Preview from Lville newspaper

[MauraDay]

From The Louisville Courier-Journal

"If we get 11 Big East wins it's like a guaranteed NCAA Tournament berth, and that's the thing we're really focused in on right now," U of L senior Jerry Smith said. "We have to lock in and go in there fighting."

The Wauwatosa, Wis., native expects plenty of fight from the school he grew up watching.

Marquette (19-9, 10-6) has lost seven games by five points or less. The Golden Eagles, who are tied with U of L in fifth place, apparently learned from their close calls. They've gone to overtime in each of their past three games and won all three — a first in Big East history.

"Marquette has played more close games than any team in America," Pitino said.

The Golden Eagles have won their share partly because of their outside shooting and the way they take care of the ball. In that respect, the Cards could be facing another Notre Dame.

Marquette ranks fifth in NCAA Division I with 40.9 percent three-point shooting but is second behind the Irish in the Big East. It leads the league with 10.4 turnovers per game, just ahead of the Irish at 10.5.

"They run their dribble-drive offense where they get in the lane and kick it back out to the 3," Pitino said. "They're probably as tough a team to prepare for as in the Big East."
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Senior forward Lazar Hayward has been a big reason Marquette has surprised those league coaches who picked them 12th in the preseason poll. Hayward leads the team — and is seventh in the Big East — in both points (18.4) and rebounds (8.1).



Pitino said Hayward was good at all phases of the game from being a defensive stopper to being a scoring threat inside and out.

"He's a legitimate Player of the Year candidate," Pitino said. "(Villanova's) Scottie Reynolds gets a lot of credit, deservedly so, and so does (Syracuse's Wesley Johnson), but Lazar has to be put in the top 3-5 players."

The Cards don't have a player making a case for Player of the Year, but they seem to relish knowing that their contributions come from everywhere and just when it seems unexpected.

Against UConn, the U of L bench outscored its starters 40-38.

"That's the good thing about the team: We're so deep we're not relying on one person every game," U of L guard Kyle Kuric said. "Any night someone different can step up. That's what we live on."

U of L also has to live with a tough two games to close out the regular season, with No. 1 Syracuse awaiting on Saturday. The Orange could be fighting for the No. 1 overall seed, and Marquette could be playing for its NCAA Tournament life.

"It's another obstacle," U of L guard Edgar Sosa said. "We have to play on their senior night. Once again (it's) another hostile environment; another team in desperate need of a win just like us."

(Actually, Edgar, not our season night.)