Updated: March 15, 2012, 5:38 pm ET

(3) Marquette vs. (6) Murray State Preview

By Yannis Koutroupis
Senior NBA Writer & College Basketball Editor

(3) Marquette Golden Eagles
Star players typically take their games to another level during the NCAA Tournament and that’s exactly what Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder did for the Golden Eagles. They were nothing short of spectacular. Crowder stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and five steals while Odom notched 20 as well to go along with five rebounds and four assists. The Golden Eagles also got solid contributions from Davante Gardner and Todd Mayo. Gardner, the most imposing post presence on the Golden Eagles, looked as good as he has since his return from an injury. If he can continue playing like he did against the Cougars, the Golden Eagles are going to be a very difficult out. They dominated the glass, outrebounding the Cougars by 16. Against an opportunistic Racers’ defense they’re going to have to make sure to take better care of the ball than they did on Thursday when they turned it over 15 times. Staying out of foul trouble will be equally important.

(6) Murray State Racers
The Racers found themselves in a battle early on against Colorado State. Pierce Hornung was carrying the Rams with pure heart, determination and skill, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to do anything other than keep his team close for a half. The Racers shook off any tournament-opening jitters they may have had during the half and outscored the Rams 35-17 over the final 20 minutes to earn a 58-41 victory. Their backcourt came up big, with Isaiah Canaan scoring a team-high 15 while grabbing seven rebounds and Donte Poole contributing 13. Forcing 21 turnovers and only giving it away seven times themselves was key for the Racers. They’re in for serious test against Marquette, who looked fantastic in eliminating BYU. The Racers are going to have to rebound far better than they did against the Rams and make sure to not miss 50 percent of their attempts from the free throw line again if they hope to advance to the Sweet 16.

HOOPSWORLD’s pick: Marquette. Look for Marquette’s defense and rebounding to be the difference and earn them a spot in the Sweet 16.

Who do you think is going win? Chime in by leaving a comment below!

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