GameThread: Marquette Golden Eagles vs Lindenwood Lions

THE VITALS: Marquette Golden Eagles (0-0) vs Lindenwood Lions (0-0)

THE DATE: Saturday, November 4, 2017

THE TIME: 1pm Central

THE LOCATION: BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI

THE AUDIO/VISUAL: Spectrum Sports (TV) — MySpectrumSports.com (Streaming, but only if you’re a subscriber) — GameTracker (Live Stats)

THE LINE: Yeah, right, like Vegas would take a wager on this. MU won their exhibition last year by 53, so let’s say Marquette -34.5.

THE PROJECTION: Well, there’s not an actual mathematical projection available, but let’s say Marquette has a 99% chance of victory.

WHAT’S LINDENWOOD’S DEAL, ANYWAY? The Lions are a NCAA Division 2 team based out of St. Charles, Missouri, which is in the northwest suburbs of Saint Louis. They went 21-12 last season, but went just 10-9 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play. Lance Randall is the head coach, and he’s in his third season in charge of the Lions. Randall has Wisconsin ties, as he was an associate head coach at UW-Stevens Point when they won a Division 3 NCAA championship. He was also the head coach at Oshkosh West High School, racking up a 71-3 record and winning two WIAA titles. Randall had been on a Division 1 coaching track, serving as Brad Soderberg’s assistant at Saint Louis before heading to Oshkosh West to replace his father, who had passed away suddenly.

Lindenwood has only been a full member of the NCAA since the 2013-14 season, and last year, Randall guided them to their first 20 win season since the transition from the NAIA. Oddly enough, it was Soderberg that was the coach prior to Randall and guided the team through the transition process.

This game could be a wild shooting affair, as Lindenwood likes to launch from long range almost as much as Marquette. They connected on the second most three-pointers in school history last season, and the Lions return 66% of their long ball production from that roster.