7. Marquette (9-1)
The positive results for Marquette in the first month of the season cannot be overlooked, especially when this looks like the best team in the Big East. While some of their conference mates have struggled or disappointed, the Golden Eagles are off to another hot start, with that big win against Purdue the most prominent currency on their November resume.
Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles lost their first game of the season on Wednesday. Marquette fell 81-70 at Iowa State as part of the Big 12/Big East Battle despite 17 points off the bench from Royce Parham. They had another ranked opportunity over the weekend and came alive, winning 88-74 at home against rival Wisconsin. Kam Jones had a stellar performance with 32 points and six assists, leading a strong second-half surge as Marquette got back in the winning column.
Incredible teams are going to lose in Ames this season and there’s very little shame towards the Golden Eagles for that loss. This team has played very solid ball but still has work to do, even with how great they’ve looked at times on both sides of the ball. They aren’t a team that typically kills you from outside, but that deep rotation and defensive intensity make Marquette a tough out every night. We’ll see how it all holds up in another tough road game next week at Dayton.