INDIANAPOLIS  - The Marquette men’s basketball team needed to make room on the team plane for an extra passenger on the way home to Milwaukee.

The 2022-23 Big East championship trophy.

And the Golden Eagles don't have to share it with anybody else.

Sixth-ranked MU wrapped up the outright regular-season title by dominating Butler with a 72-56 victory on Tuesday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

BOX SCORE: Marquette 72, Butler 56

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The outcome was never in doubt after the Golden Eagles (24-6, 16-3 Big East) held the Bulldogs (14-16, 6-13) without a point for over eight minutes in the first half.

It is the fifth title since MU stopped being an independent school in 1989, with 2023 Big East joining the banner with 1994 Great Midwest, the 1997 Conference USA tournament, 2003 Conference USA and 2013 Big East.

"All year as a coaching staff we try to make it clear how much we appreciate them, how grateful we are for them" MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "It's really easy to say that right now.

""But I think actually the most important times to say it is when things are hard. When we were down in Fort Myers and lost a tough game to Mississippi State and our guys were so upset and disappointed. We came together in hotel and (said) 'Hey guys, let's remember how fortunate we are to be part of this group.'

"We have a great cohesiveness amongst our guys because they all poured into each and there's not one of them that separates themselves and thinks of himself as bigger than other guys on the team. Obviously different goals, different skill-sets but they really appreciate each other and they help each other respond when things don't go our way."

Shaka Smart should be Big East coach of year and Tyler Kolek player of year

With team success comes individual accolades. Smart is the clear choice for coach of the year in the conference – and probably the nation.

MU point guard Tyler Kolek can probably expect to receive Big East player of the year, adding another impressive performance with 21 points and 10 assists.

"I'm not usually someone that politics for that kind of stuff," Smart said. "But I would say that he has been as impactful for winning as anyone in our league. And there's a lot of really good players in our league. There's a lot of really talented guys."

MU sophomore forward David Joplin, never afraid to speak his mind, put it a little more bluntly.

"That's my point guard," Joplin said. "Hell yeah I want him to win Big East player of the year."

Kolek has taken center stage as the Golden Eagles wrapped up the title, hitting two clutch baskets against Creighton and then scoring 15 of MU's last 16 points against DePaul.

The celebration started early for Kolek. He got substituted out of the game with 1:28 left, then went down the line of MU's bench hugging every coach, player, manager and trainer. The Golden Eagles stayed on the court at the historic venue for several minutes before heading into the locker room to receive the trophy.

"Every single person is important in this program," Kolek said. "Right down to the walk-ons, the managers, everybody, and I just wanted to embrace them and congratulate them on what we just accomplished."

It was an evening Kolek didn't even imagine was possible when Smart recruited Kolek out of the transfer portal from George Mason when the coach took over at MU.

"I was on the floor out there just in tears," Kolek said. "Tears of joy. I could never imagine in a million years that that would happen. That this moment in my life would have happened.

"Just goes to show that all of the hard work that I have put in to put myself in this position."

Marquette wins unexpected championship ... but wants more

As mentioned countless times this season, MU was picked to finish ninth by league coaches in the preseason.

So it was remarkable that the Golden Eagles wrapped up the title before the regular season is finished. MU will play St. John's on Saturday at Fiserv Forum and then be the No. 1 seeding in the Big East tournament for the first time in program history. MU will play at 11 a.m. Central on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York against the winner of the No. 8-No. 9 matchup.

"We always want more," Kolek said. "And keep growing. Keep building on the experience that we're having and just go from there."

The Golden Eagles took everyone by surprise by relying on player development as opposed to the quick-fix of the transfer portal.

Every returning player from last season has embraced their bigger roles, with Kolek and Oso Ighodaro becoming all-Big East caliber players. Sophomore guard Kam Jones is averaging almost eight more points per game and should be a candidate for an all-Big East team. Stevie Mitchell has become an indispensable glue guy and one of the best defensive players in the conference. Olivier-Maxence Prosper is the team's Swiss Army knife on both ends of the court.

Even Joplin, a microwave scorer who has been criticized for his defense by Smart, showed his improvement by notching five steals in the first half against Butler.

"We have so much trust in each other and we put our faith in each other," Joplin said. "So when we go out there, there is no second-guessing. We're just playing and we know our brother has got our back."

Joplin originally committed to Texas to play for Smart out of Brookfield Central. He followed the coach to MU because Joplin believed in the vision of a winning program.

"It was kind of the goal all along," Joplin said. "I knew getting recruited by him that we wanted to be winners.

"We knew that a lot of people wouldn't believe in us so we try to put our heads down and keep working. The end result finally paid off."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette clinches Big East title with 72-56 win over Butler at Hinkle