Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Entertains Louisville In Saturday Afternoon Contest
2/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2002
Game Date- Feb. 16, 2002
Site - Milwaukee, Wis. * Bradley Center (19,150)
Tipoff - 2:35 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - Televised by ABC on a Regional Basis (Brent Musburger, Play-by-Play, Dick Vitale Commentary)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Sr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 14.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.21 apg -- Double-figure scorer in seven of last eigtht games -- 18.2 ppg in last five games
G #3 - Dwyane Wade (So., 6-4, 210, Oaklawn, Ill.) 18.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.3 apg --Averaging 22.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.25 steals in last four games
F #0 - Odartey Blankson (So., 6-7, 225, Hillcrest, Ill.) 9.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg --Career-best 16 rebounds vs. Southern Miss -- MU's leading rebounder
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Sr., 6-7, 225, Uppsala, Sweden) 7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg --No. 1 on team with 56 offensive rebounds
F #5 - Scott Merritt (So., 6-10, 245, Wauwatosa, Wis.) 6.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg -- Has 105 total rebounds -- betters last year's 29-game total of 104
Probable Louisville starters (subject to change)
F # 2 - Ellis Myles (So., 6-8, 230, 8.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg)
F #24 - Luke Whitehead (So., 6-7, 215, 10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
G #13 - Alhaji Mohammed (So., 6-2, 180, 4.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
G #22 - Reece Gaines (Jr., 6-6, 195, 20.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
G #33 - Erik Brown (Jr., 6-5, 210, 9.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Series Notes - Louisville holds a 30-18 edge in the all-time series with Marquette that started during the 1951-52 season. Earlier this year (Jan. 9), Marquette snapped a three-game losing streak to the Cardinals when it posted a 75-71 win at Freedom Hall. Dwyane Wade (15 pts.) led the Golden Eagles in scoring while sophomore Odartey Blankson notched 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win. In last season's game played at the Bradley Center, Louisville came away with a 77-74 triple-overtime decision. Four of the last six meetings between the two schools have been decided by four or fewer points.
Statistical Comparison Marquette Louisville Scoring Avg. 74.6 ppg 76.7 ppg Scoring Def. 59.4 ppg 72.2 ppg Scoring Margin +15.2 ppg +4.5 Rebounding Avg. 36.3 rpg 40.2 rpg Reb. Margin +6.3 -1.6 FG% 48.0% 41.7% Opp FG% 39.3% 43.0% 3 Pt. FG% 37.5% 32.7% FT% 69.3% 59.7%
Game Info
The Marquette basketball team looks to continue its winning ways when it plays host to Louisville on Saturday (Feb. 16). Al McGuire Court at the Bradley Center (19,150) will serve as the site of the 49th meeting between MU and Louisville and game time is set for 2:35 pm (CST). The game will be televised regionally by ABC Sports and can be seen locally on WISN-TV (Ch. 12). Brent Musburger will handle the play-by-play duties while Dick Vitale will handle analysis. Following the Louisville contest, Marquette's next action will be on Tuesday, Feb. 19, when it tackles Charlotte at the Bradley Center starting at 7:05 p.m. (CST).
The Records
Marquette enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 21-3, 10-1 in Conference USA action, good for a first-place tie in the American Divsion with Cincinnati (UC plays Friday night, Feb. 15). Marquette is ranked No. 11 in this week's Associated Press and holds down the No. 12 slot in this week's USA Today/ESPN Poll. MU's league record is the best 11-game start by the Golden Eagles since joining C-USA in 1995-96. MU's AP ranking is the highest since March 13, 1979, when it was No. 10.
The Golden Eagles posted their 10th straight win last Saturday when they topped Southern Miss, 72-58, the team's fifth straight win on the road.
Holding a 28-21 lead at intermission, Marquette received a big second half from senior Cordell Henry and sophomore Dwyane Wade who combined for 32 of the squad's 44 points during the final 20 minutes of play. Henry totaled all 21 of his points during the final 20 minutes of action, hitting six-of-11 from the floor and nine-of-10 from the foul line. Wade totaled 11 of his 16 points in second half while finishing the contest with five rebounds. Sophomore Odartey Blankson helped Marquette to a 40-30 edge on the glass by pulling down a career-best 16 rebounds, the first time a Marquette player finished with 15 or more boards since Feb. 20, 1997, when Jarrod Lovette pulled down 15 caroms vs. Louisville.
Louisville comes to town with an overall record of 14-9, 5-6 in C-USA. The Cadinals snapped a two-game losing streak on Tuesday when it won at DePaul, 76-72.
Blankson Tough On the Boards
Sophomore Odartey Blankson has averaged 10.7 rebounds in his last three outings and is coming off a career-high 16-board performance against Southern Miss last Saturday. The 6-foot-7 Blankson holds down the top spot in rebounding for the Golden Eagles in both overall (6.9 rpg) and league action (7.1 rpg). Heading into the Louisville game, he has recorded 12 contests of seven or more rebounds and has either led or shared for the team's lead in boards in eight games.
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 35-10 (33-8 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 most recently again at Michigan State (1995-99).
Tom Crean's Marquette Record 51-31/3rd season Tom Crean's Career Record 51-31/3rd season
Marquette Among National Leaders in Stat Categories
Through games played Feb. 14, Marquette found itself among the national leaders in several statistical categories. The Golden Eagles were No. 9 in scoring defense (59.4 ppg) and No. 6 in scoring margin (+15.2). In addition, MU was tied for 16th in FG% (.481). Helping MU on the defensive end of the floor is the fact that it has limited opponents to less than 10 field goals in 21 halves and recorded 16 halves of holding opponents to less than 35 percent from the floor.
The scoring margin has been bolstered with MU winning 15 of its 21 games by 10 or more points including 10 by 15 or more. More On MU's Defense
The Golden Eagles have held opponents to 50 or fewer points on six occasions and own 14 outings of holding a foe to 60 or fewer points. MU has won its last 17 games when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points and owns a 29-4 record in such games during Tom Crean's tenure as head coach.
Rebound Notes
Through 24 games, Marquette has outrebounded 15 opponents (14-1) and holds a 36.3-30.3 per-game edge in rebounding. Through games played Feb. 14, MU is tied for No. 2 among C-USA teams in rebound margin (+6.0) in overall play. Since Crean has been head coach, MU has out- rebounded 50 of 82 foes, showing a 41-9 record in those games.
Playing With the Lead
Marquette has demonstrated the ability to play with a lead this year and posts a 17-0 record when leading at halftime. During Crean's stint as head coach, Marquette stands 37-7 in those contests.
Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino (Massachusetts, '74) is in his first season as head coach of Louisville and 16th as a college head coach. Heading into Saturday's contest, he has a career mark of 366-133. During his college coaching career, which includes stops at Boston Univ., Providence and Kentucky, his teams have appeared in four NCAA Final Fours with his '95-96 Kentucky team claiming the national title.
More Notes From Southern Miss
Marquette's 22 free throw opportunities against USM marked the ninth time in the last 10 games that it had attempted 20 or more from the charity stripe ... USM's 13.3 percent mark from three-point range represented the fourth straight and the fifth time in the last six games that MU held an opponent to less than 20 percent from beyond the arc ... Through games played Feb. 14, Marquette was No. 2 in three-point field goal percentage defense (.276) in league play ... Cordell Henry converted a career-best nine free throws vs. Southern Miss.
Tom Crean Radio and Television Show Information
The Tom Crean Radio Show can be heard Monday evenings 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 Tom Crean Television Show made its season debut on Saturday, Jan. 5, on WDJT-TV (Ch. 58). The nine-week show will air every Saturday on WDJT-TV. Consult your local listings for more information.
More Tidbits To Ponder
Marquette is averaging 75.8 points and shooting 48.7 percent from the field in its 21 victories compared to a point average of 66.7 and shooting mark of 43 percent in its losses ... MU has held its last 13 opponents to less than 50 percent from the field with six of those shooting less than 40 percent ... The Golden Eagles are 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor this year, 19-4 during Coach Crean's tenure at MU ... In the last five games, MU is shooting 40.0% (18-45) from three-point range vs. 20.9 percent (18-86) for the opposition ... Marquette is averaging 33.9 points during the first half of play and 40.6 during the second half ... Opponents are averaging 28.6 points during the first 20 minutes of action and 30.8 in the second half ... Marquette has outscored the opposition in 39 of 48 halves this year ... Marquette is averaging 12.7 offensive rebounds per outing vs. the opposition's mark of 11.2 ... Marquette has held 50 of its last 53 opponents to less than 50 percent from the floor ... MU is 10-0 when registering 15 or more assists this year, 23-3 during Crean's tenure as coach ... In the last five games, Marquette is shooting 74.1 percent from the foul line (83-of-112) compared to the opposition's mark of 63.0 percent (46-of-73) ... MU has forced opponents to turn the ball over 20 or more times in 11 contests this year ... MU's 13-0 record in home games is the longest home win streak since a 23-game skein, Feb. 21, 1995 through Dec. 6, 1996 ... 13 of Marquette's 16 40-point halves this year have come during the second half ... In the last three games, MU enjoys a 72.0-58.7 per-game scoring edge ... MU is averaging 10.3 turnovers in its last three games vs. its season average of 14.7.
Inside the Numbers
Marquette has outshot 20 of 24 opponents from the floor and has a 20-0 mark in those outings, 43-9 during Crean's tenure at MU ... In MU's 11 conference games, the Golden Eagles are shooting 47.4 percent (274-of-578) from the field, good for the No. 1 spot in the league, vs. 39.6 percent (245-of-619) for opponents, No. 2 in FG% defense ... After 24 games, Marquette is averaging 14.7 turnovers per game compared to the opposition's mark of 17.8 ... In its 21 victories, MU enjoys a 36.9-29.8 per-game edge in rebounding ... In its three losses, MU is being outboarded by a 33.7-32.0 margin ... Marquette has turned the ball over less than its opponent in 16 contests ... MU saw a 21-game streak of double-digit offensive rebounds come to an end in the Cincinnati game (Feb. 2) when it finished with 8 ... Marquette is averaging 74.6 points through 24 outings compared to 64.3 points at the same juncture last year ... After 24 games last season, MU had 116 steals vs. this year's 24-game total of 220 ... The Golden Eagles have already surpassed last year's 29-game steal total of 144 ... MU has 124 treys to its credit this season compared to 123 after 24 games a year ago ... Marquette's 17 steals in the Texas Southern game were the most by a Crean-coached Marquette team and the most by a Golden Eagle team since Dec. 6, 1996, when they registered 18 thefts against Prairie View A&M ... During Crean's tenure as head coach, Marquette has a 11-2 won-lost slate when shooting 30 or more free throws (1-0 in '99-00, 5-2 in 2000-01 and 5-0 in '01-02) ... Marquette has held 12 opponents to less than 40 percent from the floor and stands 11-1 in those affairs ... The Golden Eagles have shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc in 11 contests (10- 1).
