Marquette versus UW-Milwaukee Basketball Rivalry

By Golden Eagles Basketball J.B. | Posted Wednesday, December 28

It looks like Marquette is the best Division 1-A Wisconsin based team, even though they dropped in rank nationally. In 2011, Marquette defeated the Badgers, the Green Bay Phoenix, and UW-Milwaukee. The team has yet to play their first Big East basketball opponent. Still, it’s pretty nice to see our Golden Eagles taking care of business here in Wisconsin.

A Milwaukee College Basketball Tradition

The Golden Eagles and UW-Panthers have a historic rivalry. The two organizations have kept the Milwaukee basketball tradition going through an agreement to play annually, in five year blocks. Last week's match-up marked the end of the current five year deal, but both sides look forward to a new schedule of games.

That tradition of sportsmanship certainly wasn't lost on this most recent occasion. Despite the obvious difference in talent level, both coaches went out of their way to compliment the other at every chance. Marquette head coach, Buzz Williams, said before the game that this year's Panthers are the best that he has seen since first playing them in 2007. On the other side, the Panthers coach Rob Jeter stated that his team looks forward to the yearly opportunity to play an opponent that is regularly ranked with in the top fifteen.