Golden Eagles Travel To Notre Dame Saturday
2/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2008
The No. 16/16 Marquette University men's basketball team returns to BIG EAST Conference road action Saturday morning with an 11 a.m. CT matchup against Notre Dame. The outing against the Fighting Irish will mark the team's second-straight appearance on ESPN, with Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action. MU is in the midst of a three-game stretch that sees the team play each of its league crossover opponents. The Golden Eagles have already faced Louisville in home-and-home action and will continue that trend with back-to-back contests at Notre Dame and Seton Hall (Feb. 12).
MU Looking To End Up On Other Side Of Streak
Notre Dame currently owns a 33-game winning streak at home dating back to the 2005-06 campaign and while MU owns a place in the current run, it is also the last program to defeat the Fighting Irish in the Joyce Center.
The Golden Eagles posted an 80-72 win over Notre Dame on Feb. 25, 2006 to mark the last time ND has left its home court on the short end of the scoreboard. Former standout Steve Novak led all scorers with 21 points and also had 11 rebounds. Dominic James chipped in 18 points as a freshman and Dan Fitzgerald, then a sophomore, added 10 of his own.
Six current Golden Eagles (James, Fitzgerald, Ousmane Barro, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dwight Burke) played in that game.
Acker Solid In Starting Lineup Debut
Inserted into the starting lineup against Louisville due to an illness by junior Dominic James, sophomore guard Maurice Acker responded with a solid performance in his first-ever starting assignment at Marquette.
The Hazelcrest, Ill., native saw 22 minutes of action, finishing with eight points, four assists and three rebounds. He also did not commit a turnover. Acker, who hasn't given the ball to the opponent more than two times in any games this season, owns an impressive 4.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last eight games.
The Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year in 2005-06, Acker did start all 28 games that season for the Cardinals.
Marquette Facing Tough Crossover Schedule
With the new 18-game BIG EAST schedule, each program is facing three opponents in home-and-home series in 2007-08, while taking on each of the remaining league programs on one occasion.
Marquette's trio of crossover opponents consists of Louisville, Notre Dame and Seton Hall. The group boasts a combined league record of 19-10, with the Fighting Irish and Cardinals each owning seven BIG EAST wins.
No other program features home-and-home opponents who have combined to match the total of 19 victories MU's trio has already accounted for in league play.
