#MUBB Hosts #11/10 Illinois Monday at 6 p.m. CT

The Marquette University men's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) wraps up its three-game homestand Monday night at 6 p.m. CT when the squad hosts nationally ranked Illinois (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at Fiserv Forum in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. FS1 will feature the national television broadcast, with Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Donny Marshall (analyst) calling the action. Following Monday's outing, the Golden Eagles will depart on Tuesday afternoon for the Shriner's Children's Charleston Classic, opening play Thursday night against Ole Miss.

MU Facing Illinois For First Time Since 1993

Marquette and Illinois have met a total of 14 times in the all-time series history, with the Fighting Illini owning a 9-5 advantage overall.

The two programs last met on Dec. 7, 1993 in Milwaukee and the Golden Eagles claimed a 74-65 victory over the 16th-ranked Illini. Forward Damon Key led four players in double figures with 18 points in the win.

The series dates back to the 1940-41 campaign, with Illinois earning wins in each of the first five matchups. The Golden Eagles have claimed four of the last five, including a pair of decisions when Illinois was ranked in the top-25.

The Gavitt Tipoff Games is a unique early-season series played between the two conferences and named in honor of Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt, founder of the BIG EAST and basketball visionary.

The Gavitt Tipoff Games began in 2015 and is played annually on consecutive days early in the college basketball season. Throughout the series, each BIG EAST team is scheduled to participate a minimum of six times, while Big Ten programs are slated to take part a minimum of four times.

Morsell Shoulders Scoring Load First Week

In 126 games at Maryland, senior guard Darryl Morsell had never scored more than 20 points in any single outing. In his first two career games at Marquette, he has reached that mark in back-to-back contests.

The Baltimore, Maryland, native opened the campaign with a 21-point effort in the win over SIUE and followed that up with an impressive 26-point performance Friday night against New Hampshire. He finished 8-of-12 from the floor in 34 minutes of action and also chipped in five assists and three rebounds.

Through two games, Morsell is averaging 23.5 points per game while shooting 60.0 percent (15-of-25) from the floor and 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from long distance.

Entering 2021-22, Morsell's previous career high of 19 points came against Illinois on Jan. 10, 2021.

Lewis Backs Up First Double-Double

Forward Justin Lewis appeared in 22 games for the Golden Eagles in 2020-21 and while he came close on multiple occasions, wasn't ever able to collect a double-double. That trend has changed early in 2021-22, however, as he now owns a pair through two outings.

The Baltimore, Maryland, native finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's win over New Hampshire for his second-straight double-double. Included in that stat line were clutch free throws (including two that sealed win) and rebounds in the closing minutes.

Lewis also had 17 points and 11 boards in the season-opening win over SIUE.

Ighodaro Matches Season Total In 24 Minutes

One game after surpassing his season point total from 2020-21 in one outing, forward Oso Ighodaro did the same with his rebound tally in the win against New Hampshire.

The Chandler, Arizona, native entered Friday's game with nine career rebounds in five appearances last season and this year's season opener. In 26 minutes of action against UNH, he grabbed 12 caroms, including five at the offensive end.

In the season opener against SIUE, Ighodaro finished with a personal-best seven points. He netted six total points in five appearances in 2020-21.

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Players Mentioned

Oso Ighodaro

Justin Lewis

Darryl Morsell