Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Hosts Appalachian State
12/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2002
Game Data
Site - Milwaukee, Wis. * Al McGuire Court at the Bradley Center (19,150)
Tipoff - 1:05 p.m. CST
Television - None
Radio - Marquette Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analysis)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #34 - Travis Diener (So., 6-1, 165, Fond du Lac, Wis.) 10.8 ppg; 2.2 rpg, 4.8 apg -- Three double-figure scoring games this year -- career-high 18 pts. vs. Notre Dame
G #3 - Dwyane Wade (Jr., 6-5, 210, Robbins, Ill.) 24.0 ppg; 7.4 rpg; 4.6 apg -- Team-high 19 points vs. Notre Dame -- team's leading scorer in each of first five games.
F #5 - Scott Merritt (Jr., 6-10, 245, Wauwatosa, Wis.) 9.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg -- Averaging 11.7 points and shooting 62.5% (15-of-24) from the floor in his last three games
F #1 - Todd Townsend (So., 6-7, 215, Chicago, Ill.) 5.2 ppg; 2.4 rpg -- Career-long 29 minutes vs. Notre Dame
F #55 - Robert Jackson (Sr., 6-10, 260, Milwaukee, Wis.) 14.8 ppg; 8.8 rpg -- 12 points vs. Notre Dame; has five double-figure scoring games to his credit this year
Probable Appalachian State Starters (subject to change)
F # 0 - Nate Carson (Sr., 6-6, 230, 14.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
F #32 - Chris McFarland (So., 6-5, 200, 14.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
C #44 - Josh Shehan (Sr., 6-8, 260, 10.3, 10.7 rpg)
G #10 - Shawn Hall (Sr., 5-10, 155, 24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
G #11 - Graham Bunn (Sr., 6-0, 175, 7.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg)
Series Notes - Marquette holds a 2-0 edge in the all-time series that saw the first game played during the 1996-97 season. Saturday's meeting marks the first match-up between the schools since Dec. 4, 1999, when Marquette captured a 57-51 win in the championship game of the Blue and Gold Classic.
Marquette Looking For Continued Success At Home-- Marquette takes a 19-game home win streak into Saturday's contest. Over the last 19 home outings, the Golden Eagles show a 77.9-56.2 per-game scoring advantage.
Statistical Comparison
Marquette Appalachian StateScoring Avg. 77.0 ppg 87.7 ppgScoring Def. 68.2 ppg 81.0 ppgScoring Margin +8.8 ppg +6.7Rebounding Avg. 38.4 rpg 44.3 rpgReb. Margin +3.6 +11.3FG% 48.2% 48.7%Opp FG% 40.3% 43.3%3 Pt. FG% 30.0% 31.5%FT% 68.0% 75.4%Game Info
After sustaining its first loss of the 2002-03 season, the Marquette men's basketball team will look to get back into the win column on Saturday (Dec. 7) when it entertains Appalachian State. Saturday's contest marks the first of four consecutive home games for Marquette. The Bradley Center will serve as the venue for the third meeting between the schools and tipoff is 1:05 p.m. (CST).
The Records
Marquette, ranked 13th by the Associated Press and 10th by ESPN/USA Today, takes a 4-1 record into the Appalachian State game. In MU's most recent performance, it came out on the short end of a 92-71 decision at Notre Dame this past Monday (Dec. 2).
In that game, the Golden Eagles fell victim to a hot-shooting ND club that finished the game shooting 50 percent from the floor (33-of-66) including 40 percent from beyond the arc (12-of-30). Marquette ended the game shooting 42.9 percent from the floor (27-of-63) including 29.4 percent from three-point range. The Fighting Irish also enjoyed an advantage on the boards, posting a 44-30 margin.
MU found itself staring at a 17-point deficit with 2:45 remaining in the first half before a 7-2 run enabled it to chop the gap to 12 points at halftime. In the second half Notre Dame still held a 14-point cushion with 12:27 on the clock, but a pair of free throws by sophomore Travis Diener capped off a determined 16-6 run that drew Marquette to within 67-63 with 9:28 remaining. However, that was as close as Marquette was able to get as Notre Dame put together a 13-4 spurt to increase its margin to 13 points with a little over five minutes remaining.
Junior guard Dwyane Wade led the Marquette scoring attack with 19 points while Diener's 18 points established a career high for him. Rounding out the team's double-figure point producers were junior Scott Merritt and senior Robert Jackson, both of whom totaled 12 points.
Appalachian State invades the Bradley Center with a 2-1 won-lost mark. The Mountaineers lost for the first time last Saturday (Nov. 30) when South Carolina topped them by a 71-56 score. APSU captured its opening two games of the year, 104-72 vs. Mars Hill on Nov. 22 and a 103-100 triple overtime decision against Charlotte on Nov. 25.
Merritt Showing Consistency
Entering the Appalachian State game, junior Scott Merritt has put together a three-game scoring streak and is averaging 11.7 points while shooting 62.5 percent (12-of-15) from the floor in that stretch. The 6-foot-10 Merritt has shot 50 percent or better from the field in his last four games and is shooting 54.1 percent (20-of-37) on the year. He is tied for the No. 2 spot on the team with Wade in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and has been the team's top board man in the last two games including a nine-carom effort vs. Notre Dame.
Numbers To Watch
Dwyane Wade is nine points shy or reaching the 700- career mark ... In addition, he is two rebounds short of 250 in his career ... Scott Merritt is four field goals shy of reaching 150 in his career ... Saturday's game will be MU's 228th in the Bradley Center ... MU stands 168-59 (.740) in games at the Bradley Center.
Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean
Tom Crean is in 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 40-10 (38-8 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 60-36/4th season Tom Crean's Career Record 60-36/4th season
Jackson Making An Impact
Senior Robert Jackson has made a significant impact for Marquette during the early stages of the season and checks into the Appalachian State game second on the squad in scoring (14.8 ppg) and first in rebounding (8.8 rpg). The 6-foot-10 Jackson has scored in double figures in all five of the Golden Eagles' contests. Jackson has been the team's top board man in two contests and has pulled down a team-high 20 offensive rebounds.
More Notes From Notre Dame
Marquette recorded a season-high five blocked shots in the ND game ... The Golden Eagles recorded season lows in both assists (12) and offensive rebounds (8) ... Notre Dame's 92 points were the most allowed by a Crean-coached Marquette team ... The Golden Eagles converted a season-high 80 percent from the charity stripe (12-of-15) ...
Defense A Trademark
During Tom Crean's tenure as head coach, the Golden Eagles own a 32-5 record when limiting foes to 60 or fewer points (1-0 in '02-03, 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).
Appalachian State Head Coach Houston Fancher
Houston Fancher (Middle Tennessee State, '88) is in his third season as head coach of Appalachian State and will take a school record of 23-39 into the Marquette game. Prior to his current post, he served as an assistant coach at Appalachian State for four years.
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
Dwyane Wade's 19 points against Notre Dame represented his 36th career game of double-figure scoring in 37 outings ... Rob Jackson's 12-point night against ND boosted his career total to 892 ... Notre Dame's 50 percent mark from the floor was the first time this season that an opponent had shot 50 percent or better against Marquette and just the second time in the last 27 games that a foe had reached that mark ... The Golden Eagles own a 22-4 record during Crean's tenure when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor (1-0 in '02-03, 12-0 in 2001-02) ... Marquette has held 62 of its last 67 opponents to less than 50 percent from the floor ... MU stands 28-3 during Crean's stint as head coach when registering 15 or more assists this year (4-0 in '02-03, 11-0 last year) ... Marquette proved to be a strong second-half team last year, registering scoring advantages in 28 of 33 games, and has outscored three of five foes over the final 20 minutes this year ... The Golden Eagles' 19-game home win streak is the program's longest since a 23-game skein, Feb. 21, 1995 through Dec. 6, 1996 ... Since last year, MU owns a 24-3 mark when finishing a game with the same or fewer number of turnovers than the opposition ... Marquette has outshot the opposition in six of 10 halves ... Robert Jackson's 12-point, 10-rebound effort against UTSA was his first double double at Marquette and 15th of his college career ... The Golden Eagles are averaging 39.6 points in the first half of play and 37.4 points during the final 20 minutes of action ... Opponents are averaging 32.8 points during the opening 20 minutes and 35.4 in the second half ... Since Coach Crean has taken over the program, MU has compiled a 21-3 won-lost effort when recording 40 or more rebounds in a game, including a 3-0 mark this year ... Last season, the Golden Eagles were a perfect 6-0 in those contests ... MU is shooting 79.3 percent (23-of-29) from the foul line in the last two contests.
Streaks & Last Time It Happened
Consecutive Games - Scott Merritt - 67
Consecutive Starts - Dwyane Wade - 25
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games - Dwyane Wade - 22
Consecutive Games with a Three-Pointer - Travis Diener - 13
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 30+ Points - Dwyane Wade (32) vs. Texas-San Antonio - Nov. 23, 2002
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Scored 20+ Points - Dwyane Wade (28) vs. Eastern Illinois - Nov. 26, 2002
The Last Time a Golden Eagle Had 10+ Rebounds - Scott Merritt (12) vs. Eastern Illinois - Nov. 26, 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) - Scott Merritt (10-12) vs. Eastern Illinois - Nov. 26, 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 - (61.5%, 40-65) vs. Eastern Illinois - Nov. 26, 2002
The Last Time Marquette Shot 55% or Better From The Floor - (61.5%, 40-65) vs. Eastern Illinois - Nov. 26, 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. Eastern Illinois - Nov. 26, 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 - Chris Thomas (32) - Notre Dame - Dec. 2, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Scored 20+ Points - Chris Thomas (32) - Notre Dame - Dec. 2, 2002 - Dan Miller (20) - Notre Dame - Dec. 2, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Rebounds - Torin Francis (13) - Notre Dame - Dec. 2, 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) - Torin Francis (11-13) - Notre Dame - Dec. 2, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Assists - Chris Thomas (10) - Notre Dame - Dec. 2, 2002
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
Playing With the Lead
During Crean's stay at Marquette, the Golden Eagles have been tough to beat when leading at halftime. Marquette stands 45-8 when leading at the intermission (4-0 in '02-03, 21-1 last season). The only game MU lost last season when leading at halftime was at East Carolina (MU led 27-20 at half).
Rebound Notes
Tom Crean-coached Marquette teams have always stressed rebounding with the Golden Eagles outrebounding 60 of 96 opponents during Crean's tenure. MU shows a 49-11 record under Crean when outboarding the opposition, (3-0 in '02-03, 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).
70 A Magic Number For Marquette
During Coach Crean's tenure as head coach, Marquette stands 35-6 when scoring 70 or more points (3-1 in 2002-03). The 2001-02 season saw the Golden Eagles post a 20-1 mark in such games they show a 32-4 mark since 2000-01.
Inside The Numbers
Marquette has outshot four of five opponents from the field this year and shows a 4-0 record in those games, 28-1 since the 2001-02 season ... Through five games, the Golden Eagles are averaging 11.8 turnovers per game vs. 12.4 for the opposition ... After five games, MU is averaging 18.0 three-point field goal attempts vs. 23.2 for the opposition.
