Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Butler, DePaul keep rising

Marquette has had an up-and-down start to this season. There have been times where it feels as though the Golden Eagles are looking like a top-25 team in the country (against USC) but others where they barely look like they belong in consideration for an NCAA Tournament bid later in the season (against Wisconsin). As a result, they are very hard to figure out as a unit and it is difficult to find an appropriate place for where they belong in the national rankings. With regard to the Big East, though, Marquette appears to be in its own tier right now, in my opinion. They haven’t been quite as successful as the top-5 but not nearly as disappointing as the bottom-4.

There is, though, still definite potential for Marquette to compete near the top of the league. In order for that to happen, they will need to become far more consistent. The Golden Eagles have been one of the most erratic teams in the country so far this season and that is evidenced by their 276th overall spot in Haslametrics’ consistency rating. Markus Howard is at the core of Marquette’s entire offense and the team goes as he goes. If Howard is on, then the Golden Eagles can beat anyone. If he is off, then the Golden Eagles could lose to anyone. It’s that simple.

Their defense is definitely improved compared to last season, but it is not enough to push the team to victories when Howard is struggling. That is the biggest concern for this team moving forward. If Marquette is going to seriously move up these rankings and compete for a Big East title, Howard needs more help offensively. Koby McEwen was expected to be that second guy and looked the part through the first few games, but has scored just 22 total points over Marquette’s last four games.

McEwen, Sacar Anim, and Brendan Bailey all need to improve on the offensive end as they can help supplement points when Howard is missing.