#MUBB Travels To Creighton Saturday Night

The Marquette University men's basketball team (5-7, 0-1 BIG EAST) continues BIG EAST Conference action at Creighton (6-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. CT at CHI Health Center Omaha. Peacock and NBC Sports Network feature the broadcast, with John Fanta (play-by-play), Nick Bahe (analyst) and Jordan Cornette (analyst) calling the action. Following the game, the Golden Eagles will scatter across the country to spend the holidays with friends and family before returning to campus to prepare for the team's next game Dec. 30 vs. Seton Hall.

All-Time Series Dates Back To 1922-23

Marquette's all-time series against Creighton spans nearly the entirety of the program's 108-year history.

The Golden Eagles own a 60-41 advantage in the series and have claimed four of the last six 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.

The two teams split the home-and-home series in 2024-25, with each squad winning on its respective home court. The Bluejays claimed a 77-67 win over No. 11 Marquette on Feb. 8, 2025 in the most recent matchup at CHI Health Center Omaha. Guard Kam Jones (27) and forward David Joplin (22) combined for 49 of the team's 67 points in that outing.

Owens Has Career Night In BIG EAST Opener

Sophomore forward Damarius Owens entered Wednesday's BIG EAST opener with 23 total points in his first nine appearances this season and concluded the night against Georgetown with a career-best 15-point effort.

The Rochester, N.Y., native finished 5-of-11 from the floor, knocked down each of his four free throw attempts and also grabbed a personal-best seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action off the bench.

Owens' previous career best was a 14-point effort against Stonehill on Nov. 27, 2024 and he collected five boards at Villanova on Feb. 21, 2025.

Starting Lineup Features Multiple Options

For three seasons (2022-23 to 2024-25) Marquette's starting lineup featured just eight different players, the lowest total in the nation during that time.

In 2023-24, Marquette and Marshall were the only two programs to start the same lineup in every outing and last season it was just the Golden Eagles and St. Mary's College. Included in the group of eight players are four (Oso Ighodaro - Phoenix, Kam Jones - Indiana, Tyler Kolek - New York and Olivier-Maxence Prosper - Memphis) currently playing in the NBA.

Sophomore forward Royce Parham made his first-career start on Wednesday night, becoming the eighth player this season to be on the court for the opening tip. Joining Parham in the group who have made their respective first-ever starts so far in 2025-26 are Nigel James, Jr., Zaide Lowery, Adrien Stevens, Sean Jones and Caedin Hamilton.

Parham Provides Scoring Boost, Earns Start

Sophomore forward Royce Parham, a member of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2024-25, made his first-career start on Wednesday night after 45 appearances as a reserve.

He finished with 12 points in 26 minutes of action aginst the Hoyas and reached double figures for the third-straight game for the first time in his career. He has netted 10-or-more points in four of the squad's last five outings.

In the last three games, Parham is contributing a team-best 13.7 points per contest and shooting 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from the field. The Pittsburgh native finished with a career-high 19 points, including a 3-of-6 effort from behind the 3-point line, in 27 minutes of action against No. 6/6 Purdue.

Parham, who scored double figures in points in four games all of last season, has already reached that mark six times in 2025-26.

Point Guard Combo Productive Against Hoyas

Marquette's point guard duo of junior Sean Jones and freshman Nigel James, Jr. saw extended action together on the court against the Hoyas and combined for a productive night at the offensive end.

The duo combined for 23 points, nine assists and a pair of blocked shots and shot 10-of-19 from the floor. Neither player scored in the team's previous outing, a loss at No. 6/6 Purdue in the non-conference finale. Wednesday's action was just the third game back for Jones after missing the previous six with a shoulder injury.