Marquette Coach Shaka Smart Faces 'Win or Else' Season Ahead

After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time, Smart must lead Marquette to the Big Dance next season or risk losing his job.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 1:33pm

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Marquette men's basketball head coach Shaka Smart is facing a critical 'win or else' season in 2026-27 after the Golden Eagles failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time under his tenure. The team finished the 2025-26 season with a 12-20 record and was effectively eliminated from tournament contention by New Year's Day. Smart and athletic director Mike Broeker have signaled that the roster will need to 'evolve' heading into next season, indicating the urgency to get the program back on track.

Why it matters

Marquette has set a high bar for its men's basketball program, with the expectation being to make the NCAA tournament every year. Smart's first three seasons saw the team earn a #9 seed, back-to-back #2 seeds (the best in program history), and a #7 seed. But this past season's 12-20 finish and failure to even be in the NCAA tournament conversation by January was unacceptable, and Smart now faces a 'win or else' scenario to keep his job.

The details

Marquette struggled mightily this past season, finishing 7-13 in Big East play. Issues included key injuries, roster turnover, and poor team shooting. The Golden Eagles were effectively eliminated from NCAA tournament contention by the new year, a far cry from Smart's previous three seasons that saw the team earn NCAA tournament berths. With the messaging from Smart and the athletic director about the need for roster changes, it's clear the program is in a 'win or else' mode heading into 2026-27.

  • Marquette's 2025-26 season ended with a first-round loss in the Big East tournament on March 12, 2026.
  • The Golden Eagles finished the 2025-26 season with a 12-20 record and were effectively eliminated from NCAA tournament contention by New Year's Day 2026.

The players

Shaka Smart

The head coach of the Marquette men's basketball team, who is facing increased pressure to lead the program back to the NCAA tournament after missing it for the first time in his tenure.

Mike Broeker

The athletic director at Marquette University, who has signaled with Smart that changes are needed to the roster heading into the 2026-27 season.

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What they’re saying

“Everything about the 'the roster will evolve' messaging from the TNT Sports sideline report makes it very clear that Smart knows this, or if he doesn't believe that his job is on the line next season, he hates what happened this season just as much as the rank and file Marquette fans and he doesn't want to go through this ever again.”

— Andrew Fleck, Writer (yahoo.com)

What’s next

The Marquette men's basketball program will be closely watched in the offseason as Shaka Smart and the athletic department work to retool the roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, which will be a 'win or else' campaign for Smart to keep his job as head coach.

The takeaway

Shaka Smart has built Marquette into an NCAA tournament team in his first three seasons, but the program's failure to even be in contention this past year has put his job in jeopardy. Smart must lead the Golden Eagles back to the Big Dance next season or risk being replaced, as Marquette has set a high bar of making the NCAA tournament every year as the standard for success.