Marquette Golden Eagles
Big East (24-9, 12-6)
Marquette has been one of the most pleasant surprises in all of college basketball this season. The Golden Eagles were always going to have a good offense, but their defense was awful last year and there were not many signs that it would get better. But it did and Marquette finished a strong 2nd in the Big East.
Big Wins: 12/8 Wisconsin (74-69), 12/21 Buffalo (103-85), 2/9 Villanova (66-65)
Bad Losses: 11/14 at Indiana (73-96), 3/3 Creighton (60-66), 3/9 Georgetown (84-86)
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski
Why They Can Surprise:
Markus Howard is one of the most prolific scorers in the country. He averages an impressive 25.0 points per game and adds 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Howard connects on 40.8 percent of his attempts from long range, but is equally dangerous attacking the basket. Howard will take most of the big shots for this team, but Sam Hauser and Joey Hauser have had some huge games as well. Both are big guys who can stretch the defense with their outside shooting. Those two add another dynamic to the offense and many teams will struggle to effectively defend both of them.
Why They Can Disappoint:
For the most part the defense has been very good. This is not a team that is going to get a bunch of steals, but they decreased their scoring defense from 78.5 points per game last year to 69.2 this season. That is a huge swing. If the defense can keep that up, Marquette can make a serious run towards the Final Four. There have been a few rough games defensively for Marquette, but most of those have been earlier in the year. And the Golden Eagles have the offensive firepower to make up for any defensive lapses.
Probable Starters:
Markus Howard, Junior, Guard, 25.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg
Sacar Anim, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Sam Hauser, Junior, Forward,14.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Joey Hauser, Freshman, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Theo John, Sophomore, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Key Role Players:
Ed Morrow, Junior, Forward, 5.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Matt Heldt, Senior, Center, 0.8 ppg
Joseph Chartouny, Senior, Guard, 3.1 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.4 (64th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.2 (120, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.0 (82, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.4 (24, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.4 (39, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.4 (9, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.4 (16, 1)
Rebound Margin: 4.6 (46, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (157, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (266, 10)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NIT | First Round win over Harvard |
| 2018 | NIT | Second Round win over Oregon |
| 2018 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Penn State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to South Carolina |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Davidson |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Butler |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Miami |
| 2013 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Syracuse |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over BYU |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Murray State |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Florida |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Xavier |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Syracuse |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to North Carolina |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Washington |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Utah State |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Missouri |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Kentucky |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Stanford |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Michigan State |
*all team stats through 3/10
