It’s the first top 10 ranking for the Golden Eagles…. Since March of last season.
For the third consecutive season, Shaka Smart has guided YOUR Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball team into the top 10 of the Associated Press top 25 poll.
Marquette is at precisely #10 in the rankings in Monday’s brand new AP poll after beating then-#6 Purdue and Georgia over the past week to move to 6-0 on the year. MU picked up 1,004 points this week, which is a little bit closer to #11 Duke at 986 points than it is to #9 Alabama with 1,065 points.
This is the 35th consecutive week that Marquette has been in the AP top 25 after appearing in all 21 polls a year ago. We have not seen a run like this in the Associated Press poll since the 1970s, and hooooooooboy, we’re in for a treat if Shaka Smart gets to this mark. This is the longest AP run since MU appeared in every ranking from December 29, 1969 through December 3, 1979. Nearly 10 full years! 166 consecutive polls! Al McGuire was good at his job.
Everyone had Marquette at some spot at #14 or higher this week. Mark Berman is the top guy this time around, installing the Golden Eagles at #4 in the country after putting them at #17 last week. The big spot for the most voters this week is both #9 and #10, as 11 voters have the Golden Eagles at one of those two spots. Zach Klein is bringing up the rear this time, as he’s the only vote at #14. In his defense, he had Marquette at #15 last week, so he still moved them up.
UConn is the top ranked team on Marquette’s schedule this week, coming in at #2 in the country with six first place votes. This of course will not last to next week’s top 25, as I’m typing this up after the Huskies have already lost to Memphis in the first round of the Maui Invitational. Iowa State comes in at at 5, same as last week, as the only other top 10 team on the slate right now.
Purdue falls down from #6 to #13 after losing to Marquette, while Wisconsin ascends four spots to #15 after winning the Greenbriar Invitational over the weekend. Creighton slips seven spots down to #21 after losing at home to Nebraska, but Xavier jumps into the top 25 this week at #22.
Down in Receiving Votes, you’ll find last week’s #22 team, as St. John’s tumbles down to the unofficial #38 spot with 10 points. Maryland snagged four points and Providence got three points to round out the list of teams that MU will see this season.
Marquette returns to action on Wednesday night when they host Stonehill at Fiserv Forum. Tipoff on FS2 is scheduled for 8pm Central.
You can check out the entire top 25 right here, and you can see how everyone voted for Marquette right here.