McNeal, James Honored by BIG EAST

Nov. 27, 2006

MILWAUKEE - Guard Jerel McNeal was named BIG EAST Player of the Week and sophomore Dominic James was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, Monday, as announced by the conference office, for their efforts in defeat of Texas Tech (87-72) and No. 9/8 Duke (73-62) in the CBE Classic, Nov. 20-21.

McNeal scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded a team-high seven assists against the Red Raiders in the semifinals of the Classic. Against the Blue Devils, the sophomore tallied 17 points and a team-best six rebounds and six steals in the championship and was named to the CBE-All Tournament Team. This is the first BIG EAST Player of the Week honor for McNeal. He garnered rookie of the week honors, once, last season.

In six games, McNeal leads the BIG EAST, averaging 4.00 steals per game.

James was named CBE Classic MVP and joined McNeal on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 20.5 points against Duke and Texas Tech. He registered a team-high 25 points and seven assists against the Blue Devils in the championship game, and in the semifinal game against the Red Raiders, chipped in 16 points. This is the first BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition for James. He was named rookie of the week six times in 2005-06.

James is fifth in the conference in points per game (18.0) and tied for fourth in steals per game (2.67).

The Golden Eagles moved into the top-10 in both polls this week for the first time since March 18, 2003, when they were ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. It is the seventh time in head coach Tom Crean's tenure the team has reached the top-10 in the AP poll. Previous to Crean, the team had not cracked the top-10 since March 13, 1979, when it checked in at No. 10.

MU looks to improve on its 6-0 record, tonight at 7 p.m. CT, when it takes on Valparaiso (3-1) at Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.