Thought of as a national title contender less than three weeks ago, Marquette finally picked itself off the mat Wednesday by blasting host St. John’s 74-45 in a Big East Tournament second-round game.

The Golden Eagles not only snapped a four-game losing streak, but also proved they could close out a team, albeit a horrific shooting one, without Dominic James. Marquette tries to keep the ball rolling against Villanova in a quarterfinal today at 1 p.m.

Wednesday’s victory also gave MU (24-8) and its fans a respite from the negativity that has crept into what began as a stellar season.

On Feb. 3, the Golden Eagles were the Big East’s lone undefeated team after winning at DePaul to improve to 20-2 (9-0 in the Big East). Marquette was ranked No. 8 in the country and firmly entrenched in most NCAA bracket projections as a No. 2 seed.

Then, an inexplicable loss at South Florida followed by a 102-84 thrashing at Villanova put the Golden Eagles on their heels. A great opportunity to right the ship went by the boards when James got hurt in a 93-82 loss to then No. 2 Connecticut at the Bradley Center on Feb. 25.

With James, Marquette likely beats UConn, vaults into the top five in the country and the sky’s the limit. Without him, the Golden Eagles sputtered through a daunting close to the regular season.

Losses at eventual Big East champion Louisville and Pittsburgh weren’t a surprise, but a season-ending overtime home loss to Syracuse left fans and bracketologists alike wondering just how far Marquette has fallen.

MU is 4-6 in its last 10 games and hasn’t beaten an NCAA Tournament team in two months (Jan. 10 vs. West Virginia). Latest projections have the Eagles as low as a No. 7 seed.

Avenging its previous loss to Villanova on a neutral floor today would go a long way to getting MU’s stock heading in the right direction.

*So you want to be a Badger: Wisconsin is a lock to make the ‘Big Dance,’ but much like Marquette, the Badgers can improve their seeding with a victory in their conference tournament. The Badgers play Ohio State Friday in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.

With an RPI of 38 and the 11th-toughest schedule (SOS) in the country, Wisconsin (19-12) will likely find itself in a 8-9 matchup in the NCAAs. The ceiling for the Badgers, if they defend their tournament title, is probably a No. 6 seed.

Others in the Big Ten may have taken a hit when Cleveland State beat Butler to give the Horizon League two bids. The Big Ten could get eight teams in with Minnesota (RPI 41, SOS 40) and Penn State (RPI 63, SOS 83) the most tenuous of the candidates.

*Book it (7-6): The UW-Parkside women’s basketball team cost my book it double last week. The Rangers did not make it to the GLVC Tournament final and their first-round loss bumped them from the NCAA Division-2 field.

This week, give me the Big Ten field against favorite Michigan State. Someone other than the regular-season champion Spartans will take home the Big Ten Tournament title.

Mike Larsen is a sports writer for the News. E-mail him at mlarsen@kenoshanews.com