NCAA Tournament - Murray St (12) vs Marquette (5)

[admin]

Marquette -4.5
O/U 149

XL Center
4:30pm ET
TBS

[ArmyVet]

This is one of the more highly anticipated early games. I think the Hauser boys need to have a big game.

Good luck Warriors (not Eagles today).

[Xudash]

Good luck Marquette.

This is one of those rather big "optics" games. I don't care who is playing for Murray State. This is a game that a BE member must win.

[DudeAnon]

Only game I am making sure to watch in its entirety today, good luck Marquette!

[ArmyVet]

USA Today views this as the best game of Thursday.

1. No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 12 Murray State (4:30 p.m., TBS)

All-America guards Markus Howard (25.0 ppg) and Ja Morant (24.6 ppg) can both fill it up, making for a must-watch individual matchup. But which team wins? Right now Howard’s Marquette’s team is struggling (losing five of six) and Morant’s is a trendy upset pick as a mid-major because of it.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Ja Morant vs. Markus Howard is NCAA tournament's best matchup - Pete Thamel, Yahoo Sports - March 20, 2019

Ja Morant (24.6 PPG) and Markus Howard (25.0 PPG) are two of the country's top-10 scorers, the only members of that list to be playing in the NCAA tournament. And they just happen to be playing each other. For NBA executives, hoops junkies and the fans who leave work for lunch on Thursday and don't plan to return, it's the sexiest matchup of the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Marquette (24-9) comes wobbling into the NCAAs, as they've lost five of six games. Howard shot 1-for-15 from the field in their last loss, a technical-marred slobberknocker against Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament. America is skeptical of the Golden Eagles, as more than 40 percent of the participants in the Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick'em game have chosen Marquette to lose. That's the most popular 12-5 upset pick, and a testament to both Morant's star power and Marquette's downshift from Final Four darkhorse to Thursday happy-hour participant.

Best of luck to Marquette this afternoon.

Marquette -4.5

Big East Conference - Live Odds and Scoreboard - ESPN

At the time of my post, the line had dropped to Marquette -3.0

[xman]

Expecting two high scorers to simultaneously put on a performance is a lot to ask. I think if MU plays defense and rebounds, they’ll get a W in a less than thrilling manner.

[kayako]

This is embarrassing.

[gtmoBlue]

...it's halftime... C'mon Hausers and Warriors...geter done.

[Omaha1]

I hate everything about this game.