Big East Basketball: 2018-19 storylines for Providence at Marquette

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 08: Joey Hauser #22 and Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 74-69 in overtime at the Fiserv Forum on December 08, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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MILWAUKEE, WI – NOVEMBER 08: The Marquette Golden Eagle mascot pumps up the students before the game against the Southern Jaguars at BMO Harris Bradley Center on November 08, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /

2. Is Marquette the hottest team in the country?

Considering college basketball still houses two undefeated teams in No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Virginia, it’s a big stretch to call the three-loss Golden Eagles the hottest team in the nation.

However, dating back to November 22, Marquette has just one loss, three top-15 wins, and five KenPom top-50 wins. Two of its ranked wins (Kansas State and Buffalo) were decided by 12 or more points.Granted, Marquette has only edged most of its Big East competition thus far and needed a miracle to defeat Creighton in a double overtime thriller last week. Moreover, St. John’s crushed the Golden Eagles by 20 in the Bronx in its only loss during that stretch.

The Golden Eagles will certainly be a team to keep an eye on as they enter a rather easy stretch of upcoming games. Following a likely victory on Sunday, Marquette hosts DePaul before facing eight-loss Xavier and seven-loss Butler on the road. However, in conference play, especially a league with as much parity as the Big East, college basketball becomes very unpredictable. Barring an upset loss, Marquette could enter the AP top 10 in two weeks.

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