Marquette University Athletics
Marquette Basketball Prepares For Cincinnati
2/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2002
Game Date - Feb. 22, 2002
Site - Cincinnati, Ohio * Shoemaker Center (13,176)
Tipoff - 6:05 p.m. CST
Radio - Marquette Basketball Radio Network (Steve "The Homer" True, Play-by-Play, George Thompson, Analyst)
Television - ESPN (Dan Shulman, Play-by-Play, Dick Vitale, Commentary, Michele Tafoya, Sideline Reporter)
Probable Marquette Starters (subject to change)
G #4 - Cordell Henry (Sr., 5-10, 160, Chicago, Ill.) 15.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.11 apg -- Double-figure scorer in nine of last 10 games -- 22.0 ppg in last three games
G #3 - Dwyane Wade (So., 6-4, 210, Oaklawn, Ill.) 18.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.56 apg --Team-leading 66 steals is 5th on MU's all-time seasonal list
F #0 - Odartey Blankson (So., 6-7, 225, Hillcrest, Ill.) 9.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg --Averaging 9.0 rebounds in his last four games
F #43 - Oluoma Nnamaka (Sr., 6-7, 225, Uppsala, Sweden) 7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg --Shooting 56.2% from floor (13-of-23) in his last four games
F #5 - Scott Merritt (So., 6-10, 245, Wauwatosa, Wis.) 6.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg --Has 112 total rebounds -- betters last year's 29-game total of 104
Probable Cincinnati starters (subject to change)
F # 1 - Jamaal Davis (Sr., 6-8, 235, 7.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
F #23 - Immanuel McElroy (Sr., 6-4, 200, 9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
C #50 - Donald Little (Jr., 6-11, 233, 6.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
G #13 - Leonard Stokes (Jr., 6-6, 195, 12.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
G #22 - Steve Logan (Sr., 6-0, 199, 22.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
Series Notes - Cincinnati stands 19-13 all-time against Marquette in a series that started during the 1973-74 season. Marquette has captured the last three meetings between the schools including a 74-60 win in Milwaukee earlier this year (Feb. 2). Leading the way for the Golden Eagles in that game was sophomore Dwyane Wade with 25 points and eight rebounds while senior Cordell Henry added 20 points and five assists. In its last visit to the Shoemaker Center (Feb. 18, 2001), Marquette registered a 66-63 overtime victory.
Did You Know -- That in the last five games, Marquette has turned the ball over 54 times compared to 73 for the opposition. In the last five outings, the Golden Eagles have generated 96 points off opponent miscues compared to 51 points for their foes off MU turnovers.
Statistical Comparison
Marquette CincinnatiScoring Avg. 74.3 ppg 78.0 ppgScoring Def. 59.2 ppg 58.2 ppgScoring Margin +15.1 ppg +19.8Rebounding Avg. 36.2 rpg 39.4 rpgReb. Margin +5.9 +6.1FG% 47.9% 47.2%Opp FG% 39.4% 36.8%3 Pt. FG% 38.4% 36.6%FT% 69.1% 70.8%Game Info</>
The Marquette basketball team looks to continue its winning ways when it tackles #4-ranked Cincinnati on Friday. The Shoemaker Center (13,176) will serve as the site of the 33rd meeting between MU and Cincinnati and game time is set for 6:05 pm (CST). The game will be televised by ESPN. Dan Shulman will handle the play-by-play duties while Dick Vitale will handle analysis.
Following the Cincinnati contest, Marquette's next action will be on Tuesday, Feb. 26, when it tackles East Carolina on the road Bradley Center starting at 6:05 p.m. (CST).
The Records
Marquette enters Friday's game with an overall record of 23-3, 12-1 in Conference USA action, good for a first-place tie in the American Divsion with Cincinnati Marquette is ranked No. 9 in both this week's Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls. Marquette is on an 12-game winning streak, the program's longest since the 1975-76 campaign when it rattled off 23 straight wins.
The Golden Eagles posted their 12th straight win on Tuesday when they topped Charlotte, 66-52, at the Bradley Center.
Facing a 30-27 deficit at intermission, Marquette responded a with a solid effort in the second half against the 49ers, shooting 51.7 percent from the floor compared to 36.0 percent for Charlotte. Senior Cordell Henry sparked the second-half performance by scoring 19 of his game-high 22 points during the final 20 minutes of play. Henry hit on eight-of-12 from the floor in posting his third straight and seventh performance of 20 or more points this season. Sophomore Dywane Wade chipped in 14 points and shared for the team lead with classmate Odartey Blankson in rebounds with seven boards.
A key stretch during the second half took place over a 6:31 span when MU outpointed Charlotte by a 19-4 margin to take a 50-36 lead with 12:06 remaining. Henry accounted for six of those points while Wade and senior Oluoma Nnamaka each contributed four points.
Cincinnati hosts Marquette with an overall record of 25-2, 12-1 in C-USA. The Bearcats have won their last five outings including a 79-62 win over DePaul at the United Center.
Henry Heating Up
Senior Cordell Henry has picked up his scoring pace recently, scoring in double figures in nine of his last 10 games while coming up with six performances of 20 or more points in that stretch. Heading into the Cincinnati contest, Henry, who has climbed into 11th place among league scorers (Feb. 19), has been tough from the free throw line, shooting 95.4 percent (21-of-22) from the charity stripe in the last four contests. His game-high 22 points against Charlotte marked the sixth time this year that he had paced the team in scoring.
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 36-10 (34-8 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 53-31/3rd season Tom Crean's Career Record 53-31/3rd season
Marquette Among National Leaders in Stat Categories
Through games played Feb. 19, Marquette found itself among the national leaders in several statistical categories. The Golden Eagles were No. 7 in scoring defense (59.2 ppg) and No. 8 in scoring margin (+15.1). In addition, MU was 18th in FG% (.479). Helping MU on the defensive end of the floor is the fact that it has limited opponents to less than 10 field goals in 23 halves and recorded 17 halves of holding opponents to less than 35 percent from the floor.
The scoring margin has been bolstered with MU winning 17 of its 23 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 15 outings of holding a foe to 60 or fewer points. MU has won its last 18 games when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points and owns a 30-4 record in such games during Tom Crean's tenure as head coach.
Rebound Notes
Through 26 games, Marquette has outrebounded 17 opponents (16-1) and holds a 36.2-30.3 per-game edge in rebounding. Through games played Feb. 19, MU is No. 3 among C-USA teams in rebound margin (+5.8) in overall play. Since Crean has been head coach, MU has outrebounded 52 of 84 foes, showing a 43-9 record in those games.
Playing With the Lead
Marquette has demonstrated the ability to play with a lead this year and posts a 18-0 record when leading at halftime. During Crean's stint as head coach, Marquette stands 38-7 in those contests.
Cincinnati Head Coach Bob Huggins
Bob Huggins (West Virginia, '77) is in his 13th season as head coach of Cincinnati and owns a school record of 326-98. During his stint at UC, he has guided the program to 12 seasons of 20 or more wins and 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 21 campaigns as a college head coach, Huggins has a career slate of 494-170.
More Notes From Charlotte
Marquette finished the Charlotte game shooting 80 percent from the free throw line (12-of-15), the third time in the last four games it had shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe ... MU recorded 11 steals against the 49ers, the 12th time season it had registered double digits in that category (fifth time in a conference game) ... The win over Charlotte raised the team's home record to 15-0 this season ... MU's 39-22 scoring advantage in the second half marked the 11th straight game that it finished with a scoring edge during the final 20 minutes of play ... The 49ers finished with a 39.2 percent mark from the floor, the ninth time in 15 home games that an opponent had shot less than 40 percent from the field.
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 75.3 points and shooting 48.5 percent from the field in its 23 victories compared to a point average of 66.7 and shooting mark of 43 percent in its losses ... MU has held its last 15 opponents to less than 50 percent from the field with seven 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 47.8% (22-46) from three-point range vs. 27.1 percent (26-96) for the opposition ... Marquette is averaging 34.1 points during the first half of play and 40.2 during the second half ... Opponents are averaging 28.9 points during the first 20 minutes of action and 30.3 in the second half ... Marquette has outscored the opposition in 42 of 52 halves this year ... Marquette is averaging 12.7 offensive rebounds per outing vs. the opposition's mark of 11.2 ... Marquette has held 52 of its last 55 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 has 40 steals compared to 25 for opponents ... MU has forced opponents to turn the ball over 20 or more times in 11 contests this year ... MU's 15-0 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 17 40-point halves this year have come during the second half ... In the last four games, MU enjoys a 70.8-57.8 per-game scoring edge ... MU has 93 blocked shots this season compared to last year's season-ending total of 67.
Streaks & Last Time It Happened
Consecutive Games - Cordell Henry - 112
Consecutive Starts - Cordell Henry - 83
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games - Dwyane Wade - 10
Consecutive Games with a Three-Pointer - Cordell Henry - 2
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 (22) vs. Charlotte - Feb. 19, 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 - (60.3%, 35-58) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Dec. 19, 2001
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 - Jobey Thomas (26) - Charlotte - Jan. 5, 2002
The Last Time an Opponent Had 10+ Rebounds - Ellis Myles (12) - Louisville - Feb. 16, 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) - Marlon Dumont (13-15) - TCU - Jan. 23, 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
Inside the Numbers
Marquette has outshot 22 of 26 opponents from the floor this year and has a 22-0 mark in those outings, 45-9 during Crean's tenure at MU ... In MU's 13 conference games, the Golden Eagles are shooting 47.3 percent (327-of-692) from the field, good for the No. 2 spot in the league, vs. 39.7 percent (288-of-725) for opponents, No. 2 in FG% defense ... After 26 games, Marquette is averaging 14.4 turnovers per game compared to the opposition's mark of 17.8 ... In its 23 victories, MU enjoys a 36.7-29.9 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 18 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 74.3 points through 26 outings compared to 65.5 points at the same juncture last year ... After 26 games last season, MU had 130 steals vs. this year's 26-game total of 239 ... The Golden Eagles have already surpassed last year's 29-game steal total of 144 ... MU has 134 treys to its credit this season compared to 127 after 26 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 13 opponents to less than 40 percent from the floor and stands 12-1 in those affairs ... The Golden Eagles have shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc in 13 contests (12-1).
