The lights dimmed, the song “Thunderstruck” rang out and the Marquette faithful began to cheer as the players made their way onto the court.
The 2023-24 season, one of most highly anticipated seasons in Marquette men’s basketball history, was officially underway.
In its season opener, No. 5 Marquette faced and defeated Northern Illinois 92-70 Monday night at Fiserv Forum.
“It’s great to be back in Fiserv Forum,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “What an unbelievable crowd. (I’m) just so grateful for our fans… The energy that the crowd gave us particularly in the first half as we were making a couple runs, it felt like a Big East game from the standpoint of the atmosphere.