Buffaloes or Eagles: Who has the edge?
INDIANAPOLIS - The second-seeded Marquette men’s basketball team faces another NCAA Tournament upstart in 10th-seeded Colorado at 11:10 a.m. Sunday in the second round.
The Buffaloes edged Florida, 102100, on K.J. Simpson’s shot in the waning seconds in a wild game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Colorado will be playing its third game in five days
It will be interesting to see how much Colorado has left in the tank.
The Buffaloes beat Boise State in the First Four on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. They then arrived in Indianapolis late that night to participate in open practice and media availability on Thursday. On top of that, they had an emotional victory on Friday night.
Buffaloes have stars in K.J. Simpson and NBA draft hopefuls Cody Williams and Tristan da Silva
Simpson is a quick-twitch point guard who averages 19.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. He also shoots 44.6% on three-pointers.
Simpson is 6-foot-2, so he isn’t seen as a surefire NBA player. The Buffaloes have two draft prospects in 6-9 forward Tristan da Silva (15.9 points per game) and 6-8 freshman Cody Williams (12 points per game).
Williams is the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams. With his length and athleticism, Cody Williams is popping up on mock drafts as a potential lottery pick.
Potential matchup issues for Marquette
The Buffaloes have a beefy bruiser in 6-foot-9, 265-pound center Eddie Lampkin, who averages 10.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. That’s the type of big man that can give MU’s Oso Ighodaro trouble.
As evidenced by its 102 points against Florida, Colorado can put up points. The Buffaloes are also one of the top shooting teams in the country at 39.4% on three-pointers. This game could be a shootout.
Marquette prediction vs. Colorado: March Madness second round
MU hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2013. This Golden Eagles have been on a mission all season to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Getting Tyler Kolek back from an oblique injury, it took some time for MU to find its groove in the first round against Western Kentucky. That should carry over into this one.