2011–12 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team

Previous season

The Golden Eagles finished the 2010–11 season 22–15, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in a three-way tie for ninth place. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to North Carolina.

Preseason

On October 19, 2011, at Big East Media Day, Marquette was picked to finish in sixth place in the Big East Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 155 points. Darius Johnson-Odom was named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team, while Jae Crowder was an honorable mention.

Roster

2011 Paradise Jam

Marquette traveled to St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam tournament in mid-November. Marquette had an easy path to the final game, then were tested. In the opening round, Marquette took on Winthrop, and won easily 95–73, behind 26 points from Vander Blue, who hit his first nine shots, which included two three-point attempts. In the semifinal round, Marquette again won easily, beating Ole Miss 96–66. In this game, Jae Crowder hit nine of eleven field goal attempts, and ended with 25 points. Norfolk State also won their first two game in the tournament, so the two teams faced each other for the tournament championship. Marquette had played Norfolk State just a week earlier in Milwaukee, in a game that was never in doubt. Marquette opened up a 6–0 lead, expanded the lead to eleven by halftime, then scored 59 points in the second half to win the game 99–68.

When the two teams met in the Paradise Jam final, the game started out similarly to the early game, with Marquette never trailing, and reaching a nine point lead at halftime. However, instead of scoring 59 points in the second half, they would score only 59 points in the game. The Golden Eagles, ranked 16th in the AP poll, held a 14 point lead at one time, but Norfolk State had two 7–0 runs and tied up the game at 57 points apiece with just over two minutes left. Marquette scored to take a lead; Norfolk State had a chance to tie in the closing seconds but failed to hit the basket, and Marquette won the 2011 Paradise Jam Championship 59–57.

Schedule and results

|- !colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season |- !colspan=9 style=|Big East regular season |- !colspan=9 style=|Big East tournament |- !colspan=9 style=| NCAA tournament

Rankings

Main article: 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Notes

References

1. "Syracuse to vacate wins, lose 12 scholarships; Boeheim suspended". CBSSports.com.
2. "Florida vs. Marquette - Game Recap - March 22, 2012 - ESPN".
3. "Marquette vs. North Carolina - Game Recap - March 25, 2011 - ESPN".
4. (October 19, 2011). "Connecticut, Syracuse Tie For First Place In Preseason Coaches’ Poll". [[Big East Conference (1979–2013).
5. (October 19, 2011). "Pittsburgh's Gibbs Selected BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year". [[Big East Conference (1979–2013).
6. "2011 Paradise Jam Bracket". Basketball Travelers, Inc.
7. (November 18, 2011). "Vander Blue one of 5 in double figures as Marquette trounces Winthrop". ESPN.
8. (November 20, 2011). "Ole Miss can't stop Jae Crowder, No. 19 Marquette in Paradise Jam semis". ESPN.
9. (July 2024). "Jae Crowder scores 25 points to help Marquette drub Norfolk St.". ESPN.
10. "Marquette wins Paradise Jam title despite blowing 14-point lead". ESPN.