Marquette (23-11, 13-7 Big East)

Coach Shaka Smart has led the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament each of his four seasons by relying on an old-school strategy for this era. Smart used the transfer portal to rebuild Marquette’s roster immediately after his arrival, but he hasn’t added a Division I transfer since and instead has relied on developing players already on his roster. That approach faces its biggest test this year. Marquette must replace its top three scorers — including Associated Press All-America second-team selection Kam Jones — from the team that lost to New Mexico in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament. He will need his returning players to step up in a big way.

Players to watch

Chase Ross is a preseason first-team all-Big East selection who had 10.5 poin

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