#MUBB Travels To No. 23/22 Wisconsin Saturday

The Marquette University men's basketball team (7-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) plays its first true road game of the season when it travels to No. 23/22 Wisconsin (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) on Saturday, Dec. 4 for an 11:30 a.m. CT tip from the Kohl Center. FOX will feature the national television broadcast, with Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Jim Jackson (analyst) calling the action. Saturday's action will mark MU's third against a top-25 opponent and the squad will also take on No. 5/5 UCLA on Dec. 11 at Fiserv Forum after traveling to Kansas State (Dec. 8) for the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle.

Series With Badgers Dates Back To 1917

Marquette's all-time series with Wisconsin dates back to 1917, with the first meeting coming in MU's second season of competition.

Wisconsin owns a 68-59 edge in the previous matchups, with each squad enjoying an extended run of success at various points in the series. Marquette's best streak came between 1969 and 1984 when the team claimed 15-straight wins and 19-of-21 overall.

MU has met only DePaul more times (129) than Wisconsin in program history.

The Golden Eagles have claimed four of the last six overall outings in the annual home-and-home series, highlighted by last year's 67-65 victory at the buzzer on a Justin Lewis rebound tip-in after a missed free throw with 0.9 seconds left at Fiserv Forum.

For nearly the entire Marquette program, Saturday's game will be an introduction to the I-94 rivalry. Only Greg Elliott and Justin Lewis has played against the Badgers with the Blue & Gold, with Darryl Morsell having the most experience (seven games) against UW after four years at fellow Big Ten member Maryland. The only two players to have seen game action at the Kohl Center are Elliott and Morsell.

Ighodaro Doubles Up For First Time

Forward Oso Ighodaro entered 2021-22 with six career points and rebounds in five appearances last season and quickly surpassed both of those totals with an increased role this year.

The Chandler, Arizona, native collected his first-career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) in the win over Jackson State and is also in possession of a 12-board effort against New Hampshire. He has knocked down 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) of his shots and is averaging 4.5 rebounds per game in just 16.1 minutes per night.

Bench Steps Up Production In Latest Wins

Marquette's reserve corps has played a key role in each of the squad's last two victories, posting season-best point totals against Northern Illinois and Jackson State.

The Golden Eagle bench outscored NIU 35-5 on Nov. 27, led by freshman Stevie Mitchell's 11 points. Mitchell finished 4-of-5 from the floor and also chipped in four rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocked shots in 23 minutes of action.

It was a group effort versus JSU, with five different players combining for a season-best 46 bench points. Oso Ighodaro led the way with 14 points and the group also chipped in 20 rebounds and six assists.

Forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper came off the bench for the first time this year in the win over JSU and responded with a season-high 11 points, matching his collegiate best (vs. South Carolina State while at Clemson in 2020-21).

Freshman Kam Jones finished with eight points (3-of-4 shooting) and a team-high five assists in 24 minutes of action in his first collegiate start.

BIG EAST Off To Quick Start In 2021-22

The BIG EAST is off to another quick start in 2021-22, collecting impressive results league wide on a daily basis.

Through games of Dec. 1, league programs are a combined 64-15 (.810) and the conference already owns five wins over ranked opponents, including Marquette's 67-66 decision against No. 10 Illinois on Nov. 15.

Three teams (Villanova - 6, UConn - 17, Seton Hall - 25) are currently ranked in the top-25 and three others, including Marquette, are receiving votes. Each of the 11 programs is currently .500-or-better as BIG EAST play rapidly approaches on Dec. 17.