Marquette to face South Carolina as 10 seed in NCAA tournament

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For the first time since 2013, the Marquette Golden Eagles will be in the NCAA tournament.

Marquette was on the proverbial bubble after losing to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament, but a strong finish to the regular season (winning four out its last five games) and some big wins during the year -- including over then-No. 1 Villanova -- the Golden Eagles earned a 10 seed and will play seventh-seed South Carolina on Friday in Greenville, S.C.

The Gamecocks were 22-10 in the Southeastern Conference and will get to play Marquette in their home state.

The Golden Eagles have a 19-12 record, which is one fewer victory than last season. But Marquette was 10-8 in conference play this season compared to 8-10 in 2015-16.

This is Marquette's first postseason appearance under head coach Steve Wojciechowski. In 2013, the Golden Eagles made it to the Elite Eight under then-coach Buzz Williams. Marquette made the Sweet 16 in Williams' final three seasons as coach.

If Marquette wins its NCAA tournament opener, the Golden Eagles would face the winner of Duke and Troy on Sunday.