The Marquette women’s basketball team has seen a lot of success in four seasons under head coach Megan Duffy.

Duffy was the Big East coach of the year for the 2019-20 season, her first at MU. The Golden Eagles have advanced to the conference tournament title game twice under Duffy, falling to DePaul in 2020 and Connecticut in 2021. Last season, MU beat powerhouse UConn for the first time.

But MU is still searching for that elusive NCAA Tournament victory in the Duffy era. That quest begins again Monday when the Golden Eagles’ season tips off against Tennessee-Martin at the Al McGuire Center.

Last season, MU was tantalizingly close to breaking through with an overtime loss to South Florida in the first round. The Golden Eagles had an 11-point lead late in the second half.

“I think it was extremely, I don’t want to say personal, but it was a really, really tough loss,” MU senior post player Liza Karlen said. “An 8-9 matchup, we lose in overtime.

“Don’t probably play the best. I know I didn’t play to my potential. I think that it’s hard not to go back and think about that for motivation. But I think it’s a completely different team this year. I think we have a ton of potential and can get back to that spot and hopefully get over that hump.”

Megan Duffy has intriguing mix of newcomers and veterans

In order to get back to the tournament, Duffy will rely on veterans such as Karlen, Jordan King and Rose Nkumu. The Golden Eagles also have six new faces this season – transfers Frannie Hottinger, Lee Volker, Bridget Utberg and Abbey Cracknell along with freshmen Skylar Forbes and Halle Vice. How they mesh will determine MU’s fate this season.

“I think we’re looking forward to getting a couple games under our belt here and keep measuring ourselves each and every day,” Duffy said. “But it’s getting better, for sure.”

King is using her fifth season of eligibility granted by the NCAA. She has started every game at MU.

“I think the biggest thing is to just walk away with no regrets,” King said. “Knowing that I walked in that gym every single day and gave everything I had.

“Obviously on the floor, basketball-wise, giving everything I had to my teammates, giving back to my coaches.”

Last season, King averaged a team-high 15.9 points per game while chipping in 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.

“She’s just that steady voice that calms everyone down,” senior guard Claire Kaifes said. “She has a lot of experience so she knows a thing or two because she’s obviously been through a thing or two.”

More: What to know and five players to watch for the Marquette women's basketball season

Liza Karlen and Frannie Hottinger will lead post group

With King providing steady leadership for the backcourt players, Karlen will help guide a revamped frontcourt. She will be aided by her former AAU teammate Hottinger, who was the Patriot League player of the year last season at Lehigh.

“You look at our post group,” Karlen said. “We lose Chloe Marotta. Well, we lost our whole post group basically. So we’re bringing in two freshmen.

“Charia Smith got hurt in the spring, so she won’t be playing this year. So to have someone come in that is going to be a huge addition to this team on the court, just statistically-wise, as well as having that preexisting relationship with her is huge. It makes the transition easier for our post group.

"To have someone right at my side that knows what college basketball is all about, helping the freshmen find their way a little bit. It’s been awesome to have her."

Karlen and King also experienced a first-round loss to Virginia Tech in 2021. In King's last season of eligibility, a NCAA victory is at the top of her wish list.

“Leaving after the tournament for two years and not getting a win is something that doesn’t sit with me very well,” King said. “So I really want to take this team back to the tournament.

“Obviously a lot of us have experienced that. I think there’s a lot of kids on our team that are looking forward to experiencing that. They want to experience that. But I think the next step is winning a game at that level.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette women's basketball wants NCAA breakthrough with Megan Duffy