Marquette Golden Eagles had a weird year. No one can question that one. Golden Eagles had a great non-conference season with wins over Buffalo, Kansas State, Louisville and Wisconsin. All four of those teams made the tournament, and they were higher than eight seeds. Marquette led the Big East standings for a few weeks, and they were up to as high as eight in the rankings. Things came crashing down quickly for Marquette. They lost seven of the last eight games and bowed out of the first round in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in Steve Wojciechowski’s tenure. Grading Marquette on a variety of things versus individual players to reflect on the year.

Marquette’s Offense
Golden Eagles finished with a KenPom offense that rated 32th in the nation. That’s not bad considering the team went through some droughts this season scoring the basketball. Markus Howard is the obvious leader of the bunch scoring 25 points per game and netting himself ‘Big East Player of the Year.’ The yearly averages do not reflect Marquette’s ability to have multiple second bananas on their roster. Sure, Sam Hauser is definitely that guy but Sacar Anim, Ed Morrow and Joey Hauser were all great at different times. GRADE: B-

Marquette’s Defense
At the beginning of the year, it looked like the Golden Eagles were going to be this defensive juggernaut. Defense appeared to be fixed compared to years past. While they had some games where the defense hurt Marquette, they still finished with a top 50 KenPom defense. This is a major accomplishment for this team who was godawful defensively the last couple years. Even with the struggles at the end of the year, I view their improved defense as one of the bigger accomplishment of the season. GRADE: B+

Marquette’s bench
Golden Eagles did have a small but significant bench this season. Ed Morrow was one of the best players on this roster off the bench. There could have been games where an argument might be made for him to be a starter for Theo John. Brendan Bailey came on strong as the year went on and proved to be a lockdown defender late in the year. He still has some learning to do. Jamal Cain also showcased some of this talents in a few games this season. We’re forgetting Joseph Chartnouny, and that’s for a reason. GRADE: B

Marquette’s new guys
This is a fun topic because if not for Chartnouny, it’s probably an A. Think about the impact of the new guys – Morrow, Joey Hauser, Bailey all had significant roles on this team and helped this squad achieve their top rankings. The future is bright with these guys even if Morrow only has one year left. But you add Chartouny which is like adding a spice that doesn’t fit in a recipe. He could not have been a bigger disaster. GRADE: B

Marquette Coaching
Where does this season rank for Steve Wojciechowski is a tough question to ask yourself. Wojo had his moments and felt like he got better as a coach with his ATOs yet he did not finish strong down the stretch. A team losing seven of its last eight games is a reflection of their coach. The coach should be able to pull these team up by the bootstraps and figure out a way to stop the bleeding. Instead, Wojo let a cut fester and ultimately letting the team bleed out. The struggles down the stretch are as much the coaching staff as it is the players. GRADE: C+

Marquette Intangibles
What an uneven year for this category. There were moments this year where Marquette stood in the face of adversity and kicked the shit out of it. While there were others that led to a complete crumbling of their spirit. A great what if on the year is if Marquette beats Villanova in Philadelphia, does any of this shit happen? Are the Golden Eagles still in the NCAA Tournament playing one of the top teams in college basketball? That game turned the season on its head and only if Marquette was able to string a couple wins together would they have been better. GRADE: C

Final Grade: Golden Eagles had a memorable years in certain parts and forgettable year in others. Making the NCAA Tournament again was great but getting blown out in the first round yet again is not a great finish to the year. GRADE: B-

CHarlie.