The Marquette Golden Eagles struggled to keep up with potential NBA lottery pick Ja Morant in an 83-64 loss to the Murray State Racers Thursday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles' Markus Howard put on an offensive show of his own, scoring 26 points in the afternoon contest held in Hartford, Connecticut. Sam Hauser would add in 16 points of his own, but only three other Golden Eagles players would score, none more than eight points. Morant showed his NBA talent, registering only the eighth triple-double ever in the NCAA Tournament with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists.

With the Golden Eagles losing, the Wisconsin Badgers represent the state's only hope for NCAA Tournament magic. They are involved in another intriguing #5/#12 matchup at 3:30 p.m. as they play the Oregon Ducks in San Jose, California.