Marquette spent the entire season in the top 25, used the same start five for all 33 matches and will travel to Cleveland during the first round of the NCAA tournament with the same goal in October: End the season in San Antonio to extend the end of the season for as long as possible.
Golden Eagles (23-10) is No. 7 seed in the southern region and will open Friday night against No. 10 Seed New Mexico (26-7) in a showdown showdown.
Marquette Guard Stevie Mitchell is one of ten semi -finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award and expects the allocation of Donovan Dent, Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. Dent is ranked in the top 15 nationally in points (20.6 points per match) and assists (6.4).
“We will go down into the good looking, when it comes to this may be our last time to put on a Marquette shirt when the game gets a little closer,” Mitchell said.
Golden Eagles is full of experience, led by his own offensive star in Kam Jones. He will take the court for the 137th time and was on average 19.3 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 returns and received the second team’s all -American awards.
And David Joplin, who finishes Marquette’s “Guardians”, is the second senior with more than 134 college games under his belt.
All three came to Milwaukee to play for Coach Shaka Smart and experience the NCAA tournament. They have played six matches in three years and will make their fourth tournament look this week.
“I gave them a homework assignment when we came back (from the Big East tournament),” Smart said. “I said I want you to decide the likelihood of a player or team going to four straight NCAA tournaments.”
“After going through the turns in the NCAA tournament, I think both the winnings we have had and also the losses we have had – six matches in the last three seasons for our seniors – have taught us many lessons,” said Smart. “Taught these guys many lessons.”
Marquette values defense and possessions, while Lobos wants to pull the needle and let it fly. This year’s Ace Up Mountain West coach Richard Pitino’s sleeve early in the week may be his father, Rick Pitino, the active winner in the men’s basket with 884. St. John’s Head Coach eliminated Marquette from the Big East tournament last weekend and played the Golden Eagles three times this season.
“He texted me right when it happened (at selection Sunday), the scouting report. I’m like, relax. I don’t need it right now,” Richard Pitino said.
Sometimes parents know best. In this case, Dad was 3-0 against Marquette this season with victories with six, two and 16.
Richard Pitino knows from looking at every part of Marquette-ST. John’s series This season Golden Eagles does not turn the ball. Jones, a robust 6-foot-5 guard with Range, is among the best in the country in the assistant-to-round relationship. Jones had 32 points in his last home game earlier this month, an overtime loss to St. John’s.
As a team, Marquette is ranked 30th Division I with a 1.49 Assist-to-round relationship. Dent was on average just under three turnover per match, but also accounted for more than 30 percent of Lobo’s total crimes with 680 points and 212 assists this season.
The winner of Friday’s game is likely to have a date with coach Tom Izzo and No. 2 Frö Michigan State on Sunday in the second round.
In 2023, the then seventh seeds eliminated Spartans No. 2-Marquette in the second round, 69-60.
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