On Thursday, the Marquette Golden Eagles announced their non-conference schedule for the 2023-24 season. The schedule features eleven games, including six at Fiserv Forum.
Marquette's third year with Shaka Smart opens on Monday, November 6 against Northern Illinois. The Huskies went 13-19 last season with a 9-9 record in the MAC. The Golden Eagles will see a familiar face, with former DePaul forward Philmon Gebrewhit transferring to Northern Illinois this offseason.
The Golden Eagles will take the floor again on Friday, hosting the Rider Broncs. Last season, the Broncs nearly pulled an upset of the Providence Friars in their season opener after winning the Big East. They'll get another chance at the defending conference champs in the opening week this season. The Broncs finished second in the MAAC last year with a 13-7 record, including a win over Rick Pitino's Iona.
After a pair of home games to open the season, Marquette goes on the road for the next two weeks. The Golden Eagles travel to Champaign, Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini in the Gavitt Games on Tuesday, November 14. Led by Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois provides a stiff test for Marquette.
Following their Gavitt Games appearance, the Golden Eagles take a trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. Set to take place on the Monday through Wednesday leading up to Thanksgiving, the event has a field loaded with big names and top talent. While the bracket has not yet been released, possible opponents include Kansas, Gonzaga, Purdue, Syracuse, UCLA, Tennessee, and Chaminade.
Marquette returns home to face Southern on Tuesday, November 28 to wrap up the opening month of the season. The Jaguars finished 11-7 in the SWAC but faced Xavier last season and lost by 20 points at the Cintas Center.
December begins with a trio of tough opponents for Marquette. First up is a trip to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers. The series between Marquette and Wisconsin dates back to 1917, and the Badgers have taken three of the last four meetings. They were the only team to take down Marquette at home last season, knocking them off in overtime. It will be Wisconsin's second Big East game of the season after playing at Providence in the Gavitt Games earlier in the season, and Greg Gard's group is a fringe top-25 team in preseason projections. It's a group that includes former St. John's standout AJ Storr who transferred there this spring.
Following that in-state rivalry game, the Big East/Big 12 Battle comes to Milwaukee when Shaka Smart's former team takes a visit on Wednesday, December 6. Texas is fresh off a trip to the Elite Eight and is a potential top-25 opponent led by Oral Roberts transfer Max Absmas. The teams have met just once before in a 65-56 Marquette win in Milwaukee in 1977.
Notre Dame completes a home-and-home series with Marquette the following Saturday, visiting the Fiserv Forum after the Golden Eagles picked up a win in South Bend last year. Notre Dame will be in its first year with head coach Micah Shrewsbury after Mike Brey stepped away after last season.
Marquette's non-conference wraps up on Thursday, December 14 against St. Thomas. The Tommies took on Creighton in last year's season opener and lost by 12 points, but they finished the season with a 19-14 record.
Conference play will include 20 games, with Marquette playing each Big East opponent both at home and on the road. The schedule includes sixteen home games, twelve road games, and three at neutral sites, plus at least one additional neutral site game at the Big East Tournament.
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