Marquette, No. 3 seed in East, will face Davidson

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Marquette has finally broken free from that brutal Big East schedule.
    
Now the Golden Eagles, toughened by those 18 conference games, could be in position to truly take off. Their going-away gift Sunday was a mildly surprising No. 3 seed from the NCAA tournament selection committee.
    
Despite a second straight one-and-done trip to the Big East tournament, Marquette was assigned to the East Region when the bracket was unveiled on Sunday. The Golden Eagles (23-8) will play No. 14 seed Davidson on Thursday in their opening game, in Lexington, Ky.
    
"It's a grind," coach Buzz Williams said of the 15-team league, which accounted for eight of the 68 entrants in this year's field. "I'm glad that we don't have to play any more Big East teams. I think that it gives your team and your staff new life."
    
Marquette has been to the round of 16 in each of the last two tournaments, the first time as No. 11 seed and last season as a No. 3 seed. After losing Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom to the pros, the Golden Eagles weren't among the early favorites. They lost at Green Bay, a team that finished 18-15, and didn't crack the Top 25 poll until mid-January.
    
But while this might not be one of the most talented teams Williams has had, it could be one of his most mentally strong. They beat Wisconsin, swept Pittsburgh and defeated Georgetown, Syracuse and Notre Dame at home. Seven of their eight losses were to teams that made the tournament, including Butler and Florida, and none of them were at home in Milwaukee.
    
The turnover-laden loss to the Fighting Irish in the Big East quarterfinals could be a harbinger of more March trouble, but there's more evidence to suggest that was merely a blip in an otherwise-fine season for the Golden Eagles. They tied Georgetown and Louisville for first place in the regular season at 14-4.
    
"We never thought we'd get a 3 seed. Now we have to come out and take advantage of it," said senior point guard Junior Cadougan. He added: "We learned our lesson in Madison Square Garden. We thought we could play for a championship. Unfortunately, we didn't. We just have to come out and play hard every possession."
    
With Cadougan and shooting guard Vander Blue, the Golden Eagles have the perimeter play that's typically a prerequisite for tournament success.
    
Davidson (26-7) is dancing for the second straight season after defending its Southern Conference championship. The Wildcats lost to Louisville 69-62 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA tournament. Behind Steph Curry, now a star in the NBA, they finished three points away from the Final Four in 2008 after losing to Kansas in the region final.
    
Waiting in the next round is the Bucknell-Butler winner. Butler, the No. 6 seed, beat Marquette 72-71 on a buzzer-beating shot in Maui in November.
    
"It's not about Butler and Bucknell. If we don't figure out how to beat Davidson, we're home Friday morning and that's the end of it," Williams said.
    
Playing Notre Dame this week was good preparation for Davidson, a dangerously tough defensive team.
    
"Very disciplined. Very fundamentally sound," Williams said. "They'll have skilled guys on the floor at nearly every position. You won't necessarily see great athletes but you'll see guys that can dribble, pass and shoot and guys that are really tough."