Busting Brackets
Fansided

Marquette Basketball: Keys to first round matchup with Murray State

ByBrian Foley|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles directs his players during a time out as the officials determine fouls in the second half against the Seton Hall Pirates during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles directs his players during a time out as the officials determine fouls in the second half against the Seton Hall Pirates during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
1 of 4
VILLANOVA, PA – FEBRUARY 27: Theo John #4, Joey Hauser #22, Sam Hauser #10, and Sacar Anim #2 of the Marquette Golden Eagles look on against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 67-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA – FEBRUARY 27: Theo John #4, Joey Hauser #22, Sam Hauser #10, and Sacar Anim #2 of the Marquette Golden Eagles look on against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 67-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

No. 5 seed Marquette basketball will travel to Hartford for a Thursday matchup with No. 12 seed Murray State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Despite a nasty 1-5 skid to end the season, Marquette (24-9, 12-6 Big East) did enough work over the first three-quarters of the campaign to land the top five seed in the NCAA tournament. Still, the Golden Eagles’ sloppiness down the stretch did cost them an easier route to the second weekend of the dance; MU will now face Murray State (27-4, 16-2 Ohio Valley) in Hartford on Thursday afternoon, a dangerous 12 seed led by Ja Morant, a whirling dervish of a point guard. Should they move past the Racers, the Golden Eagles will likely be tasked with No. 4 seed Florida State and the Seminoles’ cadre of long, athletic wings on Saturday.

More from Big East

But a potential FSU matchup is a discussion for a different day. For now, Marquette will be forced to deal with a team on an 11-game win streak that features the closest thing the college game has to Russell Westbrook.

Here’s a quick overview of the Murray State’s season:

  • Notable wins: Belmont (N)
  • Notable losses: Auburn (A), Alabama (A), Belmont (H)
  • Leading scorer: Morant (24.6 ppg)
  • Leading assists: Morant (10.0 apg)
  • Leading rebounder: Darnell Cowart (6.5 rpg)

The Golden Eagles are no stranger to playing high-profile Racer guards. Marquette is 2-0 against Murray State all-time, including a nine-point win over the Isaiah Canaan-led squad in the second round of the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Morant’s team certainly is not as accomplished as that 2012 MSU group, but he brings a dynamism to the table that Canaan simply did not possess. Here are keys to Marquette shutting down Morant and thriving against the Racers.

Home/Big East