Golden Eagles travel to Madison to face Badgers
12/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MILWAUKEE, December 9 - Marquette rolls into its contest with Wisconsin on Saturday, December 10 winners of their last two by an average margin of 25 points.
"They are good. They are talented at all five positions, their young guys are playing well, they come off the bench and show good depth and they play great at home," said head coach Tom Crean of the Badgers. "I know our guys are exited about the opportunity to play tomorrow and they are excited about the challenge to play a team that is as good as Wisconsin. Most importantly we need to play great defense. We need to communicate, see the ball and just help each other out."
The Golden Eagles are coming off a balanced effort in a 69-54 win over Valparaiso on Wednesday. MU had nine players score at least four points and seven different players scored six or more. Dominic James and Jerel McNeal each contributed a team-high 12 points to pace Marquette.
"I just look at it as another game," said freshman guard Wesley Matthews. "Even with the Marquette/Wisconsin rivalry, the only way I can look at it is another game in a great environment. We are going to go out there and play our game and try to come up with a win. I am excited and ready to play."
Wisconsin outlasted a pesky Wis.-Green Bay team on Wednesday, 82-62. UWGB kept the game close not, allowing the margin to exceed 10 points until 10:27 mark in the second half.
Marquette is led by head coach Tom Crean, who is in his seventh season and owns a 127- 67 career record.
Wisconsin?s head coach is Bo Ryan. He owns a 99-38 record in five years at Wisconsin. In 21 years as a head coach, he has a 481-141 record.
"You respect the program, its coaches, the way the players play and how passionate the fans are about their team, added Crean. "It is one of these marquee games that only happens once a year. "
From the Bench
Led by eight points from Ryan Amoroso and Dan Fitzgerald, Marquette outscored the Valparaiso bench 28-0 in its win on Dec. 7, accounting for 40.6 percent of the offense. Marquette is 6-0 when the bench accounts for at least 20 percent of the scoring this season.
Novak Becomes MU?s Best FT Shooter
A career 92.0-percent free throw shooter, became Marquette?s all-time leaders chart by nearly seven percentage points with his first attempt against Valparaiso. Going back to last season, Novak has converted 48 straight free throws. Novak, who was 12-for-12 against Houston (March 2, 2005) and was 10-for-10 during the Great Alaska Shootout, has not missed a free throw since the second half of MU?s game at DePaul on January 20, 2005.
Defender Deluxe
Freshmen Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal have led Marquette to be proficient at swiping the ball. MU is averaging 8.7 steals per game and had 28 over the two game span of South Dakota State and Valparaiso. Matthews had 10 steals in that two game span. McNeal leads the team with 19 swipes.
Taking What They Are Given
A 78.1 percent free throw shooting team, Marquette is among the best in the nation. Led by Steve Novak?s 16-for-16 season and Jerel McNeal?s 92.6 shooting percent, MU started the week 14th in the NCAAs in free throw percentage. Marquette set a season high with a 91.7 free throw percentage, going 11-of-12 against Valparaiso.
Marquette Records:
6-2 overall
0-0 BIG EAST
3-1 at home
0-1 on the road
3-0 neutral
Head Coach Tom Crean Records:
127-67 (65.6) 7th season
59-37 (61.5) in conference play
84-20 (80.8) at the Bradley Center
2-2 (50.0) at the U.S. Cellular Arena
26-38 (40.6) on the road
15-8 (65.2) on neutral sites
Marquette and Wisconsin
All-Time: Wisconsin leads, 60-51
Tom Crean Era: Wisconsin leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: Bradley Center, Dec. 11, 2004, Marquette, 63-54
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