Marquette Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Golden Eagles

Non-Conference Breakdown

Purdue, Nov. 14 at home

The toughest confirmed game on the schedule is their early-season bout with Purdue. Purdue and Marquette play a similar lineup with two undersized guards and a perimeter four-man. Both teams are among the best shooting teams in the country, but the key for Marquette will be putting Isaac Haas in pick-and-roll defense. The giant 7’2″ center for Purdue struggles with his mobility, which means Howard and Rowsey could blow by him and get to the rim or find an open shooter. Purdue is the better team on paper, but Marquette is the home team, which means they will have a great chance to pick up a quality win.

Maui Invitational, Nov. 20-22 

Marquette is guaranteed a matchup against VCU in the first round of the tournament. While VCU is always a tough matchup, they lost many contributors from last year’s squad. Senior Jonathan Williams is VCU’s leader, but athletic big man Justin Tillman is their best player (12.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg). Expect Marquette to be the favorite in this pivotal game.

If Marquette is fortunate enough to advance, they could run into Wichita State, Notre Dame, or Michigan. Wichita State is a top-ten team when healthy, but their two best players, Landry Shamet and Markis McDuffie, could miss this tournament. This means it would be a great time to play a short-handed Shocker squad and add a win that will be worth more in March. Notre Dame is a top-25 team led by stars Matt Farrell and Bonzie Colson and Michigan should be a top-50 team. A potential Michigan-Marquette matchup would be pretty evenly matched and would be key if both were on the bubble come tournament time.

Overall, this is a strong field that will give Marquette chances at quality wins if they get by VCU.

Georgia, Dec. 2 at home

Georgia has a star big man in Yante Maten, but other than him, their roster is uninspiring. The Bulldogs have no clear replacement for J.J. Frazier, who was responsible for most of their offense. While Marquette could grab a top-100 win here, don’t expect Georgia to be a factor in the SEC unless teams get ravaged by the FBI case.

Vermont, Dec. 5 at home

Vermont should be one of the strongest mid-majors once again. The trio of Trae Bell-Haynes, Anthony Lamb, and Payton Henson will make Vermont a top-75 squad at least. The Catamounts will be a tough out, but they provide Marquette with another potential solid win.

Wisconsin, Dec. 9 on the road

This is Marquette’s toughest non-conference road game and rivalry game. Wisconsin does not have its usual talent on paper, but its track record is hard to ignore. Ethan Happ is one of the top players in the country, but he lacks proven teammates. Khalil Iverson and D’Mitrik Trice were solid role players last year and will be on many breakout player lists. Wisconsin should be favored in this game, but Marquette will have a legitimate chance to add a quality road win.