#MUBB Hosts Butler Saturday on National Marquette Day

The Marquette University men’s basketball team continues BIG EAST Conference play on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. CT when the squad hosts Butler at Fiserv Forum on National Marquette Day. FS1 features the national television broadcast, with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Phil Martelli (analyst) calling the action.

National Marquette Day Celebrated Saturday

National Marquette Day is a tradition dating back to the 1960s that brings the Marquette nation united together in pride and spirit to honor the values of the University.

On Saturday afternoon, alumni will gather in Milwaukee and around the world at nearly 50 locations representing multiple states from the islands of Hawaii to New York City to celebrate Marquette and cheer on the men’s basketball team. In its present form, National Marquette Day has been around since 1992. The celebration was preceded by Spirit Day, which dates back to the 1960s.

Tom Crean Joins Exclusive Group Of Honorees

Former head coach Tom Crean will be recognized with a banner in the rafters at Fiserv Forum during a halftime ceremony on Saturday.

The 2005-06 team, the program’s first to compete in the BIG EAST Conference and coached by Crean, will also be recognized at the game celebrating 20 years of competition in the prestigious league.

Crean guided Marquette’s transition to the BIG EAST and led the team to eight overall postseason appearances, highlighted by a trip to the 2003 Final Four. He was a two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year selection and led the squad to the league regular-season title in 2003. He coached multiple NBA players and All-America honorees, including Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and Steve Novak.

During his nine-year tenure, the Golden Eagles were 190-96 overall.

Series With Butler Spans Program History

The all-time series dates back to the 1922-23 campaign and the Golden Eagles own a slim 28-26 advantage.

MU claimed the first-ever meeting, 18-17, on Dec. 16, 1922, only to see the Bulldogs claim the next nine matchups. Marquette also collected a nine-game win streak between 1942 and 1990, with the last two contests during that run coming when both programs were members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

Following Marquette’s move to the Great Midwest Conference in 1991-92, the two teams wouldn’t meet until Butler beat the Golden Eagles at the buzzer in the opening game of the 2012 Maui Invitational. MU would return the favor in the 2013 NCAA tournament, downing the Bulldogs, 74-72, in the closing seconds to earn a trip to the squad’s third-straight Sweet 16.

Butler claimed an 87-76 win in the first matchup this season on Jan. 23, opening and closing the game with a 13-4 run to pull away for the victory. Freshman Nigel James Jr. and sophomore Royce Parham each scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures.

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.