Saturday, January 22, 2000
Marquette an early surprise in C-USA
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Not long ago, the idea Marquette would emerge as the primary challenger to Cincinnati as the top team in Conference USA seemed about as plausible as Fidel Castro pressing George W. Bush for the Republican presidential nomination.
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SUNDAY'S GAME
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• When: 9:30 p.m.
• TV: ESPN2
• Radio: WLW-AM (700)
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UC was picked first in C-USA's American Division. Marquette was picked sixth. There are only six teams. But even though the Bearcats (17-1, 5-0) are the No.1 team in the nation, they will be tied with Marquette for No.1 in Conference USA if they do not beat the Golden Eagles (11-5, 4-1) Sunday evening at the Bradley Center.
“They're only one game behind us,” said UC center Kenyon Martin. “We've got to go out and play. They always play us hard.”
Since a difficult loss to rival Wisconsin on Dec.23, the Golden Eagles have won six of seven games, including their comeback win against Xavier and consecutive Top 25 victories over DePaul and Louisville. The only loss was to UC by 19 points, a game the Bearcats did not blow open until the closing minutes.
The Bearcats have won all four championships in C-USA, but one constant in their league domination has been Marquette's ability to find some way to squeeze out a victory over them. The Golden Eagles are the only team to defeat UC at least once in each of the past six seasons.
“I really thought they were going to have a good team,” UC coach Bob Huggins said. “They're the only team that has everybody back. We're playing freshmen ... everybody has new guys but them, and their style of play hasn't changed. They're still boring as heck. They're going to try to keep the ball for 30 minutes of a 40-minute game.”
Marquette is one of two teams besides the Bearcats that hasn't dropped at least two C-USA games. DePaul and Louisville, which figured to be UC's primary competitors for the league championship, each lost twice. South Florida, the preseason favorite in the National Division, won just one of its first four games, although each of its defeats came on the road.
First-year Marquette coach Tom Crean, formerly an assistant at Michigan State, brought with him a system not entirely dissimilar from what the Golden Eagles operated in the past: plenty of set plays mixed with a strong emphasis on rebounding and defense.
His career record was 0-0 when the season began. Now, his work has Marquette fans trying to restrain themselves from talking of a possible NCAA Tournament berth.
“To say I'm not surprised a little bit ... to tell you the truth, I am,” Crean said.
Golden Eagles guard John Cliff, averaging 13.4 points and shooting .388 from 3-point range, still can sense a lack of respect from opponents. Whether it exists or not, Crean takes it as a sign Marquette will not grow overconfident.
The Golden Eagles returned four starters from last season, but that figured to be a problem rather than a strength. They lack quickness and athleticism but overcome their physical limitations with intense preparation, toughness and attention to detail.
“They play physical, stand in there and make you shoot perimeter shots,” Huggins said. “They haven't changed at all.”
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