#10/9 Marquette Heads To Villanova Wednesday Night

The No. 10/9 Marquette University men's basketball team (23-4, 12-2 BIG EAST) wraps up a two-game road swing Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT when the team travels to Villanova (20-8, 11-4 BIG EAST) in Finneran Pavilion. FS1 will feature the television broadcast, with Brian Custer (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (analyst) calling the action. Following Wednesday's game, the Golden Eagles will return home to host Creighton on Sunday, March 3 in a sold-out Fiserv Forum.

Marquette Looks To Turn Series Trend

Villanova holds a 23-11 advantage over Marquette in an all-time series that dates back to 1960.

Along with regular season and tournament matchups in league play, the two teams also squared off in the 1963 National Invitation Tournament and the 1980 NCAA Championship. Marquette downed the Wildcats 66-58 in the NIT, but fell 77-59 in the opening round of the NCAA's in Providence, R.I.

The Wildcats have been ranked in the top-15 in each of the last 13 meetings against Marquette. The Golden Eagles haven't won back-to-back games against Villanova since sweeping the season series in 2011-12.

MU Hopes To Keep Picking Up Notable Wins

With a victory Wednesday night at Villanova, the Golden Eagles can secure the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament and at least a share of the regular season championship.

MU earned a share of the regular season title with Louisville and Georgetown in 2012-13, its only championship since joining the league, and has never been higher than a No. 2 seed (2011-12) in the event.

Marquette has already claimed the program's 38th 20-win season (102 total seasons). The Golden Eagles are 16-1 at Fiserv Forum, matching the most home wins since the 2012-13 team finished 16-0. The team improved to 6-1 in league play on the road with the victory at Providence, marking the most wins away from campus since joining the BIG EAST in 2005-06.

Team Depth On Display In Win At Providence

Marquette's offensive options were on full display in the victory at Providence Saturday afternoon, with the Golden Eagles netting 45 points in the second half of the 76-58 win.

MU had five players finish with double figures in points for the first time since Nov. 27, 2018 against Charleston Southern, a duration of 20 games. Sam Hauser and Sacar Anim led the way with 18 points each to pace four starters with 10-or-more points and forward Ed Morrow chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Sam Hauser Doubles Up For Fifth Time

Junior forward Sam Hauser collected his fifth double-double of the year in the win at Providence, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes.

He shot 7-of-10 from the floor, including a 4-of-6 effort from behind the 3-point line. His 13 boards were one short of his career-high total, which he set against Wisconsin on Dec. 8. His most recent double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds) versus St. John's game on Feb. 5.

Anim Continues Strong Play During Stretch Run

Redshirt junior forward Sacar Anim has been a critical part of the team's recent success, particularly the last six outings.

Dating back to the team's win at Butler on Jan. 30, Anim is contributing 13.2 points per game and has reached double figures in scoring in 5-of-6 outings. His offensive efficiency has been extremely impressive in those games. The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native has combined to shoot 64.7 percent (33-of-51) from the field overall and 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from long distance in 34.3 minutes per outing.

For the season, Anim is contributing 8.6 points per contest while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor overall.