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

1. Ja Morant must win his matchup with Markus Howard

The tale of the tape for the Ja Morant versus Markus Howard matchup is a very intriguing one. Morant is an athletic guard that can attack and distribute and is listed at 6-foot-3 while Howard is known for his shooting ability at 5-foot-11.

Morant is putting up 24.6 points, 10.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game as his team’s floor general. Howard has taken a different approach, using his volume shooting ability to pour in 25.0 points per game on 3.5 makes from behind the arc this season.

While the 3-point line in their strength, Morant’s strength on the flip side is his ability to get to the free throw line. He’s averaging 6.7 makes on 8.3 attempts from the free throw line entering the game this season.

Morant ranks fifth in the nation in free throws made (200) and seventh in free throw attempts (258). If he can get Howard in some early foul trouble and make his mark from the stripe, winning the game is all but a done deal.