Expectations this year? I'm not entirely certain. Most publications/"experts" have Marquette anywhere between 5th and 7th in the league. KenPom has them 7th in the Big East but that still makes them a top-50 squad.
The big concern entering the season is the bigs or lack thereof. Luke Fischer returns for his senior season and will be backed up by sophomore Matt Heldt. Heldt was a string bean coming out of Neenah but has bulked up considerably. Matt Velasquez of the Journal Sentinel who covers the team, remarked he didn't recognize Matt when he saw him this fall because of the drastic change. Does that mean he can play productive minutes? That we don't know but there's a glimmer of hope.
The Eagles biggest problem in 2015-16 was turnovers. Exactly 1 in every 5 possessions ended in turnovers. The hope is Traci Carter with a season under his belt protects the ball better. Haanif Chetham should see less time at the point with freshman Markus Howard being the primary backup at pg.
The lack of height can be overcome if they're a better shooting team this year as well. They were 210th in 3pt shooting and 54th in 2pt shooting. With Fischer in the roster, the 2pt shooting even without Ellenson should stay close to that. If they improve the 3pt shooting, true shooting % should improve. The addition of UNC-Asheville transfer Andrew Rowsey should help. A true shooter, the hope is he can match what he did in the Big South. Howard and fellow freshman Sam Hauser can also shoot from deep.
Defensively, the team was middle of the road last year. Ellenson wasn't an elite defender but did provide size. Carter was very efficient at steals. Sandy Cohem terrorized Nigel Hayes at the Kohl Center last year so he has shown he can be a good defender. The key will be keeping Fischer on the floor. The guards will have to defend the perimeter. Senior Jajuan Johnson had a steal % that was 38th beat in the nation. He has the game to be a solid defender.
They should run 8-9 deep. Carter, Cheatham, Cohen, Fischer, Heldt, JJJ and Duane Wilson all return. Sacar Anim is redshirting. Hauser, Howard, Rowset and grad transfer Katin Reinhardt will also play. How will they mix this group will be the thing to watch for these first few weeks.
My gut tells me this team wins 9-10 games in league. They play Vandy, Michigan or SMU, Georgia and Wisconsin in non-conference so they have enough of a schedule to get on the bubble.
Things I Think We'll See
- Cheatham establishes himself as the best player on the team
- Heldt, by the end of Big East play, will provide solid minutes
- Hauser will play a lot and be the most effective of the 4 newcomers
- They'll improve 100 spots in 3-point shooting
- Jajuan Johnson looks like a Top-50 player
Things I Hope We Don't See
- Turnovers remaining a dilemma
- Inability to overcome rebounding deficiencies
- Wojo unable to find the right rotations
- Freshman unable to provide any minutes in Big East play
- Bad Gunslinging Duane Wilson
Final Prediction: I think they'll be uneven in non-conference play but find a way to 10 wins in league play to put themselves on the bubble. Either way, they'll play in a postseason tournament. And Wojo won't be on any hot seat. He's building a program. He didn't inherit a program, he inherited a mess whether people admit it or not. Next year? They'll be Big East contenders for certain.
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