NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 11: Kam Jones #1 of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts during the first half against the Xavier Musketeers in the Big East Basketball Tournament Championship at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Marquette Hyped by Fans as Final Four Contender after Big East Title Win vs. Xavier

Rob GoldbergMar 11, 2023

Marquette won its first-ever Big East tournament title with a 65-51 win over Xavier, and now fans are expecting a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

The Golden Eagles dominated Saturday's championship game from the opening tip, gaining a 20-4 advantage over the first seven minutes of the first half. The onslaught continued, with fans seeing this team as a Final Four contender or better:

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Tyler Kolek led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, although the team defense was more impressive while holding Xavier to just 34.4 percent shooting from the field.

Marquette has had a great season, going 17-3 in the Big East while improving to 28-6 overall. However, few nationally had taken notice until the latest wire-to-wire dominance over a quality opponent.

After knocking off UConn in the Big East semifinals, there aren't many question marks for this squad heading into the NCAA tournament.

BracketMatrix.com projected Marquette as a No. 3 seed entering Saturday, but the squad could be a popular pick to make a deep run.

Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.