Kenyon Martin gives Steve Logan a hug during Cincinnati's win over DePaul.

"None of our guys have been given the respect (by the officials)," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said after the Bearcats' crushing 87-64 victory over DePaul at the Shoemaker Center. "Danny (Fortson) didn't. Nick (Van Exel) didn't. But for the most part, Kenyon has done a good job of staying out of foul trouble. It's not as big a concern as it was a year ago. But we're worlds better when he's on the floor."

This isn't the NBA, where the veterans get the calls or are rewarded for their length of service. But college basketball should almost revere Martin for staying around for four years. He's the poster boy for staying in school, showing that someone can actually mature on the court. He's taken his game from being a first-round pick somewhere just out of the lottery to a near-certain No. 1 overall.

"I put the time in and I should get some calls," Martin said. "I've been here four years."

"If he doesn't get the national player of the year award, then they need to throw all that stuff away," Huggins said. "He has more influence on the game than anybody else does."

Before Martin was abruptly removed for the final four minutes of the first half, he had given a tease to the packed Shoemaker Center and the regional audience on ABC of how dominant he can be on the floor. He followed a missed shot with a nasty flush. When he was double-teamed in the post, he found a trailing teammate for a layup. He worked the ball around the perimeter to keep the offense flowing. Oh, and on defense, he blocked one shot and grabbed four defensive rebounds.

"I'd compare him to Grant Hill from when I coached in the ACC (at Florida State)," DePaul's Pat Kennedy said of the former Duke guard. "But not by the way he plays, but because he's dominant. Grant could control an entire game. Kenyon does too. He's one of the top 25 kids I've ever coached against in 25 years. He's so aggressive and you have to be aggressive to be great. If you're not aggressive, you're not great."

Martin never picked up another foul. He played 17 of a possible 20 minutes in the second half and showed every slice of his game. Playing more like Scottie Pippen than Tim Duncan, Martin stole one DePaul entry pass deep in the lane, dribbled three-quarters of the court and finished with a one-handed dunk. When he had the shots in the middle of the lane, he nailed them. When he had to do his part with a screen, he gladly set up stake at the top of the key to set down DePaul's 5-foot-7 Rashon Burno, more than a foot shorter.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com