One season ago the Marquette men’s basketball team was picked ninth in the Big East preseason coaches poll. The Golden Eagles surprised many by making the NCAA Tournament.
The coaches didn’t learn. This season? You guessed it, Marquette was predicted to finish ninth. This year Marquette and coach Skaka SMart might not be satisfied just making the NCAA Tournament. After Saturday’s blowout win over Georgetown, the Golden Eagles are now 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the Big East.
Marquette surprising again
Early in the season Marquette’s youth showed up. In fact, all four losses were by five points or less and didn’t have a win that wasn’t by double figures.
Marquette hadn’t found a way to win a close game yet, but that changed just before the calendar flipped to 2023. Marquette earned a hard-fought 68-66 win at Villanova on Dec. 31. It is the second straight year Marquette won at Villanova.
Since 2013-14, Villanova has lost three Big East games total at the Pavilion.
Shaka Smart and Marquette own two of those victories.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) December 31, 2022
The Golden Eagles are a young team, but very talented. Also, many of the young players – Tyler Kolek, Olivier Maxence-Prosper, Kam Jones and Oso Ighodaro among them – got significant playing time under their belt last year. This year it seems the Golden Eagles just needed to close one close game out to build some confidence. Marquette now appears to be brimming with confidence.
Marquette’s guards are really talented. Today, Stevie Mitchell goes for a career-high 19 in the win at Villanova. Kam Jones added 14 on 5/9 with 3 assists. Tyler Kolek is the set-up man: 8 more assists today. His last 2 games: 16 assists to just 2 turnovers.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) December 31, 2022
It’s easy to look at what Marquette lost from last year’s surprising tournament team. The Golden Eagles’ top two scorers are gone – Justin Lewis via the draft and Darryl Morsell via graduation. However, Marquette brought in a talented 2022 recruiting class with Sean Jones, Chase Ross and Ben Gold, All three are playing minutes this year and Ross and Jones came in with college-ready physiques.
The youthful talent, coupled with the experience and poise of Ighodaro and Kolek, Marquette is playing fantastic basketball particularly offensively.
CHASE ROSS WITH AUTHORITY 😡😤
MU 75 | GU 57 | 2H 7:12 #MUBB | #WeAreMarquette pic.twitter.com/S9rb5xy4lR
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) January 7, 2023
Shaka Smart has MU playing with swagger
Marquette didn’t get the memo of being a bottom feeding Big East team. In fact, Olivier Maxence-Prosper had a far different outlook. He had this to say after Marquette’s victory over St. John’s.
Marquette’s O-Max Prosper: “We feel like we’re the best team in the Big East.”
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) January 4, 2023
While I don’t think right now Marquette is on UConn’s level, it says a lot about the players’ outlook to state they think they are the best team in the Big East.
On Wednesday, Marquette gets a chance to prove they are at least among the best in the Big East when they play UConn. Right now Marquette looks like a team on a mission, and it can’t ask to play the Huskies at a better time.
MU not satisfied with just tourney berth this year
Last year Shaka Smart hit the transfer portal hard with senior transfers Kur Kuath and Darryl Morsell. It was known they were one year guys. Leading scorer Lewis left via the draft. But much of the Marquette team returned and that familiarity is shining through. The Golden Eagles had many contributors who want more than just a tourney berth this season despite being picked ninth in the Big East again.
Last year felt like making the NCAA Tournament would be a good goal. They accomplished it. This year, though, watching the continuity of Marquette team, they looked poised to not just make the tournament, but do damage in March.
