Marquette Golden Eagles
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #29
Conference Rank: #3 Big East
Marquette has won at least 20 games in two of the last three seasons. The one year they only won 19 games, it was enough for the Golden Eagles to reach the NCAA Tournament. Last season Coach Steve Wojciechowski and company had to settle for a trip to the NIT, where they reached the quarterfinals. Ideally this group can build off their NIT run this season, but the defense must improve if Marquette is going to have more success this year. With four starters back and a decent amount of the reserves as well, there is hope that the offense can do enough to cover for the defense.
2017-18 Record: 21-14, 9-9
2017-18 Postseason: NIT
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski
Coach Record: 73-59 at Marquette, 73-59 overall
Key Departed Players:
Andrew Rowsey, Guard, 20.5 ppg
Harry Froling, Center, 2.8 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Markus Howard, Junior, Guard, 20.4 ppg
Sam Hauser, Junior, Guard/Forward, 14.1 ppg
Sacar Anim, Junior, Guard/Forward, 7.6 ppg
Matt Heldt, Senior, Center, 3.9 ppg
Jamal Cain, Sophomore, Forward, 4.6 ppg
Greg Elliott, Sophomore, Guard, 4.5 ppg
Theo John, Sophomore, Forward, 3.9 ppg
Key New Players:
Brendan Bailey, Freshman, Forward
Joseph Chartouny, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Fordham
Ike Eke, RS Freshman, Forward
Tommy Gardiner, Freshman, Forward
Joey Hauser, RS Freshman, Forward
Buddy Jaffee, Freshman, Guard
Ed Morrow, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Nebraska
Koby McEwen, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Utah State, not eligible
Projection:
Markus Howard is back to heave up plenty of shots. Last season he averaged 20.4 points and connected on 40.4 percent of his 275 shots from beyond the arc. Howard will miss backcourt mate Andrew Rowsey, but Sam Hauser is ready to step up after averaging 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds last season. On a team full of great shooters, it was Hauser who led the team with 48.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Fellow junior wing Sacar Anim is not a shooting threat, but he was a starter last season and can attack the basket effectively. Sophomore combo guard Greg Elliott played well off the bench as a freshman and Fordham transfer Joseph Chartouny can attack the basket effectively. The frontcourt returns Matt Heldt and sophomores Jamal Cain and Theo John. Heldt, a 6-10 senior, is a decent rebounder but does not look to score too often. The addition of Joey Hauser and Ed Morrow should drastically change the look of the frontcourt. Hauser, a redshirt freshman, can do it all and the expectations are high for him. Morrow comes from Nebraska and could emerge as the team’s top interior scoring threat and will at least add more toughness in the paint. As usual, this group will score points, but it will come down to their ability to play defense that will decide their NCAA Tournament fate.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.3 (31st in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 78.5 (312, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.5 (38, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 47.8 (326, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 11.0 (5, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.7 (3, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 80.5 (3, 1)
Rebound Margin: -1.3 (248, 9)
Assists Per Game: 15.7 (45, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (118, 6)
Madness 2018 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#71 Joey Hauser
