The #7 Marquette Golden Eagles are continuing to tune for the upcoming 2024 NCAA Tournament and they have a chance to be in the Final Four this season. Marquette has been to the Final Four in over 20 years and they haven’t won it all since the 1970s.
The Golden Eagles’ latest example of tuning up for the NCAA Tournament is beating the St. John’s Red Storm after trailing by 15 points on Saturday. Marquette defeated them 86-75. The Marquette Golden Eagles have won seven consecutive games. They are 18-5 overall on the season and they are now 9-3 in BIG East Conference play.
Marquette has an outside shot at the one seed depending on how things go against the UCONN Huskies because they still have to play them twice. It will also depend on what happens during the Big East Conference Tournament as well.
If the Golden Eagles are going to make a deep run in March, Tyler Kolek is going to have to score the basketball and also get his teammates involved. Kolek scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and recorded 13 assists against the St. John’s Red Storm.
Stevie Mitchell scored 14 points, David Joplin scored 12 points, and Kam Jones also scored 10 points on Saturday for Shaka Smart’s squad against the St. John’s Red Storm.
If the NCAA Tournament Started Today, the Marquette Golden Eagles Would be a #2 Seed in the NCAA Tournament and Have a Reasonable Path to the Final Four
If the season ended today according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Marquette would be a 2 seed in the South Region (Dallas, Texas). In that region, the Golden Eagles wouldn’t potentially have a challenger until the Sweet 16 with #3 Alabama Crimson Tide from the SEC Conference. Alabama is a team that can match up with Marquette athletically, but the Golden Eagles have a little more talent this time around.
The biggest threat to the Marquette Golden Eagles in that region would be #1 Houston Cougars. Houston is from the BIG12 Conference and they are from the best conference in college basketball. The Cougars have been to a Final Four over the past few years. However, they are very good defensively but the offense can sputter at times.
The Golden Eagles are a basketball team that can put the Cougars’ defense on its heels with its ball movement and offense. Marquette is good enough defensively to slow Houston down. Those are the only two teams that would possibly stand in the way of the Marquette Golden Eagles reaching the Final Four, but both are very beatable.
This is a year where upsets are happening and anything goes when March Madness comes. Marquette has the depth and the coaching to get to the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. Them actually cutting down the nets in April is another story and that will be a wait-and-see approach.