9. Marquette (9-2)
While some teams sat on their hands during nonconference play, the Golden Eagles played a challenging schedule. They got double-digit wins over Purdue, Georgia, and Wisconsin and have looked great on both sides of the ball at times this year. Unfortunately, they faltered on the road against a very strong Iowa State squad at the beginning of the month and had another similar situation this week.
Marquette headed to Dayton on Saturday night and despite building a double-digit halftime lead found themselves on the wrong end of the decision. The Golden Eagles lost 71-63, faltering in the second half for their second loss on the season. Chase Ross had 19 points and Kam Jones added 18, but the shooting numbers were down for both teams and Marquette just couldn’t stem that strong Dayton run after halftime.
Based on how those teams have been playing this season, there’s no shame for Marquette in losing at Dayton and Iowa State. They did pick up a nice road win at Maryland about a month ago and we know this team can win games away from their friendly confines. Jones is playing at a high level and this roster has the talent to make major moves in the Big East; but will they find themselves to the top of this league?