Enjoy it while it lasts
Savor the 8-2 Big East record. Cherish the eight-game winning streak. Print out the latest predicted NCAA tournament field from
ESPN.com's "bracketologist" Joe Lunardi, who rates Marquette as a No. 2 seed, and put it on your wall next to the Dwyane Wade jersey.
Because the next six games won't be easy for the men's basketball team. The difficult stretch begins Saturday at Georgetown (17-5, 7-2 Big East), which boasts the strong frontcourt duo of forward Jeff Green (12.4 points per game) and center Roy Hibbert (12.3).
The Hoyas are riding a streak of their own, having won six straight after beating Louisville Wednesday at Freedom Hall.
The Golden Eagles and Hoyas split a pair of meetings last season, with Marquette winning 57-51 at the Bradley Center and Georgetown winning 62-59 in a Big East tournament quarterfinal.
Eliminating Georgetown's backdoor cuts and containing Hibbert, who is shooting 79.0 percent in Big East play, in the low post will be priorities for Marquette.
The schedule won't get easier after Saturday. The Golden Eagles face DePaul, Louisville, Villanova, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh before the season's end.
Relief at last
The visit to the nation's capital will be a more welcome occasion for the women's basketball team. The Golden Eagles will try to bounce back from consecutive losses against two of the Big East's top teams: Rutgers (14-7, 7-3) and Connecticut (21-2, 11-0).
Marquette held its own against both teams last week but could not recover after falling behind in each game by double digits.
Saturday's competition against the Hoyas likely won't trouble the Golden Eagles as much.
Georgetown (12-12, 2-9) is led by junior forward Kieraah Marlow, who averages 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The more the merrier
Men's soccer coach Louis Bennett announced Wednesday the signing of 12 recruits to join Marquette next fall.
The recruiting class includes a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American in Anthony Colaizzi, from Gurnee, Ill., and two players from Sweden.
The team went 1-15-1 last fall in Bennett's first season, so a significant roster turnover was to be expected. Most of the the 2007 squad will consist of freshmen and sophomores recruited by Bennett.