No. 9/10 #MUBB Heads To Georgetown Saturday Afternoon

The No. 9/10 Marquette University men's basketball team (16-5, 7-3 BIG EAST) continues BIG EAST Conference play at Georgetown (8-12, 1-8 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. CT in Capital One Arena. FS1 features the national television broadcast, with Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Tarik Turner (analyst) calling the action. Following Saturday's game, the Golden Eagles will return home to host St. John's on Saturday, Feb. 10 on National Marquette Day. The Golden Eagles are currently in a stretch of the schedule that has the team on the road in 6-of-8 games.

Marquette Owns Edge In All-Time Series

Marquette owns a 22-14 advantage in the all-time series, with the Golden Eagles claiming wins in 12 of the last 15 outings.

All but two of the series matchups have come since Marquette joined the BIG EAST in 2005-06.

The programs first met during the 1941-42 campaign and the Hoyas were able to claim a 35-34 victory. The next meeting didn't come until the 1971-72 season and Marquette posted an 88-44 winning decision.

Marquette defeated Georgetown, 81-51, in the first matchup this season on Dec. 22, 2023 at Fiserv Forum. Forward David Joplin led three players in double figures with 20 points and matched a personal best with nine rebounds.

Kolek Flips The Script In Win At Villanova

Trailing 51-50 with 12 minutes left and after leading by as many as 20 points in the first half at Villanova, guard Tyler Kolek took control offensively en route to a career-high 32 points.

On five-straight possessions, Kolek knocked down four 3-pointers and assisted on another, turning the one-point deficit into a 65-58 lead and Marquette never looked back in the 85-80 victory. The Cumberland, Rhode Island, native finished 10-of-20 from the floor overall and 5-of-8 from distance, chipping in nine assists, six rebounds and three steals in 39 minutes of action.

Kolek surpassed his previous career-best of 29 points at Providence (Dec, 20, 2022) and is the first MU player to net 30 points since Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 31 versus LIU in 2022-23. Kolek's point total matches Jayden Epps (Georgetown) and Eric Dixon (Villanova) for the top single-game effort in BIG EAST play.

Offense Clicking In Current Win Streak

Marquette's current five-game win streak, its longest since beginning the season 5-0, is largely the result of consistent efficiency at the offensive end.

In the last five outings, the Golden Eagles are shooting 54.0 percent from the floor overall and 39.7 percent from long distance, with both being marks well above the team's season-long efforts.

Guard Tyler Kolek leads five players averaging double figures during the recent run with 18.8 points and 9.9 assists per game and forward Oso Ighodaro is contributing 18.0 points and 7.8 boards per outing. Kolek's distribution leadership has Marquette averaging 19.0 helpers per outing in the last five games.

The Golden Eagles' field goal percentage has improved significantly in the last four games thanks to an average of 42.4 points per contest in the paint.