Marquette–Wisconsin men's basketball rivalry
The Marquette–Wisconsin men's basketball rivalry is an intercollegiate basketball rivalry[1] between the Marquette Golden Eagles and Wisconsin Badgers. The rivalry series is between the two major college athletics programs in the state of Wisconsin and is known as the I-94 rivalry, given the 78 miles along the highway separating the two schools.[2] The game was ranked the 16th-best among college basketball programs in 2013[3] and 13th in 2020.[4] The series is the second most-played for the Golden Eagles, only trailing its series with DePaul.[5] In turn, Marquette is Wisconsin's most-played non-conference opponent.[6] Marquette and Wisconsin have met 124 times and has been played annually since 1958. As of 2020, the series is led by Wisconsin, which holds a 68–58 advantage. Since the 1949-50 season, the total point differential has only been 48, signifying the relative competitiveness of the series.[4]
First meeting | December 19, 1917 Wisconsin 15, Marquette 14 |
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Latest meeting | December 4, 2020 Marquette 67, #4 Wisconsin 65 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 124 |
All-time series | Wisconsin leads, 68–59 |
Largest victory | Marquette, 94–64 (1982) |
Longest win streak | Marquette, 15 (1969–1978) |
Current win streak | Marquette, 1 (2020-Present) |
Series history
Under head coach Al McGuire, Marquette dominated the 1970s as the program became a national powerhouse, including a series-record 15 straight victories from 1969 to 1978 that inflamed tensions to their then-high.[7] During the stretch, Marquette was ranked in the Top 12 for all but one year, while the Badgers entered unranked each season.[4] One of the most memorable games occurred in 1974, as the Golden Eagles' Maurice Lucas hit a 20 foot jumpshot as time expired to lift Marquette to a 59–58 victory.[8] In celebration, McGuire jumped onto the scorer's table and raised his fists as Badgers coach John Powless walks away dejectedly. The moment was captured in a famous photograph by Robert "Buck" Miller.[8]
Wisconsin finally snapped the streak in 1978 after McGuire retired,[4] flipping the narrative on the series after a 65 to 52 victory. Coming into the game, Marquette had won 25 of the last 40 matchups; since, the Badgers have compiled a 25–18 record.[6] In the most recent meeting, Wisconsin prevailed 77–61 to snap a two game losing streak to the Golden Eagles.[9][10]
Rival accomplishments
The following summarizes the accomplishments of the two programs.[11][12]
Team | Marquette Golden Eagles | Wisconsin Badgers |
---|---|---|
NCAA National Titles | 1 | 1 |
NCAA Final Four Appearances | 3 | 4 |
NCAA Tournament Appearances | 33 | 24 |
NCAA Tournament Record | 41–34 | 38–23 |
Conference Tournament Titles | 1 | 3 |
Conference Championships | 3 | 19 |
Consensus First Team All-Americans | 4 | 21 |
Naismith Players of the Year | 1 | 1 |
All-time Program Record | 1651–1018 | 1638–1220 |
All-time Winning Percentage | .619 | .573 |
Game results
Marquette victories | Wisconsin victories | Tie games |
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References
- Ziolkowski, Danny. "Men's Basketball: Wisconsin dominates I-94 rivalry with Marquette, slows down Markus Howard". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "Wisconsin vs. Marquette: 2019-20 key storylines for I-94 rivalry". Busting Brackets. 2019-11-16. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- Novak, Thad. "Ranking the 25 Best Rivalries in College Basketball". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "NCAA basketball rivalries: Ranking the top 25 college basketball rivalries". FanSided. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "Marquette Golden Eagles Head-to-Head Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "History of Wisconsin-Marquette Rivalry and What Changed in 1978". Badger247. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- Dombeck, Tom. "Wisconsin-Marquette fan rivalry is heated, but one side's vitriol burns stronger". Herald Times Reporter. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- Radcliffe, J. R. "9 memorable games between Marquette and Wisconsin since Al McGuire jumped on the scorer's table". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- Ziolkowski, Danny. "Men's Basketball: Wisconsin dominates I-94 rivalry with Marquette, slows down Markus Howard". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "Marquette vs. Wisconsin - Game Recap - November 17, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "2020 Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). Marquette University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
- "2019-20_MBB_Record_Book (PDF)" (PDF). Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved 2020-06-26.