Marquette picked to finish fourth in Big East coaches poll

The annual preseason poll released on October 1 by Big East coaches has Marquette men's basketball team predicted to finish fourth in the 11-team league. The Golden Eagles earned one first-place vote despite finishing 7-13 in the previous season and tying for seventh place. Connecticut emerged as the clear favorite to lead the standings, with eight first-place votes.

St. John's was predicted to secure the second position and was the only team besides Marquette to receive first-place votes, with two votes in their favor. Sophomore point guard Nigel James Jr. was selected for the all-Big East first team unanimously. The 6-foot James Jr. was last season's Big East freshman of the year, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

Sophomore forward Royce Parham was chosen for the all-Big East second team. He aims to build on his strong performance during the second half of last season, averaging 16.4 points per game in his team's final seven games. Freshman transfer Sananda Fru, who played for Louisville, was voted to the all-Big East third team. He contributed 9.0 points and 6.1 rebounds during the previous season.

Connecticut dominated the preseason individual awards, with Silas Demary Jr. receiving the player of the year honor and Colben Landrew named freshman of the year.