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McNeal, Marquette looking to remain undefeated in Big East

Jan 10, 2009 - 11:31 AM No. 22 West Virginia (11-3) at No. 15 Marquette (14-2) 12:00 p.m. EST

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- Jerel McNeal has Marquette on the verge of its best start in conference play in 15 years.

McNeal and the 15th-ranked Golden Eagles look to remain undefeated in the Big East when they host No. 22 West Virginia on Saturday.

Marquette's second-leading scorer, McNeal has led his team to six straight wins overall, averaging 19 points per game over that span.

After draining all seven 3-pointers he attempted during Sunday's 34-point drubbing against Cincinnati, McNeal scored 16 points on Wednesday, guiding the Golden Eagles (14-2, 3-0 Big East) to an 81-76 victory against Rutgers and their first 3-0 mark in the conference since joining the Big East three seasons ago.

Marquette has not won its first four conference games in a campaign since doing so during the 1993-94 season, when it was a member of the Great Midwest Conference.

Moving to 4-0 in the Big East will not be easy against the Mountaineers (11-3, 1-3), who had a five-game win streak snapped during a 61-55 setback against fifth-ranked Connecticut on Tuesday.

West Virginia held Connecticut to under 40 percent shooting (21-of-53), but made only 30 percent (20-of-66) from the floor itself, including 6-of-26 from the arc. The Mountaineers also had no answer for the Huskies size and were outrebounded, 52-33.