Marquette University Athletics
Men's Basketball Earns 2009 NCAA Tournament Berth
3/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Photo Gallery | NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF) | Williams podcast (mp3)
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University men's basketball team will be making its fourth-straight trip to the NCAA postseason tournament as the Golden Eagles earned a No. 6 seed in the West Region, it was announced Sunday by the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball selection committee.
MU will travel to Boise, Idaho, where it will play No. 11-seed Utah State at 11:30 a.m. CT on Friday, March 20. The first-round match-up at Taco Bell Arena marks the first-ever contest between the two schools.
This year's selections marks the first time since 1980 that Marquette has advanced to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship four consecutive years. The 1980 appearance capped a 10-year run in the NCAAs, which included Marquette's 1977 national championship.
Marquette (24-9) is coming off a 76-75 loss to Villanova this past Thursday in the quarterfinals of the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Championship.
Utah State (30-4) earned an automatic bid to this year's NCAA tournament by virtue of winning the WAC Championship with a 72-62 win over Nevada on Saturday.
Marquette is 33-27 all-time in the NCAA tournament, which includes six appearances in the regional championship game and three Final Four appearances. MU's last trip to the Final Four came in 2003.
Click here for ticket information.
