MU Hosts Providence Sunday Afternoon In Key BIG EAST Matchup

Feb. 25, 2011

Marquette Game Notes (PDF) | Providence Game Notes (PDF) | TV: BIG EAST Network | Radio: 540 ESPN

TV Affiliates: MSG (New York), MASN (Washington, D.C.), Altitude (Denver), MASN (Baltimore), Sports32 (Milwaukee), KCWX (San Antonio), Cox (Providence-New Bedford), Time Warner (Green Bay-Appleton), WTOV (Wheeling-Steubenville), WDTV (Clarksburg-Weston).

The Marquette University men's basketball team (17-11, 8-7 BIG?EAST) begins the final week of the regular season Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT when the squad hosts Providence in league action. The BIG?EAST?Network will feature the television broadcast, with Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Dave Kaplan (analyst) calling the action. Sunday's game marks the start of a two-game homestand, which concludes Wednesday night against Cincinnati when the team will celebrate Senior Night. MU's four seniors (Jimmy Butler, Dwight Buycks, Rob Frozena and Joseph Fulce) will be honored after the matchup with the Bearcats.

Johnson-Odom Takes Turn In Role Of Hero

Last season it was Jimmy Butler's baseline jumper in the closing seconds of regulation that helped Marquette escape with a 70-68 victory at Connecticut.

Thursday night it was junior guard Darius Johnson-Odom's turn to thrill the Golden Eagle faithful. The Raleigh, N.C., native scored nine of his team-high 17 points in overtime as MU rallied for a 74-67 victory. He also forced overtime with a layup with just 5.3 seconds left in regulation. His patented ball fake in the right corner allowed him to drive baseline for the critical basket, an opportunity he created with a steal with 12 seconds left in regulation.

In the extra session, Johnson-Odom was 3-of-4 from the field and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, which accounted for nine of the team's 17 total points over the course of the final five minutes.

League's Top Offensive Attacks Face Off Sunday

Marquette and Providence enter Sunday's game with the top-two scoring offenses among BIG?EAST Conference competitors.

The Golden Eagles are scoring 77.1 points per game (24th in the nation), while the Friars check in just ahead at 77.2 points per contest (23rd in the nation). Five of the top-25 scorers in the BIG EAST will be on the court, including league-leading Marshon Brooks and his impressive 25.4 points per game average. MU's Darius Johnson-Odom checks in at seventh (16.0 ppg.) through games of Feb. 24 and teammates Jimmy Butler (15.6 ppg.) and Jae Crowder (12.8 ppg.) own ninth and 21st among BIG EAST performers, respectively. PC's Vincent Council chips in 13.2 points per outing for the Friars, which places him 17th overall.