At the beginning, we’ll start the list of returners for Marquette. First is the most important one, Kam Jones (17 ppg). Jones shared the backcourt in recent seasons with Kolek. Now, it will be his turn to have more control. And then possibly add a little more to the Golden Eagles’ offense outside of scoring. We already know Jones is an elite three-level scorer (50.1% FG, 40.6% 3P). But his College basketball betting development led to this backcourt. In turn it could be the reason he goes down as the Big East Player of the Year by season’s end.
2024-25 Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball Previeww
| Marquette Golden Eagles | Odds |
|---|---|
| National Championship Odds: | +4000 |
2024-25 Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball Outlook
Of course, it has been a fantastic sports betting start to life at Marquette for Shaka Smart. Marquette has three NCAA Tournament appearances and a Sweet 16 in his first three seasons. Smart has established continuity in the program. However, he is in a time when the transfer portal runs amok. With all of the returners he has back, even though he lost two very important players, the Golden Eagles should once again be a top 25-30 team.
Of great concern are the losses of Tyler Kolek (15 ppg, 5 rpg, 8 apg) and Oso Ighodaro (13 ppg, 7 rpg). They are probably as big of NCAABB betting losses as any other duo in the country. Kolek was the team’s true point guard, an All-American level player. At the same time, Ighodaro was the guy who made things go inside, an All-Big East player.
Keeping the list of returners rolling, the Golden Eagles brought back David Joplin (11 ppg, 4 rpg) and Ben Gold (5 ppg). Correlate that both are important returners in the front court. Joplin was expected to have a large breakout last season after Olivier Maxence-Prosper left for the NBA. But it never really happened that way.
Now, with Ighodaro gone as well, a breakout for Joplin won’t be an “bonus” for the Golden Eagles. Instead, it is a real necessity if they wish to compete at the top of the Big East. Joplin gives a bit of everything to the Golden Eagles as it is. To show, he is an efficient scorer and solid defender.
Gold will be an interesting breakout candidate to watch for himself. He is a true stretch-five who is still working on filling out. Cause by needing to match the physicality of some of the Big East centers he will run into. Joplin and Gold must take a step forward in place of Ighodaro. Accordingly, that will be one of the keys of the season for Marquette.
The final four players to return from last season for Marquette should all see a slight increase in their production in 2024-25. Previously, they were buried in the depth chart. Guards Tre Norman (2 ppg) and Zaide Lowery (2 ppg) should be impactful guys off the bench in the backcourt. At the same time, forwards Al Amadou (1 ppg) and Caedin Hamilton (Redshirt) will hope to break into the end of the rotation this season.
Four freshmen fill out Shaka Smart’s roster for 2024-25. Damarious Owens (4*, NAT 64) and Royce Parham (4*, NAT 88) both come into their freshman seasons. In turn they are looking to improve the depth at the three and four spots for Marquette.