So Smart! An old-school approach delivers elite results

If you’re like me, you probably spent your Tuesday night watching Purdue and Marquette face off at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. This game exemplified everything we love about college basketball: Two ranked teams exchanging blows in a glistening arena filled with rabid fans. The Golden Eagles pulled out the win to hand the Boilermakers their first loss of the season but – this being college basketball – no one got eliminated from championship contention. It was a great night for everyone except Purdue fans, but trust me, they’ll get over it.

It was also a game between the only two power conference schools that did not accept a Division I transfer last spring. I don’t have to tell you how unusual that is. Marquette, in fact, is the only school not to take a transfer the last three seasons. This was on my mind because I talked to Shaka Smart about this at length a few days ago. That story is our first read in today's email.

We’ve got lots of other great content on the site and I hope you’ll check it out. The pace of events is about to get real frenzied next week, so get ready to settle in and enjoy the show. Hoops HQ may be a rookie, but we’re ready to keep up the pace. Have a great Wednesday, everybody. —Seth

MARQUETTE'S SHAKA SMART DOESN'T USE THE TRANSFER PORTAL. HE'S STILL WINNING

By Seth Davis

It was the spring of 2022 and Shaka Smart had a decision to make. After a 19-13 season that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he was about to lose four of his top six scorers. Should he refurbish his roster with older transfers, as most coaches would? Or should he double down on the young players he already had?

Smart stuck with his guys.

The move was a considerable gamble. It also established — or rather, retrenched — a philosophy that is getting more anachronistic by the day. Marquette is the only power conference program that has not brought in a Division I transfer in any of the past three seasons. The way Smart sees it, if he isn’t bringing in transfers, his current players have less incentive to leave. That, in turn, means Smart doesn’t have to bring in transfers to replace them. Smart’s emphasis on continuity has vaulted Marquette into the game’s elite.

No. 25 Illinois @ No. 8 Alabama: After a 3-0 start, the Fighting Illini cracked the latest AP Top 25. Now they are heading down to Birmingham to take on a stacked Crimson Tide team that is hungry for revenge after a tough loss to Purdue on Friday. Both squads rely heavily on the three-point shot — which one will make more of them? 9:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network.