Best non-conference home game You attended

[HowardsWorld]

Looking to get some more activity going here with the season finally starting. I have been fortune enough to attend numbers large non-conference games in the past but the one that sticks out to me the most is Buffalo.

It was not the biggest name but they were a top 25 team when they came in and had previously beat Syracuse in Syracuse. Markus Howard went nuclear in the 2nd half and finished the game with 45 points. For those that were there he was in prime Steph Curry mode.

[MUbiz]

Baylor last year was my best. Illinois a few years ago would be a close second.

[Goose]

I would have to think long on hard about that one. Will say the Baylor game last year was a great game and showed the program was on the way back. Post Al era, the UNC game is very high on my list. MU-Duke under KO is high on my list, even thought we were blown out. Sat on the bench at Cameron and a great memory.

Sorry, missed the home part on the thread. Scratch the Duke game. That said , Duke under Hank in Madison was a great game.

[seakm4]

 2003 wake forest.  It was a late season ooc game.  Wade and Josh Howard went head to head, and we were 14/15 in the polls.   In the final stretch of the fame Howard was dribbling up the court and Wade just dove on the ball mid dribble.  It was an awesome way to cap it.

[brewcity77]

Baylor was the most "holy crap is this happening" game, Illinois was the most "I can't believe we won that" moment, but I think I'd say the 2018 win over Wisconsin. Down most of the second half, managed to get to overtime, Ed got the game saving block on Ethan Happ, and pulled out the win in dramatic fashion. Badger tears are the sweetest.

On the other side, the worst was 2013 vs Ohio State. That was just a terrible game, terrible experience.

[Dickthedribbler]

Prior to I believe 1987, EVERY game was a "non-conference game".

[GoldenEagles03]

Buffalo at the end of 2018 was awesome.

[swoopem]

Baylor was the most "holy crap is this happening" game, Illinois was the most "I can't believe we won that" moment, but I think I'd say the 2018 win over Wisconsin. Down most of the second half, managed to get to overtime, Ed got the game saving block on Ethan Happ, and pulled out the win in dramatic fashion. Badger tears are the sweetest.

On the other side, the worst was 2013 vs Ohio State. That was just a terrible game, terrible experience.

I agree with that Wisconsin game, I think it was my first time at fiserv also- unless it opened the year before

Ohio St sucked cuz we were coming off the elite 8 and I had such high hopes. Another one that comes to mind was the Vandy game in 2010 or 2011. We got our doors blown off

[MUfan12]

That Buffalo game was incredible fun, as was the Baylor game.

I think my favorite was the UW game in 02-03. They used to play that game over break, and it was at best 50-50. This was the first one where it really felt like a Marquette home game, and it was a great building on a Saturday night.

[Skatastrophy]

That Buffalo game was incredible fun, as was the Baylor game.

I think my favorite was the UW game in 02-03. They used to play that game over break, and it was at best 50-50. This was the first one where it really felt like a Marquette home game, and it was a great building on a Saturday night.

Playing it over break was brutal, even the student section had a bunch of UW-Madison fans.

The Madison game that year was doubly fun because it was on the heels of a 20 point embarassment in South Bend where it felt like our season may be ending before it even began. What a year.

[StillAWarrior]

Notre Dame 1989. Sadly, there weren't very many good OOC home wins during my time at MU.

[brewcity77]

I agree with that Wisconsin game, I think it was my first time at fiserv also- unless it opened the year before

Ohio St sucked cuz we were coming off the elite 8 and I had such high hopes. Another one that comes to mind was the Vandy game in 2010 or 2011. We got our doors blown off

That Vandy game was awful, but at least we saw one team perform well (even is it wasn't ours). That Ohio State game was terrible for both teams. That they scored 0.8 points per possession and didn't just win but blew us out...god that was bad.

[real chili 83]

Prior to I believe 1987, EVERY game was a "non-conference game".

Based on this criteria, when we took down ND, with Doc's half court game winner.

[The Lens]

College: 1994 West Va, 11am tip
Post: Wake in 2003.

[MU82]

Prior to I believe 1987, EVERY game was a "non-conference game".

Yep.

Duke under Hank in Madison was a great game.

That was a great one, Goose ... especially if we say that the likes of ND, DePaul, Dayton, Loyola, etc were de facto "conference" games because we played them most years we were an independent.

My favorite home game ever was when Rivers beat ND at the buzzer in 1981.

As for since MU started being in a conference ...

The "Novak game" vs. UConn in our first Big East game in 2006 sure was a lot of fun.

[brewcity77]

It's kind of amazing how few options there are from Buzz's tenure. Those non-con slates were soooooo bad.

[Dr. Blackheart]

It's kind of amazing how few options there are from Buzz's tenure. Those non-con slates were soooooo bad.

Buzz's non-con was much better than Crean's. I'll never forget the Florida Gulf Coast game in March so he could actually win a Senior Night game.

[JakeBarnes]

Baylor and Illinois are my two. Both great for their own reasons.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Wake Forest in 2003.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Buffalo,  Illinois,  and Baylor all high on the list.   I also liked Kansas State that save year as Buffalo.

But my favorite will always be 2018 vs the Badgers. Better known as the first verse of the Ballad of Floppy McNutpuncher

[dgies9156]

That Vandy game was awful, but at least we saw one team perform well (even is it wasn't ours).

I want to forget that damn Vandy game. I had some good friends from Nashville who went to Vandy up for that game. Embarrassing, especially since we were ranked 13th that night.

Thanks a heap Hillbilly!

We'd beat 'em today! Badly!

As to my favorite non-conference home game:

THE RUSSIANS in 1975!!!!!!

[Galway Eagle]

Both good environments we had my entire tenure as a student we got rocked by Vandy & OSU. That only leaves Wisconsin games as options. I was at the Purdue win in 2019, but neither team was great and beyond that I was at the Iowa shellacking in 2015.

Wow I've never been to a good non con or WI home Win in the 14yrs I've been following this team.

[mileskishnish72]

I gotta go with ND in Jan., 1971. Loudest I ever heard the Arena. Dean "held" Carr to 22, he'd been averaging near 40.
Crazy atmosphere, it was payback for the home job 2 OT loss the year before.

[BrewCity83]

I agree with Baylor, Buffalo, and Illinois, and the last second UW-Madison win for recent good ones.  But the all-time best was the Doc Rivers game against Notre Dame.

[El Guerrero 2]

The 2019 game versus Purdue was my personal favorite. Going from down 13 at half to a double digit victory was awesome. Koby McEwan played out of his mind that second half.

[CountryRoads]

- 2018 badgers: though most homes wins over the badgers are up there

- 2003 wake forest

- Baylor, Buffalo are up there as well

(I wasn’t at the Illinois game, but it would have been second probably)

[Eye]

I thoroughly enjoyed the win over the Rodents in '94. 81-65 if memory serves. Tony Miller triple double. The almighty Michael Finley held to 3-23 by Roney Eford.

[muwarrior69]

Hmm...all the games I attended were non-conference. I guess our win over #12 St. Johns in '67 gave Al a recruiting boost in the Big Apple area and of course helped being selected to play in the NIT that year. I am sure there were other games but that is more than 50 years ago.

[brewcity77]

Buzz's non-con was much better than Crean's. I'll never forget the Florida Gulf Coast game in March so he could actually win a Senior Night game.

Ehh, I disagree there. Crean played a total of 8 sub-300 teams in 9 years. Buzz played twice as many, 16, in just 6 years. And per kenpom, our NCSOS ranking was 223.7 under Crean, 247.7 under Buzz. When it comes to cupcakes, pretty much no one scrapes the bottom of the barrel harder than Buzz Williams.

[Pepe Sylvia]

Sat Dec 6, 2008.   Wisconsin   W, 61-58   Home   7-1   

Was my 21st birthday at midnight, and I successfully smuggled 6 cans of beer into the BC in my coat lining. Pretty good game, too.

[bilsu]

I had to think a few days about this.

Marquette vs. Jacksonville with matchup between Chones and Artis Gilmore. MU won to go to 22-0. Game ruin next day when Chones declared he was going pro.