Wisconsin, Marquette Renew Rivalry
December 08, 2006 | Men's Basketball
When Wisconsin and Marquette take the floor at the Bradley Center Saturday, it will mark the first time in the 113-game history of the UW-MU series that both teams enter the game ranked in the Associated Press Top 20.
The 12th-ranked Badgers (8-1) and 17th-ranked Golden Eagles (9-1) will compete in a battle for state bragging rights before a nation-wide audience on ESPN. Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas will cover the 1 p.m. tip.
Wisconsin has won six of the last eight games against Marquette and leads the series 61-51. The home team has won each of the last five meetings. Kammron Taylor scored 18 points to help UW beat MU 77-63 last season.
Marquette won eight in a row to start the season before losing at home to North Dakota State last Saturday. The Golden Eagles handed then-No. 9 Duke its lone loss of the year at the CBE Classic on Nov. 21. MU also defeated Bobby Knight's Texas Tech squad and won by three points at Valparaiso. Marquette is 6-1 at home this season.
Wisconsin will play its first true road contest Saturday. The Badgers have won four in a row since losing to Missouri State at the South Padre Invitational in Texas.
Marquette is the second of five straight games Wisconsin will play against 2006 NCAA Tournament participants. UW began the stretch with an 82-79 win in overtime against Winthrop on Tuesday. UW-Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Pacific are also on the slate.
The Badgers will start five upperclassmen Saturday, whereas Marquette will feature three highly touted sophomore guards. Dominic James, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year, leads the trio. Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews are averaging 13.9 and 12.0 points per game, respectively.
James scored a season-high 25 points against Duke. He scored the final 18 points for Marquette and finished with 22 in his next game against Valparaiso. James was named a preseason first-team All-American by two sources and is averaging 17 points and 4.2 assists this season.
UW's preseason All-American, Alando Tucker, is averaging 19.3 points per game and has four 20-point efforts in his last six games. He, along with Michael Flowers, scored 21 points in the Badgers' win over Winthrop. Flowers added five assists to his career high in points. His putback with 11 seconds left sent the game into overtime and his 3-pointer at the start of OT gave UW the lead for good.
Tucker will be playing in his fifth career game against Marquette. Tucker was granted a medical redshirt for the 2003-04 season after playing in just four games due to a right foot injury. One of those four games was a 63-59 win over MU at the Kohl Center. Tucker is averaging 12 points in his four previous games against the Golden Eagles.
Statistically speaking, both teams are pretty equal across the board. The Badgers shoot better from the floor while the Golden Eagles rely more heavily on the 3. Wisconsin has committed nearly 50 fewer turnovers than Marquette, but the Golden Eagles have over twice as many steals.
UW and MU share one common opponent this season. Marquette defeated Delaware State 65-48 on Tuesday following its loss to North Dakota State. The Badgers beat the Hornets 64-52 on Nov. 21.
Notes:
' UW sophomore Marcus Landry is married to Efueko Osagie, a senior forward on Marquette's women's basketball team
' UW junior Tanner Bronson's mother, Jody, is in her 22nd year as the Golden Eagles' women's tennis coach
' Former Badger Julian Swartz is a manager for MU
