Yesterday, ESPN kicked off its Big Monday schedule with a Martin Luther King Jr. Day marathon that featured four games. The schedule featured two games each from the Big East – Louisville vs. Marquette, Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse – and the Big 12 – Texas A&M vs. Missouri, Baylor vs. Kansas – conferences. Of the eight teams featured, six teams were ranked, with four of those teams – Kansas, Missouri, Baylor, and Syracuse – were ranked in the top ten in the nation coming into last night’s games.
In the early game, Louisville vs. Marquette, Marquette jumped out to an early lead, building a 16 point lead just seven minutes into the game. After a time, Marquette outscored Louisville 32-12 to end the half with a 34-30 lead. Marquette maintained the lead throughout the second half and finished the game with a 74-63 victory. Darius Johnson-Odom led four players in double figures for Marquette, finishing the game with 19 points.
Former area standout, Davante Gardner had a solid game for Marquette as well. The sophomore forward from King’s Fork High School (Suffolk, VA), finished the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds in only 18 minutes of play. He was 5-9 (55.6%) from the field and made all seven of his free throw attempts. On the season, he is fourth on the team in scoring (9.7 points per game) and second in rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game).
In the second game of the Big Monday schedule, fifth-ranked Missouri defeated Texas A&M 70-51. Missouri jumped out to a big lead in the first half, leading 42-43 going into halftime. While Texas A&M played Missouri even in the second half, the 19-point halftime lead was too much for them to overcome. Missouri moved to 17-1 on the season, with their only loss being to Kansas State.
Missouri senior forward, Ricardo Ratliffe scored 17 points and 6 rebounds for the Tigers in the win. Ratliffe, a former area standout from Kecoughtan High School, finished the game 5-7 (71.4%) from the field and 7-8 (87.5%) from the free throw line. Ratliffe is averaging 13.9 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game thus far this season and is currently leading the nation in field goal percentage at 77.1%.
In the third game, Syracuse defeated Pittsburgh to stay undefeated at 20-0 thus far this season. The Orange are currently the top-ranked team in the nation and the win, career win number 876 for head coach Jim Boeheim, moved him into a tie with Adolph Rupp for fourth on the Division I career wins list. The win also set the school record for the most consecutive wins to start a season.
In the final game of the night, seventh-ranked Kansas defeated the previously unbeaten and third ranked Baylor Bears, 92-74. The Jayhawks were led by guard Tyshawn Taylor (28 points, 6 assists) and forward Thomas Robinson (27 points, 14 rebounds). Prior to this loss, the Baylor men’s and women’s basketball teams were a combined 34-0 this season. The Baylor women’s team is currently the top ranked team in the nation in women’s basketball.
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