By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE - The message finally got through to Steve Novak. Marquette's 6-foot-10 freshman drew the ire of his teammates during the regular season by passing up open outside shots.

With their prodding fresh in his mind, Novak has gone 14-for-20 from behind the 3-point line during the NCAA tournament, despite making only 21 of 49 3s in the team's first 20 games.

"We would get mad at him," point guard Travis Diener said after a spirited practice Monday. "We'd be upset with him because he wouldn't shoot. Now he's finally putting up shots and it's paying off."

Novak's accuracy from the perimeter is a major reason the Golden Eagles are headed to their first Final Four since 1977, when the Al McGuire-coached squad won the national championship.

Since making five 3-pointers at DePaul on Feb. 12, Novak has made 34-of-55 3-pointers in 12 games, an incredible .618 clip.

"I don't know what his problem was at the start," Diener said half-jokingly. "When you can shoot like that, I don't know why he was hesitant in the first place. Now, we're just happy that he's firing them up there."

Novak won't be a secret in Marquette's semifinal game against Kansas on Saturday night in New Orleans, but he should be a big factor.

He made two 3-pointers in Marquette's 72-68 victory over Holy Cross in the first round and added four against Missouri, three of them in overtime as Marquette prevailed 101-92.

He added three more in the Golden Eagles' 77-74 victory over second-seeded Pittsburgh and hit five 3-pointers in Marquette's stunning 83-69 rout of top-seeded and top-ranked Kentucky.

Novak blames his slow start this season on the tentativeness he felt as a first-year sixth man who played both small and power forward.

"I was never afraid I'd come in and mess up the flow," he said. "But when I came in, I wanted to contribute positively, and early on, you're not 100 percent sure exactly what the team might need.

"As the season went on, I was able to more easily recognize what the team needed from me."

Which was to shoot the 3, Diener said.

Marquette coach Tom Crean never lost patience with the soft-spoken Novak.

"He's always been an excellent shooter," Crean said. "I never looked at his contributions as anything less than a guy learning to play the college game. It's very difficult for somebody to come in and have success at this level right away."

Initially, Novak spent the bulk of his energy becoming a better defender and rebounder as he adjusted to the quicker college game.

While coaches and opponents are only now raving about Novak, his teammates have been singing his praises since practice began in October.

Diener calls him the best pure shooter he's ever seen.

"I've never seen a shooter that tall that can shoot the ball like he does. You give him any daylight and that shot's going in," Diener said.

If anything, he's been a quick study, argued Dwyane Wade, who really appreciates the way Novak draws big men out of the lane to open things up inside for the guards.

"I think it's kind of scary. He's only a freshmen. I don't even want to see him once he really learns the game," Wade said. "He's unbelievable. Maybe I'm biased, but I think he's the best shooter in the country."

Novak's aim is so uncanny that the Golden Eagles find themselves backpedaling as soon as he lines up behind the arc.

"I'm raising my hands before he even shoots it for a 3," Diener said.

Wade, too.

"Every time he shoots you just expect it to go in. And that's no pressure on Steve, it's just how good a shooter he is," Wade said. "If he misses it, it surprises you.

"And that's when you know you're a great shooter."

Golden Eagles center Robert Jackson is sure Kansas will have a plan for defending Novak, but he wonders if anything will work at this point.

"He causes matchup problems because bigger guys don't really want to come out on the perimeter to guard him," Jackson said. "And if you put a smaller, quicker guard on him, well, then he can shoot over you."