Coming off of a disappointing 12-20 (7-13 Big East) season, the worst in head coach Shaka Smart’s tenure at Marquette, the Golden Eagles are looking to rebound in 2026-27 in a big way. Ugly record aside, there were still plenty of positives to pull from last year’s campaign and the offseason that followed that gives Marquette fans and alumni plenty to be excited about heading into the upcoming season. Let’s take a look.
As rough as the season started, Marquette played pretty well across the second half of their schedule. After beginning the season 5-10, the Golden Eagles would finish the rest of the regular season 7-9 across the bulk of Big East play, with 6 of those 9 losses coming by less than 10 points. They would also finish the season on a high note by upsetting conference rival #4 UConn 68-62 on senior night. Marquette ran out a young, emerging group that included an all-freshman backcourt for the entirety of the season, and as the season grew along, so did the team’s young core.
The Roster
The most notable standout from last season was last year’s Big East Freshman of the Year, Nigel James Jr. The Marquette point guard averaged 16.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game over the season, and his ferocity on the court will be more than a welcome return for the Golden Eagles in his sophomore season.
Marquette also returns James Jr.’s backcourt mate, Adrien Stevens. Stevens provided shooting stability on a rather poor shooting team last season, knocking down 38% of his three-pointers. The Golden Eagles will need to provide more shooting consistency around Stevens, but as he returns for his sophomore season, expect his role to grow both inside and outside the arc.
Royce Parham returns for his junior season, fortifying consistent play on the inside. Parham was initially thought to play more of a sixth-man role last season, but the 6’8” forward performed his way into the starting lineup for 20 of the teams’ 31 games. Parham can crash the boards, especially on the offensive end, and can be a sleeper on outside shots.
Marquette also returns bench players Damarius Owens(JR), Caedin Hamilton(JR), and Michael Phillips II(SO), who will most definitely work their way into Shaka Smart’s rotation. Owens brings explosiveness at the rim, Hamilton adds stability on the inside, and pure-shooting Phillips will look to expand his role in the offense in his sophomore season. How the rotations play out and where the minutes go will ultimately determine how much of an impact the bench will make during the upcoming season, and we’re sure to hear these names as the season moves along.
The two notable names for this year’s freshman class are 6’6” forward Alex Egbuonu and 6’6” guard Ethan Johnston. Egbuonu has a clearer path to minutes this season as a fringe top-100 prospect, and his ability to shoot from all over the court may force Smart’s hand as the Golden Eagles look to improve their overall shooting performance as a priority. Egbuonu also brings a physicality on the boards and on the defensive end, and has exciting growth potential as he progresses through his development. Johnston is more of a work in progress, but as he develops his game and works on his turnover issues, the option of his 6’6” size and length as a change of pace at point guard is a very intriguing complimentary piece for Marquette’s backcourt in the future.
And now, the transfers. That’s right, transfers. For the first time in Shaka Smart’s time at Marquette, the Golden Eagles dipped into the transfer portal this offseason. After losing Tre Norman, Sean Jones, (to some extent)Zaide Lowery, and Sheek Pearson to the portal, Marquette had roster opportunities to add through the portal, and they were pretty aggressive in doing so.
Size inside was a pretty major opportunity for Marquette last season, and the first priority of portal usage was bringing in Louisville big-man Sananda Fru. At 6’11’ and 250lbs, Fru brings measurables and experience to Marquette. Fru played four seasons for Lowen Braunsweig in Germany before heading stateside to Louisville, where he averaged 22 minutes in 29 starts. Fru averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in those 22 minutes, and was second in the nation in scoring percentage at 76.5%. Time will tell if Fru can push past the 22 minutes per game, but Shaka Smart’s first ever D-1 transfer checks all of the boxes that last year’s team left unchecked. Fru is expected to join the starting five right out of the gate.
Another projected starter roped in though the portal is the impressive do-it-all wing, Nolan Minessale. Minessale comes to Marquette for his junior season after spending his first two collegiate seasons with St. Thomas, where last season he averaged 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. At 6’5”, he uses his size well and has the passing ability to find the open man both in half-court sets and in transition. His size, wingspan, and strong attributes as a passer and playmaker make him an intriguing NBA prospect, and the transfer to Marquette is a huge win for both Nolan and the team.
Marquette also brought in the ultra-experienced Colin Porter from Liberty. And by experience, I mean 4 full seasons at Liberty where he started all 135 games. The fifth-year senior comes to Marquette via some new eligibility rules, and he brings a typical Marquette energy. At just 5’9”, Porter acts as a sparkplug and has been a solid shot-maker in his career, shooting 38% from behind the arc across those 4 seasons. We’ll see if he can score anywhere inside the arc against tougher Big East opposition, but he provides experience and energy off the bench, and will most certainly be popular with the Marquette faithful.
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Nigel James Jr.
G Adrien Stevens
G Nolan Minessale
F Royce Parham
F Sananda Fru
Schedule
The Big East schedule is always a slog, even in its down years. Known for being extremely physical with tough road environments, nothing will change that this season. The Big East is once again very strong at the top with UConn and St. Johns both bring in impressive transfer and freshman classes and boast legitimate title aspirations. Villanova and Providence will not be easy outs, and with their toughness and impressive roster updates, may very well surpass early expectations. After two home games to begin the season, Marquette will get tested with tough matchups right away. The Golden Eagles will head to Ann Arbor on November 11th to face defending National Champion Michigan, and then to Chicago for the Legends Classic to battle an extremely talented Missouri squad. Throw in tests against Virginia and Texas A&M at the end of the month in the Battle for Atlantis and the always competitive rival matchup against Wisconsin in December, and you’ve got a pretty hefty non-conference schedule.
Season Outlook
We could see similar pacing to last year while the team establishes cohesiveness with its new players. There’s no doubt that the new additions and the growth of their returning players make this a better team than last year’s squad, but we very well might be in for a very strong team in the second half of the season. Other players will need to step up around Nigel James Jr., and Marquette has some additions that can definitely do that. This will be a stronger shooting team, a stronger team inside, and an overall more well-rounded team across its roster. Cohesiveness is where Shaka Smart excels in coaching, and if this roster can play to his vision, it’s very reasonable to expect a National Top-25 ranking and an NCAA Tournament appearance on tap.
Written, previewed and predicted by: Micah
