Shaka Smart In his 4th season as Head Coach of the Marquette Golden Eagles is looking to Indy. Last season Marquette could already see the strides the team had taken under Smart as they became the first Golden Eagles team to win the Big East Conference Tournament since 2013, when they defeated the Xavier Musketeers by a score of 65 to 51.
Smart has answered a lot of questions during his tenure thus far, but there’s still one burning question on the minds of the Marquette faithful; how far can Shaka Smart take this team? The Madison native has proven capable of the feat, pointing to his run to the Final Four while coaching the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams in 2011.
Shaka Smart Can Bring Marquette to the Final 4 for the First Time Since 2003
In the entire history of Marquette’s basketball program, there may not be a more iconic and prolific player than Dwyane Wade. In 65 games with the Golden Eagles, Wade posted a stat line of 19.7 PPG, 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists on a 49.4% field goal percentage leading the university to its first Final Four berth in over 25 seasons.
Wade would go on to become an NBA legend for the Miami Heat and win 3 NBA Championships during his time in the league, playing with the likes of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Jimmy Butler. Only time will tell if Shaka Smart has a player with potential that mirrors Wade, however his talent as a coach should be more than enough to propel Marquette back to glory.
Top Players Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek’s Importance
Tyler Kolek is currently leading the entire nation in assists at 7.6 per game to go along with Kam Jones’ impressive 16.8 points per game. Smart has been able to maximize the talent of both of these key players and it’s paid dividends for him and his team so far this season. Marquette finished the season 25-9, which was good enough to earn a 3 seed in the March Madness tournament. If Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek can continue producing at a consistent level, then that bodes well for Marquette’s chances at going on a deep tournament run.
Oso Ighodaro’s Importance Can’t be Overstated
The production that Smart has been able to get out of his core players, to go along with Oso Ighodaro‘s fantastic play has Marquette primed to go on a deep run this March Madness season. Ighodaro is currently posting 14 PPG, with 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He’s been a key part of Marquette’s game plan this season, and a huge reason why Marquette has gotten to this point in general. Smart has been able to find creative ways to put his players in the best situations.
What Shaka Is Up Against
After an impressive regular season, Smart and his Golden Eagles squad are one of only four 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Their record of 25-9 speaks for itself, however this is March and they call it Madness for a reason. Marquette opens their bid for a National Championship on Friday, March 22nd at 1:00 PM CST against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky’s 2024 record of 22-11 is dwarfed by Marquette’s, as well as their 15th seed.
March Madness is a tournament designed to give every team a fair enough chance to make a deep run, as we’ve seen with the amount of upsets the tournament has seen over the years. If Shaka Smart and his squad can continue playing the way they have throughout the season, then there’s no reason to believe that this team can’t be a true contender for the championship this season.
