Marquette loses in final second of Big East Quarterfinals

Marquette just lost a heartbreaker in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, losing by one point in the final second to Villanova after having been down by 16 at half.

I listened on the radio, so I can’t tell you the possible fouls on our ballhandler in our final possession or how one gets a simple layup blocked in the final 12 seconds to give the ball back to the other team when you’re up by just one point.

All I know is that MU made a huge comeback, had plenty of opportunities to give themselves a little breathing room, and couldn’t do it. Villanova traveled in the final minute and gave Marquette the chance to have a three point cushion, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t do it.

Jimmy Butler had a career day and was the difference in the game. Once again, the team lived by the three and climbed out of a huge hole. Had they won, it would have been the biggest comeback in tournament history and would have been MU’s second history-making game in a row.

What could have been….

I read the other day that with the exception of two “Was Going to Win It All, Anyway” teams, the winner of the Big East conference tournament has not faired well in the NCAA tournament.

It’s safe to assume that the five or six straight days of high-level competition heading into the tournament is not the best way to prepare a team for a stretch run to the Final Four.
So I’ll take this near-victory as a taste of what this team is capable of and hope it means they can use it as motivation and pull things together for the NCAA tourney.

Plus, this was a great showing for this team and should leave a solid impression on the minds of NCAA Committee members when they’re seeding the Golden Eagles.