Advisory: Marquette University stories and experts for March Madness coverage
March 15, 2022
MILWAUKEE — As March Madness takes over the national conversation, Marquette University is available to assist with coverage of the NCAA Tournament.
Marquette is the host institution for the first two rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments at the Fiserv Forum, and the nine seed Golden Eagles men’s basketball team heads to the first round site in Ft. Worth, Texas, to take on eight-seeded North Carolina. Marquette’s women’s basketball team will host the Ball State Cardinals in a WNIT matchup on Wednesday.
- Marquette has issued about 500 media credentials for the first and second round games.
- From sports information to athletic training, Marquette will rely on nearly 200 volunteers to help run the tournament behind the scenes in addition to the paid staff in the athletic department and at the Fiserv Forum.
- Marquette is drawing volunteers from six different colleges and universities in the state, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Cardinal Stritch University, Alverno College, Wisconsin Lutheran College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Marquette is hosting NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games for the eighth time in 30 years. The university previously hosted tournaments in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2017 and 2022.
NOTE: Marquette is on spring break the week of March 13-19, so there will be limited students on campus for watch party or media opportunities.
Marquette Experts
- Impact on the university: Brian Troyer, dean of undergraduate admissions, has direct knowledge of the impact a post-season appearance and extended run in the NCAA Tournament can have on an institution in terms of new student interest and applications. He has been at Marquette since 2016; he previously worked at UW-Milwaukee and Kentucky during national tournament appearances, including UK’s 2012 National Championship. Troyer is available at brian.troyer@marquette.edu.
- Science of free throw shooting: Dr. William Cullinan, dean of the College of Health Sciences, can discuss implications from brain science on successful free-throw shooting. Some of the factors he points out are motor styles, 'muscle memory', priming, and the effects of stress/anxiety on shooting success. He can be reached at william.cullinan@marquette.edu.
- Sports marketing and advertising: Dr. Jim Pokrywczynski, associate professor of strategic communication, has presented on and written papers discussing analytics in a sports/event marketing context and brand tracking on social media. He can be reached at james.pokro@marquette.edu.
- Sports medicine: Christopher Geiser, clinical associate professor and program director of athletic training, is available to discuss key injuries suffered during the tournament, as well as what it takes to achieve some of the standout athletic feats accomplished on the court. He can be reached at christopher.geiser@marquette.edu. NOTE: Geiser is not affiliated with the Marquette Athletic Department and is unable to offer any additional insight into Marquette player injuries beyond general assessments available for any other team.
- Retail/branding: Dr. Felicia Miller, chair and associate professor of marketing, is an expert on branding, endorsements and other nontraditional advertising, as well as consumer behavior. She can discuss the impact of hosting NCAA Tournament games can have on the Deer District in Milwaukee. She can be reached at felicia.miller@marquette.edu.
- Sports law: Paul Anderson is a professor and the director of the National Sports Law Institute. His specialties include amateur athletics, sports business and sports ethics. Anderson is available at paul.anderson@marquette.edu.
Experts are available for additional topics either by searching the Marquette experts directory or by contacting Kevin Conway, associate director of university communication, at kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.
About Kevin Conway
Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.
