Marquette was picked to finish ninth in the Big East a season ago. The Golden Eagles proved the doubters wrong by making the NCAA Tournament.
However, after losing its top two scorers – Justin Lewis and Darryl Morsell – Marquette is picked ninth again. Typically that isn’t going to earn a bid to the Big Dance. I think Marquette may be getting overlooked once again.
The Golden Eagles should be a competitive team despite being young. While youthful, many of Marquette’s young players are returning contributors. Marquette kicked off Shaka Smart’s second season as head coach Monday at Fiserv Forum with a 79-69 against Radford.
How can Marquette pull off another unexpected tournament run? Here are some things to watch:
Perimeter play
The young guards – Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek, Stevie Mitchell, Emarion Ellis, – are back. Also true freshman Sean Jones is expected to get significant playing time. Chase Ross could get some run as well.
Jones averaged 7.4 points and Kolek averaged 6.7 points per game but struggled shooting the ball. Jones showed a propensity to score the ball, averaging 7.4 points in less than 19 minutes per game.
With Lewis and Morsell out, Marquette needs Olivier Maxence-Prosper to make a leap. Maxence-Prosper is oozing with potential. Last year, he averaged 6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and formed a tough wing defense tandem with Morsell. Prosper is extremely athletic and is 6-foot-8. If Marquette is going to return to the NCAA Tournament it will need O-Max to turn a corner and replace Morsell’s scoring. O-Max may be the most athletic Golden Eagle and they will need him to provide a scoring punch.
My top 5 BE wings:
5. Baylor Scheierman- Creighton
4. David Jones- St. John’s
3. Olivier-Maxence Prosper- Marquette
2. Andre Jackson- UConn
1. Colby Jones- Xavier— Big East Bar Room 🎙 (@BigEastBarroom) November 4, 2022
Defense
Marquette has some dudes defensively. The aforementioned O-Max is one of the best in the Big East. Stevie Mitchell looked the part last year. He is a lockdown defender.
Sean Jones is a hard-nosed defender. Chase Ross comes with a good rep as a freshman. Marquette looks like it will have the guard play and athletic big men to re-create some of the Havoc that Shaka Smart coached VCU teams created in the past.
Oso Ighodaro & Ben Gold
Ben Gold comes in as a 6-10 freshman with a lot of intrigue surrounding him. Gold could be a matchup nightmare if he’s ready for the rugged Big East. Gold at just 19 years old played with the New Zealand National Team. He has a picture-perfect shooting stroke and could be the scoring big Marquette sorely needs.
Oso Ighodaro is also generating some buzz. Oso looks like he could be taking a leap this year with Jon Rothstein tweeting he’s hearing reports of Point Oso being a thing. Marquette were crushed on the boards last year and will need both Gold and Ighodaro to clean the glass. Either way, Gold and Ighodaro offer intriguing post play for Marquette. This is one area I am very intrigued at watching in 2022-’23. Marquette will need more of a paint presence this season.
My Big East Freshman of the Year Watchlist
Ben Gold, Marquette
Alex Karaban, UConn
Mark Armstrong, Villanova
Zion Cruz, DePaul
Cam Whitmore, Villanova— Ryan Cassidy – Let's Talk Big East Hoops (@ryancassidycbb) October 29, 2022
David Joplin jump?
David Joplin came with a lot of buzz when he followed Smart to Marquette after initially committing to play at Texas. Joplin is a tall, lanky wing who can shoot the ball. He struggled in limited minutes last year, shooting under 30% from 3. But from all reports Joplin looks fantastic this season. Joplin seems like a natural scorer and Marquette will need his scoring ability to come through with last year’s top-two scorers no longer on campus.
Regarding the Marquette/Mizzou secret scrimmage, I've heard #mubb won. Not exactly sure of the margin. I've heard both 8 points and 12 points. More people saying 8, but people I trust most say 12. Joplin was the star for Marquette. Both teams played well.
— Alan Bykowski (@brewcity1977) November 2, 2022
Conclusion
The Golden Eagles are once again pegged to be in the bottom third of the Big East. However, last year they proved doubters wrong making the NCAA Tournament. With its top two scorers gone, can Marquette do it again? They have strong guards, a good coach and will need some players to step up. It will be fun to see if the Golden Eagles can do it again. It won’t take long for us to find out as the season starts Monday.