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Bracketology 2024: Duke, Dayton and Kansas among week’s winners

By Joey Loose

Nov 14, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) goes to the basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) goes to the basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bracketology Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Marquette

Though a few pieces are gone from last year, Marquette won the Big East title and returned Player of the Year Tyler Kolek and several other starters. Unsurprisingly, expectations were pretty high for Shaka Smart’s third season leading the Golden Eagles. In the opening week, Marquette played pretty well against some mediocre opposition at home but took advantage of a great opportunity this past week.

Their first test away from home, the Golden Eagles headed to Illinois as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games and got a ranked win, beating the Illini by seven points. Kolek, who had been questionable pregame with injury concerns, scored 24 points and led the Golden Eagles to an impressive win. That win will stand up across the season and getting a Quad 1 road win eight days into the season is certainly a big win for this program.

Miami

The Hurricanes advanced to their first Final Four in program history last season. They then returned Norchad Omier, Nijel Pack, and Wooga Poplar and added a few faces into the mix. Ranked in the preseason, the Hurricanes certainly have great expectations after two straight breakout seasons, but this is the week where they lived up to the preseason hype.

Though a home win over UCF was nice, the Hurricanes secured two important wins at the Bahamas Championship this past week. They did enough to claim a 12-point win against Georgia on Friday before holding on with a great offensive performance against Kansas State, winning the tournament with a 91-83 win on Sunday. Stockpiling wins, especially what’s likely a Quad 1 win against Kansas State, is an impressive start for a Hurricanes team that looks the part of a contender for a high seed.

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