NCAA Basketball top 25 power rankings: Villanova rises, Houston and Duke fall
By Joey Loose
24. Marquette (16-9)
On New Year’s Day, Marquette looked nothing like a ranked team, dropping a fourth straight game and sitting barely over .500. They spent most of January and early February proving they belonged among the best teams in the nation, including an unexpected sweep of Villanova in the process. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles took a major step back this past week.
On Tuesday, they dropped a tough 80-72 road game at Connecticut, a game in which Justin Lewis, Oliver-Maxence Prosper, and Greg Elliott all had at least 17 points but the defense couldn’t contain the Huskies. The issues worsened over the weekend, dropping a tough 85-79 game at Butler with the team’s worst defensive performance of the season by far.
Despite this week’s rough pair of performances, Marquette is still 8-6 in the Big East and in solid position. A November win over Illinois pairs with sweeps of Villanova and Seton Hall to put the Golden Eagles’ resume in a good place. Unfortunately, they can’t really afford to have another week like this last one. The road to getting back on track happens with a winnable home date with Georgetown.