This weekend the basketball universe was witness to a blindingly bright star burst into view as Murray State’s sophomore point guard Ja Morant lit up March Madness as the Morant led 12th seed Murray State eliminated fifth seed Marquette 83-64. Morant became just the ninth player in the NCAA tournament to record a triple-double joining an impressive list of names such as Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Draymond Green. Morant finished the night with a stat line of 17 points,11 rebounds, and 16 assists. Oh yeah, and he only attempted nine shots!
The most impressive aspect of Morant’s game was his vision and passing. Morant was moving the ball with an extreme pace that saw his teammates receiving the ball without breaking a stride. I don’t know if I was watching Ja Morant or if Russell Westbrook decided he needed some extra court time and decided to suit up for Murray State for the night. Morant was throwing lobs exploding into the paint and dishing to the corners with open shooters or just dropping the ball to the waiting big like you were watching Westbrook and Steven Adams running their flawless guard and big game.
Morant left everyone watching the game trying to pick up their jaws off the ground and asking if they didn’t just see the next great NBA guard as he demolished Marquette like the fifth seed had no business even showing up to Hartford, Connecticut. It feels as though Zion Williamson just received company on the list of must-watch college stars and that’s saying a lot because that list has been a lonely place for Zion for a while now.
Last night you saw the next supernova of the NBA showcasing his entire arsenal, and it was phenomenal. If you somehow missed it, here’s just a glimpse of that supernova.