No 9/9 #MUBB Hosts Butler In BIG EAST Lidlifter Wednesday Night

The No. 9/9 Marquette University men's basketball team (9-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) opens its 20th season of competition in the BIG EAST Conference when the squad hosts Butler (7-4, 0-0 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. CT in Fiserv Forum. FS1 features the national television broadcast, with Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst) calling the action. Following Wednesday's outing, the Golden Eagles will travel to Xavier on Dec. 21 to continue league action.

Series With Butler Spans Program History

The all-time series dates back to the 1922-23 campaign and following Marquette's win on the road last season, the Golden Eagles now own a 26-25 advantage.

MU claimed the first-ever meeting, 18-17, on Dec. 16, 1922, only to see the Bulldogs claim the next nine matchups. Marquette also collected a nine-game win streak between 1942 and 1990, with the last two contests during that run coming when both programs were members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

Following Marquette's move to the Great Midwest Conference in 1991-92, the two teams wouldn't meet until Butler beat the Golden Eagles at the buzzer in the opening game of the 2012 Maui Invitational. MU would return the favor in the 2013 NCAA tournament, downing the Bulldogs 74-72 in the closing seconds to earn a trip to the squad's third-straight Sweet 16.

In the most recent matchup, MU earned a 78-72 win on Feb. 13, 2013, thanks to 27 points from Tyler Kolek and a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) by Oso Ighodaro.

MU Concludes Successful Non-League Slate

Marquette played one of the more challenging non-conference schedules in the nation in 2024-25, finishing 9-2, with the two losses coming at nationally ranked Iowa State and Dayton (now ranked).

The Golden Eagles' non-league schedule included a pair of wins over top-15 Big Ten opponents in Purdue and Wisconsin, a victory at Maryland and a win over Georgia in the Bahamas.

Marquette Opens 20th Campaign In BIG EAST

Marquette, which joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06, opens its 20th campaign in the league on Wednesday night when the team faces Butler at Fiserv Forum.

Since entering the league, the Golden Eagles have collected a winning record on 12 occasions and finished with a .500 mark three times. MU claimed a share of the regular season title in 2012-13 and the outright championship, along with tournament trophy, in 2022-23.

In 19 years of BIG EAST action, the Golden Eagles have compiled an overall record of 201-143 (.584).

Marquette was picked fourth in the preseason poll, earning 74 votes, including one first-place vote. UConn (100), Creighton (84) and Xavier (82) claimed the top-three spots.

Ross Returns To Form In Latest Win

Junior guard Chase Ross finished with a team-high 19 points at Dayton on Saturday, continuing a season-long trend of increased production from last year.

The Dallas native's numbers are up across the board, where he has nearly doubled his scoring output (6.1 ppg. to 11.5 ppg.) from last season, thanks in large part to increased shooting efficiency. In 2023-24, Ross shot just 42.5 percent from the floor, but in 11 outings this season he is knocking down 51.8 percent of his opportunities from the field and nearly 40.0 percent from long distance.

Ross scored double figures in points on 10 occasions in 32 appearances last season and has already netted 10-or-more points in a game seven times in 2024-25.