The Marquette women's basketball team has enjoyed a rapid improvement during Carolyn Kieger's three seasons at the helm.
After posting just nine wins in Kieger's first year as coach in 2014-15, the Golden Eagles eclipsed that total by 16 this season -- highlighted by their eighth straight victory in an 86-78 triumph over top-seeded DePaul in the Big East tournament final.
Marquette (25-7), which earned a program-best fifth seed, will make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 on Saturday afternoon when it faces 12th-seeded Quinnipiac (27-6) in an opening-round game in the Stockton Regional at Coral Gables, Fla.