Georgetown-Marquette: Golden Eagles Lose in Big East Semis, Eye Big Dance

(from wiscosportstalk.com)

After a signature win against 10th ranked Villanova, Marquette played a poor second half in a loss to the Georgetown Hoyas. The Golden Eagles’ Big East season is over, but they are now primed for a run in the NCAA tournament.

After two hard-fought wins in as many days against St. John’s and 'Nova, MU appeared a little exhausted in the second half on Friday, and they were outscored by 20 points in the final 20 minutes against a bigger Georgetown team.

The Hoyas were able to expose Marquette’s weakness—their lack of a legit big man—as Greg Monroe had a monster game (23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks).

Beating G-Town and reaching the Big East finals would have been huge, obviously, but the win over Nova on Thursday will do wonders for the seeding of MU.

Once considered a bubble team, the Golden Eagles look like they’ll likely be a seven or eight seed in the tournament. That's pretty good considering they were a five seed in their own conference tournament, and were looked at as a 10 or 11 seed in the big dance up until about two weeks ago.

Because of their ability to shoot the ball, MU will be a tough out no matter who they play. As a seven or eight seed, they will likely be matched up with a one or two seed in the second round.

Marquette will obviously be the underdog in this game, but they still have a chance at beating anyone based on their outside shooting, and the experience they've gained because of the tough schedule they’ve had going through the Big East their last 20-plus games. Any team without a dominant big man (à la Greg Monroe) will definitely not be happy to see Marquette next weekend.

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