| No. 6 Marquette Golden Eagles — Big East (24-9, 11-7 in the Big East) vs. No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats — SEC (18-12, 12-4 in the SEC Why Marquette will win: Both teams play tough, hard-nosed defense, but Marquette does it better. The Warriors (I just can't call them the Golden Eagles) are great at forcing mistakes and bothering the crap out of opposing guards. UK has a good inside game but doesn't do nearly enough from the perimeter. If Marquette can get up early, the Wildcats don't have enough to mount a big comeback. Why Kentucky will win: There will be chances from the free-throw line. A lot of them. MU is aggressive and nasty, but it also fouls way too much. Considering the Wildcats will look to pound the ball inside, there will be plenty of chances for three-point plays and lots of chances for the interior players to get to the line. MU's offense isn't consistent enough to bring anything less than its A game against this D. What will happen: Marquette's D will pack it in and force Kentucky to win from the perimeter. The Wildcats won't be able to take advantage, but they'll make things happen on the glass to get this down to the wire. Prediction: Marquette 71 ... Kentucky 68 Line: Marquette -5.5 | <img src="http://msn.foxsports.com/id/7925890_36_1.jpg" border="0" height="280" width="240"> |