(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – The Marquette University men’s basketball team (6-11, 1-5 BIG EAST) opens a two-game road swing on Tuesday, Jan. 13 when the squad travels to St. John’s (11-5, 4-1 BIG EAST) for a 5:30 p.m. CT matchup in Madison Square Garden. Peacock/NBCSN feature the broadcast, with John Fanta (play-by-play) and Donny Marshall (analyst) calling the action. Following Tuesday’s matchup, the Golden Eagles will travel down I-94 to DePaul for a Friday night contest from Wintrust Arena.
Al McGuire Ties Marquette And St. John’s
The all-time series (Marquette leads 29-19) began in 1959-60 and prior to the clinching of the BIG EAST title on the last day of the regular season in 2012-13, the series’ top highlight was a 65-53 Marquette victory in the championship game of the 1970 NIT.
MU claimed the NIT title under the direction of legendary head coach Al McGuire, who played for three seasons at St. John’s (1948-51). In his first season with the Redmen, he finished third in scoring with an 8.1 points per game average.
McGuire’s coaching career at Marquette included the 1977 national title, nine NCAA tournament appearances and a 295-80 overall record.
St. John’s claimed each of the three meetings in 2024-25, snapping Marquette’s six-game winning streak in the series entering the campaign. The most recent matchup came in the semifinals of the BIG EAST tourney, with the sixth-ranked Red Storm posting a 79-63 win over No. 25 Marquette. Guard Kam Jones led MU with 24 points.
Tuesday’s Outing Begins Tough January Run
Marquette will plat at Fiserv Forum just twice the rest of January, with Tuesday’s outing at St. John’s opening a stretch that has the Golden Eagles on the road for four of the next six outings to close the month.
MU hosts Providence on Monday, Jan. 19 for a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup and Creighton on Jan. 27. Starting Tuesday and including the first two weeks of February, Marquette will have a run of 6-of-9 BIG EAST matchups on the road.
James Jr. Has Career Night Against Villanova
Freshman point guard Nigel James Jr. has scored double figures in points in nine of the last 10 outings, including a season-best 31-point effort against Villanova on Jan. 10.
The Huntington, N.Y. native finished 11-of-14 from the field, including a 7-of-9 effort from behind the 3-point line and also chipped in six assists (matched season high), three steals and a rebound in 37 minutes of action. Along with his point total, he also posted personal bests in field goals (11) and 3-point field goals made (7).
Highlights of his 31-point performance include:
- James Jr. is the first Marquette true freshman since Markus Howard in 2016-17 to score 30-or-more points. Howard finished with 34 points on 9-of-12 shooting from deep against Xavier on Feb. 18, 2017.
- He is one of just six true freshmen in the country to net 30-or-more points in a conference contest in 2025-26
- James Jr.’s seven 3-pointers were the most by a MU player since David Joplin knocked down seven against DePaul (1/14/25)
- Scored 19 in the first half, the most of any Golden Eagle in a half this season, and the most since David Joplin netted 20 points in the first half against Stonehill on Nov. 27, 2024
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