Offseason banter- Top 5 MU Big East games you've attended

[MUfan12]

Jimmy's been drafted, recruiting is quiet, and there's still a couple weeks until the Pro-Am. We need something to talk about, so it might as well be something fun to discuss. List your Top 5 MU Big East games you've seen in person- home, away, or neutral. Here's my list-

1) MU 94, #2 UConn 79- 1/3/06. Can't really get much better than this. Big East opener against the class of the league. I came in hoping they would keep it close, and then Novak goes off. The crowd that night was a mix of disbelief and euphoria. Save the Kentucky game in 03, this was the most fun I've had at a Marquette game.

2) MU 84, #9 Pitt 82- 2/18/06. This game doesn't get talked about much, but it was a phenomenal basketball game. 2 days after beating Georgetown, MU locks up a tourney bid in a barnburner. Dangerously cold night in Milwaukee, but it was best crowd I've seen since MU joined the conference. Both teams traded runs in the second half, and things looked bleak for MU until Aaron Gray missed 2 FTs with 20 seconds left. Novak iced it at the line. Great game.

3) #8 MU 94, #25 GU 82- 1/31/09. Sold out Bradley Center out for blood after a heartbreaking OT loss to Georgetown the year before. Georgetown was shooting lights out in the first half, only to have MU pull away midway through the second half. McNeal, Hayward, and Matthews all had 20+ as MU went to 8-0 in conference play.

4) #20 MU 75, #12 Pitt 71- 3/3/07- My last game as a student. Completely sleep deprived after waiting in line all night for the College Gameday taping. Was worried the students would run out of juice, but the place was rocking all night long. Kinsella nearly causes a roof collapse by hitting 2 threes in the first half. Cubi scores 20, including a huge late three from the corner, and MU wins without Jerel. Great one to end on.

5) MU 79, UC 76 OT- 2/21/10- Annual roadtrip took us to Cincinnati for litres at the Hofbrauhaus and a huge game for MU's tourney chances. MU starts off hot, then allows Cincy to make a huge run going into halftime. Lazar was ice cold, but Joe Fulce sparks MU off the bench. With MU down by three, Lazar buries one from the wing forcing OT. Jimmy has a breakaway dunk, Mo hits some clutch FTs, and Vaughn's three rims out to give MU the second of three straight road OT wins. Made the drive back to MKE much more bearable.

Honorable Mention-
-Novak beats ND-1/20/06
-MU routs UL- 3/2/10
-MU finally beats Cuse- 1/29/11

[lab_warrior]

1.  Marquette @ Providence, 2009.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=124kVBUKHmg
The infamous Costanza-Goretex jacket dude comes out of the stands, MU gets down big, Buzz goes small with Acker-DJ-McNeal-Matthews-Lazar lineup.  Matthews plays GIGANTIC, ties the game on an and-one, and Lazar hits 2 HUGE dagger threes from the baseline.  Also, Reinko and Mrs. lab_warrior were also on hand, highly inebriated/jubilant, and providing verbal feedback to some classy PC fans (they suddenly got quiet & bitter when we roared back).

2.  Marquette @ UConn, 2010.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDBbyen3Cqs&feature=related
Really tense, tight game, and the beginning of that team's run where they had really close wins, 3 OT wins.  Jimmy F***ing Butler's driving, hanging game winner, after DJO's huge pump-fake and 3 FT makes late.  Something completely bad ass about the crowd going from roaring to completely silent in like 5 seconds.

3.  Georgetown @ Marquette, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh7Tn2ctgaU  David Cubillan doing his best Dan Majerle impression, crushing 6 huge 3's, in a game we soooooo needed to win at the time.  I think that game was the tipping point for that season. 

4.  West Virginia @ Marquette, 2011.  http://www.youtube.com/user/MUTVSportsBlog?feature=chclk#p/u/44/dlVWKJA1g1c
Jae Crowder blew up for 29 against West Virginia on New Years' day, and we beat a Huggins-coached team.  Made the post game Bloody Mary's  go down REAL SMOOTH. 

5.  Marquette @ Providence, 2010  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=livRJByJQ4M
Lazar being Lazar basically, hanging 28 and hitting big shots.  Willing us to win that game.  Also big games from Butler, and a huge, late rebound from Buycks to seal it up.

Honorable mentions:
Cincinnati @ Marquette 2009 -- DJ completely destroying Deonta Vaughn.  Dominating defense.
Villanova @ Marquette 2008 -- Villanova always matches up well with us.  A really entertaining game that we won, great performances by the 3 amigos.

[WarriorDoc]

GREAT topic, as a recent alum I love hearing about the games I watched at Sobelman's.  I'll never forget the St. John's game winner where my friend spit his Double Sobelman all over the floor in amazement when Butler hit the shot.

[Dr. Blackheart]

ummm....Sweet 16 vs. The Cuse.  No brainer.

[MUfan12]

ummm....Sweet 16 vs. The Cuse.  No brainer.

No doubt. Wish I could have been there.

It was ridiculously hard to get down to 5. Amazing to think that games against TCU, ECU, SLU, and USM were on the conference schedule not long ago. We are very lucky to be able to watch MU play in this conference. Lots of great battles and outstanding games.

[muhs03]

ummm....Sweet 16 vs. The Cuse.  No brainer.

Sweet 16?   

[jaygall31]

Novak. re donk ulous performance.

[LAMUfan]

Louisville in 2003 which we lost was a crazy game followed by MU revenge a few weeks later at.  Novak's UCONN game was bonkers but not close.  Damion Mason game wining and one jumper from the baseline anyone?

[LAMUfan]

at Louisville 

[MUinCO]

Bradley Center, 9 December 1989:
Marquette 80 - Notre Dame 68

[StillAWarrior]

Bradley Center, 9 December 1989:
Marquette 80 - Notre Dame 68

I was going to type, "Ah yes, I remember it well."  But in all honesty, parts of it are a bit hazy.  Hitting The Gym at 7:00...then the game...storming the floor...more refreshments...

[Marqevans]

Bradley Center, 9 December 1989:
Marquette 80 - Notre Dame 68

If limited to the Big East I have to say MU vs UConn where NovaK WENT OFF FOR 40+ POINTS and MU vs ND where Novak hit the clincher at the buzzer.  Otherwise it's MU vs WI where Maurice Lucas hit the clincher at the buzzer and Al stood on the scorer;s table with his arms raised to take in the roar of the crowd in 1974.

[wojosdojo]

2003 Louisville was pretty crazy...

[MU_Iceman]

2003 Louisville was pretty crazy...

This game is still the greatest I've ever seen in person...sure we lost, but the rollercoaster of emotions was unforgettable...

[dgies9156]

Um, gang, nothing in the Big East compares to March 1977. Uh, North Carolina. Uhhh, Al's last game.

Nothing short of another NCAA Championship compares to that!

My number two was March 1974, where we made the NCAA Title Game. Thank you Maurice Lucas. Nothing in the Big East compares to that.

A couple other games ---

March 1970, NIT Championship against St. John's.
March 1970, whooping Pistol Pete Maravich and UMass with Dr. J on the way to the NIT final

March 2003 -- Al McGuire's first verifiable miracle as Marquette beats Kentucky on the way to the Final Four
February 1982 -- Glenn Rivers hits a jumpshot from Wauwatosa to beat Notre Dame
March 1969 -- Marquette falls one free throw short of its first Final Four and is beaten in overtime by Purdue and Rick Mount.
December 1971 -- Marquette 56 Tennessee 30 -- Arguably, the most stunning and convincing victory Marquette has ever pulled on a major conference college basketball power.

Compared to these, the only Big East game that comes close was our signature Big East win on our opening day of Big East competition against UConn.

[bobnoxious]

In no particular order

Dameon Mason against Louisville (c-usa but highly entertaing)

Novak beating down Uconn

Novak  against ND

College Gameday against Pitt when Kinsella decided to show off the long ball

West Virginia 2009, simply for the fact that Thuggy bear looked like he was going to cry as he was trying to stare down Buzz

[KenoshaWarrior]

This game is still the greatest I've ever seen in person...sure we lost, but the rollercoaster of emotions was unforgettable...

That game was unreal!!!

Diener hits the three and with the crowd going nuts Madison native Reece Gaines hits a cold blooded dagger and the crowd was like muted
Wish we could have pulled that one off!