Head coach Markus Roeders and his experienced Marquette roster had big goals for the 2016 season after a disappointing eight-win season in 2015: a BIG EAST regular season title, a BIG EAST Tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
After a tough non-conference slate, the Golden Eagles had a 4-4-2 record and plenty of work to do. They opened conference play by letting a two goal lead slip in a road loss to Creighton. The loss prompted a lineup change, which powered a 7-1 run over the final eight conference games.
The last match in that run was a de-facto BIG EAST regular season championship game against a red-hot DePaul side that had already clinched a share of the crown.