Murray State Basketball: 3 reactions from their victory over Marquette

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 21: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers celebrates after making an assist during the second half of the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. Murray State defeated Marquette 83-64. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images /

2. The Cinderella Story is being written

The Racers were the underdog coming in and they used it to their advantage, securing a win as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Murray State fell as a 12-seed. In fact, no 12-seeded teams beat the higher seed in last year’s tournament. This time around, they’re here to write a different story.

Murray State flipped the script in this year’s game with their own brand of defense. They held Marquette to just 25.6 percent shooting from the field and 18.8 percent shooting from behind the arc on 10 made field goals in the second half. They overwhelmed a highly-favored squad with their defense and then were virtually unstoppable in transition.

They’re gearing up for a run in the NCAA Tournament but first, they’ll need to get through the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles struggled early with 14-seed Vermont but in the end, they pulled out a 76-69 victory in an early game on Thursday. Murray State will give them all they can handle and then some and there’s more than just Ja Morant to worry about.