Anyone who follows schedules noticed Marquette had a pretty large gap from last Tuesday to this Saturday. With how COVID cancellations are so prevalent, it seemed like a good opportunity for the Golden Eagles to find an opponent. They found one. And the one they found was an elite program in college basketball, the North Carolina Tar Heels. The two teams will get together on Wednesday night at Dean Dome in Chapel Hill. Marquette could have easily played a weak mid-major team, but they’re playing a team that is fighting for its tournament life in North Carolina. That’s awesome to see.

To expand on this, ESPN2 has a 6:00-8:00 CST college basketball window on Wednesday. The best option seems to be Citadel/Furman. I expect #mubb v #CarolinaFamily to fill that slot. https://t.co/ceYb3SIu33

— Alan Bykowski (@brewcity1977) February 20, 2021

Is it possible that North Carolina dump trucks Marquette? Yes, yes it is. Does Marquette have an outside shot at making the NCAA Tournament if they beat North Carolina? Yes as crazy as that fucking sounds. Marquette would add another quad one win to their resume and make a late push towards the tournament. This is why Marquette deserves all the credit here. They did not wave the white flag on the season which many fans including myself have. They’re trying to find a way in which I can appreciate it even if the battle against the Tar Heels will be an uphill climb.

Looking at the matchup itself, Marquette will have to break through against a good defensive team. Carolina has been good on that side of the court all season. The two flaws they have though are three-point defense and turning the ball over. Marquette isn’t good at creating turnovers but they can shoot the three every now again. If the three-ball is cooking, the Golden Eagles might have any outside shot.