With 2024 coming to an end, everyone, including college basketball teams, aim to correct their flaws and build momentum. For Marquette, a team sitting at No. 9 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings, the pressure to uphold their Big East dominance is mounting. The Golden Eagles have a stellar record of 11-2, yet tactical missteps centered around their star guard, Kam Jones, have started to raise questions. Much like a critical play in the final seconds of a game, Marquette’s fate could hinge on how they address these issues.

On the New Year’s Resolutions special of Field of 68: After Dark, analysts John Fanta, Jeff Goodman, and John Henson broke down how top teams, including Marquette, could improve.

Goodman did not hold back when discussing Jones’s role in the team’s late-game strategy: “I felt like sometimes down the stretch, Kam Jones didn’t touch the ball enough, didn’t get the ball in every possession. Like, everything should be running through Kam Jones, every possession in crunch time, because Kam Jones isn’t just what I thought he was. He’s not just a scorer, he’s an elite passer, a playmaker, a do-it-all guard.”

Goodman’s analysis hits home. Jones, averaging 20.3 points per game (14th nationally) and shooting an efficient 54% from the field, is undoubtedly the engine of Marquette’s offense. He will not only create a shot for himself at every level but also let his teammates have a shot. Yet, there have been games where his impact was limited by tactical decisions rather than his own ability.

In their recent 72-70 win against Xavier, Jones scored 20 points, but his first field goal came late in the first half. Marquette nearly let a 15-point lead slip away, highlighting a lack of cohesion when Jones isn’t fully integrated into the offense.

Fanta added to the critique, emphasizing Jones’s irreplaceable value: “If Kam Jones isn’t going, stop with the starters. If Kam Jones isn’t going, they’re just not the same team. I mean, if you take him off the floor, I don’t even think they’re a top-25 team. That being said, he is outstanding.” But just like a high-flying dunk can steal the show, one missed shot can send the whole game spiraling.

The Golden Eagles’ reliance on Jones might be their slam dunk, but without the bench support to back it up, they could be looking at a turnover waiting to happen.

Marquette’s depth dilemma: Maximizing Kam Jones before time runs out

The Golden Eagles’ 11-2 record and No. 8 Associated Press ranking mask deeper issues. Their struggles to maintain leads, as seen in the Xavier game, stem partly from a lack of depth.

Henson highlighted this during the podcast “As the season goes on, they’ve gotta find some type of way to have guys off the bench that they can trust for minutes that maybe need to be soaked up when the starters are not playing as well.” Without reliable contributors beyond Jones and David Joplin, Marquette’s rotations leave little room for error.

The stats back up the analysts’ concerns. While Jones ranks 10th nationally in assists (6.4 per game) and demonstrates his playmaking prowess, his usage rate of 32.2 minutes per game ranks 184th. For a player of his caliber, Marquette must amplify his role in pivotal moments.

Despite the tactical blunders, Jones’s brilliance continues to shine. In the Xavier game, he delivered 15 second-half points and hit a crucial free throw to secure the win. Yet, these narrow escapes won’t suffice as Marquette faces tougher competition in the Big East.

Marquette’s championship aspirations depend on maximizing Kam Jones’s impact. He’s not just a scorer; he’s the team’s heartbeat. But like a team failing to execute an open layup, the Golden Eagles risk squandering their potential through avoidable mistakes. Time will tell if they can adjust before it’s too late.