#MUBB Opens BIG EAST Play Saturday At No. 22/25 Xavier

The Marquette University men's basketball team (8-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) travels to Xavier (10-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) for the BIG EAST Conference lidlifter on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. CT in the Cintas Center. FS1 features the national television broadcast, with Brock Bowling (play-by-play) and Dickey Simpkins (analyst) calling the action. Following Saturday's action, the Golden Eagles will return to Fiserv Forum to host UConn, the team's third-straight nationally ranked opponent and fourth in the last five outings, on Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. CT.

Marquette Facing Xavier For 80th Time

Marquette and Xavier will meet for the 80th time on Saturday afternoon, continuing a series that spans nearly half of the program's 104-year history.

The Golden Eagles own a 54-25 overall lead in matchups that date back to the 1958-59 campaign and have claimed four of the last five outings. MU dominated the pairings during the Al McGuire and Hank Raymonds era, at one point claiming 26-straight victories between 1969 and 1983.

The programs split the season series in 2020-21, with each program winning on its respective home court. XU's Adam Kunkel beat Marquette at the buzzer 91-88 on Dec. 20, 2020 with a 3-pointer after tracking down a rebound and MU was able to claim a 66-59 victory on March 6, 2021 to celebrate Senior Day.

Marquette Set For Year 17 In BIG EAST

The Golden Eagles are 18-14 all-time in league openers, including a 7-9 mark in BIG EAST Conference action.

Marquette didn't begin league affiliation until joining the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1989-90. The 1991-92 campaign was the first in the Great Midwest Conference and a stop in Conference USA (1995-2005) preceded the move to the BIG EAST in 2005-06.

In 2020-21, the Golden Eagles opened BIG EAST action with an 89-84 win at No. 9 Creighton, the team's second top-10 victory (No. 4 Wisconsin) of the season

Kolek, Kur Enter League Play On Top

As BIG EAST play begins Dec. 17, Marquette players Tyler Kolek and Kur Kuath rank No. 1 among league players in assists and blocked shots, respectively.

Kolek is dishing out 5.6 assists per game to lead the league and is also ranked seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0). Kuath has already swatted 32 shots (2.9 bpg.) and owns three-or-more blocks in seven outings this season.

League Play Doesn't Provide Break In Schedule

Saturday's game will mark the second of three-straight outings against nationally ranked opponents and a run of 4-of-5 games spanning from the conclusion of non-league play to BIG EAST competition.

The matchup at Xavier is Marquette's fifth in the first 12 games against a top-25 program and third on the road. The Golden Eagles faced No. 10 Illinois at Fiserv Forum on Nov. 15 and No. 4 UCLA in the squad's last outing on Dec. 11.

UConn, Tuesday's opponent in the league home opener, is currently ranked No. 20/22 in the national polls.

Elliott Dials From Long Distance Against UCLA

Guard Greg Elliott provided a much-needed offensive spark off the bench against UCLA on Dec. 11, finishing with a career-high 22 points in 25 minutes of action.

The Detroit, Michigan, native finished 7-of-12 from the floor overall, including a 6-of-9 effort from behind the 3-point line. His field goal attempt and make numbers all marked personal bests and he also chipped in three rebounds and a pair of assists.

Elliott, who missed the first four games of the season, hadn't scored more than eight points in any one outing in 2021-22. He concluded last season with four double-figure point totals in the final six outings, including a previous high of 17 points at Butler.

Marquette Focuses On Deflecting Wins

Head coach Shaka Smart and his staff place an emphasis on the number of deflections the team collects on a per game basis, with the target goal each outing a minimum of 32.

In 11 non-conference games, Marquette averaged 28.7 deflections per game and met or surpassed its goal of 32 on five occasions (SIUE, Illinois, NIU, Jackson State, Kansas State), each resulting in a victory.

Guard Tyler Kolek owns a narrow advantage over forward Kur Kuath (32-of-52 are blocked shots) for the team lead, averaging 4.8 deflections per outing (53 total).