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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 26-7;
13-3 in C-USA (2nd/American)
Postseason: Lost to Tulsa 71-69 in first round of NCAA East Region.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Wade 17.8
Rebs: Wade 6.6
Assists: Wade 3.4
FG: Wade 48.7%
3pt: Diener 44.2%
FT: Diener 76.1%
01-02 Stats:
Marquette | C-USA
KEY LOSSES
Cordell Henry | 15.2 ppg
Odarte Blankson | 8.4 ppg
O. Nnamaka | 7.8 ppg
Jon Harris | 4.5 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | Travis Diener | Soph
G | Dwyane Wade | Junior
F | Scott Merritt | Junior
F | Todd Townsend | Soph
C | Rob. Jackson | Senior
Player to Watch
Dwyane Wade
Junior Forward
The nation's best shooting guard scored 517 points in debut season -- most ever by Marquette player.
DATE TO REMEMBER
Going back to Cincy, the site of Conference USA's Game of the Year last year, a pitched battle the Bearcats won by a single point to retain their hold on the league crown. Then Cincinnati beat the Eagles again in Shoemaker Center in the league tournament, in a game that was so physical it got ugly. Marquette remembers.
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MARQUETTE
GOLDEN EAGLES
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Now come the expectations, and the bull's eye on the back. The Golden Eagles' reward for a brilliant 26-7 season is a No. 19 ranking in the first ESPN/USA Today poll, their highest preseason ranking in 20 years. And a chance to play under the kind of heat Cincinnati has faced in the first seven years of Conference USA. Tom Crean's team has the talent to thrive in the furnace. One of the nation's finest under-40 coaches has layered his recruiting so successfully that Marquette can lose four-year contributors like Cordell Henry and Oluoma Nnamaka and not backslide. The main reason is the splendidly diverse Dwyane Wade, who in his first year of college action led the Golden Eagles in scoring (17.8), rebounding (6.6), assists (3.4), steals (2.4, which also led the conference) and blocked shots (1.1). If those aren't All-America stats, then this isn't America. But he has company. Marquette figures to have its best offensive post presence in years with Mississippi State transfer Robert Jackson, and will be solid at the point with sophomore Travis Diener (the key question: who backs up the slightly built Diener?). Graduation losses and the unexpected transfer of Odartey Blankson thins the depth a bit, which means some younger plays will be asked to perform right away.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
The Golden Eagles have the blend of gifts you like: a star in Wade, plenty of size up front, good quickness and a group that got the necessary taste of the big time last year. And with this coach, defense, rebounding and toughness is a given. Jackson looks like a potential double-double every night. Diener lacks a little experience, but has the Dan Dickau starter set of skills (he led the league in three-point accuracy at 44.2 percent and had a 3-to-1 assist/turnover ratio). Power forward Scott Merritt could be ready to step up his game, after two years of hide-and-seek potential.
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
The Eagles will miss the aplomb and tenacity of point guard Cordell Henry, who finished his career fifth in the school's gilded history in assists, ninth in steals and 15th in scoring. But with Diener to pick up the slack, the biggest job might be replacing Nnamaka. He was a classic master of the little things -- able to defend anyone from a shooting guard to a center, a grabber of key rebounds, setter of solid screens and a dependable foul shooter.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
Marquette is just 3-5 the last three seasons in postseason tournaments, including a first-round NCAA Tournament upset last year against Tulsa. (Call it a Cincinnati hangover: Twice after losing wars with the Bearcats, Marquette was upset in its next game.) This team has every reason to believe it can go farther. The school's first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1994 is a distinct possibility, if they don't wear down by season's end.
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