Feb. 16, 2009

Milwaukee -

MU-SHU Game Notes (PDF)

The No. 10/11 Marquette University men’s basketball team wraps up its two-game homestand Tuesday night when the squad hosts Seton Hall in BIG EAST action. The Golden Eagles will be looking to extend their current 16-game winning streak at the Bradley Center. The BIG EAST Network will feature Tuesday night’s broadcast, with Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) calling the action. The matchup will air in the greater Milwaukee area on WMLW-TV and will also mark the Fifth Annual Milwaukee Public Schools night, which features pregame and halftime performances by area students.

Golden Eagles Claim 10th BIG EAST Win, Again
The Golden Eagles claimed the team’s 10th league victory of the season with the 73-59 decision over St. John’s, reaching the 10-win mark for the fourth-straight year.

Of the 16 teams in the BIG EAST since 2005-06, only Marquette and Pittsburgh have captured at least 10 victories in each of the the last four campaigns.

Marquette is currently 41-21 in league play since joining the BIG EAST and the program’s total victories is the third-best mark since the 2005-06 season. Last year, MU finished 11-7 in conference action and earned the No. 6 seed in the league tournament.

Senior Class Poised To Claim Three More Records
While senior Jerel McNeal’s assault on the program’s all-time scoring record has been well documented, the overall impact of the senior class on the MU record book should also be recognized.

McNeal already tops the scoring list and classmate Dominic James is No. 1 in field goals attempted (1,511).

McNeal is currently second all-time in steals (269), trailing only Michael Wilson’s (1978-82) total of 272 and needs just nine more field goals to claim the top spot over Bo Ellis (674, 1973-77). Guard Wesley Matthews needs just seven more free throws to pass Dean Meminger’s (1968-71) mark of 493 charity tosses made.

The four members of the 2008-09 senior class currently account for a total of 21 listings in the 18 categories that make up the career top-10 lists. While it will be difficult to earn No. 1 in any of the remaining categories, the potential remains for more additions to the top-10 in several areas.

McNeal’s 20/20 Vision Keeps Passing The Test
Senior Jerel McNeal has scored 20-or-more points on 16 occasions in 2008-09, including a current run of nine-straight outings.

McNeal’s current 20-point run is the longest since Tony Smith reached that mark in eight-straight games for MU during the 1989-90 campaign.

McNeal, who is contributing 23.5 points per game in league play, has netted at least 20 points in 11 of the squad’s 12 BIG EAST contests. Only one other player in the conference, Luke Harangody, can match that total.