No. 4 Cincinnati at Marquette

GAME TIME:	Saturday, Noon ET
LAST MEETING:	Marquette 66, Cincinnati 63 OT (Feb. 18, 2001)
SERIES:	Cincinnati leads, 19-12

	Jason Maxiell has to be active on the boards for Cincinnati against Marquette.

This is an important game for Marquette. Not just in terms of Conference USA standings and keeping up with Cincinnati and Charlotte, but also for its own perception and belief in being a true contender.

The Golden Eagles are 18-3 overall, 7-1 in C-USA, and are putting up numbers that haven't been seen in Milwaukee since the glory days at Marquette under Al McGuire. Tom Crean has done a magnificent job of bringing this program into the upper echelon of college basketball, and he has done it earlier than anyone could have expected.

Crean has recruited well, but he has really pulled this off on the floor every day in practice, and by changing a mindset. Marquette is well on its way to snagging an NCAA Tournament berth, and enormous credit must be given to Crean. He should be getting mention for national Coach of the Year honors.

Marquette is very well drilled, and runs a variety of set plays that have multi options. The Golden Eagles will hit you with a variety of ballscreens, pick and rolls, staggers and doubles, but the main focus is on getting the ball to Dwyane Wade, one of the nation's best newcomers. Wade is versatile, averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and almost three steals per game. He is best off the dribble, and loves to get into the lane and attack the basket off the bounce.

Cordell Henry is an effective leader and the primary ballhandler who can make shots, and he splits time with Travis Diener, a smart and effective gamer who raises everyone's level of play on the floor. Odartay Blankson and Olouma Nnamaka are tough-minded players who do what it takes to win, and together they form a terrific defensive unit.

Marquette allows only 59 points per game on just 38-percent shooting, including just 32 percent from 3-point territory. The Golden Eagles, undersized and sometimes athletically overmatched, outrebound their opponents by over six boards per game, and average almost 10 steals per contest. Marquette wins by outworking people. That is their identity, and who they are.

But when they take the floor against Cincinnati, they will be looking across the center circle at a team whose identity is exactly the same, just that the Bearcats have been doing it for much longer.

The Bearcats have been the best and most consistent defensive team in the nation, and have willed themselves into a top-5 team. Cincinnati has won 20 games in a row after a season-opening loss to Oklahoma State, and the Bearcats have forced opponents to grind it out against their defense -- wearing down every team they have played against.

incinnati leads Conference USA in every defensive category, forcing opponents to shoot a paltry 36 percent from the floor, and just 29 percent from 3-point range. Bob Huggins was beside himself last year with his team's inability to rebound, but the Bearcats have a renewed commitment to going to the glass this season. The Bearcats are not a great rebounding team, but a much better one, and a very determined group. You get one shot against Cincinnati, and it is a challenged shot. Cincinnati is second to Memphis in rebounding in C-USA, but the numbers don't tell the story.

The Bearcats do not overwhelm teams with shotblocking or incredible quickness in the passing lanes that force turnovers. The Bearcats only force 16 turnovers per game, which is eighth in the league, but they are there on the catch, get through screens, pressure the ball, and disallow anything easy.

Cincinnati defends differently than in the past, sitting dead last in C-USA in steals, and eighth in the league in blocked shots. The Bearcats just lock teams down in the halfcourt and force them into challenged shots.

Cincinnati does not score the ball with ease, but is improving steadily on the offensive end, and the majority of scoring comes from Steve Logan -- a legitimate candidate for National Player of the Year honors -- Leonard Stokes, who had 36 points against DePaul, and Immanuel McElroy. Stokes and McElroy are athletic wings that can slash to the basket, crash the offensive glass and run the floor in transition. Logan is perhaps the most skilled guard in the country, and knows how to play. He can score from deep, off the dribble, and he has an excellent pull-up game. Logan's basketball skills are unmatched on the college level, and his abilities to score, handle and pass put him on the elite level. He may not be the best athlete on the floor, but few can equal his proficiency with the ball.

Finally, can Bob Huggins get the proper deference and recognition he deserves as a coach? When the annual discussion of the top coaches in the game is held, Huggins' name is too often absent, or added near the end of the discussion. This guy can coach his tail off, and usually the tail of the guy on the other bench, too. This season may be his finest coaching job of all.

While it is fashionable to say the "so called experts" missed out on Cincinnati in the preseason rankings, the truth is that this team is a lot better than its individual parts, and has achieved far over even their own expectations. With the exception of Logan, every player on this squad came into this season unproven, scoring was going to be hard to find, and there was not an athletic or skilled frontline. The way this team has played reflects well on the players, but it is due primarily to the coaching staff and the job they have done.

Key matchup: McElroy vs.Wade

Wade is among the most versatile players in the league, and has been among the C-USA leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals all season long. He brings the ability to break down defenses, and get to the basket off the dribble, which Marquette has lacked over the last two years.

McElroy is Cincinnati's best perimeter defender, and has taken great pride in his individual assignments. McElroy is smart, and does a good job of taking away the strengths of the opposing team's top scorer, and paying attention to his tendencies as given to him in the scouting report. McElroy fights through screens, not allowing himself to be held up, and moves his feet very well. His work on Wade will go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

Key Stats: Rebounding and Free Throws

Marquette and Cincinnati are both good, but not great, rebounding teams. There will be a lot of "50-50" balls available off the glass in this game, and the team that goes after the boards harder will have an advantage. Because both teams defend so hard and so well, there will be a physical component to this game. Cutters will be bumped, hard screens will be set, and both teams run their stuff and put the opposition in a position to foul. How often each team gets to the line, and how well they shoot free throws, will be important.

What to watch For: Watch how Marquette runs their offensive sets.

Crean runs a ton of set playcalls that are multi-option and very well conceived. Often times they are called from the bench, and it is interesting to see how many the Golden Eagles will pull out in any particular game. See if you can figure out how many Crean is pulling out of his extensive playbook against Cincinnati.

No. 18 Arizona at No. 15 Stanford

GAME TIME:	Saturday, 8 p.m. ET
LAST MEETING:	Virginia 91, Duke 89 (Feb. 14, 2001)
SERIES:	Arizona leads 40-20

	Casey Jacobsen went off for 49 Thursday against Arizona State.

Stanford has a very good team, but it is a different team than Mike Montgomery has had over the past three or four years.

First, there is no stable heir apparent to Michael McDonald to step in and seamlessly run the point. Since Brevin Knight, Montgomery has had an experienced understudy to step in and take over, like Arthur Lee did in 1998 and McDonald did in 2000.

Montgomery splits time among Tony Giovacchini, who understands the offense, Julius Barnes, an athletic scorer that doesn't have true point guard instincts, and Chris Hernandez, a freshman playmaker that has great ability but still needs time to adjust. Giovacchini has been starting, but defenses are laying off of him to focus on stopping Casey Jacobsen, and Giovacchini needs to step forward and take the shots the opposing defense is begging him to take.

Without stability at the point guard spot, Stanford is vulnerable to being pressured, and more focus can be put on stopping Jacobsen. Because of the double teams that Jacobsen is seeing on a regular basis, the junior sharpshooter has had to adjust his game. He is more often putting the ball on the floor to create shot opportunities, shooting on the move, and shooting runners and floaters. As a result, his shooting percentage was down early, but he has adjusted and is really playing well.

One area where Jacobsen has really improved is on the defensive end. Jacobsen averages almost 21 points per game, and broke out for 49 against Arizona State on Thursday. The near century mark effort from Jacobsen was one of the top five scoring efforts in Pac-10 history, and places Casey in a lofty class his commitment to the game richly deserves.

While Jacobsen is Stanford's prime time scorer, he cannot do it as well without the contributions of Curtis Borchardt, the nation's best true center. Borchardt is close to 7-feet tall, with long arms and great hands, and he is as skilled as any big man you will find. Borchardt can really get off of his feet, both quickly and with an impressive vertical, and he has wonderful timing. Borchardt leads the Pac-10 in rebounding and averages 16 points, 10.2 rebounds and almost 3 blocked shots per game. With Borchardt in the lineup, less attention can be paid to Jacobsen, and attacking the basket against the Cardinal comes with a price.

Barnes adds an outstanding scoring dimension, and has put up 27 points on Cal; 23 on UCLA; and 19 on Michigan State. He can go off the dribble or hit from 3-point range, but needs to take care of the ball and make sound decisions.

Stanford is tops in the Pac-10 in rebounding, overall and on both ends, and is in the top three in every defensive field goal percentage category. Arizona will get no tricks from Stanford, just straight up man-to-man defense out to the 3-point line, and the Wildcats will get one crack at it and usually be out.

What do Maryland, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Pepperdine and Connecticut all have in common? Well, all will be in the NCAA Tournament, and all are on the Arizona schedule this season.

Arizona is ranked 18th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and that is just too low. The Wildcats have played a brutal schedule, and have already played seven games against the Top 25 teams in the country, 12 games against the Top 50, and a remarkable 17 of its 20 games against the Top 100. This schedule would have beaten up Arenas, Jefferson and Wright, let alone Lute Olson's youthful crew. These kids barely have driver's licenses, but are taking on the best teams in the country and not blinking.

The youngsters -- especially Salim Stoudamire, Channing Frye and Will Bynum -- have played very well. But the majority of the credit for this unlikely surge has to go to upperclassmen Jason Gardner, Luke Walton and Ricky Anderson. Gardner is having an extraordinary season, and has stepped into the leadership void like a champion. Gardner is as valuable to his team as any player in America, and no player in the nation has taken more responsibility on his shoulders.

Gardner is taking and hitting big shots, as evidenced by his 30 point outburst against Connecticut. Gardner averages 21 points, five assists and has scored over half of his field goals from 3-point territory. Gardner is not just relying upon his perimeter shot to score, but has attacked the basket off the dribble, in transition and halfcourt sets. He gets to the free-throw line an average of seven times per game.

While Gardner has been the team's leader, Luke Walton has been the glue. Walton is the consummate teammate, and simply knows how the game should be played. He is not quick, fast or overly athletic. But he is strong, skilled and keeps his feet. Walton scores 14 points per game, grabs a team high eight rebounds and dishes out a team best 6.1 assists. Walton is a good defender, and a great all-around college player.

Anderson, a product of basketball power Long Beach Poly High School, is another scorer who can hurt you in a variety of ways. With Walton and Anderson, Lute Olson has the most skilled frontcourt passing duo in the country.

Of the freshmen, Stoudamire and Frye are the two most impressive. Stoudamire averages 12 points on 42 percent 3-point shooting, and hit 6 of 9 3s for 20 points against UConn. Frye blocks shots, rebounds and scored 10 points per game, and is a very good offensive rebounder.

Key matchup: Gardner vs. Barnes

While Curtis Borchardt and Casey Jacobsen will be tough for Arizona to guard and must put up points and rebounds, the Cardinal has to hold its own at the point guard position to win. Giovacchini and Hernandez will play, but it will be Barnes who has to have the best game of the three. Barnes played well against UCLA, but struggled to get open looks against USC. Barnes has the size and athleticism to guard Gardner effectively, but must handle the pressure that Gardner is able to put on the ball.

Key stats: Turnovers

Stanford is not a team that forces a lot of turnovers, so the Cardinal cannot expect to score too many easy baskets off of its defense. However, Stanford reacted poorly to pressure against USC when pressed full-court in the second half. If Barnes can handle Arizona's pressure, the Cardinal will have a great chance of winning.

What to watch For: Watch Walton on both ends.

This guy understands the game. From passing angles to change of pace and direction, Walton knows how to play this game. He has a great shotfake, and gets defenders up without getting out of a stance, and can finish plays. Walton is a good rebounder and an extraordinary passer, and he makes the easy play, which not a lot of players can read or recognize.