Transfer portal? Shaka Smart’s never heard of it! The Marquette basketball coach continues to keep things in-house for another season at the helm.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Marquette basketball.

After a disappointing end to last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Shaka Smart is hoping Marquette basketball can turn a corner in the postseason. But first, they’ve got to make sure they get there.

It’s probably the most question marks surrounding the Golden Eagles in a handful of years, with their three leading scorers from last season all departing. Chase Ross is the only returning player who averaged at least 10 points per game a year ago.

But everyone else from the rotation is back, including big man Ben Gold and intriguing freshmen Royce Parham and Damarius Owens.

On top of the many rotation players back is a massive freshman class that features potential starting point guard Nigel James Jr. and top-100 recruit Sheek Pearson. Michael Phillips II is outside of the top-100, but that’s because he re-classified from 2026, where he was listed as a top-50 prospect.

And then there’s Sean East II, who missed last season due to recovering from a Torn ACL, and could either start in the backcourt or be one of the first guys off the bench.

Is the Marquette basketball roster intriguing? Yes. Is it talented? I see it. And does Shaka Smart improve players up and down his roster, year to year? Absolutely. So by those rules, the Golden Eagles are still a team to watch in the Big East, but it isn’t as foolproof as it has been in past years.

Head coach: Shaka Smart (5th season at Marquette, 17th season overall)

2024-25 record: 23-11 (13-7)

2025 postseason finish: Lost to New Mexico (75-66) in first round of NCAA Tournament

Notable departures: 

Kam Jones (19.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, 4.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG)
David Joplin (14.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 SPG)
Stevie Mitchell (10.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 2.3 SPG, 35.8 3P%)

Notable non-conference games: 

vs. Indiana (Nov. 9) – Chicago
vs. Maryland (Nov. 15)
vs. Dayton (Nov. 19)
vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 28) – Chicago
at Wisconsin (Dec. 6)
at Purdue (Dec. 13)

Projected Rotation

PG: Nigel James Jr. (6-0, 185, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #88-ranked recruit

SG: Chase Ross (6-5, 210, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 10.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.8 SPG, 36.5 3P%

SF: Zaide Lowery (6-5, 205, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 4.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.2 APG, 37.5 3P%

PF: Royce Parham (6-8, 235, So.)

2024-25 stats: 5.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.4 APG

C: Ben Gold (6-11, 235, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 7.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 37.1 3P%

6: Sean Jones (5-10, 185, Jr.)

*Missed 2024-25 season with Torn ACL*

2023-24 stats: 5.8 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 RPG

7: Damarius Owens (6-7, 205, So.)

2024-25 stats: 2.6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 34.3 FG%, 34.4 3P%, 9.5 MPG

8: Sheek Pearson (6-11, 200, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #70-ranked recruit

9: Michael Phillips II (6-6, 195, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #144-ranked recruit

10: Tre Norman (6-4, 205, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 1.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 34.4 FG%, 18.8 3P%, 8.9 MPG

11: Caedin Hamilton (6-9, 250, So.)

2024-25 stats: 1.5 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.6 APG, 38.6 FG%, 6.3 MPG

12: Joshua Clark (7-1, 235, So.)

247Sports 3-star recruit (2024)

13: Adrien Stevens (6-4, 210, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #131-ranked recruit

14: Ian Miletic (6-7, 200, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #201-ranked recruit

Marquette basketball team MVP: Chase Ross

Marquette’s fourth-highest scorer from a year ago, Chase Ross, is back for his senior year in Milwaukee.

Is Ross a bona fide superstar? I wouldn’t go that far. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if he puts together a Second-Team All-Big East type of season.

When you look at what Ross did with his teammates, who got the bulk of the workload. Ross dropped 20+ points twice and 15+ points eight times, six of them in Big East play.

Now, Ross will finally get the chance to show off his skillset game in and game out. While other rotation players will also pick up bigger roles, Ross’s efficiency and his consistency in this program are both reasons to believe he can be a player who can take that next jump to being a star in the Big East.

Marquette basketball make-or-break player: Damarius Owens

This might be biased, because Owens is from Rochester, New York, which is where I reside, but it’s also a good pick based on how he finished last season.

Despite not getting a ton of play to start last season, Owens began to carve out more playing time, at one time playing at least 10 minutes in five straight conference games. His playing time faded at the close of the season, but Owens showed some bright spots as a two-way player who could potentially be a three-level scorer. He’s a versatile player, and that could bode well on a Marquette team that needs to have some unsung players step up.

Key analytic: Turnovers per game

Last season, Marquette only coughed it up 9.4 times per game, the 9th fewest in the NCAA. Why does this matter? Because other than the three players the Golden Eagles lose, they’ve got everyone back, so as long as the freshmen come in and fit their roles, it should be another team that values the basketball and makes the most of its possessions.

Marquette basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 4th in the Big East

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 exit

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