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.