#MUBB Hosts Seton Hall Tuesday Night

The Marquette University men's basketball team (5-8, 0-2 BIG EAST) continues BIG EAST Conference action on Tuesday, Dec. 30 when the team hosts Seton Hall (11-2, 1-1 BIG EAST) at 6 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 Tuesday's outing, the Golden Eagles will travel to nationally ranked UConn on Jan. 4.

Series With Seton Hall Dates Back To 1956

The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with Seton Hall, 26-14, with all but one of the matchups coming after MU joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06.

SHU opened the series with a 96-78 victory over Marquette on March 17, 1956 in MU's first-ever appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in New York. The next meeting wouldn't come until 50 years later when Marquette moved to the BIG EAST.

The Golden Eagles, who have claimed seven of the last eight matchups, swept the home-and-home series in 2024-25. In the most recent contest, No. 16 Marquette posted an 80-56 win over the Pirates on Feb. 18, 2025 in Fiserv Forum. Guard Chase Ross (11) and Ben Gold (10) both scored double figures and 11-different players netted at least two points in the win.

James Jr. Sets Personal High, Again

Freshman point guard Nigel James Jr. scored double figures for the eighth time this season in the team's latest outing against Creighton, finishing with a personal-best 23 points.

In 30 minutes of action against the Bluejays, he also contributed six rebounds, four steals and three assists and knocked down a trio of 3-point shots. His rebound and steal totals matched season highs set against Wisconsina and Dayton, respectively.

The Huntington, N.Y., native has scored at least 10 points in five of the last six outings and already owns three efforts of 20-or-more points. In the opening two BIG EAST outings, he contributed 18.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game and also tops the roster with three blocked shots.

Golden Eagles, Pirates Not In Giving Spirit

Tuesday's matchup features the top-two programs in the league in steals per game, with the Pirates averging 10.7 thefts per contest and the Golden Eagles ranked second (9.3 spg.) through games of Dec. 28.

Both teams feature two players ranked among the league's top-10, with Marquette's Chase Ross tied for third with 1.9 steals per game and Nigel James Jr. tied for sixth (1.6 spg.). SHU's Adam Clark is currently second (2.1 spg.) and J.J. Staton-McCray shares the third spot with Ross.

Ross recently moved into the program's career top-10 list and is now in possession of 167 steals in 115 career games.

Point Guard Combo Productive In BIG EAST

Marquette's point guard duo of junior Sean Jones and freshman Nigel James Jr. has seen extended action on the court in the first two BIG EAST outings as Jones continues to settle in after missing six games with a shoulder injury.

In the opening two outings of conference play, the tandem has combined to contribute 27.5 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per outing while shooting 21-of-43 (48.8 percent) from the floor overall and 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from behind the 3-point line.

James Jr. scored a game-high 23 points at Creighton, but Jones was an efficient 3-of-6 from the field, with all three of his baskets coming from deep to match a personal single-game high.