[GoMarquette.com] Golden Eagles Host Utah Valley State Saturday Night

[GoMarquetteSays]

Golden Eagles Host Utah Valley State Saturday Night
         

Game notes: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/marq/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/mbbnotes_uvsc.pdf

The No. 11/12 Marquette University men's basketball program continues its two-game season-opening homestand versus Utah Valley State Monday night at the Bradley Center. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Time Warner Sports Channel 32. Dennis Krause (play-by-play) and Jeff Nix (analyst) will call the action.

James Nearing Career Milestone
Junior guard Dominic James, a First Team All-BIG EAST honoree and preseason All-America selection, is rapidly approaching a well-recognized personal milestone.

Following his 12-point effort in the season opener versus IUPUI, the Richmond, Ind., native is now just nine points short of the 1,000-point plateau.

He will become the 38th player all-time and first since Steve Novak in 2005-06 to reach the mark. James is the seventh player (Travis Diener, Cordell Henry, Scott Merritt, Novak, Dwyane Wade and Brian Wardle) to achieve the benchmark during the Tom Crean era.

James has started each of his 66 career games at Marquette and owns a career scoring average of 15.0 points per game and has reached double figures in points in 53 of those outings.

Marquette's Jerel McNeal (789) and Wesley Matthews (647) also have legitimate shots at joining the 1,000-point club in 2007-08.

Excuse Me, Have We Met Before?
A total of nine players saw action for Marquette Saturday night in the season opener against IUPUI, but only one of those participants was taking the court for the first time as a Golden Eagle.

Sophomore guard Maurice Acker, a transfer from Ball State, was the only MU player making his Marquette debut. He finished with three points, a rebound and an assist in 12 minutes of action.

Marquette returns all five starters and 10 letterwinners from the 2006-07 squad, a group that accounted for all but two minutes per game. Head coach Tom Crean's lineup options are currently limited due to injuries to freshmen Scott Christopherson and Trevor Mbakwe.

Christopherson underwent knee surgery on Nov. 10, but is expected back in 2007-08. Mbakwe will miss all of this season and redshirt.

Depth Proves To Be The Difference In Win Over
Although the Marquette bench went just four deep Saturday night, the Golden Eagle quartet made the most of its opportunities.

MU outscored the Jaguars 26-1 off the bench, helping Marquette rally from a second-half deficit for the victory. The combination of Maurice Acker, David Cubillan, Lazar Hayward and Ousmane Barro chipped in 26 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. The group shot 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the floor and 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) from the charity stripe.         

http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/111107aad.html
         

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

MU hosts Utah Valley State

With the warmth and charm of Maui looming on the horizon, the Marquette Golden Eagles (1-0) will take on the Utah Valley State Wolverines (0-1) at the Bradley Center on Monday night. Tip-off is at 7pm Marquette Standard Time.

The Wolverines stumble into Milwaukee looking to bounce back from an overtime loss at Boise State, 73-72. Junior guard Ryan Toolson led the Wolverines with 29 points, while 6'6" senior forward Jordan Brady added a double-double of 17 and 15. Forward Richard Troyer chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds. The Wolverines made 39% of their threes in the loss.

Utah Valley State is coached by former Ball State head man Dick Hunsaker. The Wolverines had a breakthrough season a year ago, going 22-7 with notable wins over Albany and North Dakota State. The 6'4" Toolson led the team in scoring despite not starting a single game. Toolson poured in 15.5 ppg, connected on an eye-popping 44% from 3-pt territory, and led the nation in free throw shooting (97%). Jimmy Chitwood lives! As a team, the Wolverines made 39% of their three-point attempts last season.

The Golden Eagles will rely on its backcourt as Tom Crean looks to take a perfect record into Maui next week. Jerel McNeal, who rallied Marquette from a sluggish stretch in the second half against IUPUI, will likely draw the defensive assignment on Toolson.

While Marquette's deep and talented backcourt seems to come at opponents in waves, the inside game remains a mystery, as always. Junior Dwight Burke started over Ousmane Barro on Saturday, and delivered a two points, two rebounds and five steals in 16 minutes of action. Barro was not much better, if at all, with three points and seven boards in 22 uninspiring minutes.

Media Reports

    * Here's the GoMarquette preview.
    * Here are the MU game notes - - .pdf
    * Utah Valley State official preview.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2007/11/mu-hosts-utah-valley-state.html