MILWAUKEE -- Clinching a share of the Big East regular season championship with a pair of road wins, Marquette University jumped up three spots in the AP poll and four places in the coaches poll.
The Golden Eagles are now ranked No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the coaches poll - the final regular season polls of the season. The AP has Florida ranked below Marquette, while the coaches have the Gators ahead of the Golden Eagles.
Marquette rallied from a double-digit deficit Tuesday to stay alive in the conference race with a 60-54 win at Rutgers. The Golden Eagles got help from Villanova knocking off Georgetown on Wednesday, leaving a win over St. John's on Saturday as the final hurdle in the way of their first Big East championship.
Though the Red Storm rallied in the final two minutes to force overtime, Vander Blue hit a tough layup at the overtime buzzer to give Marquette at 69-67 win.
Marquette is one of six Big East teams ranked in the AP poll and one of five in the coaches poll. Louisville leads the way at No. 4 in both polls, followed by Georgetown at No. 5. Pittsburgh comes in at No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the coaches poll, Syracuse is No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the coaches' poll, while Notre Dame is No. 24 in the AP poll and unranked in the coaches poll.
Finishing the regular season 23-7 overall and 14-4 in Big East play, Marquette is seeded third in the conference tournament despite tying for the league crown. The Golden Eagles will play Thursday night in the quarterfinals against Notre Dame, Rutgers or DePaul.
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