March Madness 2019: Predicting the First Round upsets

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 15: Ohio State Buckeyes forward Andre Wesson (24) looks on in action during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans on March 15, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

6 of 8

RICHMOND, KY – FEBRUARY 16: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers is seen before the game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at CFSB Center on February 16, 2019 in Murray, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

12 Murray State Racers over 5 Marquette Golden Eagles

The matchup between the Murray State Racers and Marquette Golden Eagles is one of the most-hyped First Round clashes in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, mostly because of the fantastic individual matchup between Ja Morant for the Racers and Markus Howard for the Golden Eagles. These are two of the most explosive offensive players in college basketball and seeing them go head-to-head should be a remarkable treat for fans.

Many people have looked at this matchup, though, and talked about the fact that Morant has little help around him with Murray State. To a degree, that’s certainly true, especially considering how much the future NBA lottery pick does to facilitate offense for his teammates. However, what is overlooked in this is that Marquette isn’t exactly surrounding Howard with superstars at this point.

In fact, only one player on the Golden Eagles roster outside of Howard averages double figures per game, Sam Hauser at 14.9 points per contest. Furthermore, Marquette relies super heavily on their 3-point shooting, which is often a recipe for disaster when March Madness comes around as shooters can go cold and leave an offense in a bad spot.

Because of that, Murray State has a better shot than people give them credit for. But they’re an upset pick here because of Morant. He is a generational talent from a mid-major program and is the type of guy that can single-handedly win games in the NCAA Tournament. That’s what he’s going to do in this one and push the Racers to the Second Round.

Home/March Madness