Marquette Memories Vol. II - Favorite Game Attended (In Person)

[Goose]

jsglow

My sophmore year as well with Doc. That was unreal game.

[dgies9156]

Wonderful thread.

I'm going to answer this with one from each era of my life so far.

1) The ORIGINAL Midnight Madness exhibition against the dreaded Russian team at the Arena in 1975.  For those that don't recall, Al scheduled the game at the stroke of midnight so MU would be in compliance with NCAA regulations not to begin play too early on the calendar.  It was Halloween weekend and all the students were in full party mode.  I was 14 years old and attended with my dad.  Decided that night where I wanted to go to school.

I was there that night too. A sophomore at MU and loved every minute of it. Greatest home game ever. Yes, I was in full party mode. Beer was flowing all night. We could drink at 18 and the students were, well, 1970s era students.

Your Dad must have been neat. I forgot about the midnight part -- you're absolutely right. Any Dad that would take a teenager to a Marquette game at 12:01 a.m., has gotta be cool.

Neat memory!

[Slim]

"MU vs. ND in 1981 (my junior year). Glenn Rivers wins the game with halfcourt heave at the buzzer. The Arena is up for grabs. Michael Wilson (an excellent player from that era) celebrates by climbing up on the basket and sitting on the rim."

My favorite as well. God that was fun!

Actually, Michael asked me an another guy to lift him up to the rim. As we were lifting him, I decided to steal his shoe off his foot. He turned to me and said: "Give me my damn shoe!". The iconic photo is hanging at Caffery's Pub. Michael standing on the rim, Arm's spread in victory, something white in his hand. Yeah, his shoe, I returned it. Check out the picture next time you are at Caffery's

[chapman]

Just one word, and I think everyone will know the game I'm referring to: Kinsella.

Same.   The Game Day game.  Was in line to get in before midnight, then back in line for the actual game after the College Game Day show.  Only to find out minutes before that McNeal wouldn't play and thinking we were toast...then Kinsella.

[dgies9156]

By the way, I concur with everyone who remembers the 2003 UK game as one of the best. It was at the Baggiedome in Minneapolis. We were out in full force, just having defeated Pittsburgh. No one thought we could win. No one.

DWade went nuts that day. Best game he ever had, college or pro. Best game Tom Crean ever coached!

[drewm88]

A lot of great games to choose from, but March 29, 2003 wins out for me. Being at the Metrodome to see MU beat Kentucky was the best. Outside of watching them win a National Championship, I don't know if it will ever be topped.

Agreed on all of this. Still one of my favorite days ever, much less favorite game.

It was a loss, but the Georgetown game in 2008 was a lot of fun up until DJ fouled freaking Jonathan Wallace. I'll never forget the barrage of glo-sticks raining down from the upper-deck. Something tells me glo-sticks will not be making a reappearance anytime soon.

Agreed on this, too. The BC was crazy. Upper deck was literally shaking during Wallace's FTs.

[77ncaachamps]

By the way, I concur with everyone who remembers the 2003 UK game as one of the best. It was at the Baggiedome in Minneapolis. We were out in full force, just having defeated Pittsburgh. No one thought we could win. No one.

DWade went nuts that day. Best game he ever had, college or pro. Best game Tom Crean ever coached!

Nay. DWade did all the work baby. Crean just rode on his coattails.

[Coleman]

Wonderful thread.

I'm going to answer this with one from each era of my life so far.

1) The ORIGINAL Midnight Madness exhibition against the dreaded Russian team at the Arena in 1975.  For those that don't recall, Al scheduled the game at the stroke of midnight so MU would be in compliance with NCAA regulations not to begin play too early on the calendar.  It was Halloween weekend and all the students were in full party mode.  I was 14 years old and attended with my dad.  Decided that night where I wanted to go to school.

2) Doc from half court against ND my Sophomore year.

3) Davidson 2013. Perhaps the most emotional and joyous 2 minutes of my life as it pertains to MU hoops for reasons I didn't share in Lexington with the exception of one close friend.  You see, exactly 24 hours before the Davidson tip-off I had gotten the dreaded cancer diagnosis following some tests.  Funny, nurses never give you bad news.  It's always the doctor herself.  Anyway, I drove to Lexington alone Wednesday afternoon with a very heavy heart as chick couldn't come down until Friday.  Then magically, for a little while Thursday afternoon at least, MU hoops allowed me to forget.  

By the way, I've kicked it in the ass and won so far.

Great story. And congrats. F*ck cancer.

[muwarrior69]

I attended every game of the of the 1970 NIT. Sure we were the favorites; especially after telling the NCAA to take a hike when they decided to send us to New Mexico for the regionals. The New York press was giving LSU all the head lines and Pistol Pete was the Big Man on Broadway which really got under AL's skin. It was in the the semifinal game we played LSU. I never seen an MU team so pumped for a game. Well to keep it short it was no contest; we shut down Pistol Pete (averaged 40+ points per game that year) who only scored around 20 for the entire game if my memory serves me; and it was the first time that an AL coached MU team scored over a 100 points. He showed no mercy and crushed them. He made the press wait almost an hour for his post game presser.

[muwarrior69]

You guys forgot the best MU game in the 60's, the victory over Kentucky at the Old Fieldhouse in Madison.  The old south, all white, Issel, Pratt, Casey vs. George, Dean, Joe Thomas, Ric
Cobb and Jeff Sewell.  In the crowd that night, the Kentucky fans were inciting the crowd by waving confederate flags, the crowd was nuts.  To bad, the next game they lost in overtime to
Purdue and Rick Mount.

I was there for both.... and saying Rick Mount still leaves a bad taste in my mouth; what a shooter he was though.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

The "4 point play." Last years game against Cuse or the Jae Crowder, throat slash game 2 years ago. I think we were down early in both those games.

[jsglow]

Great story. And congrats. F*ck cancer.

Thanks very much.

[nyg]

I believe this was the one in 1973 where we had one of the nastiest brawls ever. That's what I liked about McGuire's teams. No crap from no one!

Bob Lackey et al wouldn't take it any more. Those Carolina finness players didn't know what hit them.

1972.  Mike Dunleavy was a freshman and could not play.

National TV at South Carolina. South Carolina had Brian Winters, Kevin Joyce and maybe John Roach.  Awesome guards.

Lackey got into fight with Tom Riker (6ft10, 240) and Lackey kicked his butt with a few facial punches. Larry McNeil picked up a chair and was about to beat anyone who came close.  MU won by one point. 

[4everwarriors]

jsglow

My sophmore year as well with Doc. That was unreal game.

Pretty sure this was the game Tripucka was AWOL for a while assumingly to take a dump.

[Sir Lawrence]

For pure entertainment value:  the bat attack game.

[real chili 83]

Here's one I'll suggest....

Anyone remember the "Marquardt game"?

It was my frosh year.  Dean had been recovering from a car accident, and one of his first games back was against ND.  Notre Dame had Lambier and Flowers on that team

Dean owned that day, having to do double duty against an ND team that had 10 fouls to throw at him.  The game is a favorite because of how well Dean did, and we beat ND!

[GooooMarquette]

For pure entertainment value:  the bat attack game.

Agreed.  That's one I will long remember...for reasons other than the game itself.  Shutting down the lights, playing Whitney Houston, fans singing along and lighting up their cell phones.  Classic!

[bradley center bat]

Dec 22, 2002 at the BC versus Wisconsin. Ended the 4 game losing streak against Bucky.

[the eagle]

Notre dame at Marquette January 2008. Boys won by 30 led by James McNeal and Matthews. I remember espn saying later that day that if Marquette played that well every game they could beat absolutely anyone. Obviously didn't work that way as that was the year they lost to Stanford in the round of 32, but what a game it was.

[jtrash37]

Just one word, and I think everyone will know the game I'm referring to: Kinsella.

Was mine too.  Gameday, 28 point halftime lead, and Dixon pulling his hair out.  LOVE

[Lennys Tap]

In chronological order:

1. March 1968 - Marquette beats Bowling Green U (now Bowling Green St) on the campus of Kent State for Al McGuire's first NCAA tournament win at MU. Jimmy Burke hits a 20 footer in the final second for the win.
2. March 1969 - Led by George Thompson the Warriors upset Kentucky in Madison to reach the Elite 8.
3. March 1970 - Al says stick it to the NCAA and takes the team to New York to win the NIT. The most fun game was the semi final rout of LSU and Pete Maravich.

Lot's more after that but they're never quite as sweet as when you were a student and knew the players personally.

[Gato78]

Personally there: 2 immediately come to mind. 2003 in Minneapolis whipping #1 Kentucky. 1975 vs the Russian National Team at midnight at the Arena--pure alcoholic haze by everyone.

[Jay Bee]

I'd throw in the Pittsburgh game at the Dome as well.. that was a great one.

Some games in Madison are up there for me.. oddly (?) one of my favorites was the win over South Florida in the '94 NIT at the MECCA.

[77ncaachamps]

I'd throw in the Pittsburgh game at the Dome as well.. that was a great one.

Some games in Madison are up there for me.. oddly (?) one of my favorites was the win over South Florida in the '945 NIT at the MECCA.

Wasn't there because I had an organizational function but we were listening to the game backstage knowing that a win would send us to NY.

And when we heard MU won and found out there was going to be a run down to the lake, a bunch of us booked it! Cold, snowy, dark...awesome memories!

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

5)  Notre Dame 2006. Steve Novak. Buzzer beater. Enough said.
4)  Cincinnati 2002.  First big game I attended in my freshman year. Ended a 20 game Cincy winning streak.  Rushed the court from section 106, and still have the picture of Dwyane Wade being carried off by the students with the American flag in the background hanging in my living room to this day.
3)  Louisville 2003. Dizzying, dizzying game, if I recall right there were something like 15 ties, 21 lead changes, and no team with more than a 6 point lead at any point. The roof nearly collapsed when Diener hit they tying 3, but I've never heard a building go from 120 decibels to a pindrop as quick as I did when Reece Gaines pulled up and nailed the winning 3.
2)  Syracuse 2013.  Crowd was completely dead in the water and frustrated to all hell until the 4 or so minute mark of the first half, then Jake hit the 3 and go fouled, and the crowd just blasted off like a turbo charged rocket.  Lived and died on every single possession of that second half and stood for probably the last 10 minutes.  Never had felt as physically or emotionally exhausted at a Marquette game in my life as I did when the final buzzer sounded.
1) @ St. John's 2013. Sitting just behind the St. John's student section, feeling really good when Marquette had a double digit lead, and in a near catatonic state as they squandered a 9 point lead with 3 minutes left in regulation to head to overtime.  Vander hit the game winning layup at the hoop we were sitting beyond and we became Big East champions.

Honorable mentions: @ Wisconsin 2007 (first MU win at the Kohl Center), Pittsburgh 2006 (Aaron Gray bricks 2 potential game winning free throws with 5.5 seconds left and Marquette beats a 2nd ranked team in 3 days), Cincinnati 2003 (Marquette clinches the CUSA title), Notre Dame 2013 (wire to wire win on Senior Day in the last scheduled Marquette-ND meeting), Louisville 2010 (first home win over Louisville since 2004)