NCAA Tournament: Kansas, Wisconsin biggest losers from 1st weekend

NCAA Tournament 2019: Kansas, Wisconsin among biggest losers from 1st weekend

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: The Kansas State Wildcats bench reacts in the second half of play against the UC Irvine Anteaters during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images /

3. Marquette Golden Eagles

The Marquette Golden Eagles ran into the Murray State Racers and Ja Morant in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and it didn’t end well for them. The Golden Eagles lost to Murray State 83-64 behind a triple-double performance from Morant and they looked like a team without adjustments in the second half.

In the first half, the Golden Eagles kept things close. They trailed 42-35 at halftime following a stepback 3-pointer from Morant, which was only a sign of things to come. They were outscored 41-29 in the second frame as the Racers jumped out to a big lead and never looked back.

Marquette shot 25.6 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from 3-point range in the second half. Murray State outscored them 23-7 in fast break points for the game. The pace seemed a bit too much for Markus Howard and company as they collapsed in defeat in the end.

It’s back to the drawing board for Steve Wojciechowski and company. Howard and Sam Hauser will have some draft decisions to mull over but if they return, look for them to be a tougher group. The Golden Eagles weren’t the only No. 5 seed to fall to a lower seed either.

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