How Shaka Smart and Tyler Kolek Shocked the Big East
Marquette sealed a 72-56 win against Butler on Tuesday, which gave them a 3 game lead in the win column in the Big East heading into Wednesday. This record cannot be caught, meaning Marquette is officially the Big East regular season champion for the 2nd ever time (the 1st time came in the 12-13 season, where they split the regular season title with Louisville and Georgetown). Marquette amassing their first ever sole Big East regular season title is a fantastic feat for the team, especially considering Head Coach Shaka Smart is in his 2nd ever season. Far more impressive, however, is the fact that Marquette was picked to finish 9th in the Big East in the preseason coaches poll! Simply put, Smart managed to turn the Golden Eagles from a tournament non-contender to the Big East champion, and he did so through leadership.
The Big East was incredibly strong this year, but more specifically, it was top heavy. While middling teams such as Seton Hall and Villanova were able to present challenges to some of the top teams, the Big East had a “big 5” in 2023. Creighton, UConn, Providence, and Xavier joined Marquette as the clear tournament teams in the Big East. All of these teams had superstar players as well, with Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, UConn’s Adama Sanogo, Providence’s Bryce Hopkins, and Xavier’s Souley Boum all putting up ridiculous numbers in various stats. In addition to being great stat sticks, all of these players were team oriented, and elevated the players around them as a result. Sanogo elevated teammates such as Jordan Hawkins, and allowed backup center Donovan Clingan to thrive when he took a break. Xavier and Creighton had incredible coteries surrounding their stars, giving them among the most dominant starting 5s in college basketball. Finally, Providence’s Hopkins allowed both Noah Locke and Ed Croswell to thrive under pressure. With all of that being said, though, the star player who elevated their teammates the most was Tyler Kolek.
Kolek is originally a George Mason player that got brought in when Marquette transitioned to the Smart regime. However, in the 21-22 season, he was not the standout like he is in this season. Marquette, after reaching last year’s dance, lost their premiere players in Justin Lewis and Darryl Morsell. Smart adopted a “next man up” policy instead of trying his luck in the transfer portal, putting a lot of responsibility on Kolek’s shoulders. However, Smart seemed to do this because he trusted Kolek implicitly. Kolek has blossomed into arguably the single best passer in college basketball, as he averages a monstrous 7.9 assists a game. Following his lead, teammates Kam Jones, Oso Ighodaro, and Olivier Maxence-Prosper have all shown rapid growth from their 21-22 seasons. Smart trusting his home-grown players to succeed is a vital ingredient in Marquette’s recipe for success, and as the tournament approaches, Marquette is indisputably a team to consider for the Final Four when filling out brackets.
