more Assists in a Game - 25 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Dec. 19, 2001
The Last Time Marquette Had 20 or more Assists in a Game - 21 vs. TCU - Jan. 23, 2002
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 - Kirk Penney (33) - Wisconsin - Dec. 22, 2001
The Last Time an Opponent Scored 20+ Points - Steve Logan (26) - Cincinnati - Mar. 8, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Rebounds - Andre Brown (11) - DePaul - Mar. 1, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Had 15+ Rebounds - Jamal Brown (16) - TCU - Jan. 23, 2002; Marlon Dumont (15) - TCU - Jan. 23, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Had a Double-Double (Points-Rebounds) - Andre Brown (10-11) - DePaul - Mar. 1, 2002
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
