(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – The Marquette University men’s basketball team (5-10, 0-4 BIG EAST) opens a two-game homestand Wednesday night when the squad welcomes Xavier (9-6, 1-3 BIG EAST) to Fiserv Forum for a 6 p.m. CT opening tip.
Marquette Facing Xavier For 90th Time
Marquette and Xavier will meet for the 90th time on Wednesday night, continuing a series that spans nearly half of the program’s 108-year history.
The Golden Eagles own a 61-28 lead in matchups that date back to the 1958-59 campaign. MU dominated the pairings during the Al McGuire and Hank Raymonds era, at one point claiming 26-straight victories between 1969 and 1983.
The Golden Eagles claimed two of the three meetings in 2024-25, most recently posting an 89-87 victory at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2025 in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament. The two teams split the home-and-home reguular-season series last year, with each program winning on the road.
James Jr. Off To Quick Start In League Play
Freshman point guard Nigel James Jr. has scored double figures in points in seven of the last eight outings, including each of the first four BIG EAST contests.
Early in league action, he leads the team with 16.8 points per game (top freshman and eighth among BIG EAST players through games of Jan. 4) and is shooting 7-of-16 (46.2 percent) from behind the 3-point line. In an average of 29.9 minutes per contest, he is also contributing 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per outing.
For the season, James Jr. is second on the team with 12.6 points per game, which ranks 18th in the BIG EAST.
Gold Scores, Rebounds In Last Two Outings
Senior forward Ben Gold collected his sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season on Dec. 30 against Seton Hall, finishing with a career-best 19 points off the bench to lead the Golden Eagles in scoring.
The Wellington, New Zealand followed that up with a season-high 11-rebound effort at UConn Sunday afternoon. He owns 11 games this season with seven-or-more boards after reaching that mark six times in his first 106 career appearances.
Through games of Jan. 4, Gold ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in rebounding (6.8 rpg.).
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