CLEVELAND — Let the madness begin.
No. 7 Marquette is in ‘The Land’ to take on No. 10 New Mexico in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Here is what you need to know about the matchup:
How to follow
The game will be nationally televised on TBS with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst) and Jon Rothstein (reporter) calling the game. Tip-off between the Golden Eagles and Lobos is scheduled for 6:25 p.m. CST but can change due to the tendency of games running longer than expected in the tournament.
Make sure to follow @KaylynnWrightMU, @MatthewBaltzMU and @MUWireSports for live updates during the game.
The game will also be broadcast on the radio, with Steve “Homer” True (play-by-play) and Tony Smith (analyst) on the call for ESPN Milwaukee. You can also listen to the broadcast on SiriusXM channel 202.
All games during the NCAA Tournament can be streamed on the March Madness app.
Projected lineups
Marquette has run out the same starting five in all 33 games this season, just one of two teams (St. Mary’s College) to do so. It will look like this:
G: Kam Jones – 19. 3 ppg, 4.5 reb and 5.9 ast
G: Stevie Mitchell – 10.9 ppg, 4.1 reb and 1.5 ast
G: Chase Ross – 10.7 ppg, 3.9 reb and 2.1 ast
F: David Joplin – 13.8 ppg, 5.5 reb and 1.3 ast
F: Ben Gold – 7.3 ppg, 4.2 reb and 0.9 ast
This is how the Lobos will most likely line up across from the Golden Eagles:
G: Donovan Dent – 20.6 ppg, 2.3 reb and 6.4 ast
G: Tru Washington – 11.2 ppg, 3.9 reb and 2.0 ast
F: Filip Borovicanin – 5.8 ppg, 4.5 reb and 1.2 ast
F: Mustapha Amzil – 11.3 ppg, 5.4 reb and 1.4 ast
C: Nelly Junior Joseph – 14.0 ppg, 11.2 reb and 1.2 ast
Prediction
New Mexico plays at the fourth fastest tempo of any team in the country, according to KenPom. It will be the fastest team that Marquette has played this season. The Golden Eagles already play fast, but the Lobos play faster. Slowing them down in transition should automatically give MU a leg up, as New Mexico doesn’t run nearly the half-court offense that Marquette does.
The Golden Eagles will have to slow down junior guard Donovan Dent, who was the Mountain West Player of the Year this season. Dent and Nelly Junior Joseph are lethal in the pick and roll, so being able to slow those two down will go a long way in helping MU pick up its third consecutive win in the Round of 64.
My prediction: Marquette 75, New Mexico 69
The Golden Eagles advance to the second round behind a strong effort from their senior class. Marquette also gets solid bench minutes from sophomore guard Zaide Lowery and first-year forward Royce Parham en route to moving on to face the winner of No. 2 Michigan State and No. 15 Bryant on Sunday.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at matthew.baltz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.