This year was not the swan song Chase Ross and Ben Gold envisioned.
Used to fighting for — and winning — Big East titles and battling for Big Dance seeding, the two seniors have experienced something far different in their final seasons as Marquette men’s basketball players. Not only because the Golden Eagles have played far below expectations in a myriad of ways, but also because they have dealt with their fair shares of individual hurdles.
Their last rides have been on a road riddled with potholes and covered in speed bumps.
For Ross, a dislocated shoulder suffered in Marquette’s road win at Georgetown on Feb. 24 is just one a litany of injuries over his four years at Marquette. For Gold, a lingering ankle injury has hampered him since early January and caused him to miss one game, at St. John’s on Jan. 13.
But, on Saturday, in their last game inside Fiserv Forum, the pair of seniors each had their moments in the limelight and played a pivotal role in Marquette’s 68-62 upset over No. 4 UConn.
Still wearing a sleeve on his left shoulder after the injury at the Hoyas — albeit a far less restricting one — Ross drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the day, 61-49, with 5:21 remaining.
“Coach (Shaka Smart) always say ‘Eff it shooting,'” said Ross, who finished with 14 points, capped off by four free throws in the final second. “That’s what it was. Eff it shooting.”
https://t.co/iU6wqkro21 pic.twitter.com/IsjfxPM5q8
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) March 7, 2026
Two minutes later, as Marquette battled a scoring drought and UConn licked its lips at the chance of a comeback, Gold completed a put-back dunk to extend the advantage to 64-56, which Smart later called the “basket of the game.”
While Gold had trouble putting into words how he was able to complete the slam, his senior partner proved more eloquent on the matter.
“That’s Red Mamba, that’s why,” Ross said.
BEN FREAKIN’ GOLD!🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/BccUWlzFzd
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) March 7, 2026
Before the game, both Ross and Gold stood at half-court and received a framed picture along with a bouquet of flowers for senior day. Then they helped spur their team to its best win of the season, before walking off the floor with one second remaining to a standing ovation from the 16,283 fans in attendance.
“I’m just so happy for those guys,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “Those two guys have been warriors. They’re banged up. But you would never know it seeing how they fight.”
The pregame festivities carried extra weight for other reasons, as well.
Of the 165 players on 11 Big East rosters in 2022-23, only three on scholarship are still at the same program this season. Gold and Ross are two of them.
They wore the blue & gold as first-years and sophomore coming off the bench. “Marquette” remained on their jerseys as juniors, both in the starting rotation for the first time. And rather than jumping ship for their final season, they stuck it out to finish what they started.
“I’m just going to focus on being grateful,” Smart said. “Those guys mean so much to our program, because this is their home.”
It has not all been perfect. Ross fizzled out in conference play after a dominant nonconference performance, failing to meet the preseason All-Big East first team forecast. Gold never made the extra leap the Golden Eagles needed from him to keep battling with the country’s best.
Both veterans have dealt with shooting slumps — they finished a combined 38-of-152 from deep in Big East play — and the mental pressure of trying to become leaders. Not to mention what happens when they personally fall short of what the world expected, and their team follows suit.
But, they were a part of the conference regular season and tournament titles in 2022-23, the program’s first Sweet 16 run in over a decade in 2023-24 and a lot of winning across their four seasons at Marquette.
Of all the flashbulb moments to remember most, both seniors harped on the team’s hallmark, like true Smart players would.
“Just being with my brothers through ups-and-downs, twists and turns, just all the adversity we’ve gone through since freshman year,” Ross said. “It’s just testament to our belief coaching staff and just how strongly connected we are together. I really love this program to death. Love Ben, love all the other seniors.”
“I’m super grateful for everyone as well. We’ve had a whole lot of experiences and being in the Marquette jersey,” Gold carried on saying. “Through the trials and tribulations, we’ve been helping each other, staying with each other the whole way through.
“It’s been not many programs can say that they’ve had a senior class stuck with it the whole way. That’s something that we’re appreciative of Coach (Smart) for doing. We’re all grateful for each other.”
This story was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @JackAlbrightMU.
