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March Madness: Murray State, Wofford, Villanova and Nevada potenial Cinderellas

By Jonathan Geib

MURRAY, KY - FEBRUARY 09: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers reacts in the second half of the game against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars at CFSB Center on February 9, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. Murray State won 86-55. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MURRAY, KY - FEBRUARY 09: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers reacts in the second half of the game against the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars at CFSB Center on February 9, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. Murray State won 86-55. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Murray State Racers (12-seed)

Welcome to the March Madness party Ja Morant. An NCAA Tournament that excludes a top-tier draft prospect is always a disappointment and leaves viewers wondering what could have been. In the past few years we have seen Ben Simmons from Louisiana State University and Markelle Fultz from the University of Washington both miss out on playing in their respective NCAA Tournaments. Both players ultimately became number one overall draft picks for the Philadelphia 76ers, although they were clearly missed in the NCAA Tournament.

This year, Ja Morant is a projected top three player in the upcoming NCAA draft. Morant needed a Herculean effort of 36 points in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Final to beat top seeded Belmont. Without that win, Murray State would not have made this year’s Tournament, but the Racers did win. And the reason they won was clearly Ja Morant.

So why does Murray State have a chance to make a deep run this postseason? Again,the answer is Ja Morant. I do not use this comparison lightly, but Ja Morant plays very similarly to Russell Westbrook as he affects a game in all facets: points, rebounds, assists and steals. If Morant can play up to his potential, opposing teams should be afraid of this potential Cinderella.

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