====== 1968-69 ======
Record: (24-5)\\
Postseason: NCAA Mideast Regional (Elite Eight)\\
Coach: [[Al McGuire]]\\
Captain: [[George Thompson]]\\
Leading Scorer: [[George Thompson]] (20.2 ppg)\\
Leading Rebounder: [[Ric Cobb]] (9.7 rpg)\\

===== Season review =====
The Warriors embarked on the 1968-69 campaign equipped with only one starter returning from the 23-6 club of the previous year. Aware of his team's lack of experience and anticipating a banner year for Midwest independents, perenniel pessimist [[Al McGuire]] warned Marquette fans against expecting better than a 16-10 record and against making the NCAA a topic of discussion.

That returning starter was the one who counted: a 6-2 senior named [[George Thompson]] whose ruthless assault on the MU record book would give him dominion over virtually every offensive statistic in the school's archives. The leadership he would furnish for a strong, but untested, supporting cast gave most Marquette fans to expect a year of record success. 1968-69 was the season of promise, McGuire's dire predictions notwithstanding.

McGuire's words echoed through the early season sounding more like prophecy than the wiles of a cagey psychologist. The Warriors split their first four games.

But the second loss, to a well-respected Drake squad, may have marked a watershed point in the MU season. For two important truths had revealed themselves through that 2-2 record. [[Dean Meminger]], the ballyhooed sophomore with a fistful of high school credentials was for real. And [[Ric Cobb]], Ranger (Texas) Junior College's "Elevator Man" who had averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds subbing for [[Ron Rahn]], deserved a starting position.

With its big four of Thompson, Thomas, Cobb and Meminger duly intact, Marquette now bounded away to eleven straight victories that included a Milwaukee Classic title, an upset of sixth-ranked Detroit, and a record 118 points against UW-Milwaukee on a school-record 48 field goals.

The semester break winning streak came to an end in Madison as the Badgers gained revenge for their loss in the Classic with a 56-50 triumph, a game which saw Thompson score the 1,505th point of his career and overtake Don Kojis as the leading scorer in the history of Marquette basketball.

The Warriors bounced back winning 9 of their last 10 regular season games.

==== NCAA tournament ====

The 22 regular-season victories, which tied a record set by the 1955 contingent, were recognized with an at-large berth in the NCAA. In the sub-regional at Carbondale, IL, the Warriors vindicated their bid with a 82-62 rout of Murray State's dangerous Racers.

In the Mideast regional at Madison, [[Al McGuire]] witnessed one of the finest hours of his coaching career when his rapacious troops upset Kentucky's 6th-ranked Wildcats, 81-74.  The victory avenged last season's 107-89 funeral at Lexington's NCAA regional; and, more significant, sent the Warriors into the finals against Purdue.

The Boilermaker tilt left Marquette only a few seconds, or, a single shot, away from its first trip to the national finals. The Warriors overcame an early 14-3 deficit to eventually send the game into overtime, then watched Rick Mount end it all with a jumper at the gun.  Marquette finished the season ranked 14th in both the UPI and AP polls and ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 63.5 points per game.

===== Schedule and Results =====
^Date^ Opponent^ Result^
|D 2| [[Saint John’s (MN)]]| W 68-45|
|D 3| at [[Minnesota]]| L 73-75|
|D 7| [[Portland]]| W 75-53|
|D 9| at [[Drake]]| L 63-68|
|D 11| [[Valparaiso]]| W 103-66|
|D 14| [[Denver]]| W 81-70|
|D 21| [[Western Michigan]]| W 76-60|
|D 27| [[Army]]| W 62-42|Milwaukee Classic|
|D 28| [[UW-Madison]]| W 59-56 OT|Milwaukee Classic|
|J 4| #7 [[Detroit]]| W 85-71|
|J 7| [[Loyola (IL)]]| W 61-56|
|J 9| at [[DePaul]]| W 77-72|
|J 11| [[Xavier (OH)]]| W 82-69|
|J 14| [[UW-Milwaukee]]| W 118-60|
|J 24| at [[Loyola (IL)]]| W 65-64|
|J 28| at [[UW-Madison]]| L 50-56|
|F 1| at [[Detroit]]| W 75-74|
|F 4| [[Northern Michigan]]| W 84-59|
|F 8| [[Eastern Michigan]]| W 82-58|
|F 13| at [[Saint Bonaventure]]| L 62-84|
|F 15| [[DePaul]]| W 66-55|
|F 18| at [[Xavier (OH)]]| W 67-54|
|F 20| at [[Denver]]| W 65-61|
|F 26| [[Tulane]]| W 85-72|
|M 1| at [[Creighton]]| W 79-76|
|M 3| at [[Air Force]]| W 69-57|
|M 8| [[Murray State]]| W 82-62|NCAA Tournament (Carbondale, IL)|
|M 13| vs #7 [[Kentucky]]|[[Kentucky_3_13_69|W 81-74]]|NCAA Tournament (Madison, WI)|
|M 15| vs #6 [[Purdue]]| L 73-75 OT|NCAA Tournament (Madison, WI)|


{{men_s_basketball:1969_team.jpg|}}