2022 Record: 29-7 (17-3)
Head Coach: Shaka Smart (Career Record 320-162) (Marquette Record 48-20)
Projected Rotation:
PG: Tyler Kolek (12.9 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 7.5 Ast)
SG: Stevie Mitchell (7.1 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 1.0 Ast)
SF: Kam Jones (15.1 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 2.0 Ast)
PF: David Joplin (9.2 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 0.8 Ast)
C: Oso Ighodaro (11.4 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 3.3 Ast)
6: SG Chase Ross (4.6 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.8 Ast)
7: PG Sean Jones (3.6 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 1.1 Ast)
8: PF Ben Gold (2.7 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.2 Ast)
9: SG Tre Norman
10: SG Zaide Lowery
11: PF Al Amadou
12: C Caedin Hamilton
Marquette returns possibly the best point guard in the country this year with Tyler Kolek. He has really developed over the course of his career making him a preseason All-American. Kolek can score at a high level, but what he’s really known for is his passing skills and getting teammates involved. Kolek shot 47% from the floor and 40% from three this past season. He averaged nearly 8 assists per game and took care of the ball as well. Kolek has really showed that he could be a leader and the best overall player on one of the Top 5-10 teams in the sport. Stevie Mitchell was a solid off the ball scorer this past season. He averaged just over 7PPG and shot 46% from the floor. He started all 36 games last season for the Golden Eagles and should start once again.
Kam Jones was the leading scorer on Marquette this past season. He’s a very quick guard who can score on all three levels. He shot 46% from the floor overall and 36% from the three point line this past season. He’s a very talented shot creator and is very good off the bounce. He’s a very talented scorer who pairs well with the passing prowess of Tyler Kolek. Chase Ross is a great piece off the bench for Marquette. He’s a decent scorer, but makes a bigger impact on the defensive side of the ball. Sean Jones will serve as the backup point guard behind Kolek. He averaged nearly 4PPG shooting 42% from the floor. Big man Ben Gold from New Zealand is a player that has breakout potential for Marquette. He has tremendous upside and gives the Golden Eagles the ability to stretch the floor.
The Golden Eagles return the frontcourt duo of Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin. Ighodaro started all 36 games last season and was a very efficient player. He shot very well around the rim shooting 66%. He averaged just over 11PPG this past season and also rebounds at a high level. He’s gotten progressively better as a defender over the course of his Marquette career. He’s also a very good passer for his size. He averaged over 3 assists per game at 6-11. David Joplin didn’t start any games this past season, but a starting spot opens following the departure of O-Max Prosper. Joplin gives Marquette a player at the PF position who can really stretch the floor as he shot 40% from three this past season.
Shaka Smart and staff also signed 4 freshman in the class of 2023. The highest ranked prospect in the class was guard Tre Norman out of Mass who was ranked as the #97 player in the class. Fellow guard Zaide Lowery ranks as the #105 player in the class. Marquette also signed big men Al Amadou and Caedin Hamilton. Amadou is ranked as the #151 player in the class and Hamilton was an unranked late signing who can be a developmental piece. There may not be many minutes for these Marquette freshman, but if they stick around they can certainly develop in the Shaka system.
Marquette has a lot of hype surrounding them this season as they won the Big East regular season and conference tournament titles last season. They return 85% of their production from a team that won 29 games and earned a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They didn’t go as far as they expected to losing in their 2nd round matchup. This years Marquette team has the talent and leadership to be in contention for the Big East title again this season and make a deeper run in the tournament. Marquette has a chance to win the league this year and their floor in the conference is likely 3rd.