Morant and Murray State create new Cinderella story

A+new+Cinderella+was+born+on+Thursday+night+in+the+NCAA+Tournament%2C+but+this+time+there+is+nothing+surprising+about+their+best+player.

Photo via SB Nation

A new Cinderella was born on Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament, but this time there is nothing surprising about their best player.

Flynn Travers, Staff Writer

A new Cinderella was born on Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament, but this time there is nothing surprising about their best player.

For months, fans have heard about this small school with this unbelievable point guard whom they have seen appear again again in NBA mock drafts. Nobody knows exactly where Murray State is, but they now know exactly who Ja Morant is.

The Racers of Murray State drew the notorious 12-seed on Selection Sunday. The 12 seed has a reputation for upsetting five seeds, which is exactly what the Racers did when faced against five-seed Marquette.

The engine behind this Cinderella is Ja Morant. He is the No. 2 ranked prospect in the upcoming NBA draft, which is almost unheard of for someone coming coming out of a school like Murray State. However, Morant lived up to the billing against Marquette, with an absolutely dominating performance that made him the talk of America for a night.

Morant notched the first triple double since Draymond Green last did it in 2012. Morant had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists.

Yet the numbers truly do not do justice to just how dominating Morant was. He looked like he was on the playground toying with an opponent and having an incredible amount of fun.

This is a different kind of Cinderella story, because for every game that Murray State gets to play — unless they make it all the way to the Final Four and meet Duke with Zion Williamson — they will have the best player on the court. They may be underdogs, but with Morant the potential is truly limitless.

It’s a 12 seed with a certified NBA point guard at the helm. Could Murray State be the next Loyola-Chicago and reach the Final Four? Morant certainly has the talent and definitely will have a whole country behind him, supporting the Racers out of Murray, Kentucky.