MSOE to face Marquette in exhibition game
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The MSOE Raiders men’s basketball team continue to be an attractive preseason draw for NCAA Division I opponents as they face national powerhouse and cross-town rival Marquette University in an exhibition game Nov. 7 at the Bradley Center with the tip off time yet to be announced.

Head Coach Brian Miller returns for his sixth season at the helm for MSOE and looks to continue his unprecedented success. MSOE has recorded the four best records in school history the past four seasons going 68-38 over that span a remarkable .642 winning percentage.

The MSOE men's basketball team graduated two starters, but returns letter winners, which have seen plenty of action during the 2008-2009 campaign. Starters Austin Meier (Oshkosh, Wis./West), Jeremy Off (Hartford, Wis./Slinger) and Bennett Deacon (Burlington, Wis./Catholic Central) look to continue their success on the court and lead the team into the 2009-2010 season.

Meier, a 6-4 junior forward and a first team All-NAC selection in 2008-2009, averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in conference contests. He is also ranked ninth in the nation with 84 steals and a 3.2 steals per game average. Meier was the 2007-2008 NAC Freshman of the Year and an honorable mention selection.

Off, a 6-4 junior center averaged 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game against NAC competition. Off was second in the nation with a 67.3 field goal percentage. Off was a second team All NAC honoree. Deacon, a 6’ point guard, averaged 9.7 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 43% from behind the three-point line.

Despite being located just over a mile apart, this is the first time, the two teams meet. The exhibition game between the two programs is possible due to recent NCAA legislation allowing Division III schools the opportunity to play against Division I opponents. Last Year, MSOE faced UWM in an exhibition match, keeping the score under five points with ten minutes to play before the Panthers outdistanced the Raiders 68-43 in the preseason tune up.

MSOE’s game against UWM was familiar ground for the Raiders as they played the 2003-04 season in the US Cellular Arena, however, this will be the Raider’s first contest in the Bradley Center. Marquette, a member of the highly touted Big East Conference finished the 2008-09 campaign with a 25-10 overall record and a NCAA Division I tournament. MSOE finished the season with an 18-8 record a second place finish in the Northern Athletic Conference and the best overall record of any conference team. MSOE’s only appearance in the NCAA Division III Basketball tournament was in 2003 when they won the Lake Michigan Conference Tournament.

Courtesy of MSOE, Sports Information Department, July 29, 2009.