#MUBB Hosts Creighton Friday In BIG EAST Lidlifter

The Marquette University men's basketball team (8-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) opens BIG EAST Conference play on Friday, Dec. 16 when the team hosts Creighton (6-5, 0-0 BIG EAST) at 7:30 p.m. CT at Fiserv Forum. FS1 features the television broadcast, with Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) calling the action. Following Friday's action, the Golden Eagles will hit the road for the first time in league action on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at Providence.

All-Time Series Dates Back To 1922-23

Marquette's all-time series against Creighton spans nearly the entirety of the program's 104-year history.

The Golden Eagles own a 56-38 advantage in the all-time series, but the Bluejays have claimed four of the last five outings.

Prior to 2013-14, when the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST, the most recent meeting between the two programs came in the 1998 National Invitation Tournament. MU posted an 80-68 victory in the opening round at the Bradley Center en route to an appearance in the event's quarterfinals.

Creighton swept the home-and-home series in 2021-22, most recently rallying for an 83-82 win at home on Feb. 18, 2022. Kam Jones chipped in 18 points off the bench for Marquette.

Ighodaro Leads Paint Dominance In Latest Win

Marquette used a strong second half to pull away for a 79-64 win at Notre Dame on Dec. 11, thanks in large part to the team's effort in the paint.

The Golden Eagles scored 50 of their 79 points in the lane, courtesy of 15 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points. Forward Oso Ighodaro led the way, collecting his third-career double-double and second this season (10 points, 10 rebounds vs. Georgia Tech) with 16 points and a career-best 18 boards (seven offensive).

The Chandler, Arizona native's 18 caroms were the most by a Marquette player since Henry Ellenson grabbed 16 in double overtime at Providence on Feb. 10, 2016.

Last Sunday's game was the first in a home-and-home series with Notre Dame, which will visit Fiserv Forum next season.

Kam Jones Scoring In Bunches

Sophomore guard Kam Jones, who was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday (first time in career), has scored 20-or-more points in three of the team's last four outings.

The Memphis, Tennessee, native opened his recent run with a 20-point effort in the win over No. 6/10 Baylor on Nov. 29 and followed that up with a career-best 26-point night against Wisconsin (led all scorers). He netted 16 points in the win over NCCU on Dec. 6 and scored 18 of his game-high 25 points at Notre Dame in the second half.

In the last four outings, Jones has averaged 21.8 points per game and combined to shoot 57.4 percent (31-of-54) from the floor overall and 14-of-31 (45.2 percent) from behind the 3-point line.

For the season, Jones is ranked seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring (16.4 ppg.) and has already surpassed his free throw totals from 2021-22. Jones was 11-of-18 from the line last season and is 19-of-24 through 11 games in 2022-23.