Golden Eagles Head To Anaheim For NCAA Championship :: MU and Kentucky to tip at 1:30 p.m. CT Thursday

March 17, 2008

The Marquette University men's basketball team has been tabbed an at-large selection to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, earning the No. 6 seed in the South Region. The Golden Eagles will face No. 11 seed Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. CT at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday. The MU/UK winner will advance to face the No. 3 seed Stanford/No. 14 seed Cornell winner on Saturday at either 5:45 p.m. CT or 8:15 p.m. CT. The Golden Eagles are making their third-straight NCAA appearance, while the Wildcats have participated in 17-consecutive seasons, including the program's selection in 2008.

Marquette Making Program's 25th Appearance
Marquette is making its 25th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and owns an overall record of 32-26, including the 1977 National Championship.

MU has been tabbed a No. 6 seed for the second time in program history, having posted a 2-1 record at that position during the 1993-94 campaign. The Golden Eagles defeated UL-Lafayette 81-59 in the first round before downing Kentucky 76-53 in the second round. The squad's season came to an end that year with a 59-49 loss to No. 2 seed Duke in Nashville, Tenn., in the regional semifinal.

Marquette & Kentucky Make History Before Opening Tip
Marquette and Kentucky have met nine times in NCAA Tournament action, the most among any two programs in the postseason event's history. The Golden Eagles own a 5-4 advantage in NCAA matchups, while the Wildcats lead the all-time overall series 7-6.

The most recent meeting came in 2003, when Marquette secured an 83-69 victory to advance to the Final Four. Prior to a 76-53 victory by MU in 1994, the two squads hadn't met in the NCAA's since 1975. That season, Kentucky posted a 76-54 decision in the first round.

Marquette earned an invitation to the NCAA's four times (1968, 1969, 1971 and 1972) in five years, squaring off against the Wildcats during each of those campaigns.

MU and UK first met in the postseason in 1955, resulting in a 78-71 win by Marquette in the second round.