MU, UW to play in Gavitt Games
Home games for both schools
After a year out of the Gavitt Games — an annual men’s basketball competition between the Big East and Big Ten conferences — Marquette is back on the schedule and will host Purdue on Tuesday, November 14, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The news was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS and FanRag Sports and independently confirmed to the Journal Sentinel by a source.
The matchup will be the ninth all-time meeting between Marquette and Purdue and first since 1969. The Boilermakers are 8-0 in the series, which began in 1932.
The eighth and most recent meeting came in Madison in the Mideast Regional final of the 1969 NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers came out on top in a battle of two teams aiming for their first trip to the Final Four. Rick Mount, who was just 11 of 32 from the floor, hit a jumper in the final seconds of overtime to send Purdue to a 75-73 win. Marquette senior George Thompson finished his illustrious career with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting and eight rebounds.
Purdue, which earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and earned a pair of wins at the Bradley Center before bowing out in the Sweet 16, is coming off a 27-8 campaign and won the regular-season Big Ten title. The Boilermakers will bring back a strong core as all of their top eight scorers were underclassmen.
There is a big question regarding Purdue’s roster, though. Caleb Swanigan, a 6-foot-9 center and consensus first-team AllAmerican, entered his name into the NBA draft this spring following his sophomore season. Swanigan did not hire an agent and is considered a borderline first-round pick. He has until May 24 to decide if he will stay in the draft or return for his junior season.
Wisconsin will host Xavier on Nov. 16 in the Gavitt Games. The Badgers are 3-2 all time against the Musketeers. Those teams last met in a thrilling 2016 second-round NCAA Tournament game in St. Louis.
The seventh-seeded Badgers overcame a ninepoint deficit in the final 5 minutes, 59 seconds to stun the Musketeers, 6663, on Bronson’s Koenig’s buzzer-beating threepointer from the right corner.
Last season, UW fell at Creighton, 79-67, in the Gavitt Games.
Besides Purdue, Marquette is expected to host American and Georgia as part of its non-conference schedule. The Golden Eagles also will visit Wisconsin as part of their annual series with the Badgers.
Marquette also will travel to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, which will include playing three games in three days from Nov. 20-22. Along with Marquette, the field includes California, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, VCU, Wichita State and host Chaminade.