12. Marquette (4-0)
Now in year four under Shaka Smart’s leadership, this Marquette program has started to cause more and more havoc in the college basketball world. They’ve been a very strong team in the Big East since his hiring and look like a national contender yet again this season. Nothing comes easy in a conference that also includes UConn, but the Golden Eagles have certainly started their season on the right foot.
Monday’s game against Central Michigan was far from pretty, but the Golden Eagles survived with a 70-62 victory. Stevie Mitchell scored 17 points in a game where the defense did just enough on a lame shooting night. Fortunately, Marquette bounced back nicely on Friday, returning from a halftime deficit for a 78-74 win at Maryland. This team struck gold in their first road game of the season, led by a phenomenal 28-point performance from Kam Jones.
Jones has surpassed 20 points in three of the Golden Eagles’ first four outings, showcasing himself as exactly the weapon that this team needs. This past week was certainly a mixed bag, but Marquette did enough to continue their unbeaten start to the season. The hostile road environment in Maryland was certainly a test, though another significant challenge awaits this week, as the Golden Eagles host Purdue on Tuesday before an SEC battle with Georgia over the weekend.