Murray State Basketball: 3 keys to upsetting Marquette in Round of 64

Murray State Basketball has grown a lot with sophomore sensation Ja Morant. Now, they’re in prime position to pull off an upset in the NCAA Tournament.

The Murray State Racers face the Marquette Golden Eagles in the always fun 5/12 matchup in the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 5 seed, all pressure will be on Marquette to perform as the Racers have the star power and then some to pull off an upset.

Murray State has been led by point guard Ja Morant, who has had a breakout sophomore season in 2018-19 and has emerged as a projected lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Morant is the team’s fearless leader on both ends but he’s also got OVC Defensive Player of the Year in Shaq Buchanan and freshman Tevin Brown on his side.

The Racers have a recipe to pull off the upset but they’ll need to come in with an added focus. It’s worth noting, the Golden Eagles have lost five of their last six games coming into the tournament, twice to the Seton Hall Pirates. While they’re licking their wounds and vulnerable, Murray State is in prime position to pull off the victory.

With an added focus on Morant, he’ll have his hands full on the other end guarding 5-foot-11 junior point guard Markus Howard. Howard has built his own draft stock this season, producing 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals per contest for Marquette. In a must-see first round meeting, Morant and Howard will be an exciting battle to watch. Here’s a look at three keys to Murray State pulling off the upset over Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

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