8. Marquette Golden Eagles - 11-2
After the first couple of months, it’s hard not to have the Eagles as the favorite to win the Big East. They’re already 20 to open league play, getting wins over Butler and Xavier. This is one of a few high-major programs that have played four road games, getting a win over Maryland while losing at Iowa State and Dayton.
As expected, the star of Marquette is Kameron Jones. But he may have found a way to surpass the already high preseason expectations, leading the team with 20.3 ppg and 6.4 apg, including producing a triple-double in a win over Purdue.
Besides Jones, there are two other double-digit scoring guards for Marquette. Stevie Mitchell and Chase Ross have performed well in their elevated roles, while forward David Joplin in second on the team with 14.6 ppg and had a few big outings as well, while Ben Gold has been a solid stretch option.
It’s all Big East play for Marquette going forward. The next game is on the road at Providence, followed by home matchups with Georgetown and Creighton. The Golden Eagles are one of a few teams in the league that are current locks for the Big Dance but they can’t afford to start a losing skid, especially if they want to keep up with UConn in the regular-season title race.