Marquette vs Louisville

[autiger101]

The wise guys on the Sports Exchange are labeling this game as their 2003 GOY! Why? Because they say their is a key injury where this player won't even dress. They are saying the line is 18-20 points off. I know they want people to call for their service so I understand the hype. Don't know the details or which side they have.

Any info on this from anyone?

[BettorsChat]

Sounds like some BS to me but if its an injury it must be a Louisville player since the line went from -1 Louisville to -1 marquette. However, the total has jumped up 5 pts so like I said sounds like BS.

[guana]

Travis Diener may be the guy (starting point guard for MU). He hurt his back at the end of the DePaul game - not much has been said by Crean on his status other than it's day to day. If he can't go, their only back up is a freshman (not good against Louisville's pressure). The local paper did not say Diener was not going to start - so I can't say for sure. I think the reason the line went towards MU is because of their home winning streak - people follow the streaks.

[chalkeater]

no mention of injury; but the paper does suck.

MU, Louisville set for showdown
By TODD ROSIAK
[email protected]
Last Updated: Feb. 14, 2003
Marquette University will play perhaps its most important regular-season game in Tom Crean's four seasons as coach this afternoon, yet he refuses to get caught up in all the hype surrounding the Golden Eagles' showdown with the Louisville Cardinals.

College Basketball





"It would not be beneficial for us to put more than is needed when it comes to outside pressures with this game," he said this week. "You treat every game as an important game and games like this become that much bigger. To make it bigger than life, though, wouldn't do justice to what we've done or what we need to do the rest of the season."

Still, there's no denying the interest the game has generated, and the stakes that are riding on the outcome.

A regional television audience on ABC, a sold-out crowd of 19,500 and a media contingent larger than any at the Bradley Center since Feb. 2 last year - when Marquette defeated Cincinnati - will watch Conference USA's two best teams battle it out for first place in the American Division.

The 11th-ranked Golden Eagles (18-3 overall, 9-1 Conference USA), who enter the game having won 10 in a row overall and 28 in a row at home, would gain a 11/2-game lead in the standings and probably vault into the top 10 for the second time this season by beating Louisville.

The second-ranked Cardinals (18-2, 8-1) are looking to re-establish the momentum they were riding entering the week, when they had the country's longest winning streak at 17 games. A victory for them would put them a half-game up on Marquette in Conference USA, not to mention snap a three-game losing skid to the Golden Eagles.

The teams play once more in the regular season after today, on Feb. 27 at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

"It's going to be an unbelievable matchup," junior guard Dwyane Wade said. "Both times we played Louisville last year it was an unbelievable game. It's going to be the same thing. It's kind of like last weekend (against Wake Forest), when they said it was an NCAA (tournament) atmosphere. It's going to be that kind of game. The crowd's going to make it that way."

Louisville is no stranger to pressure games and that confidence trickles down from its coach, Rick Pitino. The Cardinals have already knocked off rival Kentucky - Pitino's former team - as well as Ohio State, Tennessee, Indiana and Cincinnati.

Utilizing the full-court press and trapping style that Pitino favored while coaching the Wildcats to three Final Four appearances and a national championship in 1996, Louisville is among the most disruptive defensive teams that Marquette will face all season.

The Cardinals force their opponents into an average of 17.6 turnovers per game, which ranks them second in Conference USA. The range and long arms of 6-foot-6 Reece Gaines, 6-7 Francisco Garcia and 6-8 Ellis Myles and the quickness of 6-3 Taquan Dean make Louisville's press especially disruptive.

"When you have a weapon as dangerous as the press it's to your advantage to use it whenever you feel it's necessary and I think that's exactly what they've done," Crean said. "You've got to be able to handle the ball, complete your passes and take what they're giving you."

Louisville is also efficient in half-court sets, according to Crean. It is holding opponents to just 39.3% shooting, second-best in Conference USA behind Cincinnati, and surrendering an average of 64.6 points per game.

Louisville also has one of the deepest benches in the nation. Ten players average 10 or more minutes per game as Pitino shuttles players in and out in an attempt to keep fresh bodies on the floor and defensive pressure on the opponent.

"They play very hard and have a variety of guys they bring in," Crean said. "They don't have much dropoff that I can see when they go to the bench. Their depth is one of the greatest weapons they have and they use it very wisely."

Louisville is just as dangerous on offense.

The Cardinals like to run and put points on the scoreboard better than any other team in Conference USA, to the tune of 82.6 per game. They're also beating teams by an average of 18.2 points per game, and all their victories except two have been by double digits.

Louisville is also efficient at putting the ball in the basket. It leads Conference USA in three-pointers made per game at 8.6 as well as percentage at 37.2%. Overall the Cardinals are shooting 47.6%, which ranks second in the league behind Marquette (48.7%).

Gaines, who runs the team at point guard, presents matchup problems because of his size and quickness. He trails only Wade in scoring in Conference USA at 18.5 points per game and is a good three-point shooter but also dishes out 5.2 assists and takes good care of the basketball.

Marvin Stone, a 6-10, 240-pound senior center, is Louisville's interior scoring threat. He's second behind Gaines in scoring at 12.1 points and is the team's leading rebounder at 8.1 per game. Strong with good footwork, Stone has a multi-faceted game that the Golden Eagles haven't yet faced in a post player this year.

"I think you've just got to be very aware of what they try to do and understand what their individual strengths are," Crean said of Gaines and Stone. "It's important that we learn in a short period of time about this team and those two are bona fide tremendous players. But they're far from being a one- or two-man team."

[Monkey-Boy]

as you requested.......MARQUETTE is the play!

[guana]

They do mention the injury - it's in a different section of the paper. Here it is below. Ok - but if MU is the play, who's not dressing for Louisville?


ABOUT THE CARDINALS: No. 2 Louisville is coming off its second loss of the season, a 59-58 collapse at Saint Louis on Wednesday. Conference USA player of the year candidate Reece Gaines leads the Cardinals with averages of 18.5 points and 5.2 assists.

GOLDEN EAGLES UPDATE: Louisville's loss combined with Marquette's 73-60 victory at DePaul on Wednesday propelled the Golden Eagles into sole possession of first place in Conference USA's American Division. Four players scored in double figures, with freshman Steve Novak finishing with 17 on 5-for-6 shooting from three-point range. Sophomore point guard Travis Diener aggravated a back injury against the Blue Demons and is still day-to-day.

- Todd Rosiak

[Tanner]

Diener does have a lower back strain. All indications from my local paper say that they will have him ready to play. The only question remains what happens when he takes that first hit or has to manuever around the trapping defense. Liked Marquette a lot earlier, still like them but not nearly as much.

[bobbyv]

Diener interview 2/14

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphic...diener21403.rm

audio clip 3 minutes
he practiced yesterday & said barring something drastic happening betw. fri & sat. , he will play

[chalkeater]

the freshman backup is karon butler... he's a 6'4" guy who's supposed to be as good as wade in the long run. tough act to follow. the other reason i like mu is they seemed to break the press easily v. wake. wake put all the pressure on wade and diener and they would pass the ball to 6'11" merritt and he was bringing the ball up the court w/ ease. if jackson can contain stone and wade and gaines play even the depth of mu should win this game. mu goes 10 deep w/ solid players. i am a homer when i comes to marquette but they have won me a ton of money this year.

[ats]

i dont care what they say i'm taking Pittino with the double revenge........this game was circled in blood.........st louis didnt shoot 40 percent and won, an obvious look ahead