NCAA Tournament: Marquette vs. Murray State fearless prediction and game preview.
Broadcast
Date: Thursday, March 21
Game Time: 4:30 ET
Venue: XL Center, Hartford, CT
Network: TBS
All You Really Need To Know About Marquette (24-8)
(Big East), NCAA NET Rank: 28. West 5-seed
The Golden Eagles went on a fantastic 20-2 run to lock in a spot in the NCAAs, but they fell off the map late losing five of their last six, including an ugly game against Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament. With wins over Kansas State, Wisconsin, Buffalo and Villanova, the resumé is solid, but now they have to figure out how to win a close game again.
There are just enough upperclassmen to figure out how to right the ship, but the offense has to stop turning the ball over, the defense has to come up with more takeaways, and there can’t be so many fouls. But when the offense works, it can hit well from three and the D is great at guarding the perimeter.
All You Really Need To Know About Murray State (27-4)
(Ohio Valley), NCAA NET Rank: 44. West 12-seed
Get ready for the Ja Morant show. While NBA teams might be Dyin’ for Zion with the No. 1 pick. Morant is a top three-caliber pick and might be No. 2. The Racer star might be rail-thin, but he brilliant with the ball in his hands, and he can score in bunches, averaging close to 25 points per game with ten assists.
The Racers are more than just Morant, though. It’s a high-scoring team that moves the ball around – Morant has a lot to do with that – and is dominant at stopping teams from three. It’s an aggressive team that does just about everything right, but there’s not a whole lot on the resumé besides the great overall record.
– Fill out your bracket in the CFN NCAA Tournament Pool
What’s Going To Happen
Mr. Morant is going to rip the Golden Eagle defense to shreds. Murray State will make Marquette screw up time and again, and the inside presence will be enough to hold its own defensively.
Marquette is ice cold in close games over the last several weeks, and facing the possible No. 2 pick in the draft isn’t going to help.
Fearless Prediction & Line
Murray State 77, Marquette 73
Line: Marquette -4.5, o/u: 149.5
ATS Confidence: 3
5: Watching games by Vegas pool working on fruity drink No. 3
1: Watching game online while doing TPS reports in your cubicle
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