MILWAUKEE -- Since the Marquette Golden Eagles last took the court at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, the program has undergone a significant makeover.
Five of the six players who saw significant minutes in Marquette's regular-season finale are gone, while Buzz Williams is 700 miles away at Virginia Tech.
And while Saturday afternoon's exhibition contest against Division III Wisconsin Lutheran has no bearing whatsoever, head coach Steve Wojciechowski and the new-look Golden Eagles are eager to play an opponent in front of a crowd for the first time.
"We're sick of playing against each other," senior guard Matt Carlino said. "We want to get out there and show what we have been working on in the preseason and then (figure out) how we will progress from there."
Marquette hasn't played an exhibition game since hosting the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 2009. Williams then began playing two closed-door, secret scrimmages with fellow Division I teams instead of playing exhibition games.
NCAA teams can play two of the closed-door scrimmages, two exhibition contests or one of each, the latter of which is the route Wojciechowski and the Golden Eagles are taking this season. Marquette faced defending ACC champion and preseason No. 9 Virginia in a secret scrimmage in Charlottesville, Va., on Nov. 1.
"I think there's value in both," Wojciechowski said. "There's certainly value in playing against an outstanding team and program. You learn a lot about yourself as a team, both good and bad.
"As far as playing in front of the public, I think it is important to see who guys are when the lights are truly on against somebody else. I've seen guys who play well when you watch them in practice but then the lights come on and it is game time and they are a completely different player. Hopefully we'll see some really good things on Saturday afternoon."
Wojciechowski expects all nine eligible Golden Eagles players to be available against Wisconsin Lutheran.
Transfers Luke Fischer and Wally Ellenson can suit up but are not able to participate against the Warriors.
Despite some minor injuries impacting the number of bodies the Golden Eagles have had throughout the early part of practice, both Wojciechowski and Carlino feel progress has been made.
"We still have a long way to go, but we're getting sharper," Carlino said. "We're getting a lot better. I mean, it will be hard to tell from the first exhibition game, but I feel like we will get a lot sharper as the season progresses."
Although the Warriors are predicted to finish in eighth place in the Division III Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and are significantly less talented than the Golden Eagles, Wojciechowski plans on treating Saturday as if it counts.
"We'll try to use it as a game," Wojciechowski said. "It is a game in our mind even though it is not one that counts in the win-loss column. We're going to approach it in our preparation and mindset as if it is a game.
"Probably like most coaches around the country, at times you wish you were further along than you are. Our guys have done a good job. It is a new system -- offensively, defensively and communication-wise. We have a lot of new players. If you look at our roster, we don't have a lot of guys who have played big-time roles in high-level games."
The game doesn't count on his record, but Saturday will mark Wojciechowski's coaching debut with Marquette. Redshirt freshman guard Duane Wilson, freshman Sandy Cohen and Carlino will play on the BMO Harris Bradley Center floor as Golden Eagles for the first time.
"It is an honor, and I'm very excited, but I'm going to be consumed with what the team is doing," Wojciechowski said of his unofficial first game as a head coach. "I'm sure I'll feel incredibly proud, but I'm focused on our guys and trying to help them the best I can.
"(Duke) coach (Mike Krzyzewski) always says, 'There will be a time when you look back and you appreciate everything you did and what was going on, but when you are coaching, the time is to focus on your players.'"
Under longtime head coach Skip Noon, Wisconsin Lutheran returns 15 letterwinners and five starters after a 10-16 campaign in 2013-14. The Warriors have 15 players from Wisconsin on their roster, including 10 from the Milwaukee area.
Follow Andrew Gruman on Twitter
