INDIANAPOLIS — Fifteen-seed upsets are always fun, but this year, March Madness fans will not be treated to one.
This is because Western Kentucky was the last 15 seed remaining and came up short against second seeded Marquette on Friday, with the Golden Eagles winning 87-69. This one was close for most of the contest, with WKU even leading at the break 43-36, but Marquette pulled away late and avoided the upset.
WKU got out to a fast shooting start, making 6 of 11 3s in the first half, most of which ignited the crowd and gave the underdog momentum in the next possession. Tyrone Marshall Jr., the leading scorer for WKU, said “I had to show them that I could shoot the ball” in reference to his reason for his hot hand in the first half and the game overall. Marquette did not get out to a similarly hot start, making just five of their 19 first half 3-point attempts. This would usually be extremely concerning but being only down by seven at the half was a bright spot considering the shooting discrepancy. Marquette head coach Skaha Smart gave credit to WKU for MU’s off first half.
“I thought Western Kentucky played with phenomenal aggressiveness in the first half, hats off to them,” Smart said.
Smart, though, thought that his Marquette team regrouped in the second half perfectly and that they did a “great job responding to adversity.”
In this second half, Marquette caught fire from 3, making eight long-range shots to come back from the halftime deficit and eventually win big. Kam Jones was crucial this half, making three of those deep jumpers and finishing the game 5-for-10 from 3-point land.
“I just really, really, really wanted to win,” Jones said, describing how his mindset changed in the second half.
He wasn’t alone in making huge shots when need be, as Ben Gold also made two important 3s down the stretch, as well as David Joplin doing the same. This 3-point shooting was Marquette’s go-to offense all game, attempting 36 3s in the contest.
While the 3-ball was obviously a huge piece, Marquette’s change in aggressiveness dramatically changed the outcome of the game. Shaka Smart summed it up by saying “our whole team ramped up our aggressiveness on the defensive end” and said that this style of play was “much, much more Marquette basketball.” This type of aggressiveness is what Marquette needs to do in order to win at a “championship level,” Smart elaborated with, and rightfully so. It was apparent that the Golden Eagles made an adjustment in the second half and it certainly paid off, with MU winning with ease after looking very shaky in the first period.
As for the box score, Kam Jones was the star of the show, putting up 28 points on already mentioned great shooting jumpers. Tyler Kolek was also extremely important for Marquette’s comeback, ramping up his production and eventually scoring 18 points in the game. He had ten of his 11 assists in the second half and really looked like his normal self in the second half after missing the previous three weeks with an oblique injury. Stevie Mitchell also played a huge game for MU, with 16 points and providing great defense and rebounding all game. David Joplin also scored in double figures, with 13 points and, like Mitchell, ignited the Golden Eagles with aggressiveness on both ends of the court.
Despite being on the losing end, Western Kentucky had some performances to be proud of. Already mentioned Tyrone Marshall Jr. had an incredible game, scoring 21 total points and really shining on the biggest stage. He was followed up by Don McHenry who had 11 points and showed flashes in the first half of a great game, but had to settle for just over double figures. Against a very good two seed, though, this is still a solid performance. Khristian Lander also put up solid numbers in the first half, ending up with seven points in total for the game.
While Western Kentucky couldn’t complete the upset, this one showed that this program has nothing to be ashamed about.
“So you lost the basketball game,” head coach Steve Lutz said, “but hold your head up high knowing you did something special.”
That “special” was making the NCAA Tournament, which is a great achievement. Both WKU and Marquette can say that, but only the Golden Eagles get to advance, as their impressive second half earned themselves a spot in the Round of 32 on Sunday.
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