After winning just 12 games total in the season prior, Marquette Basketball is looking for a bounce back campaign for 2026-27. After easy wins over Detroit Mercy and Mercyhurst, the Golden Eagles took on the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines. The Big East program was in control early on, taking a seven-point lead in the first half.
However, after allowing a big run to relinquish the lead, Marquette never led again, ultimately falling down by as much as 22 points in the second half. They went on to lose 84-70 for the first loss of the season. A lot went wrong for the Golden Eagles but there was one bright spot. Here’s a look at the overall takeaways from the game.
1. Nigel James worst game possible
After putting up 16.4 ppg as a freshman star last year, James has been off to a rough start. He scored just 13 points in the first two games, followed by going scoreless in 18 minutes against Michigan, missing all 11 field goal attempts and turning it over four times. It’s a miserable stretch for the sophomore and the hope is that this is the worse James looks for the rest of the season. Otherwise, they’re going to struggle to win any game against high-major competition.
2. Poor outings from the key transfers
It wasn’t just James who didn’t have a good outing against Michigan. The team’s two offseason key transfers were Nolan Minessale and Sanada Fru. The former Lousiville forward dealt with foul trouble early on and finished with just three points in 22 points, while Minessale had just five points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Part of the reason why Marquette was viewed as a bounce back team candidate was the expectation of these two having a sizeable. In their first game against a legit opponent, that ultimately didn’t happen.
3. 5th-year brightspot
There was another transfer the Golden Eagles got late during the 5-for-5 saga this Summer. Colin Porter is a 5’10 guard who averaged 9.0 ppg in four years at Liberty. After scoring just three points in the first two games, the senior broke out to lead the team with 21 points in 20 minutes off the bench, allowing them to make the final score more respectable. We’ll see if that was a one-off or a sign of his future impact but Marquette will gladly take it if he can remain eligible.
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