Crimson Tide Rolls MU, 90-85

This one hurts.

The Alabama Crimson Tide rode Jean Felix' career day to a first-round upset of the Marquette Golden Eagles, 90-85. Felix led all scorers with a career-high 31 points, including a ridiculous 8-11 from beyond the arc.

Alabama raced out to a 44-30 halftime lead on the strength of Felix' hot hand, and dominance on the offensive glass. MU refused to quit, and mounted an incredible comeback after the break keyed by Dominic James' 18 second half points, and a dramatic increase in defensive pressure.

MU actually took the lead mid-way through the second half, only to see the Crimson Tide stretch their advantage to 10 points with just under five minutes remaining. Down the stretch, MU closed the gap to just a single point, but failed to overcome the Tide late.

MU was led by Dominic James 20 points. Steve Novak closed out his college career with 17 points and five rebounds. Ousmane Barro had 13 points and 3 rebounds.

Congrats to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

And many, many thanks to the 2005-2006 Marquette Golden Eagles for delivering such an unexpectedly successful season. Well done, gentlemen.

And, as Michael Hunt points out, the future is bright.

Here are a few recaps:

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
CBS Sportsline
The Huntsville Times
ESPN Box Score
GoMarquette