Marquette Basketball: Early 2015-16 Outlook

The Marquette Golden Eagles have had two back-to-back awful seasons after their trip to the Elite Eight in the 2013-14 season, but will come into the 2015-16 season with a ton of potential – and for good reason.

The Golden Eagles return one of the youngest and most potentially talented squads in college basketball. Leading scorer Matt Carlino may be gone, but their No. 2 and No. 3 leading scorers, Luke Fischer and Duane Wilson, return. Add those names to players like JaJuan Johnson and Sandy Cohen II, and the backbone of this roster will be extremely experienced.

The returners are not the only big names on this roster, as head coach Steve Wojciechowski had a strong recruiting year. Five-star recruit Henry Ellenson will be joined by four-star recruits Haanif Cheatham, Matt Heldt, Sacar Anim and Traci Carter making the incoming freshmen class some of the most talented players on the team. Most of these players should see significant minutes and have the opportunity to make a major impact in the Big East.

This team may not be the miracle machine that would be needed to win the Big East in front of teams like the Georgetown Hoyas or the Villanova Wildcats just yet, but they should easily slide into the 2016 NCAA Tournament. No matter what happens once they make the Big Dance, however, this team has the potential to be a legitimate national title threat in the 2016-17 season.

Any opponent who underestimates this team will receive a rude awakening, because Marquette looks to be the most talented underdog in all of college basketball.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.