NCAA Basketball: Purdue, Virginia falls, Marquette and Gonzaga rise in top 25 power rankings

7. Marquette Golden Eagles – 23-6 (15-3 Big East)

One of the biggest surprises in NCAA Basketball has continued its tear in the Big East, now in sole possession of first place. But these past few games made Marquette work for it for sure. After beating Xavier at home, the team went to Creighton to take on the surging Bluejays in a key conference matchup.

It was a close battle throughout, though the Golden Eagles saw themselves trailing for a good portion in the second half. But a big run put them in position to win, which they did in the final minute for the key 73-71 road win. Kameron Jones led the way with 19 points, while both Tyler Kolek and Oso Oghodaro each had 18. Kolek racked up six more assists to stay in first in the conference in passing.

Marquette looked for an easy time at home against DePaul and they were on their way to doing so, up by 21 points at the half. However, the Blue Demons dropped 56 points in the second half to try to make it a game. The favorites were still able to hold on to get the 90-84 victory. Jones had 22 points, while Kolek had both 22 points, along with 14 assists in the game.

The Golden Eagles have clinched at least a share of the Big East regular-season title with two games to go and just need to beat either St. John’s or Butler to win it outright. If they keep winning, they’ll have a chance to end up either as a 2 or 3 seed in the Big Dance.