It’s the biggest test of the season for the Golden Eagles as they play a ranked team away from Fiserv for the first time.
THE VITALS: #5 Marquette Golden Eagles (8-0) at #6 Iowa State Cyclones (5-1)
THE DATE: Wednesday, December 4, 2024
THE TIME: 7pm Central
THE LOCATION: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
THE TELEVISION: None.
I CAN’T WATCH THE GAME? I didn’t say that, I said it’s not on TV.
THE STREAMING: ESPN+, with Rich Hollenberg and King McClure on the call
WHY ISN’T THIS GAME BETWEEN TWO TOP TEN TEAMS ON TELEVISION? For starters, it’s because the decision about where it was going to be broadcast was made before the season started, so the rankings have nothing to do with it. Second, the decision about where to put the game is made by Iowa State’s television partners because it’s their home game, and in the Big 12’s case, that’s both ESPN and Fox Sports.
Here’s what those two decided to put on TV tonight instead:
ESPN: #10 Alabama at #20 North Carolina, then #2 Auburn at #9 Duke
ESPN2: Virginia at #13 Florida, then Texas at NC State
ESPNU: Syracuse at Texas A&M, then DePaul at Texas Tech
FS1: #15 Baylor at #25 UConn, then #1 Kansas at Creighton
FS2: What appears to be a replay of FIM World Supercross Championship
Clearly, ESPN gave priority to the SEC/ACC Challenge, seeing as they own the full TV rights to both of those leagues. You can’t fault them for that decision, and by way of contract with the Big 12, they’re allowed to grab things and put them on ESPN+. You have to ask yourself whether this is worse than being on FS2. As a Hulu+Live/Disney+/ESPN+ bundle subscriber, I am neutral on that topic.
THE RADIO: 94.5 ESPN Milwaukee, available online at Wisconsin On Demand or The Varsity Network.
THE LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
THE LINE: Marquette +5.5 from our friends at Draft Kings.
THE PROJECTION: KenPom.com gives Iowa State a 69% chance of victory, with a predicted score of 79-74.
THE EXCITEMENT LEVEL: KenPom.com gives this game a Thrill Score of 76.1, making it the fifth most potentially exciting game out of the 56 Division 1 contests scheduled for the day. #1? The aforementioned Auburn at Duke clash at 87.0.
MARQUETTE PROBABLE LINEUP
- Stevie Mitchell (11.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.8 spg)
- Kam Jones (19.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 6.4 apg, 1.6 spg)
- Chase Ross (11.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.8 spg)
- David Joplin (15.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.4 spg)
- Ben Gold (8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 bpg)
MARQUETTE INJURY UPDATE: Junior guard Sean Jones remains out while recovering from ACL surgery in January. Sophomore guard Zaide Lowery is out after suffering a leg injury late in Saturday’s win over Western Carolina.
IOWA STATE PROBABLE LINEUP
- Tamin Lipsey (10.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.7 spg)
- Keshon Gilbert (16.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.7 spg)
- Milan Momcilovic (12.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
- Joshua Jefferson (9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 spg)
- Dishon Jackson (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
YOUR 90s ALTERNATIVE SONG OF THE DAY: Glycerine by Bush