#MUBB Travels To No. 11/11 Villanova Wednesday

The Marquette University men's basketball team (12-6, 4-3 BIG EAST) faces another nationally ranked opponent when the Golden Eagles travel to No. 11/11 Villanova (13-4, 6-1 BIG EAST) for a 7 p.m. CT matchup at Finneran Pavilion. CBS Sports Network features the national television broadcast, with Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst) and Ashley Ross (reporter) calling the action. Following Wednesday's outing, the Golden Eagles return home to face No. 20/20 Xavier on Sunday, Jan. 23

Marquette Looking To Reverse Series Trend

Villanova holds a 27-12 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 17 of the last 18 meetings against Marquette, including four matchups as the top-ranked team in the land.

Elliott Provides The Difference In Latest Win

Marquette guard Greg Elliott, playing in his 100th career game and fresh off a career-best 25-point effort in the win over DePaul, secured the team's win over No. 20/18 Seton Hall on a free throw with less then two seconds left in Saturday's 73-72 victory.

Elliott finished with nine points and drew a team-high six fouls, including the whistle that led to the game-winning point. Guard Darryl Morsell led the way with 26 points, his fifth 20-point effort this season and first since Nov. 18 against Ole Miss at the Charleston Classic. He hadn't reached the 20-point mark in any of his 126 career games while at Maryland.

The Golden Eagles have now won four-straight BIG EAST contests for the first time since 2018-19. MU defeated then-No. 14 Villanova, DePaul, Butler and Providence on Feb. 9-23, 2019. That season also featured an eight-game league win streak that stretched from Jan. 6-30.

Golden Eagles In Heart Of BIG EAST Slate

Marquette, which has already faced seven nationally ranked squads (four in non-conference action) in 2021-22, continues a stretch on Wednesday against Villanova that could feature 6-of-7 outings versus top-25 opponents.

The Wildcats are currently No. 11/11 in the nation and the next six matchups for MU include Villanova (twice), No. 20/20 Xavier, No. 21/21 Providence and No. 25/25 UConn.

Should Marquette end up playing at least 11 top-25 contests, it would be the most since the team competed in 11 games during the 2010-11 regular season. That year, including postseason (five straight to end the year), the Golden Eagles played 17 total outings versus the nation's best.

MU is 130-210 all-time against top-25 teams, including 49-127 effort against the top-10. The team is 3-4 this year against squads in the national polls, with wins over No. 10/10 Illinois, No. 16/17 Providence and No. 20/18 Seton Hall at Fiserv Forum.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Greg Elliott

Darryl Morsell