Marquette's NCAA Tournament drought continues in blowout loss to North Carolina
FORT WORTH, Texas - So much went right for Shaka Smart in his first season as Marquette men's basketball coach.
Everything went wrong at the end.
The ninth-seeded Golden Eagles suffered a 95-63 decimation by eighth-seeded North Carolina on Thursday at Dickies Arena, the result never in doubt after the game spiraled on MU early in the first half.
"It wasn't our day," Smart said. "We did not play with the level of violence we needed on the defensive end to take away the things North Carolina wanted. I thought early in the game they were able to kind of get in the rhythm shooting the ball."
Box score: North Carolina 95, Marquette 63
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The Golden Eagles (19-13) actually held the lead at 8-7 at the 16:40 mark of the first half. Then the unraveling began.
There was a scoring drought of nearly six minutes during which the Tar Heels (25-9) grabbed hold of the game. MU suffered missed shots at close range and airballs from long distance. The Golden Eagles' best player, Justin Lewis, was bottled up, missing his first nine shots and finishing 2 for 15 for six points. A frustrated MU was whistled for three technical fouls in the first half and the Golden Eagles trailed, 53-25, at the break.
"North Carolina did a phenomenal job during that stretch of taking advantage of every mistake we made," Smart said. "Or every opportunity that we gave them. That's when the lead got really out of hand. We got a few technical fouls. Kur hanging on the rim. I got one. Darryl (Morsell) got one.
"They missed some of those free throws but it just felt like those weren't at the right time. If you ever want those things to happen. They just did a heck of a job extending the lead during that stretch. I think if we can win the last six minutes of the first half and go into the locker room and even if it's at 15 or 17, you still feel like 'OK, let's get this thing under 10.' But going into halftime with that kind of deficit is tough."
North Carolina sensed blood in the water and finished off MU quickly. The Tar Heels found easy shots, with Caleb Love knocking down 6 three-pointers in the first half, and then a parade of layups and dunks after halftime. Big men Armando Bacot (17 points and 10 rebounds) and Brady Manek (28 and 11) were matchup nightmares for MU. North Carolina finished with 15 offensive rebounds and 23 second-chance points.
"I feel like as a group we let our offense dictate our defense," said Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who led MU with 16 points. "Instead it should have been the other way around.
"We didn't make as many shots as a group. And let them get going in transition and they made some easy buckets in transition."
North Carolina's biggest lead came at 83-48. According to the NCAA, the Tar Heels set a record for margin of victory in the 8-9 matchup of the tournament.
The Golden Eagles haven't won a game in the NCAA Tournament since March 28, 2013. The last three losses, including two under previous coach Steve Wojciechowski, have all been first-round blowouts.
Most puzzling is that MU fell apart down the stretch of the season after a seven-game winning streak in January. MU lost seven of its final 11 games, including a quick exit in the Big East tournament.
"I think during that stretch we were, for the most part, defending at a very, very high level," Smart said "And that was a real identity for us. It was something that we've emphasized. Something these guys have worked really hard on this week. You saw us practice yesterday.
"It wasn't there for us today. So I think the defensive end is one difference. Obviously, we didn't give up 95 points during that stretch. My bias is always on clarity of mind and clarity of who you're playing for and what you're playing for. And I thought during that stretch we had just an unbelievable connectivity about us that honestly is really, really challenging to maintain or sustain over the course of the year, because of a lot of different factors."
Even with an ugly ending, the Golden Eagles still surpassed expectations under a new coaching staff with nine newcomers on the roster. MU was picked by Big East coaches to finish ninth in the conference and ended up tied for fifth.
"I told the guys in the locker room after the game we're not going to evaluate the entirety of our season based on one game," Smart said. "We're obviously disappointed and upset at how today's game went.
"It's not up to the standard that we set. It's not the best version of us. It's not the way you need to play or want to play to advance in the NCAA Tournament. But now that the game's done, we can't go back and change that game. We're not going to evaluate our season based on that game.
"Everyone outside of our locker room didn't really think we could do much at all this year. Picked to finish ninth in the Big East. Certainly weren't picked to make the NCAA Tournament. But these guys and their teammates did a phenomenal job building relationships with each other and that's been the foundation of everything we've done."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette basketball loses to North Carolina 95-63 in March Madness
