MU To Face Stanford Saturday In NCAA Second Round
3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 21, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The No. 25/24 Marquette University men's basketball team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship for the first time since 2003 and will face No. 3 seed Stanford Saturday afternoon at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The winner of the matchup between the Golden Eagles and Cardinal will advance in the South Region to the Sweet Sixteen in Houston, Texas. Marquette will be looking to post a pair of wins in the NCAA's for the first time in five seasons. MU last accomplished the feat in 2003 when the program advanced to the Final Four.
Second Round Matchup First Since 1981
Although Marquette and Stanford have met on the court in men's basketball on four occasions, Saturday's matchup will be the first between the two programs since 1981.
MU is 4-0 all time against the Cardinal, most recently posting a 66-65 decision during the 1981-82 campaign. The two teams first met in 1934 and have also taken to the court in 1959 and 1980.
Marquette Making Program's 25th Appearance
Marquette is making its 25th appearance in the NCAA?Tournament and owns an overall record of 33-26, including the 1977 National Championship.
MU has been tabbed a No. 6 seed for the second time in program history, having posted a 2-1 record at that position during the 1993-94 campaign. The Golden Eagles defeated UL-Lafayette 81-59 in the first round before downing Kentucky 76-53 in the second round. The squad's season came to an end that year with a 59-49 loss to No. 2 seed Duke in Nashville, Tenn., in the regional semifinal.
Marquette Values The Ball In Win Over Kentucky
The Golden Eagles turned the ball over just seven times in the win over Kentucky, matching a season low in that category.
Marquette also finished with seven miscues in the Nov. 30 victory over UW-Milwaukee. MU has only finished with less than 10 turnovers on four occasions this season, with the most recent outing previous to the matchup with the Wildcats coming at Connecticut on Jan. 20.
MU Takes Advantage Of Charity Down The Stretch
Leading by as many as 11 points in the second half, it wasn't until the final moments of regulation that Marquette was able to secure the victory.
MU advanced to the second round in large part because of the team's effort at the charity stripe in the final minutes.
Following the final media timeout at the 3:37 mark, the Golden Eagles combined to shoot 11-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the free throw line. Junior Wesley Matthews had the biggest impact, knocking down each of his eight attempts during that time span.
McNeal's Shoulders Not Tiring From Carrying Team
Junior Jerel McNeal is playing the best basketball of his career in recent weeks and as a result has put the team on his shoulders during the postseason.
In the last five games, which includes the regular season finale at Syracuse, McNeal is averaging 21.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 52.8 percent (38-of-72) from the field, 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from behind the 3-point line and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the free throw line.
He has led the team in scoring in each of the five outings.
Family Bond Tested With Saturday's Matchup
Saturday's contest between Marquette and Stanford provides and interesting matchup, both on the court and in the stands.
Stanford head football coach Jim Harbaugh is the brother-in-law of Marquette head coach Tom Crean. Crean is married to Jim's sister, Joanie, and her father, Jack, is an Associate Athletic Director at Marquette.
John Harbaugh, the third sibling, was recently named the head coach of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. Jack Harbaugh is the former head football coach at Western Michigan and Western Kentucky whose coaching career spanned over 40 years.
