4. Marquette (8-0)
We can’t quickly forget how well Marquette has looked in recent years and that trend seems to be continuing into this season. The Golden Eagles’ hot start included wins at Maryland and in more impressive fashion over Purdue in recent weeks. A plethora of talent was back in Milwaukee for this season and they seem to have the depth, skill, and ability to win this Big East based on what we’ve seen in November.
Comfortably at home while many other teams played tournaments, Marquette’s week started Wednesday with a 94-59 win over Stonehill. David Joplin had 27 points in a second-consecutive standout effort while the team shot nearly 61% from the field. Things went just as well on Saturday, with the Golden Eagles coasting to a 94-62 victory against Western Carolina. Another solid shooting effort was highlight by Kam Jones and his 20-point, 10-assist performance.
The veteran talent at Marquette this season has experience winning games together and are adding to that number already this year. This team has the potential to make major noise this season if they stay healthy and keep playing like this. Whether or not that trend continues, next week is a major challenge to their hot start, heading to Iowa State for the Big 12/Big East Battle before hosting rival Wisconsin over the weekend.