#MUBB Opens Four-Game Homestand Wednesday vs. Little Rock

The Marquette University men’s basketball team (2-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) opens a season-long four-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 12 when the squad hosts Little Rock (1-0, 0-0 OVC) at 7 p.m. CT in Fiserv Forum. ESPN+ features the broadcast, with Josh Maurer (play-by-play) and Brian Butch (analyst) calling the action. Following Wednesday’s outing, the Golden Eagles will host Maryland to continue the homestand at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 15.

MU Claimed Pair Of Matchups With Little Rock 

The Golden Eagles have faced Little Rock on just a pair of occasions, claiming a victory in both outings.

The first matchup came in the First Bank Classic, hosted by Marquette, on Dec. 8, 1990 and MU posted a 75-44 decision. Ten years later the Trojans returned to Milwaukee and the Golden Eagles were able to hold on for a low-scoring 48-46 win at the Bradley Center on Dec. 9, 2000.

More Minutes = Opportunity For Growth 

Each of the 12 available scholarship players have seen action in all three outings this season as head coach Shaka Smart experiments with the different lineups possible following the departure of seniors Kam Jones, David Joplin and Stevie Mitchell.

Four players – Josh Clark, Nigel James Jr., Michael Phillips II and Adrien Stevens have each made their respective Marquette debuts in 2025-26 and returnees Caedin Hamilton, Sean Jones and Zaide Lowery each found their names in the starting lineup for the first time vs. UAlbany.

Along with the newcomers seeing their first-ever action, multiple returnees have seen a significant increase in minutes played, including guard Sean Jones, who missed all of 2024-25 recovering from a knee injury.

Since the opening contest of the 2022-23 campaign, just 11 different players have started a game for MU, the lowest total in all of NCAA Division I. Of the 11, four players (Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro, OMax Prosper, Kam Jones) are competing in the NBA.

Gold On The Glass Early In 2025-26 

In his first 107 games as a Golden Eagle, senior forward Ben Gold grabbed eight-or-more rebounds on just three occasions.

Early in 2025-26, he has reached that mark in each of the team’s three outings. He finished with 10 points and eight boards in 21 minutes of action vs. Indiana, narrowly missing his first-career double-double for the second-straight outing (10 points, nine rebounds vs. Southern).

On the year, Gold is averaging 8.3 points and 8.3 rebound per outing while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.

James Jr. Aggressive Offensively vs. IU 

Freshman guard Nigel James Jr., who collected seven total points in the team’s first two games, finished second on the team in scoring on Sunday against Indiana.

The Huntington, N.Y. native scored 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench, finishing 4-of-9 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also chipped in three assists, two steals and a pair of rebounds.

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.