• Marquette 62, Pitt 57

    Marquette Release.....

    The Marquette University men’s basketball team (14-4, 3-2 BIG EAST) wraps up a three-game homestand Monday afternoon when the team hosts Louisville (14-4, 2-3 BIG EAST) in a special matinee at 2:30 p.m. CT. The Golden Eagles and Cardinals will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a matchup on national television from the Bradley Center. ESPN will feature Marquette’s 11th national broadcast of the campaign, with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action. Following Monday’s contest, MU will travel to Providence for a Jan. 21 contest with the Friars.

    MU Shortens Bench In Win Over Pittsburgh


    Marquette snapped a four-game losing streak to Pittsburgh with Saturday’s 62-57 victory over the Panthers, rallying for the win with just seven players making their way into the box score.

    MU’s contributors off the bench versus the Panthers consisted of just sophomore Jamil Wilson and freshman Todd Mayo. The game marked the first time this season only seven players saw action and only the second time (Dec. 10 vs. Green Bay) in 18 outings eight-or-fewer Golden Eagles checked into the game.

    Wilson and Mayo did play a major role in the team’s victory, combining for 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 49 total minutes on the court. Mayo was also charged with trying to stop Pittsburgh’s Ashton Gibbs, the league’s preseason player of the year.

    Johnson-Odom Among Nation’s Top Scorers


    Senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom, in just his third season with the Golden Eagles, continues to climb the school’s all-time scoring list with each double-digit scoring effort he collects.

    The Raleigh, N.C., native led the squad with 18 points in the win over Pittsburgh and is now 22nd all-time in Marquette history with 1,334 points. Through games of Jan. 14, Johnson-Odom’s 18.1 points per game ranks second among BIG EAST Conference players and 41st nationally.

    Johnson-Odom has reached double figures in every game this season and 30 of the last 31 (7 points vs. North Carolina in Sweet 16) overall dating back to last season. Should he maintain his current scoring average, Johnson-Odom has an outside shot at finishing among the program’s top-10 scorers in the 95-year history of Marquette basketball.

    Points In The Paint, Rebounding Decline With Otule Injury


    The season-ending injury suffered by junior center Chris Otule on Dec. 6 has had an impact on Marquette’s approach at both ends of the court.

    In the first seven games of the season, which all featured Otule in the starting lineup, the Golden Eagles averaged 40.0 points per game in the paint and 38.6 rebounds per outing. With the 6-11, 265-pounder on the sideline in the last 11 outings, MU is netting 33.1 points per game in the lane and grabbing 34.9 boards per contest.


    Offense At Its Best With Quality Distribution

    Guard Junior Cadougan finished with a team-best nine assists in the victory over Pittsburgh, marking the 11th time this season he has led the squad in that category.

    For the season, Marquette is 11-0 when Cadougan finishes with six-or-more assists. The Toronto, Ontario, native ranks fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22) and fifth in assists per game (5.13).

    With Cadougan in his first season as the full-time point guard, MU is averaging 76.8 points per game, the second-best mark among BIG EAST programs. Marquette has assisted on an impressive 64.8 percent (312-of-481) of its overall baskets, a mark that jumps up to 67.7 percent (86-of-127) in league play.

    Through games of Jan. 14, Marquette ranks eighth in the nation with an average of 17.3 assists per game.