7. Marquette (14-2)
Some of Shaka Smart’s earliest recruits are still playing for him at Marquette, but the feisty coach has set up quite the system and culture already in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles sit in an enviable position as one of the top teams in the Big East and their first few weeks of league play aren’t doing anything to change that. Could they keep that momentum going this week after some hard fought wins last week?
The answer was yet and Marquette got to 5-0 in Big East play, though the road there wasn’t exactly easy. The Golden Eagles hosted Georgetown on Tuesday and despite a 9-point halftime lead got a strong second half to beat the Hoyas 74-66. Chase Ross was phenomenal with a 27-point, 6-steal effort on a day where the shots weren’t falling for the Golden Eagles. Stevie Mitchell added 13 points on a good free throw shooting day.
It hasn’t always been pretty, but Marquette went to war five times in league play and have five wins to show for it right now. They’ve done exactly what they’ve needed to do even with some close calls and are in great shape to win this league’s crown if they keep playing like this. This experienced and talented team heads to DePaul next week and then hosts Xavier, already hoping to finish a season sweep over those Musketeers.