Marquette basketball is No. 5 in Preseason AP Poll

The Marquette Golden Eagles are facing high expectations this season.

That happens when four of five starters from a squad that won the Big East regular season and tournament championship last year return.

Marquette also brings back eight of its nine players that got regular minutes.

That experience has the Golden Eagles ranked No. 5 in the country in the AP’s Top 25 preseason poll.

It is the highest preseason poll ranking for the program this century.

You would have to go back to the 1970s for the last time the Marquette Golden Eagles started a season that high in the polls.

1977 also happened to be the year Marquette won its only national title. This year’s squad is hoping to add a second NCAA Tournament-winning banner to the Fiserv Forum rafters.

They have the players to do it in reigning Big East Player of the Year, Tyler Kolek. Last year’s Big East Sixth Man of the Year, David Joplin, will move into the starting lineup after Olivier-Maxence Prosper left school early for the pros. He may not be the defensive wizard O-Max was, but he can shoot the lights out.

The Marquette Golden Eagles return their leading scorer in Kam Jones. They also bring back their playmaking big man, Oso Ighodaro. Oso is considered a second-round NBA talent at this point with his ability to handle the ball and pass for his size.

If he can hit some three-point shots, his draft stock is certain to rise. Guard Stevie Mitchell rounds out the starting rotation. He is considered the glue guy of the program.

The bench returns key contributors in Ben Gold, Chase Ross, and Sean Jones. Shaka Smart added freshmen Al Amadou, Zaide Lowry, and Tre Norman. Amadou is a lanky 6’9″ forward while Lowry and Norman fit the versatility at guard that head coach Shaka Smart craves.

Smart did not use the transfer portal to fill any roster holes. Instead, he chose to go with player development. It worked last season when the Golden Eagles were picked to finish ninth in the Big East.

The Marquette Golden Eagles face a daunting road in their quest to repeat as Big East champs.

The Big East figures to be tough once again this season.

UConn, the reigning National Champions, is right behind Marquette in the poll at No. 6. They lost some key contributors but the Huskies have reloaded again to defend their national title.

Creighton checks in at No. 8 while Villanova sits at No. 22. St. John’s also received votes as they upgraded their roster with the transfer portal and hired legendary coach, Rick Pitino.

Marquette will be tested with a tough non-conference schedule this year. They travel to Illinois which debuted in the poll at No. 25 in November.

They will take part in the Maui Invitational after the Illini game. The Marquette Golden Eagles are set to face UCLA in the opening round of the tournament. The Bruins just missed making the preseason AP poll.

If the Golden Eagles get past UCLA, they will have to most likely face Kansas who is No. 1 in the AP Top 25. No. 3 Purdue, No. 9 Tennessee, and No. 11 Gonzaga are also in the field.

Marquette will travel to Wisconsin in December. The Badgers were the top other teams receiving votes. The Golden Eagles will also host No. 18 Texas that month.

Then there is the Big East slate.

The Golden Eagles will need to replicate the success they had last season on offense while being disruptive on defense if they hope to live up to the hype.

They are still vulnerable on the boards and susceptible to being beaten by teams with bulk down low. That was their downfall last season when Michigan State eliminated the Golden Eagles in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.

The Golden Eagles are hoping for a better tournament run this March.