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Wisconsin meets Marquette in rare ranked battle

Dec 9, 2006 - 3:35 PM No. 12 Wisconsin (8-1) at No. 20 Marquette (9-1) 2:00 pm EST

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The yearly grudge match between Wisconsin and Marquette will be a little more meaningful this season.

In a matchup of in-state rivals, the 12th-ranked Badgers will take on 20th-ranked Marquette on Saturday.

The annual battle between the squads is always a heated competition, but this season, the two teams are both ranked for only the third time in series history. Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 61-51.

On Monday, Michael Flowers forced overtime with a follow shot with 10 seconds left and Alando Tucker scored five of his 21 points in the extra session as the Badgers escaped with an 82-79 victory over Winthrop. Flowers also scored 21 points for the Badgers, who squandered a 13-point lead in the second half but recovered to continue their dominance at home under coach Bo Ryan.

Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dominic James combined for 44 points to lead Marquette to a 65-48 victory over Delaware State.

The Golden Eagles were stunned by North Dakota State in the final of their Blue and Gold Classic on Saturday, primarily because of the struggles of Matthews and James, who shot a combined 6-for-26.

Matthews came out with a purpose on Tuesday, hitting his first four shots and scoring 10 of Marquette's first 12 points in the first four minutes.