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Big East Basketball: Creighton, Villanova lead latest power rankings

By Salvador Lopez

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 01: The Big East logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center on February 1, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 01: The Big East logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center on February 1, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Big East Basketball Koby McEwen Marquette Golden Eagles (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Big East Basketball Koby McEwen Marquette Golden Eagles (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3. Marquette Golden Eagles (3-1)

  • Wins: vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff (99-57), vs Eastern Illinois (75-50), vs No. 4 Wisconsin (67-65)
  • Losses: vs Oklahoma State (70-62)
  • Next Game: Tuesday 12/8 at 9 pm ET vs Green Bay

Marquette won their first two games convincingly against Arkansas Pine-Bluff 99-57 and Eastern Illinois 75-50.

On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles lost to Oklahoma State 70-62. However, on Friday, Marquette put together a statement resume building upset win over No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65. Freshman forward Justin Lewis (11 ppg, 8.3 rpg), won the game for Marquette at the buzzer with the game-winning tip-in off a missed free throw.

Lewis so far looks like the real deal and has a great chance to end up being selected as the Big East Freshman of the Year this season if he keeps on producing. Lewis led the Golden Eagles, scoring 18 points from the bench, eight rebounds, and two blocks against Wisconsin. He currently has converted on 56 percent of his shots from the floor and is averaging 11 points per game in just 21 minutes per game.

One key player on the roster who has improved his scoring is senior guard, Koby McEwen (13.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg), McEwen scored 21 points against Oklahoma State in a 70-62 loss on Tuesday. McEwen is a reliable option who currently leads Marquette averaging 29 minutes per game.

Also, four-star freshman forward, Dawson Garcia (11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who was picked as the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year, got off to a great start, scoring 19 points against Arkansas Pine-Bluff and 16 points against Eastern Illinois.

Sophomore point guard and former Ohio State Buckeye, D.J. Carton (8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 apg), hasn’t broken out yet offensively to start the season but has provided a boost defensively. Carton is averaging 2.3 steals per game and has recorded at least one steal in every game this season.

For Marquette, the defense looks surprisingly great. The Golden Eagles are holding their opponents to an average of only 60.5 points per game to opponents, which ranks currently in the Top 50 nationally. Also, Marquette is currently Top 15 nationally in allowing opponents to shoot just 32.9 percent from the floor.

Last season, the Golden Eagles defense struggled allowing opponents to average 71.6 points per game. It’s a positive sign for Marquette that the defense has been able to step up and help the team win games this season.

Marquette will host Green Bay on Tuesday and then will travel to UCLA for another quality matchup to improve their resume on Friday.

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