#MUBB Faces North Carolina Thursday In NCAA Tournament

The ninth-seeded Marquette University men's basketball team (19-12, 11-8 BIG EAST) returns to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2019 and will face eighth-seeded North Carolina (24-9, 15-5 ACC) on Thursday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m. CT at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas in the East Region. TBS will feature the national television broadcast, with Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst) and Allie LaForce (reporter) calling the action. The winner of Thursday's outing advances to play the Baylor/Norfolk State winner on Saturday.

Marquette Making 34th NCAA Appearance

Marquette has earned a spot in the NCAA tournament field for the first time since 2019, marking the program's 34th appearance all-time.

The Golden Eagles earned the No. 5 seed in the West Region in 2018-19 and were upset by Ja Morant and Murray State (No. 12 seed) in the opening round at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The Racers posted an 83-64 victory.

Marquette owns an overall record of 41-34 (0-2 as a No. 9 seed - 1980 and 1983) in the event and its tournament success includes the following highlights.

1977 NCAA Champions
Three trips to the Final Four (1974, 1977, 2003)
16 trips to the Sweet 16 (most recently 2012-13 – Elite Eight)
34th NCAA appearance, tied for 10th highest total all-time
51st postseason appearance (34 NCAA, 16 NIT, 1 National Catholic Championship)
One of 20 schools to have won both an NCAA and NIT Championship (1970)

Limited Series Includes 1977 Title Game

Marquette and North Carolina have met on just six occasions all-time, but the limited series has provided a key highlight for MU fans.

Legendary head coach Al McGuire directed MU to the national title in 1977, which culminated with a 67-59 win over North Carolina in Atlanta, Ga. The game would be McGuire's last as a collegiate coach. Butch Lee led Marquette with 19 points and Bo

Ellis chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. Walter Davis finished with 20 points for the Tar Heels, who also received 14 points and 11 boards from Mike O'Koren.

UNC claimed the next four meetings in the series, including an 81-63 win in 2010-11 in the Sweet 16 in Newark, N.J. MU posted an 83-70 win last season in Chapel Hill in a game that was added to the schedule late in the year.

#MUBB Faces North Carolina Thursday In NCAA Tournament

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