No. 5/5 #MUBB Hosts Providence Wednesday Night

The No. 5/5 Marquette University men's basketball team (21-6, 12-4 BIG EAST) concludes its three-game homestand on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. CT when the squad hosts Providence (18-9, 9-7 BIG EAST) at Fiserv Forum. FS1 features the television broadcast, with Jason Benetti (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (analyst) calling the action. Following Wednesday's outing, the Golden Eagles will travel to No. 12/12 Creighton for a key BIG EAST matchup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT.

All-Time Series Provides Plenty Of Highlights

The all-time series between Marquette and Providence consists of 37 games (Marquette leads 22-15) and includes a number of memorable contests for MU fans.

The two programs first met in the 1963 National Invitation Tournament and the result was a 70-64 victory by PC. The teams would cross paths in 1966-67 in the same event and a slim 81-80 Marquette overtime win helped the squad to a runner-up finish under head coach Al McGuire.

Since the teams began meeting in BIG EAST Conference action, series highlights include a game delayed at the Bradley Center when a bat continued to interrupt play on the court, a wet court at PC in 2016-17 that caused numerous stoppages in play, a league record-tying 52-point performance by Markus Howard in 2017-18 at Providence and multiple overtime results.

The Friars claimed the first meeting this season, 72-57, back on Dec. 19 in the BIG EAST opener for both programs. Guard Tyler Kolek led three players in double figures with 21 points, but MU shot just 32.1 percent from the floor as a team.

BIG EAST Play Hits Stretch Run

Marquette enters the final two weeks of BIG EAST play with a 12-4 record, currently good enough for sole possession of second place in the 11-team league through games of Feb. 25.

The top-five programs earn a bye in the league tournament, but there is still plenty to be determined in the final standings. MU is one victory, or a Villanova loss, away from securing a top-five finish, with Seton Hall, Creighton and Providence all in the mix behind UConn for a bye.

The Golden Eagles do have four more chances at a win, while UConn and Creighton have already played 17 games.

Kam Jones Nets Career-Best 34 Points, Again

Junior guard Kam Jones scored a career-high 34 points in the win over DePaul on Feb. 21 and four days later he again netted 34 points in the victory over Xavier Sunday night to celebrate his 22nd birthday.

For his efforts, Jones was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time this season and fourth in his career (twice in 2022-23).

In just 25.5 minutes per game in those victories, Jones combined to shoot 23-of-32 (71.9 percent) overall and 14-of-20 (70.0 percent) from behind the 3-point line. He also knocked down 8-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe and chipped in 2.0 steals and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Jones is the first MU player with multiple 30-point games (2) in the same year since Markus Howard in 2019-20 (14). He's also the first player in BIG EAST action since Howard (vs. Xavier, at Georgetown) that same season to record back-to-back games of 34-or-more points.

In Jones' trio of 30-point games this season, he also scored 31 points at Georgetown on Feb. 23, has played just an average of 24.0 minutes per night.

Defense The Difference In Xavier Win

Marquette's defense held Xavier to just 35.7 percent from the floor in Sunday night's win and was especially effective against the Musketeers' starting guard trio (Desmond Claude, Quincy Olivari and Dayvion McKnight).

The three players combined to score just 24 points on 10-of-48 (20.3 percent) shooting from the floor. Entering the game, the trio was contributing 47.3 points per contest in 2023-24. The Golden Eagles' defense also forced 16 turnovers, created nine steals and blocked a season-high eight shot attempts.

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Players Mentioned

Kam Jones

Tyler Kolek