Tom Crean & Co. fell just short of their quest to bring another NIT championship banner to the Bradley Center a mere 38 years after Al McGuire's Warriors conquered a 16-team bracket in 1970.,”New York (April 2, 2008) – Marquette's moderately impressive postseason run came to a screeching halt last night as UNC-Wilmington throttled the Golden Eagles 61-39 in the Final Four in Madison Square Garden.
Tom Crean & Co. fell just short of their quest to bring another NIT championship banner to the Bradley Center a mere 38 years after Al McGuire's Warriors conquered a 16-team bracket in 1970.
After beating the likes of Radford, Hofstra and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first three rounds, the Golden Eagles' bid to take home the 2008 NIT hit a brick wall against the Seahawks. Marquette's "live-by-the-three, die-by-the-three" offensive philosophy finally caught up the team that began the 2007-'08 campaign ranked No. 12 in the country.
Led by lackluster performances from juniors Dominic James and Jerel McNeal, who went a combined 3-for-19 from three-point range, Marquette failed to score 40 points for the first time this season. Despite his 29-point output in the quarterfinals just five days ago, James' NBA draft stock continued its slow, painful, Titanic-like descent.
With all the key players from 2006-'07 returning, this season began with much promise with an impressive runner-up finish at the Maui Invitational. Junior Wesley Matthews earned a place on the all-tournament team as he averaged 19 points per game and seven rebounds per game over three contests.
The Golden Eagles won the unofficial state championship with back-to-back victories over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin despite a seemingly absent frontcourt. Thankfully, Marquette found its shooting touch, making 55 percent from beyond the arc in the two wins.
Boasting a 6-1 record and ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press poll, Marquette once again fell to a lesser opponent and left fans shaking their heads. On Dec. 15, a day after the fall semester concluded, Sacramento State came to Milwaukee and beat the Golden Eagles 78-73 in overtime.
Marquette rebounded with easy wins over IPFW and Coppin State but again experienced an unthinkable setback against Savannah State, losing by 13 points in a game less competitive than it appeared.
Entering conference play at No. 23 with an 8-3 record, Marquette's play showed promise early. Picked to finish third in the Big East before the season, the Golden Eagles rose to the top of the conference after starting conference play 4-0.
When the team went to Louisville in mid-January, it appeared as if a fifth consecutive win was in the works. Despite a game rawer than sushi, big man Ousmane Barro dominated the contest's first 35 minutes before fouling out. Making just five of 16 free throws down the stretch, Marquette blew a ten-point lead to the Cardinals and suffered its first conference loss.
Defeats to UConn, DePaul and South Florida followed. The season then reached its low point in a 32-point loss to Cincinnati. The Bearcats slaughtered a Marquette team plagued by foul trouble, shooting woes and a defense less effective than the Munich Agreement.
Marquette emerged victorious in six of the last 10 games of the season behind guard play that ranged from stellar to incompetent. A 9-9 conference record earned the Golden Eagles the ninth seed in the Big East conference tournament. Selection Sunday did not look favorably on Marquette's 18-13 season record, after the Golden Eagles bowed out in the first round of the conference tournament.
One of the bigger names in the NIT, Marquette breezed through the opening rounds until they met their doom. On a positive note, the Golden Eagles' three wins in the NIT doubled the number of postseason wins since the 2003 Final Four run.
On a better note, regardless of the latter half of the season, Marquette will make the preseason Top 25 for 2008-'09.
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