Marquette men's basketball at a glance
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski (33-32, third season).
2015-’16 record: 20-13 overall, 8-10 Big East.
2015-’16 postseason: Lost to Xavier in the second round of the Big East tournament.
Home court: BMO Harris Bradley Center. Tickets: (414) 288-4668.
Fischer, Heldt have big load to carry for MU
SCHEDULE
Nov. 11: vs. Vanderbilt (Veterans Classic, Annapolis, Md.), 5:30 p.m. 14: Howard, 7; 17: vs. Michigan (2K Classic, New York), 8:30; 18: vs. TBA (2K Classic), TBA; 22: IUPUI, 6:30; 26: Houston Baptist, 6:30; 29: Western Carolina, 7:30.
Dec. 4: at Georgia, 1; 6: Fresno State, 6:30; 10: Wisconsin, 1; 19: St. Francis (Pa.), 6; 21: SIU-Edwardsville, 7:30; 28: Georgetown, 7:30.
Jan. 1: at Seton Hall, 3:30; 7: at Villanova, 6:30; 11: Seton Hall, 6; 14: DePaul, 1; 16: at Butler, 11 a.m.; 21: at Creighton, 3:30; 24: Villanova, 7; 28: Providence, 1.
Feb. 1: at St. John's, 6; 4: at DePaul, 1; 7: Butler, 8; 11: at Georgetown, 11 a.m.; 18: Xavier, 7; 21: St. John's, 7; 25: at Providence, 3.
March 1: at Xavier, 8; 4: Creighton, 1:30; 8-11: Big East tournament, New York.
ROSTER
STARTERS
21 Traci Carter (6-0 Soph. G): Led Marquette with 153 assists (4.6 per game) last season, accounting for 28.7% of the team's assists.
25 Haanif Cheatham (6-5 Soph. G): Cheatham will be asked to take a step up, even after a season in which he was one of the team's most reliable players, logging the second-most minutes and scoring the third-most points per game (11.8).
23 Jajuan Johnson (6-5 Sr. G): A new shooting stroke led Johnson to a career-high 38.5% mark on 65 three-point attempts last season, which provided a solid complement to his strong driving abilities.
22 Katin Reinhardt (6-6 Sr. G): Graduate transfer who averaged 11.4 points last season at USC. Started collegiate career at UNLV.
40 Luke Fischer (6-11 Sr. C): The Germantown product has been steady on the offensive end, shooting 60.8% in his two seasons since transferring from Indiana.
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RESERVES
0 Markus Howard (5-11 Fr. G): Graduated early from Findlay Prep (Nev.) and spent the past two summers playing with the U.S. junior national team, picking up a pair of gold medals.
1 Duane Wilson (6-2 Jr. G): Bounced in and out of the starting lineup last season and brings back the third-most points per game (11.6) among returning players.
2 Sacar Anim (6-5 Soph. G/F): Redshirting for the 2016-'17 season.
5 Sandy Cohen III (6-6 Jr. G/F): Started the 2015-'16 season strong before going through a bit of a sophomore slump. He's the most athletic and one of the more versatile players on the team.
10 Sam Hauser (6-7 Fr. G/F): Sharpshooter from Stevens Point who shot 50.6% from three-point range during the regular season as a junior in high school. He will play small forward, power forward and center at times this season.
12 Matt Heldt (6-10 Soph. C): Averaged 0.7 points and 0.9 rebounds as well as 5.1 minutes in 20 games last season. He'll take on a much larger role this season as the only backup center.
30 Andrew Rowsey (5-10 Jr. G): UNC-Asheville transfer who redshirted last season. He averaged 19.7 points per game and made 39.3% of his three-pointers at UNC-Asheville.
41 Deon Franklin (6-5 Soph. F): Walk-on who grew up playing basketball in Italy. He transferred from Texas Tech, where he was not part of the basketball program.
52 Cam Marotta (5-10 Soph. G): Walk-on who appeared in three games last season, scoring one point.
BIG EAST PREVIEW
(Listed in order of preseason poll)
Coach: Jay Wright (354-157, 16th season; 476-242, 23rd season overall).
Outlook: The reigning national champion is aiming for its fourth straight Big East regular-season title and returns three starters, including preseason AP All-American guard Josh Hart (15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds per game last season).
Coach: Chris Mack (162-77, eighth season).
Outlook: The Musketeers enter the season as a top-10 team in both polls and led by their backcourt of sophomore Edmond Sumner and junior Trevon Bluiett have the talent to challenge Villanova.
Coach: Greg McDermott (141-72, seventh season; 290-203, 16th season overall in Division I).
Outlook: Creighton brings back the bulk of its lineup from a team that went to the third round of the NIT, including senior Maurice Watson Jr., who was the team's leading scorer and dished out the most assists in the Big East.
Coach: John Thompson III (264-133, 13th season; 332-175, 17th season overall).
Outlook: The Hoyas underwhelmed last season, going 15-18 (7-11 Big East). D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera may have graduated, but Georgetown brings back its next eight leading scorers as it aims to bounce back.
Coach: Kevin Willard (107-90, 7th season; 152-139, 10th season overall).
Outlook: The Pirates are coming off their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006 and bring back four junior starters, though the loss of Isaiah Whitehead to the NBA will be tough to overcome.
Coach: Chris Holtmann (45-22, third season; 89-76, sixth season overall).
Outlook: The Bulldogs are (finally) moving on from Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, but they'll still have star power in junior forward Kelan Martin, who broke out in Big East play last season and averaged 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds overall.
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski (33-32, third season).
Outlook: The Golden Eagles lost Henry Ellenson to the NBA draft but bring back all of their other main contributors. They'll also get help from transfers Katin Reinhardt and Andrew Rowsey as well as freshmen Markus Howard and Sam Hauser, all of whom will make an impact right away.
Coach: Chris Mullin (8-24, second season).
Outlook: The Red Storm is building on the young foundation Mullin brought in last season, led by sophomore big men Kassoum Yakwe and Yankuba Sima, who were the top two shot-blockers in the Big East as freshmen.
Coach: Ed Cooley (103-67, sixth season; 195-136, 11th season overall).
Outlook: Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil led Providence to its third straight NCAA Tournament last season. They entered the NBA draft in the spring, which means the Friars have some rebuilding to do.
Coach: Dave Leitao (67-56, fifth season; 152-151, 11th season overall).
Outlook: Senior guard Billy Garrett Jr. is one of the Blue Demons' few bright spots. They haven't made the postseason since 2004, including the past 11 years as a member of the Big East.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Josh Hart, Villanova (Sr. G): Hart tested the NBA waters but decided to return to Villanova, where he will be the frontrunner for Big East player of the year and should be in the conversation for All-American honors.
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier (Jr. G): The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season while making 39.8% of his three-point attempts.
Kris Jenkins, Villanova (Sr. F): Jenkins made the most memorable shot of last season to beat North Carolina in the national title game. The 6-foot-6 forward will be aiming to build on his 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Kelan Martin, Butler (Jr. F): The 6-foot-6 forward will try to keep his momentum rolling after he scored in double figures in 14 of Butler's final 16 games.
Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton (Sr. G): A transfer from Boston University, Watson proved he belongs in the Big East by averaging 14.1 points and 6.5 assists per game last season.