Marquette back in the top 5 of AP men's basketball rankings, and a clash with No. 1 awaits
The Marquette men's basketball team is back in the top five.
The Golden Eagles have won seven straight games and checked in at No. 4 in the Associated Press rankings Monday. MU was seventh last week.
(Editor's note: Journal Sentinel beat writer Ben Steele had the Golden Eagles at No. 4 in his weekly ballot).
MU was also ranked fourth in the USA Today coaches poll.
The Golden Eagles were ranked in the top five in the first four AP polls of the season, reaching as high as No. 3. But MU dropped to No. 17 on Jan. 15 before beginning its steady climb up the rankings.
Who did Marquette beat last week?
The Golden Eagles had one game last week, getting a master class from point guard Tyler Kolek in an 86-75 victory over St. John's on Saturday at Fiserv Forum on National Marquette Day.
Kolek had 27 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in what head coach Shaka Smart said was "one of the best games Tyler Kolek has played at Marquette."
Who does Marquette play this week?
One of the biggest games of the season looms at 2 p.m. Saturday with MU playing top-ranked Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center.
The Huskies (22-2, 12-1 Big East) have won 12 straight games since dropping their Big East opener at Seton Hall. Connecticut plays DePaul on Wednesday.
But the Golden Eagles can't look past their game at Butler on Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs stunned MU on Jan. 10 at Fiserv Forum.
More: Having Chase Ross back gives Marquette versatility as the Golden Eagles chase Big East title
How many top-five clashes have there been in Marquette history?
MU has already played two games this season when both teams were ranked in the top five of the AP poll, with both of them coming at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu in November.
The Golden Eagles, ranked fourth at the time, beat then-No. 1 Kansas in the semifinals before falling to No. 2 Purdue in the championship game the next day.
Here are the other top-five clashes in MU history:
March 20, 1976: No. 2 MU lost to No. 1 Indiana, 65-56, in the NCAA Tournament regional final
March 25, 1974: No. 3 MU lost to No. 1 North Carolina State, 76-64, in the national championship game
Jan. 29, 1974: No. 5 MU lost at No. 3 Notre Dame, 69-63
March 3, 1973: No. 5 MU lost at No. 4 Long Beach State, 76-66
Jan. 9, 1972: No. 2 MU won at No. 4 South Carolina, 72-71
Tyler Kolek named Big East player of the week
On the strength of his performance against St. John's, Kolek was named Big East player of the week.
It is the second time this season that Kolek has won the honor.
Kolek is the third NCAA Division I player since 2007 to record at least 27 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in a non-overtime game. Purdue-Fort Wayne's Jon Konchar in 2019 and East Tennessee State's Courtney Pigram in 2007 are the others.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette returns to top five of Associated Press basketball rankings
