On Sunday morning, Ken Pomeroy came out with his ratings for the season. This is usually a good indicator of what might happen during the season. KenPom is a trendy thing to talk about when you’re discussing college hoops, but it is truly the right way to get an idea of how good or bad a team is. Marquette Golden Eagles check-in at 17 for the season and everyone in the Marquette community said ‘Hold on, what’s going on?’ No one expected Marquette to be not only in the top 25 but also in the top 20. That is crazy to me.

Part of me was optimistic about Marquette’s season, and it didn’t really change with these projections (It should be noted, no matter how much I get my dick stepped on about Wisconsin sports, I still am optimistic). I do not think these are the bible, but I also think this is a good barometer to start the season. Losing both the Hauser brothers is brutal, and it is something if Marquette doesn’t get to the second week, it will be hard to forgive Steve Wojciechowski. Marquette is going to be better defensively and think the run-and-gun days are likely over for this team. While this might bum out my NBA friends, they’re going to be more of a college team than a pro-style three-point heavy offense.

I’ve said it a lot this offseason that I bought into the theory Marquette could be similar to Purdue last season (Funny enough, they play each other in a few weeks). Markus Howard is like Carsen Edwards where he’s carrying the team, but there are talented players around him where the Golden Eagles could make a run in the NCAA Tournament. And probably similar to Edwards, Marquette will be better when Howard spreads the shooting. I’m not ready to apply an Ewing Theory to the Hauser brothers, but trust me if they get hot in the non-conference, that will become a thing for Marquette fans too.

College basketball starts in two weeks. That is wild.

Charlie.