Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Top tier emerging, Xavier plummeting

Marquette has looked really good at times this season. I mean…really good. Most recently, the Golden Eagles have dominated Villanova and Xavier at home since the beginning of conference play and both performances were incredibly impressive to me. The issue, though, is their inconsistency as a unit. As good as Marquette has looked at times, it has been equally as bad in others. That includes double-digit road losses to Seton Hall and Creighton and dropping a home game to Providence.

Additionally, it is important to mention that these inconsistencies are not limited to just Big East play. This has been an ongoing issue throughout the season and is the reason why it is so hard to trust Marquette this season. You absolutely never know what you are going to get outside of Markus Howard.

Speaking of Howard, though, his presence makes Marquette dangerous against every single opponent. Even if the Golden Eagles are playing the best team in the country in a true road game, he can erupt for 40+ and carry this team to victory. He is that good. If the rest of the roster around him finds any sort of consistency and the Eagles learn to win on the road, then it’s time to watch out.

For now, though, I am being cautious with Marquette’s placement because I don’t know what to believe. Is Marquette as good as its highs or as bad as its lows? Probably somewhere in the middle, but I’m not sure how successful they can be.