No. 11/11 #MUBB Concludes Road Swing At Creighton Saturday

The No. 11/11 Marquette University men’s basketball team (18-5, 9-3 BIG EAST) continues its two-game BIG EAST road swing at rv/rv Creighton (17-6, 10-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. CT in the CHI Health Center Omaha.  FOX features the national television broadcast, with Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) calling the action.  Following Saturday’s action, the Golden Eagles will return home to host DePaul on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

All-Time Series Dates Back To 1922-23

Marquette’s all-time series against Creighton spans nearly the entirety of the program’s 108-year history.

The Golden Eagles own a 60-40 advantage in the series and have claimed four of the last five outings.

Prior to 2013-14, when the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST, the most recent meeting between the two programs came in the 1998 National Invitation Tournament.  MU posted an 80-68 victory in the opening round at the Bradley Center en route to an appearance in the event’s quarterfinals.

The Golden Eagles claimed a 79-71 decision earlier this season at Fiserv Forum on Jan. 3, with guard Kam Jones leading the way with 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Mitchell Named Candidate For DPOY Award

Marquette University senior guard Stevie Mitchell has been named to the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Presented by Molecule Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday afternoon.

The Reading, Pennsylvania native is one of 17 players on the list, which includes nine guards and two other players (Ryan Kalkbrenner and Kadary Richmond) from the BIG EAST Conference.

Through games of Feb. 5, Mitchell is ranked first in the BIG EAST and fifth in the country in steals per game (2.7) and moved into fourth all-time at Marquette in thefts (207) with four steals Tuesday night at St. John’s.  In league action, he is averaging 3.2 steals per contest, also the best mark in the BIG EAST.

Mitchell is second on the team in deflections (172), averaging 7.5 per game.

MU Recent BIG EAST Success Continues    

The Golden Eagles have encountered a great deal of success in BIG EAST action in recent seasons, earning 40 victories in the last 52 outings.

Marquette has claimed as many as six-straight victories in BIG EAST play in each of the last four seasons (including 2024-25) and is 40-12 (.784) in league action since the start of 2022-23, which is the best mark in the conference during that time span.  Through games of Feb. 5, UConn is second (39-12) and Creighton third (38-14) in BIG EAST play.

The Golden Eagles haven’t dropped three-straight BIG EAST outings since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, falling at nationally ranked Xavier and at home to UConn and Creighton (2OT).  MU finished 11-8 that season.

Continuity Is Key To Recent Success  

Since the 2022-23 campaign, Marquette is the only power conference team that hasn’t signed a NCAA Division I transfer, leading to as consistent a starting lineup as any program in the country.

Through games of Feb. 5, Marquette is one of just five squads (Manhattan, Marist, UC-San Diego and St. Mary’s) to feature the same starting lineup (Jones, Mitchell, Joplin, Ross, Gold).  Two years ago, Marquette and Marshall were the only two teams in the country to utilize the same starting five the entire season.

Since the opening contest of the 2022-23 campaign (Kolek, Ighodaro, Prosper, Mitchell, Jones), just eight different players have started a game for MU, the lowest total in all of NCAA Division I.  Of the eight, the three players (Kolek, Ighodaro, Prosper) currently not starting for the team are competing in the NBA.

Joplin, who hasn’t missed an outing in his 128-game career, has a chance to pass Lazar Hayward (138) for most career appearances.  Jones and Mitchell will also finish in the top-10 this season and junior Chase Ross might have a shot at the top spot in 2025-26.

Lowery Provides Bench Production At St. John’s

Sophomore guard Zaide Lowery scored a career-high 12 points, 10 in the first half, on Tuesday night at St. John’s.

The Springfield, Missouri native finished 4-of-6 from the floor and also chipped in six rebounds (one short of personal best) and two steals in 23 minutes of action.  Lowery’s point total surpassed his previous single-game best (11) at Providence on Dec. 31, his only other double-figure outing in 51 career appearances.

Lowery and the MU reserves contributed 24 points off the bench, the most since also netting 24 points at Seton Hall on Jan. 21.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.