MU to host MSOE in exhibition game Saturday

November 6, 7:55 PMMarquette Golden Eagles ExaminerBrian Neuberger

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Maurice Acker and MU will hit the ground running against MSOE on Saturday (Franklin II/AP)

The MU men’s basketball team will host the MSOE Raiders at 1:00pm Saturday afternoon for the Golden Eagles’ lone exhibition tune up prior to their Nov. 13 season opener against Centenary College.

While the matchup of the neighboring schools lacks sizzle and intrigue, it will be MU’s first game since they fell to Missouri in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament nearly eight months ago.

Under the tutelage of sixth-year head coach Brian Miller, the Raiders concluded the 2008-09 campaign with an 18-8 record (a school-record for victories in a season) while finishing second in the Northern Athletic Conference (NAC) South Division courtesy of an 11-5 conference record.

For the 2009-10 season, MSOE, an NCAA Division III program, features a 15-man roster—in which their tallest players (sophomore Eric Bohrer, senior Luke Larson and junior Bob Wilson) stand 6’5”—bolstered by experience at every position.

Although the Raiders lost two starters to graduation, the 2009 Milwaukee Engineers Classic champions (courtesy of a 69-64 victory over MIT) return eight upperclassmen and one newcomer (freshman guard Josh Cap). Of the returning players, MSOE is led by Austin Meier and Jeremy Off.

Meier, an Oshkosh native and the 2007-08 NAC Rookie of the Year, averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in conference contests. In addition, the 6’4” junior forward ranked ninth in the nation (D-III) with 84 steals (3.2 per game) en route to being named to the NAC first team.

Off, a 6’4”, 223-pound senior from Slinger, averaged 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in conference play and was a NAC second team selection. In turn, Off ranked second in the nation with an impressive 67.3 field goal percentage.

An up-tempo team, MSOE averaged 74.9 points per game last year.

As for the host team, Saturday will mark the first glimpse of the new-look Golden Eagles. While many analysts and members of the media are projecting MU to finish toward the bottom of the Big East in 2009-10, Saturday will provide a litmus test for MU in regards to lineup options, position battles and overall team cohesion, among others.

Defeating Colorado State-Pueblo 94-73 in last year’s only exhibition contest, MU has won each of their 12 exhibition games this decade by an average of 22.3 points.

However, as Syracuse infamously reminded the nation this week (losing 82-79 to Division II Le Moyne), no opponent is to be overlooked—exhibition or regular season.