As Marquette starts BIG EAST play Tuesday evening at St. John’s, the team is in an unfamiliar spot: an unofficial BIG EAST favorite.
The Golden Eagles have never been the highest-ranked BIG EAST team in the AP Poll until this season. While Villanova was ahead of Marquette in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, the Wildcats have fallen out of the rankings with blemishes on their resume against Furman and Penn.
This ranking has garnered plenty of respect from other BIG EAST coaches.
“Marquette is maybe one of the most underrated teams in the country,” Providence head coach Ed Cooley said.