By JACOB POLACHECK
Led by sophomore point guard Ja Morant, the No. 12 seed Murray State Racers took down No. 5 seed Marquette Thursday in an 83-64 blowout win in Hartford, Conn. Morant finished with 17 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds, recording the ninth triple-double in NCAA Tournament history.
Morant, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, became the first player to post a triple-double in NCAA Tournament play since Draymond Green did it for Michigan State in 2012.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to make triple-doubles without my teammates making shots so the credit for this game goes to them,” he said in a TV interview.
Last year, Murray State made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 15 seed before falling to No. 2 seed West Virginia in the first round.
Morant is averaging 24.6 points, 10.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds for a Racers team that won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Ja Morant with an absolute DIME. pic.twitter.com/Pj6hJHZJAf
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2019
Murray State will take on No. 4 seed Florida State on Saturday in the second round.
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