
#MUBB Opens NCAA Tournament Friday Night vs. New Mexico
3/21/2025 9:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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TBS features 6:35 p.m. CT broadcast from Rocket Arena in Cleveland
The Marquette University men's basketball team (23-10, 13-7 BIG EAST) opens play in the 2025 NCAA tournament when the squad faces New Mexico (26-7, 17-3 MWC) on Friday, March 21 at 6:35 p.m. CT from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Â The Golden Eagles are the No. 7 seed in the South Region and the Lobos are seeded 10th. Â The winner of Friday's matchup advances to face the winner of the Michigan State-Bryant game on Sunday, March 23 in the second round.
Marquette Making 37th NCAA Appearance  Â
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Marquette is making its 37th appearance in the NCAA tournament and is participating in in fourth-straight event for first time since 2012-13 (last of eight-straight trips). Â
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The program, which claimed the national title in 1977 under legendary head coach Al McGuire, also owns 17 trips to the Sweet Sixteen (most recently in 2023-24) and has participated in the Final Four on three occasions (1974, 1977, 2003).
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Marquette has faced New Mexico on one previous occasion, with the Lobos downing the Golden Eagles, 75-68, on Dec. 21, 2013 at the MGM Grand Showcase in Las Vegas.
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The Golden Eagles are 1-2 all-time as the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, most recently falling to 10th-seeded Alabama, 90-85, in the opening around of the 2006 tourney in San Diego.
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Marquette's last trip to Cleveland for the postseason in 2010-11 resulted in the first of three-straight Sweet 16 appearances (Elite Eight in 2012-13) after wins over Xavier and Syracuse as the No. 11 seed in the East Region.
Program Postseason History
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Since the 2022-23 campaign, Marquette is the only power conference team that hasn't signed a NCAA Division I transfer, leading to as consistent a starting lineup as any program in the country.
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Through games of March 16, Marquette is one of just two squads (St. Mary's College) to feature the same starting lineup (Jones, Mitchell, Joplin, Ross, Gold). Â Two years ago, Marquette and Marshall were the only two teams in the country to utilize the same starting five the entire season.
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Since the opening contest of the 2022-23 campaign (Kolek, Ighodaro, Prosper, Mitchell, Jones), just eight different players have started a game for MU, the lowest total in all of NCAA Division I. Â Of the eight, the three players (Kolek, Ighodaro, Prosper) currently not starting for the team are competing in the NBA.
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In league action the last three regular seasons, only two-time defending national champion UConn (45) has won more BIG EAST games than MU (44).
Schedule Preps Marquette For Postseason Â
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The Golden Eagles played a total of 13 games this season versus nine different programs also participating in the 2025 NCAA tournament field.
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Included in the group of nine opponents are five programs (St. John's, Iowa State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue) ranked in the most recent Associated Press Top-25 national ranking.Â
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The 11-team BIG EAST Conference is represented by five programs in the NCAA tourney, including two-time defending national champion UConn.
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Jones Makes Reservation For 2KÂ Â Â
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Marquette senior guard Kam Jones was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after averaging 26.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in a pair of outings, but his most impressive accomplishment came in the tourney opener vs. Xavier.
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The Memphis native finished with 28 points in the win over the Musketeers, becoming just the second player in program history with 2,000 career points in the process. Â Jones passed Jerel McNeal (1,985 - 2005-09) for second place all-time and is now just one of two players at Marquette to score over 2,000 points.
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Two-time All-America selection Markus Howard (2016-20) concluded his career with 2,761 points, the 23rd-best total in NCAA history.
Mitchell Nearing Career Offensive Milestone   Â
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Guard Stevie Mitchell is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE and a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, also presented to the nation's top defender.
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While his defense gets well-deserved recognition, the Reading, Pennslyvania, native is close to joining an exclusive club at Marquette. Â He enters Friday's outing just six points (994) away from becoming the 55th player in the 108-year history of Marquette basketball to score 1,000 career points.Â
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Mitchell has reached double figures in four of the team's last six outings and is averaging a career-best 10.9 points per game in 2024-25.
Joplin Familiar Name In Official Scorebook    Â
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Senior forward David Joplin, who hasn't missed a game in his four-year career, will set the program record for games played when the ball is tipped on Friday against New Mexico.
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The Milwaukee native will make his 139th appearance for the Golden Eagles, passing Lazar Hayward (138 - 2006-10) for the top spot in the program's record book. Â Joplin, the BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year in 2022-23, came off the bench in each of his first two seasons (68 games) and has started all 70 of Marquette's outings the last two years.
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The four members of this year's senior class - Joplin (138), Kam Jones (136), Stevie Mitchell (134) and Cam Brown (20) - a group called "The Guardians", have combined to appear in 428 career games for the Blue & Gold under Shaka Smart.
Marquette Making 37th NCAA Appearance  Â
  Â
Marquette is making its 37th appearance in the NCAA tournament and is participating in in fourth-straight event for first time since 2012-13 (last of eight-straight trips). Â
  Â
The program, which claimed the national title in 1977 under legendary head coach Al McGuire, also owns 17 trips to the Sweet Sixteen (most recently in 2023-24) and has participated in the Final Four on three occasions (1974, 1977, 2003).
  Â
Marquette has faced New Mexico on one previous occasion, with the Lobos downing the Golden Eagles, 75-68, on Dec. 21, 2013 at the MGM Grand Showcase in Las Vegas.
  Â
The Golden Eagles are 1-2 all-time as the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, most recently falling to 10th-seeded Alabama, 90-85, in the opening around of the 2006 tourney in San Diego.
  Â
Marquette's last trip to Cleveland for the postseason in 2010-11 resulted in the first of three-straight Sweet 16 appearances (Elite Eight in 2012-13) after wins over Xavier and Syracuse as the No. 11 seed in the East Region.
Program Postseason History
- 1977 NCAA Champions (defeated North Carolina 67-59 in Atlanta in Al McGuire's last game)
- 37th NCAA tournament appearance is tied for ninth-highest total all-time (44-37 all-time record)
- 54th postseason appearance overall (37 NCAA, 16 NIT, 1 National Catholic Championship; top-10 among all Division I programs)
- Three trips to the Final Four (1974, 1977, 2003)
- 17 trips to the Sweet 16 (most recently 2023-24)
  Â
Since the 2022-23 campaign, Marquette is the only power conference team that hasn't signed a NCAA Division I transfer, leading to as consistent a starting lineup as any program in the country.
  Â
Through games of March 16, Marquette is one of just two squads (St. Mary's College) to feature the same starting lineup (Jones, Mitchell, Joplin, Ross, Gold). Â Two years ago, Marquette and Marshall were the only two teams in the country to utilize the same starting five the entire season.
  Â
Since the opening contest of the 2022-23 campaign (Kolek, Ighodaro, Prosper, Mitchell, Jones), just eight different players have started a game for MU, the lowest total in all of NCAA Division I. Â Of the eight, the three players (Kolek, Ighodaro, Prosper) currently not starting for the team are competing in the NBA.
  Â
In league action the last three regular seasons, only two-time defending national champion UConn (45) has won more BIG EAST games than MU (44).
Schedule Preps Marquette For Postseason Â
  Â
The Golden Eagles played a total of 13 games this season versus nine different programs also participating in the 2025 NCAA tournament field.
  Â
Included in the group of nine opponents are five programs (St. John's, Iowa State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue) ranked in the most recent Associated Press Top-25 national ranking.Â
  Â
The 11-team BIG EAST Conference is represented by five programs in the NCAA tourney, including two-time defending national champion UConn.
  Â
Jones Makes Reservation For 2KÂ Â Â
  Â
Marquette senior guard Kam Jones was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after averaging 26.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in a pair of outings, but his most impressive accomplishment came in the tourney opener vs. Xavier.
  Â
The Memphis native finished with 28 points in the win over the Musketeers, becoming just the second player in program history with 2,000 career points in the process. Â Jones passed Jerel McNeal (1,985 - 2005-09) for second place all-time and is now just one of two players at Marquette to score over 2,000 points.
  Â
Two-time All-America selection Markus Howard (2016-20) concluded his career with 2,761 points, the 23rd-best total in NCAA history.
Mitchell Nearing Career Offensive Milestone   Â
  Â
Guard Stevie Mitchell is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE and a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, also presented to the nation's top defender.
  Â
While his defense gets well-deserved recognition, the Reading, Pennslyvania, native is close to joining an exclusive club at Marquette. Â He enters Friday's outing just six points (994) away from becoming the 55th player in the 108-year history of Marquette basketball to score 1,000 career points.Â
  Â
Mitchell has reached double figures in four of the team's last six outings and is averaging a career-best 10.9 points per game in 2024-25.
Joplin Familiar Name In Official Scorebook    Â
  Â
Senior forward David Joplin, who hasn't missed a game in his four-year career, will set the program record for games played when the ball is tipped on Friday against New Mexico.
  Â
The Milwaukee native will make his 139th appearance for the Golden Eagles, passing Lazar Hayward (138 - 2006-10) for the top spot in the program's record book. Â Joplin, the BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year in 2022-23, came off the bench in each of his first two seasons (68 games) and has started all 70 of Marquette's outings the last two years.
  Â
The four members of this year's senior class - Joplin (138), Kam Jones (136), Stevie Mitchell (134) and Cam Brown (20) - a group called "The Guardians", have combined to appear in 428 career games for the Blue & Gold under Shaka Smart.
Players Mentioned
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