Marquette University Athletics
Men's Basketball Set to Host Eastern Michigan
11/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2006
MILWAKEE -
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Taking a break between opening and final rounds of the CBE Classic, Marquette hosts Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 18 at the Bradley Center.
The Golden Eagles, ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll and 17th in the ESPN/USA Today poll, are coming off a win in the championship game of the CBE Classic Milwaukee Region. Marquette downed Detroit, 87-45, in its most well played game of the season. That afforded MU the opportunity to move on to the final rounds in Kansas City where it will play Texas Tech and either Duke or Air Force in the second game.
Despite the national attention the opponents in the CBE garner, MU head coach Tom Crean is keeping his team focused on the task at hand -- taking care of Eastern Michigan and improving to 4-0.
"Our focus in practice is centered on Eastern Michigan," he said. "Once we get to Kansas City, we will look at Texas Tech. If we find similarities between Eastern Michigan and Texas Tech, we will use that in our preparation for Eastern Michigan, but our focus is totally on Eastern Michigan."
In Eastern Michigan, Marquette will be facing a team that is off to a 1-2 start. EMU played three games in Ann Arbor, Mich. in the John Thompson Challenge, losing to Davidson and Michigan and defeating Central Connecticut State.
Eastern Michigan was led by Mid-American Conference Western Division Player of the Week Carlos Medlock. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the John Thompson Challenge after averaging 14.7 points per game with 14 steals, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Against Davidson, Medlock led the Eagles with a game-high 23 points. He led the Eagles to a win over Central Connecticut State by scoring 13 points, recording four assists and five steals.
At this point in the season, Crean stated, it's too early to focus on too much from the other teams or thinking about what is going to happen down the road. Marquette will play three games in four days, but Crean is hesitant to pace any of his players.
"If you start factoring in what your are going to do a night or two nights later, you will be making a mistake," he said.
Crean's statement was validated by his actions in the first two rounds of the CBE Classic. He played starters Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Ousmane Barro more than 30 minutes in the first round against Idaho State with a game looming 24 hours later. James led the way with 38 minutes and Matthews played 36.
Crean's movements proved correct as the Golden Eagles survived a scare from Idaho State, 59-56 in overtime. Despite playing all the minutes the night before, Marquette dominated Detroit with James leading the way with 20 points and Matthews recorded a season high 15. McNeal tied a career high with seven assists and Barro led the way with 30 minutes in the win over the Titans.
Texas Tech does loom quickly on the horizon as does a match-up with Duke or Air Force. The team will be leaving for Kansas City immediately following the Eastern Michigan contest.
"It's part of the maturing process to keep them from thinking ahead," Crean said. "It's up to us as coaches to make sure the players buy into that."
 Dean Meminger  | |
As part of the celebration of 90 years of Marquette basketball, MU legend Dean Meminger will be featured on the game ticket and program. A three-year letter winner from 1968-71, Meminger played under legendary head coach Al McGuire and helped lead his team to a 78-9 record, including trips to the NCAA Tournament during the 1968-69 and 1970-71 seasons. As a junior, he scored 16 points to help lead Marquette to a 65-53 victory over St. John's in the 1970 NIT Championship. Meminger led the then-Warriors that season with 18.8 points per game and was named a Chuck Taylor Converse and NEA All-American. As team captain during his senior year, Meminger guided Marquette back to the NCAA Tournament and with a team-leading 21.2 points per game, helped the Warriors to a 28-1 record, the best in school history. He is one of the most decorated student-athletes in MU history, garnering eight All-American honors following the 1970-71 season, including Associated Press, Chuck Taylor Converse, Helms, National Association of Basketball Coaches, NEA, Sporting News, UPI and USBWA.
Meminger is one of seven Marquette basketball greats to have his jersey, 14, retired. He holds the MU record for made free throws in an NCAA contest with 14 in a 91-74 victory over Kentucky, March 20, 1971. Meminger won the Pepsi Blue and Gold Classic Outstanding Player honor in 1969 and 1970. In 1971, he garnered the McCahill Award, the department's most prestigious postgraduate award presented to a Marquette senior athlete from the previous year that has demonstrated the highest performance in scholarship, leadership and athletics.
