GAME NOTES: The 10th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles pay a visit to the West Virginia Mountaineers as the two meet this afternoon in Big East Conference action. Marquette has won its last seven games since the only loss of the season, a four-point setback to national powerhouse Duke. The Golden Eagles were last in action on Thursday when they knocked off Providence by a 96-67 final. This game for Marquette marks just the team's second true road contest of the campaign. As for West Virginia, it has suffered back-to-back losses after stringing together eight consecutive wins. The Mountaineers opened league play with a 69-56 setback at Notre Dame on Thursday, as the squad was held well below its season scoring average. WVU has won all six of its home games thus far. Marquette holds a 3-2 edge over West Virginia in the all-time series, but the Golden Eagles have never won a game over the Mountaineers on the road.

Marquette is averaging 82.1 ppg on 49.9 percent shooting from the floor, and the club is limiting foes to 59.8 ppg on 39.3 percent field goal efficiency. The Golden Eagles have been strong on the boards, as they are pulling down 6.8 rpg more than the opposition. Dominic James is the leading scorer for Marquette, as he is averaging 15.3 ppg on 40 percent shooting from behind the arc. He has also dished out 52 assists to go along with 26 steals. Jerel McNeal adds 13.4 ppg, Lazar Hayward is netting 13.3 ppg, and Wesley Matthews pitches in with 10.4 ppg. The Golden Eagles shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the Big East Conference opener against Providence. James scored 21 points in that clash, and he dished out six assists. Hayward tallied 17 points, Matthews posted 16, and Ousmane Barro poured in 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

West Virginia is racking up 83.5 ppg this season while limiting the opposition to just 60.5 ppg on 38.9 percent shooting from the floor. The Mountaineers have used the same starting lineup in all 13 games thus far, and four of the five starters are averaging double figures in scoring. Alex Ruoff leads the pack with 16.2 ppg, and Joe Alexander checks in with 15.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Da'Sean Butler is netting 12.6 ppg for WVU, and Darris Nichols is contributing 10.8 ppg. In the loss to Notre Dame, the Mountaineers shot a lowly 31.9 percent from the floor, including a disappointing 5-of-25 effort from three-point range. They only committed nine turnovers and forced the Irish into 20 giveaways, but that positive stat was not enough to overshadow the poor shooting performance.

Expect this contest to be close from start to finish. Marquette is the better team and should be able to win narrowly, but knocking off the Mountaineers in Morgantown won't be easy.