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Marquette Basketball: Breakdown of the Golden Eagles’ 2018-19 non-conference schedule

By Brian Foley

GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 17: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 17: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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VILLANOVA, PA – JANUARY 06: Phil Booth #5 of the Villanova Wildcats gets the ball knocked away by Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles at The Wells Fago Center on January 6, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA – JANUARY 06: Phil Booth #5 of the Villanova Wildcats gets the ball knocked away by Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles at The Wells Fago Center on January 6, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Dec. 4 vs. UTEP

Last Year: 11-20 (6-12 C-USA)
NCAA Tournament: No
2018-19 Projection: 258th

UTEP is a perfectly acceptable addition to Marquette’s non-conference schedule. The Miners slumped to a disappointing 11-20 record last year, but still ranked 240th in KenPom. That’s not a great number, but it fits well for MU’s needs, especially tucked between two tough opponents in K-State and Wisconsin.

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Marquette should handle UTEP fairly easily. The Miners are losing three key rotation players from last year’s roster, including their top two scorers, and will be relying heavily on freshmen and sophomores to carry the scoring load in 2018-19. UTEP is also blending its new head coach, Rodney Terry, into the fold.

Still, a Conference-USA team has a higher floor than squads from smaller conferences. This also isn’t Terry’s first trip to Milwaukee – his Fresno State squad fell 84-81 to the Golden Eagles in 2016. And while UTEP’s youth will likely struggle to find their sea legs, it’s not unrealistic to expect the Miners to take off in the latter portion of the season, pushing up their metrics, as well as Marquette’s, in the process.

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