Scrappy Golden Eagles Headed to Sweet 16

Marquette University Rides Momentum into Sweet 16 Field

 

I remember before the tourney started like it was yesterday. That is quite a feat considering it was four days ago. I was staring at my bracket and tried to close my eyes and see the upsets.
Every year, without fail, there are a few teams that ride the hot hand into the Sweet 16 despite a horrible seeding and a bevy of mismatches. The trick is to correctly pick which team. Every year I tell myself to stop trying and fill out my brackets my mascot.
Marquette is just one of a few teams that could very easily be long gone by now. Instead, they have shocked us all and will be among the final 16 teams in this great, and very maddening tournament.
This is their story, and it's a good one.
They started this wild weekend against Xavier on Friday. A good portion of analysts thought this would be a close game. Marquette quickly showed that they were the class on the floor at the time. They fought tooth and nail with Xavier, eventually getting out to a comfortable lead.
That was win number one, a commendable one for a scrappy team. They then had Syracuse looming in the distance. The Orange posed a tall task for a tight team that lacked a prototypical star player.
That matters little to Marquette who prefer to beat you as a cohesive team. Their third-round match-up with Syracuse was tight all game, but upon closer look Marquette dominated. They ended the game leading in almost all of the major categories.
Syracuse allowed too many turnovers. One of them proved to be the nail in the coffin as it provided a waning moment three-pointer.
Marquette will see North Carolina in the Sweet 16. I want to say that there is no way this team gets over on a tough Tar Heels squad. I now know better. Never count out a tough defensive team that believes in themselves. That is a perfect recipe for success in March.