MILWAUKEE — Marquette basketball fans are creating a buzz, as the Golden Eagles men’s team is now ranked sixth in the nation. It’s the highest Marquette men's basketball has been ranked since 1978.
Fans in Milwaukee are gearing up to wear the Marquette name with pride. At the Marquette Spirit Shop on campus, staff said there has been a high demand for gear in general, but especially for their new Big East Championship t-shirts.
“These have been the number one selling items so far for the past two weeks,” said student shop worker Megan Laurent. “We’ve had to keep getting more shipments in and online orders and everything.”
Laurent said weekends have been the busiest with a mix of students, alumni and community members coming in to find the perfect gear. Staff have been busy restocking during an exciting time for the Marquette community.
“It brings our community together and gives us something to look forward to,” she said. “Basketball is the biggest sport at our school so it’s really fun to experience that.”
Marquette alum Curtis Keuter was one of the many people shopping for gear following Marquette’s Big East champiosnhip win. He said he's excited to watch the Golden Eagles move up the March Madness ladder.
“I’m actually going to the Big East tournament, so wanted to get a couple of things just to represent Marquette in New York,” said Keuter.
During the preseason, Marquette was picked to finish ninth in the Big East, but unexpectedly won the conference outright for first time in history.
“It’s exciting to see them have this success and we’ll see what the post season has in store," he said.
Marquette junior Anna Sully said she’s been a big fan since she moved to Wisconsin for school.
“Now they’re sixth in the nation so that feels really good,” said Sully. “Marquette pride... I’ve got a lot of that.”
She, along with many other students and Wisconsinites, said she is excited to see how the team does as they continue in the post-season.
The team begins play the Big East Tournament on Thursday in New York. Marquette will find out its NCAA Tournament seeding and opponent on Sunday evening.
