West Virginia boasts one of the youngest rosters in the Big East this year, with just one senior and two juniors on a team that is 16-6 overall and 6-3 in Big East play.

Yes, the Mountaineers don’t have many quality wins on their resume and have some bad losses to boot against Cal State-Northridge and at Providence. Nonetheless, the Mountaineers currently sit in seventh place, ahead of No. NR/23 DePaul and are in a five-way tie for third place with Georgetown, Louisville, Rutgers and St. John’s. Despite this standing, they did not receive a single vote in the Associated Press or USA Today/Coaches Poll this week.

West Virginia has done a good job defending its home floor, going 11-2 with its losses coming against St. Bonaventure (20-2) and Georgetown (17-5).

Sophomore guard Taylor Palmer leads the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game, and the team is allowing just 49.2 points per game, the No. 2 mark in the Big East.

West Virginia also ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage defense (30.6 percent) and three-point percentage defense (24.9 percent).

Three of the Mountaineers’ six losses have come against either ranked opponents (Connecticut, Georgetown) or a team receiving votes in both polls (St. Bonaventure).

West Virginia has a big opportunity to make a move in the conference standings, with its next four games all coming against ranked opponents, including home games against Louisville, Rutgers and DePaul.

If the Mountaineers can win even one of those games, the team could finish 10-6 in Big East play and earn a bye in the first round of the Big East Championship Tournament.

The beat goes on for Notre Dame

There was certainly reason to expect Rutgers to pull an upset on Tuesday night against Notre Dame at home. The Scarlet Knights were 3-3 against ranked opponents this season entering the game and were 10-1 at home.

The Fighting Irish had other thoughts, however, demolishing Rutgers 71-41, extending their winning streak to 19 games, the third longest in school history.

Notre Dame won 20 straight games in 2000-’01, when it won the school’s only national championship, and can match that mark with a home game against DePaul on Sunday.

Notre Dame’s only loss came on Nov. 20 at No. 1/1 Baylor and has achieved wins over Duke, Connecticut and Tennessee.

In fact, four of the Fighting Irish’s seven wins against ranked opponents this season have come by 20 or more points, including the last three by at least 28 points.

Senior forward Deveraux Peters scored 10 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds in the win over Rutgers, becoming the first Fighting Irish player to have three straight double-doubles since Jaqueline Batteast in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

Junior guard Skylar Diggins added 18 points and senior guard Natalie Novosel chipped in 15 points as the Irish outrebounded Rutgers 52-24. Notre Dame ranks third in the Big East in rebounds per game (42.6).

The win completed a perfect month of January for Notre Dame for just the fifth time under coach Muffet McGraw and first since 2001.

The conference is certainly Notre Dame’s to lose, with just three games remaining against ranked opponents, although two of those games come on the road at Louisville and Connecticut.

Player of the week

Tiffany Hayes, senior guard, Connecticut (#3)

Hayes scored a career high 35 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-8 from three-point range. She also recorded seven rebounds and three assists in the Huskies’ 95-54 win over Syracuse last week.

Hayes followed up that performance with 33 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting against South Florida. Hayes’ back-to-back 30-point performances marked the first time a Connecticut player posted consecutive such games since Maya Moore in 2010-’11.

Game of the week

Connecticut at Louisville, Tuesday, Feb. 7

Both teams face difficult games before this contest, with the Huskies hosting Rutgers on Feb. 4 and the Cardinals traveling to West Virginia on Saturday as well.

Louisville is hurting a bit after an 86-61 loss at DePaul on Tuesday but has won 12 straight games at home and are 22-2 all-time at the KFC Yum! Center.

Connecticut hammered Duke 61-45 on the road on Monday for its eighth-straight victory and leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (30.0 percent).

Vander Blue dunks the ball against Seton Hall. Photo by Rebecca Rebholz/rebecca.rebholz@Marquette.edu

After 27 minutes Tuesday night, the Golden Eagles’ offense had made 12 of 31 shots — including only 1-of-10 3-pointers — had turned the ball over 15 times, had scored just 30 points and faced a six-point deficit against Seton Hall.

So with its back against the wall, looking for a scorer and hoping to keep its six-game winning streak alive, Marquette turned to the unlikeliest of offensive sources.

Vander Blue.

For a player who had not scored in double figures in 12 games and had averaged 4.9 points in Big East play, Blue looked awfully calm as he scored seven straight points to give Marquette a lead it would not surrender.

A 40-foot, highlight-reel alley-oop from junior guard Junior Cadougan, a shot clock-beating 3-pointer from the left wing and a transition layup in successive possessions from Blue gave Marquette a one-point lead and helped the Golden Eagles pick up their seventh straight conference win, a 66-59 victory over Seton Hall.

“It’s two points at the end, and we needed it,” Blue said of his dunk. “We needed a play to say, ‘Come on guys, let’s get going. This is what we do.’ And I think that play helped us get going.”

Including Blue’s alley-oop, Marquette outscored Seton Hall 34-23, shot 53 percent from the field and turned the ball over three times in the final 13 minutes.

Coach Buzz Williams applauded Blue’s performance in half-court sets against Seton Hall’s disguised defenses. The Pirates constantly gave man-to-man looks and then switched to zone when the ball went to a certain area on the floor, and vice versa.

“I think he’s getting more and more comfortable within what we do offensively on when we want him to cut, when we want him to curl, when we want him to pop versus man, versus zone,” Williams said of Blue. “And that’s hard to do for anybody.”

Blue’s 7-of-10 effort from the field was his best shooting performance in two and a half months, and his scoring outburst midway through the second half sparked the Marquette offense, but more important was his commitment to the glass.

Without sophomore forward Davante Gardner, sidelined with a left knee sprain, Blue picked up the slack by grabbing eight rebounds and helped Marquette win the rebounding advantage by four (37-33). Entering the game, Seton Hall was the fifth-best rebounding team in the Big East.

“When you get eight rebounds and five of them are offensive, and you’re a guard, that changes the complexion of our team, particularly as big as we were tonight,” Williams said. “I thought he was huge.”

All seven of Marquette’s second chance points came as a result of Blue’s offensive rebounds.

Senior forward Jae Crowder, who recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game with 20 points and 12 rebounds, said Blue’s improved play will be key for Marquette going forward.

“That’s what he brings, and that’s what we need to do night in and night out,” Crowder said. “A lot of teams might be disrespecting him because of his lack of consistency early in the year, but once he gets that down, we’ll be even better.”

Outside of the box score, Blue’s ability to play on the wing as a third guard gave Seton Hall’s tall lineup fits late in the game. Seton Hall coach, Kevin Willard, said Marquette’s ability to play small, using Blue instead of a third forward, “really hurt us.”

Blue said his confidence began increasing following his 4-of-4 performance from the free throw line in the closing minutes of Marquette’s win over Villanova.

“I can feel it in practice. I’m getting back to where I was earlier in the season,” Blue said. “It’s really good for me, but I think when I play well it really helps our team and takes our team to another level.”

The Meyo Invitational has become a hallmark for fast times as athletes set their sights on qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Much further along in training and rolling in with a deeper squad means the Golden Eagles should fire on all cylinders when the first gun fires to mark the start of the first race.

At the beginning of the indoor season, Marquette was ranked 15th in the Great Lakes region. Heading into South Bend, the team holds the 13th position in the index, which is the highest it has been since 2010.

Much of that improvement can be attributed to the numerous Marquette records set and the 30 Big East qualifiers. Senior Tyler O’Brien and junior Jack Hackett have emerged as leaders on this team in the sprinting and distance events, respectively.

The last time O’Brien stepped on the track in South Bend he set a new school record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.75 seconds. The sprinting captain has high hopes and expectations for himself as he looks forward.

“I’m looking to best my own school record. The competition will be great there,” O’Brien said. “It’s been a process gearing up towards Big East. Hopefully the marks can start to drop within the next couple weeks and we can get ready for the conference. ”

Last weekend O’Brien completed the 200 in 21.93 seconds at the Bill Bergen Invitational, which is .18 off his personal best. He said he could have finished much faster and has been working on his block start in practice to open races quicker.

“At the last meet, I didn’t get out as hard as I should’ve and it probably cost me some pretty good times,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully, this week I’ll focus on getting out harder and just going with that.”

Pleased with his team’s performance as a whole, not much has surprised coach Bert Rogers about O’Brien’s hot start to the season.

“Tyler’s worked really hard to get where he’s at. I think we’re on track to put down some good performances this weekend and in a couple weeks at Big East.” Rogers said.

On the distance side of events, Hackett’s 3,000-meter run highlighted the weekend. The distance squad was not present when the team last visited Notre Dame. It is a fast track and will be interesting to note how it fares well for the longer distances.

“Iowa State had a 300 meter track. Notre Dame is just a little bit bigger, so it should be a pretty similar atmosphere.” Hackett said.

Hackett has a history with the track at Notre Dame. He won the 5,000-meter run in his first appearance in a Marquette uniform at the 2009 Blue & Gold Invitational. He ran the fifth fastest mile in school history at the Meyo Invitational that year, before recording the third best with a time of 4:07.38 at the Alex Wilson Invitational.

But it won’t just be Hackett gunning for the top spot this weekend.

“Our distance guys know we have to be up near the front of the pack to run fast. All of the racers at Notre Dame will be fast,” Hackett said.

Jar Crowder and Jamil Wilson play defense on Seton Hall's Herb Pope. Photo by Rebecca Rebholz/rebecca.rebholz@marquette.edu

Points in the paint and paint touches were consistent and abundant in the opening half of Tuesday evening’s 66-59 Marquette victory over Seton Hall.

It was the No. 15 Golden Eagles’ first contest without redshirt junior center Chris Otule and sophomore forward Davante Gardner, the squad’s two tallest players. Gardner missed Tuesday’s contest with a sprained left knee and is day-to-day.

“Defensively we found ways to make up for it,” senior forward Jae Crowder said of playing without Gardner. “It’s just a little different rotations defensively than what we are used to.”

Seton Hall went into the paint immediately, knowing the Golden Eagles were shorthanded and shorter than usual. On its first offensive possession Seton Hall accumulated three offensive rebounds that culminated in a tip-in by Herb Pope.

“You got to keep those guys out of the channel. When you keep them out of the channel then it changes the game,” coach Buzz Williams said. “If they’re able to get to the channel off of the bounce or the pass then it’s hard to guard them.”

It was an unfortunate time for Marquette to be without its two tallest players, with the senior forward Pope in town.

Pope entered the contest as the Big East’s No. 13 scorer and No. 2 rebounder. He scored 10 of Seton Hall’s first 19 points and helped the Pirates accumulate 22 first half points in the paint.

“He’s good. He’s got a lot of Davante (Gardner) in him,” Williams said of Pope. “He’s meandering around, and as soon as he gets the ball you’re like, ‘Ooh, he’s really good.’ And then when he doesn’t have the ball you’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ And he forces rotation. Now that’s a hard combination.”

After 10 points in the first half, Pope recorded just six in the second, in part because of the defensive performance of Crowder.

Crowder compared him to former Syracuse forward Rick Jackson, who Marquettte held to 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in two contests last year when Jackson averaged 13.1 and 10.3 rebounds for the season.

“He’ll fight, fight, fight before he gets the ball, and once he gets the ball you really have to play defense,” Crowder said of Pope. “He’s tough. He’s a great offensive player.”

Besides limiting Pope, Marquette cut its points allowed in the paint to 16, which helped the Golden Eagles overtake the Pirates for the first time with 12:23 left in regulation.

What was technically different in the second half?

“We started switching on the ball screens,” Crowder said. “I started guarding (Pope). Every time Pope set a ball screen I switched off on him.  Every time. We didn’t do that in the first half.  First half we just hard-hedged on it, and that was hurting us with the counters. So coaches decided at halftime, which was a great call, to start switching on ball screens to give ourselves a chance to stop ball screens and stop penetration.”

Marquette also opted to play zone on some defensive possessions, something atypical for Williams’ teams, which altered what Seton Hall did offensively.

“Every team in the league knows that we play man-to-man, probably 75 percent of the game. We’re not a zone team,” sophomore guard Vander Blue said. “But we throw zones at people just to sort of throw them off their cue a little bit and try to make them think more on offense.”

They both are good college teams, but saying the team members are good basketball players would be a lie. Kentucky relies on pure athleticism, with little basketball ability. That’s what NBA scouts would call “raw talent,” which really means “they aren’t very good right now.”

Teams and players like this aren’t difficult to find in college basketball. There are plenty of teams with guys who are play at the collegiate level due to their athleticism, and nothing else, because with that comes potential.

What I’m trying to say is that — sometimes — college basketball can be ugly and sloppy and lack many of the game’s fundamental skills.

Many college players never learned how to handle the ball, shoot properly or even box out. These things can be extremely annoying when watching a game.

If you compared that type of play to that of the professional game, it’s night and day.

Everyone in the NBA is a good basketball player (not just a very good athlete), which isn’t something you can say about college players, even on top-25 teams. Many college players are good athletes who never have learned to play the game the right way.

Along with being excellent basketball players, the best in the NBA give you plays that are undeniably impressive and pieces of skill you’ll never find in college basketball.

Watch Chris Paul play and appreciate the little things he does throughout the game. The Clippers guard defends, makes difficult passes look quite easy (speaking of that, watch Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio play and try to come away without being very impressed) and can even score with the best in the game. It isn’t just Paul or Rubio — the NBA is full of guys who have amazing talent I want to watch every time they play.

People say they prefer watching college basketball because of the emotion of the players and how they “truly” care about the result of the game. Those who aren’t fans of the NBA say those are two qualities lost in the professional game, and that there’s a lot of that type of person nowadays.

Many people think the players don’t care about the game in the NBA, that it’s merely seen as a 9-to-5 job — something they have to do.

This past Monday night, I went to the Bucks-Pistons game and saw Milwaukee handle Lawrence Frank’s pathetic Detroit team. In a game between 8-11 and 4-17 teams, Milwaukee guard Brandon Jennings hit two 3-pointers late in the third quarter — with his team in control of the game already — and gave genuine displays of emotion, throwing huge fist pumps and getting excited.

Nobody would know that, though, because a lot of people don’t give the Bucks, or even the NBA, a chance.

I’m not trying to call out all college players for not being good. Our own Golden Eagles are fun to watch — outside of Tuesday night’s sloppy affair against Seton Hall — and they aren’t the only college team that’s fun to observe. I like college basketball, but the NBA is a better watch. It has the best in the world, playing at a level that college kids can only dream of reaching.

But people don’t realize that. They need to give the NBA a chance and get rid of the hyperbolic stereotypes pervading the Association.

This is very common in Milwaukee, where people are quite ignorant toward the NBA and unwilling to give the professionals a chance. They’re missing out some of the best athletes in the world giving some of the best entertainment in the world.

So to those who just watch when the playoffs come around because you think that’s the only time when the players actually care, watch all 48 minutes of the next NBA game you see on television. Tell me they don’t care then.

matthew.trebby@marquette.edu

Cameron Tehrani was helped by the home environment. Photo by Daniel Alfonzo daniel.alfonzo@Marquette.edu

Marquette men’s tennis bounced back in a big way after being swept at Minnesota, beating IUPUI 6-1 in its home opener on Friday.

Marquette found itself tied 1-1 in doubles after sophomore Dan Mamalat and junior Jose Carlos Gutierrez Crowley won their doubles match 8-6 and the Jaguars claimed an 8-4 win over senior Jonathan Schwerin and freshman Vukasin Teofanovic. It came down to the freshman duo of Cameron Tehrani and James Stark who prevailed 9-8 to secure the doubles point and momentum for the Golden Eagles.

“We got up early, but then we got a little bit tight and let them back in,” Tehrani said. “We finished strong, and we were fortunate to come away with the win. We knew we just had to stay calm and that those are the situations you always want to be in where you’re in a position to win the doubles round for your team.”

The Golden Eagles went on to win five of six singles matches, led by Crowley’s 6-0, 6-1 win in the No. 1 spot. Crowley, who missed most of the fall with back problems, said it’s been a long road to recovery, but that he’s feeling better with every match.

“It’s been a tough comeback for me with a lot of time put into training and keeping my body healthy,” Crowley said. “I felt pretty good today in singles around the baseline and doing the simple stuff.”

The home environment, Tehrani said, helped the freshman perform better than they had against the Golden Gophers as they were able to find their comfort zone.

“We put a lot of pressure on those guys, and the crowd was behind us,” Tehrani said. “It was tough last week when we were on the road, but it was easier this week to get settled in with a lot of people out here to support us.”

Coach Steve Rodecap said his team displayed a lot more of the aggression it had lacked in its season opener, and early momentum allowed them to pull away from IUPUI.

“Obviously the doubles point helped a lot, and our main guys relaxed and were able to play the way they are capable of playing,” Rodecap said. “I feel like we did a good job of dictating the play and controlling the tempo, and it was good to see our guys take advantage of the flow.”

Rodecap said his team put itself in a lot more positions to win matches as opposed to last weekend where he said the Golden Eagles could’ve won only four of nine possible matchups.

“Today we put ourselves in a position to win two out of three doubles and five out of six singles,” Rodecap said. “I’m not going to be satisfied until we can get all nine.”

Rodecap was pleased with the way Starks and Tehrani performed in the doubles round and said that he even preferred the tight situation the duo battled through in terms of growth and development. Rodecap still recognizes Mamalat and Crowley as Marquette’s leaders, however, and said their performances and attitudes helped set the standard both in the previous week of practice and in the win.

“I think the biggest influence those guys have on our players is every day in practice,” Rodecap said. “Our guys all know that Jose (Crowley) and Dan (Mamalat) are very competitive, and both of them have hearts the size of Texas, and that when there’s a team event on the line they’re gamers.”

Andrei Greska

The latest men’s basketball high school player rankings came out last week on ESPN and Scout.com and, as has been the norm for Marquette the last 30 years, none of our incoming players were near the top 25.

Steve Taylor of Simeon is the highest-rated player in the incoming recruiting class and is ranked the 11th best power forward by Scout.com and 85th best player overall by ESPN. The other three incoming Golden Eagles — Jamal Ferguson, Aaron Durley and TJ Taylor — are nowhere to be found in the top 100 of either site.

At first glance the lack of highly ranked prospects would appear to be a precursor for failure next season. It only makes sense that the better the ranking the better the player right?

Wrong.

If you are any kind of Marquette fan you know coach Buzz Williams runs doesn’t require burger boys — McDonald’s All-Americans — to succeed.

Strike that — Buzz’s program thrives on burger boys, but not in the sense we have come to associate high school phenoms.

“I like guys whose pre-game and post-game meals probably came from the same place, and the amount of that was probably less than five dollars,” Williams once said.

That is not to say this regime doesn’t actively seek high-profile, top-ranked recruits.

What I am saying is that Marquette has been as good as any team in the country in turning water into wine. Don’t believe me? Just look at the team the past two years.

If you had to pick the four best players on this year’s team, Darius-Johnson Odom and Jae Crowder would be no-brainers. Yet these two created less buzz than a Celine Dion concert at the men’s club when they chose to be Warriors.

They were great junior college players, but neither had a glut of high-major schools pounding on their doors. Now they are locks for postseason Big East awards and both have outside shots at playing in the Association.

The next best players may be debatable, but Davante Gardner and Todd Mayo have as good a stake as any. There is no doubt Gardner has been clutch since Chris Otule went down for the season, becoming a focal point of the offense and earning himself a great nickname — ox-in-the-box.

Mayo has also defied all expectations. His tear drop shot over the Wisconsin farmboys at the Kohl Center is one of the plays of the year, and his overall offensive game has seen him become only the second freshman under Buzz to average over 20 minutes per game.

These players are key cogs for a team in the Big East title hunt, yet recruiters predicted they wouldn’t amount to anything.

And as you may or may not know, Chicago Bulls forward James F. Butler spent three of his formative years at this institution playing a little basketball now and then.

Yet this first-round NBA draft pick was touted as highly as you or I would be. He didn’t show up on scouts’ ranking lists, making him either invisible or terrible. Yet there he was on Sunday, learning from basketball’s royalty in South Beach.

Paradoxically, the highest rated recruits to come to Marquette have been the ones that have underwhelmed the most. As Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Forward Jamail Jones was a three star prep player ranked 53rd by ESPN and featured in two SportsCenter top-10 plays. Guard Junior Cadougan was supposed to make us forget about Dominic James, a four star ranked as the ninth best point guard coming out of high school by Scout.

And then there’s señor Blue. Vander, ranked 31st best prospect by ESPN in the 2010 class, was the highest rated recruit to come to Marquette since 1981 when Kerry Troter, ranked No. 17 according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, chose to be a Warrior. All three have been solid, but not the stars they were pegged to be based on their rankings.

Now don’t get me wrong. This is not a shot at Jamail, Junior or Vander. I’m not trying to bash any of these players.

What I am saying is that players who were ranked under them have outplayed them to date. It’s a knock on the system that is dominated by corporate-run AAU clubs and ranking systems that reward you for going to high-profile schools.

So don’t worry about the numbers before their names. It’s a fun water-cooler topic and nothing more.

Buzz may not have a stable of burger boys like a Duke or North Carolina, but when it comes to diamonds in the rough, I’ll have what he’s having.

andrei.greska@marquette.edu

Chris Otule sits behind coach Buzz Williams due to being injured. Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics.

It would be easy for Chris Otule to ask, “Why me?”

After all, the redshirt junior center has missed 55 games in three-plus seasons at Marquette. He missed the start of his freshman season with a broken left foot. A surgically repaired right foot ended his sophomore season just three games in. And this past December, season-ending knee surgery cut his junior year short just as he was playing the best basketball of his career.

But instead of asking questions, Otule is making his own answers.

“I didn’t even know what to think,” Otule said after sustaining the injury. “I was just spaced for a couple days, just thinking. But I talked to family and friends, loved ones, and just looked for the optimistic side of all of it.”

And that is exactly what he has done. A positive attitude and strenuous daily rehabilitation has given the 6-foot-11 center a positive outlook on his future at Marquette.

The knee injury he suffered on Dec. 6 in the opening minutes of Marquette’s win against Washington did not automatically end his season. Surgery would be required at some point, but both athletic trainer Ernest Eugene and Otule decided to take a non-operative approach to his rehabilitation, making it plausible that he could return sometime during the season. Surgery would then take place after the season.

He would not have been at 100 percent had he returned, but his past injuries keeping him off the court combined with the team’s current success made him want to attempt a comeback.

However, during his rehabilitation he suffered a setback in an individual workout that led to his decision to move up the surgery date to Jan. 10, thus ending his season.

Now three weeks out of surgery, Eugene said Otule’s rehabilitation will consist of three factors: controlling swelling, gaining strength and working his range of motion.  The process can take anywhere from six to 12 months and all three areas of his daily regimen will continue to increase as he works toward a full recovery.

“He’s exactly where he should be,” Eugene said. “And if it wasn’t for his mindset and how he works every day, he wouldn’t be where he is today.”

Eugene said Otule’s rehabilitation will continue into the 2012-’13 season as he continues to gain strength in all areas of his leg. A crucial part of his rehabilitation will be gaining mental confidence to play without worrying about the knee.

Along with his own positive attitude, Otule said his teammates have provided the same support they always show him.

“A lot of times people might feel left out when they’re hurt,” Otule said. “But I don’t feel like that at all. These guys make sure that I’m still a part of everything they do, and they show me love, and I appreciate that.”

Sophomore forward Jamil Wilson, who has seen an increased role in the past month, said Otule has helped forwards by offering advice and analysis in practices and during games. Wilson attributed his increased blocked shots to conversations with Otule and realizing the center’s importance in the post.

More importantly, Wilson said Otule’s attitude during such a difficult process has been inspiring.

“He’s still the same guy and wants to help everybody. His heart is unbelievable,” Wilson said. “He’s such an unbelievable example of what you should be, how positive you should be toward yourself and everybody else, and what he’s facing is tremendous. It’s unbelievable.”

Darius Johnson-Odium. Photo by Elise Krivit/elise.krivit@marquette.edu

Polar opposites.

That’s the best way to describe the state of Marquette and Seton Hall as they enter tonight’s contest.

No. 15 Marquette (16-4, 7-2 Big East) enters on a six-game winning streak. It’s in second place in the conference, and if Syracuse continues to play without sophomore center Fab Melo, some believe Marquette is the conference’s best team.

Its two senior leaders, guard Darius Johnson-Odom and forward Jae Crowder, are playing some of their best basketball of the year over the previous four games. Crowder is averaging 16.8 points and 8.0 boards per game while Johnson-Odom’s averaging 17.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Sophomore forward Jamil Wilson cited improvements on defense and in transition as keys to the team’s improved play — and keys to playing even better.

“Obviously we can get up and down the court way faster, and I think we can press a little bit more, speed guys up and we can outrun a lot of people,” Wilson said.

The Golden Eagles are playing some of their best basketball of the season over this six-game stretch. Crowder said is a product of the team “playing within” itself, “which is giving us a chance and an opportunity at the end of the game.”

“When we play like we know how to play, and we play with a will and fight that we’ve had these past few stretches, we’re capable of beating anybody,” Crowder said. “I really like the way we’re playing right now as a team. I like the groove we’re in each day at practice that prepares us to play any game. I’m excited.”

Like Marquette, the Pirates (15-6, 4-5 Big East) are led by their two seniors: Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore. Those two haven’t been playing their best basketball over the previous four contests. Seton Hall has suffered as their production decreased, losing its last four after a four-game winning streak that featured home-wins over West Virginia (67-48) and Connecticut (75-63).

Pope, a 6-foot-8 forward, is the team’s leading rebounder and second leading scorer (15.9 points, 10. 4 rebounds) but over the previous four games he’s underperformed, with only 9.3 points and 8.5 boards per game. Despite that, he’s still the Big East’s second best rebounder – one of two players to average double-digit boards – and the No. 13 scorer.

Junior guard Junior Cadougan said Pope’s going to get his but Marquette must execute its game plan and hope for the best.

Theodore, a 6-foot guard, is the team’s leading scorer (16.9 per game) and assist-man (7.0 assists per game). When Seton Hall was on its four game winning streak, Theodore’s play was instrumental. He averaged 19.3 points and 9.8 assists per game. His average points and assists per game dropped to 14.5 and 4.3 respectively.

What Marquette needs to do is stop Pope and Theodore in the pick-and-roll game they love to play together. Crowder acknowledged that Marquette hasn’t faced a post and guard that work as well together as those two.

Crowder called stopping them a top priority.

“The way we go out there (and defend it) will predict a majority of the game, and how we take those two players out of their game — which we know, they score a high percentage through the pick & roll,” Crowder said.

Freshman guard Ryan Boatright has had a rollercoaster of a first year at Connecticut, to say the least.

He was asked to replace the departed Kemba Walker at point guard before the season began, but had to sit out the team’s first six games due to an investigation by the NCAA about impermissible benefits Boatright and his mother may have received before he enrolled at Connecticut.

Boatright then played in 10 games before the school suspended him indefinitely after the NCAA informed Connecticut it was looking into additional information about the investigation.

Boatright was cleared to play on Saturday after the NCAA informed him that he and his family must repay $4,500 in improper benefits from the NCAA’s initial probe, and scored six points in 30 minutes off the bench in the Huskies’ 50-48 loss to Notre Dame on Sunday.

Boatright averaged 10 points and three assists per game in the first 10 games he played and the Huskies went 8-2 in those 10 games.

While it is possible that this Connecticut team does not have as much talent as the team that won the 2011 NCAA Championship, the addition of Boatright gives the team another weapon to complement sophomore forward Jeremy Lamb (17.9 points per game) for the stretch run.

The Huskies (14-6, 4-4 Big East) currently sit ninth in the Big East but are only 1.5 games back of third place. They still have to travel to No. 14 Georgetown, No. 25 Louisville and No. 2 Syracuse, in addition to home games against No. 15 Marquette and the Orange, but there is no reason this team shouldn’t finish worse than eighth in an increasingly-muddled Big East now that Boatright is back.

Don’t look now, but Pittsburgh could be poised to go on a run

The Panthers’ struggles this season have been well documented. Home losses to Long Beach State (86-76) and Wagner (59-54) in nonconference play, as well as seven straight losses prior to opening the Big East portion of the season will take any team off the national radar.

But the Panthers (13-9, 2-7 Big East) finally picked up their first Big East win on Jan. 25, an 86-74 win over Providence, and looked impressive in a 72-60 win over then-No. 9 Georgetown on Saturday.

The return of junior guard Tray Woodall, who has played in just four games since suffering groin and abdominal injuries against Duquesne on Nov. 30, has given Pittsburgh a new sense of identity.

While Woodall only scored four points on 1-of-7 shooting against the Hoyas, he dished out 10 assists and is averaging 7.4 assists per game this season in 11 games

Pittsburgh still has senior guard Ashton Gibbs, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, and got a combined 41 points from senior forward Nasir Robinson and sophomore guard Lamar Patterson in the win against Georgetown.

A favorable schedule the rest of the way, including home games against South Florida and St. John’s, in addition to road games against the South Florida and Seton Hall, could give the NCAA Tournament committee something to think about if Pittsburgh can win two or three games in the Big East Championship tournament.

Still, the Panthers have a long way to go, sitting in a tie for 13th place in the Big East with just nine games to play in the regular season

Player of the week

Jack Cooley, junior forward, Notre Dame (#45)

Cooley picked up his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the Fighting Irish’s 55-42 win at Seton Hall on Jan. 25. The junior forward followed up that performance with eight points and seven rebounds to go along with two blocks in Notre Dame’s 50-48 upset at Connecticut on Sunday.

Cooley leads the Big East in offensive rebounds per game (4.4) in conference play and is fourth in rebounds (9.4) and field goal percentage (56.8 percent).

Game of the week

Connecticut at Georgetown, Feb. 1

This game lost a bit of its luster with both teams losing this weekend, but bothcould improve their NCAA Tournament prospects with a key win against a top-25 RPI win foe on Wednesday.

The Hoyas fell behind by 17 in the first half in a loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday, while the Huskies desperately need a win after dropping their last three games.

Senior Olga Fischer sparked the Golden Eagles going undefeated in singles and doubles play over the weekend. Photo by Daniel Alfonzo/daniel.alfonzo@marquette.edu

The Marquette women’s tennis team defeated Illinois-Chicago 4-3 on Jan. 23, 2011. On Saturday, history repeated itself as the Golden Eagles edged the same Flames at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium by the same score.

Later Saturday, the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix had their wings clipped as Marquette won all of its matches against the Phoenix. Seniors Olga Fischer and Gillian Hush went undefeated on the day in their singles and doubles matches against Illinois-Chicago and Green Bay to help lock up a 2-0 start to the spring season.

“We all came in with a mentality that we were going to win,” Hush said. “There was no other option. We all did what we had to do.”

Since last fall, consistency has become the focus of this young team, including four underclassmen.

Hush pointed out some of the mechanics of her serve that needed improvement, but consistency was the prime target in practice leading up to the weekend’s matches.

After toying with the pairing of freshman Ana Pimienta and Hush as doubles partners at the IU Winter Invitational, coach Jody Bronson put Fischer and Hush together at the No. 1 position against Illinois-Chicago and Green Bay.

Bronson admitted that as easily as the wins came for the seniors, no doubles partners were set in stone after Saturday.

“Heading into every match, we just take it one day at a time and look for the best match-up that gives us the best chance to win,” Bronson said.

Hush and Fischer looked like they had played together for quite some time, as they came out of the gates with intensity and never let their opponents get too close.

“Gillian (Hush) and I communicate really well on the court,” Fischer said. “I know where she is going to hit (the ball), and she knows where I’m going to hit it. It’s great for both of us.”

Hush asserted a feeling of comfort with Fischer by her side with the crowd watching. The doubles match against Illinois-Chicago was the first time that Hush graced the home-court at the No.1 position in her time at Marquette.

“I loved playing with Olga (Fischer), especially on court one with the energy of our fans,” Hush said. “We pump each other up. We have great chemistry. She feeds off me and I feed off her. Overall, it’s just really fun.”

Fischer dealt with the crowd again in her singles matches as she battled Mariya Kovaleva of Illinois-Chicago and Jennifer Bradfield of Green Bay. Before she routed Bradfield with an impressive (6-0, 6-0), she had to fight back after dropping her second set to Kovaleva.

Even as a senior, Fischer she felt apprehensive in her first home match of the season but was ready the second time around.

“It was my first test on game day,” Fischer said. “I was nervous, but I was warmed up for the second one and it was just a short process (to get on track).”

Illinois-Chicago was expected to have an edge with experience, since it carried five upperclassmen and two underclassmen, but Marquette underclassmen like sophomore Rocio Diaz and freshman Ana Pimienta came out victorious in doubles action.

The Golden Eagles hope for similar results as they head to Kalamazoo, Mich., to battle Iowa State Saturday and Western Michigan Sunday. Both teams are laden with upperclassmen with at least five juniors and seniors apiece.

Junior Cadougan. Photo by Elise Krivit/elise.krivit@marquette.edu

Junior Cadougan hip bumped Davante Gardner and proceeded to throw up his rendition of the three-goggles with a big smile on his face after knocking down his fifth 3-pointer of the season in Tuesday’s 67-47 victory over South Florida.

The junior has had much to smile about in this his first full season as Marquette’s starting point guard. He is fifth in the Big East and 33rd in the nation in assists per game (5.6) and fifth in the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4).

Over the previous six contests, Cadougan has posted a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, with 42 assists and only 15 turnovers, including a 5:1 ratio against South Florida.

Cadougan said nothing has changed for him during the stretch.

“I’m trying to get into the paint. I’m trying to find my teammates, and my teammates are knocking down shots and just trying to take care of the ball,” Cadougan said. “If I take care of the ball then I give my team a better chance to win.”

On a team with Big East Player of the Year candidates senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder, Cadougan’s contributions may go unappreciated by some.

“He’s the motor that makes us go on the offensive and defensive end, picking up the point guard full court,” Johnson-Odom said. “He just does a lot of things for us that go unnoticed.”

Unnoticed acts include serving as an extension of the coaching staff on the floor.

“On the court he puts guys in the right position. Guys may not know what to do sometimes, but he’s putting them in the right position at different times in the game,” Crowder said. “That’s what you need on every team.”

Crowder said Cadougan’s performance this year should earn him recognition as a top-two point guard in the Big East for his versatility.

“He can score, and he brings other things as well. He plays defense very well, and he’s a big body. He’s a floor general,” the senior forward said.

But against Georgetown on Jan. 4, coach Buzz Williams opted to give sophomore Vander Blue more minutes in the second half than Cadougan (17-7).

Cadougan didn’t describe the situation as a “benching” nor did he and Williams discuss it after the game. It came down to simple facts.

“I was in foul trouble, and Van (Blue) was doing a good job at the point, so (Williams) kept him in the game,” Cadougan said.

But Crowder said the decision served as a wake-up call to Cadougan.

“After that game he really took pride in doing the thing that he brings to the table which is getting guys in the right position,” Crowder said. “He’s really turned things up mentally and physically.”

And before Marquette’s biggest non-conference game of the season, Cadougan was suspended for violating team rules, forcing freshman Derrick Wilson into the starting point guard position in a brutal road-game environment.

It’s an experience Crowder believes made Cadougan a better basketball player and human being.

“That was a mistake,” Crowder said of the incident. “We all make them. That’s just something he learned from. I don’t want to say he needed it, but it helped him. I think it was beneficial to him as a basketball player and as a person. I think he got the best out of that situation.”

Cadougan’s 6.4 points per game are sixth on the team, but he said scoring isn’t his biggest priority, nor should it be this year. That’s something he’ll do more next season.

“I can score, but I would rather get my teammates going, because if I get my teammates going then we’re all going to play harder on defense,” Cadougan said. “My scoring will come. I’m not worried about scoring. I got one more year to score. I’m good right now. Everything’s flowing, and we’re winning.”

Freshman Ana Pimienta (above) paired with senior Gillian Hush to form a successful doubles pair. Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics.

The fall campaign served as an opportunity for coach Jody Bronson to assess the game of her new players. Freshmen like Ana Pimienta arrived and blended in well with the few upperclassmen on the team. The squad of players that Bronson has on her hands for the 2012 spring season falls under the young category.

When Marquette’s women’s tennis team faces Illinois-Chicago this Saturday at the Helfaer Tennis Center, it will be a match up of youth against experience. Chicago carries four seniors on its team as opposed to Marquette’s two, Gillian Hush and Olga Fischer.

The Marquette lineup will be much different since the two teams last met in Jan. 2011, when the Golden Eagles topped Illinois-Chicago 4-3. Hush posted a singles win in the last meeting and could share some of her knowledge of the opposition with her teammates.

A player not involved in that 2011 meeting, Pimienta did not seem out of place at the IU Winter Invitational last weekend. She went undefeated in singles play and paired up with Hush for a doubles match victory.

Hush pointed out that the team chemistry is at a peak as she admired her entire team’s play over the weekend.

“Everyone’s been playing really well and very consistent,” Hush said. “Everybody comes into practice with the best attitude, knowing we need to get better every time.”

Consistency was a question for this team in the fall, and Saturday will determine who falls above and below the mark that was set for themselves before first match of 2012.

Pimienta could be the key to the matches against Illinois-Chicago and Wisconsin-Green Bay. Bronson looks even further than that and could see her stepping up as a leader on this team.

“She’s very capable of (stepping up). She hates to lose. She’s very hard on herself. As a coach, I have to say very little, because she knows. In the same respect, she’s very coachable,” Bronson said. “Those types of players are the ones that are going to continue to get better and be very successful.”

The doubles partners have not been announced, but Hush will be paired with a new partner this year. It could be Pimienta after their close match together in Indiana.

Between her experience as a national doubles champion in Mexico and her recent doubles match with Hush, Pimienta has an edge most freshmen do not have.

“Gill (Hush) and I do a really good doubles. (Playing with Hush) gives me a lot of confidence when I’m on the court,” Pimienta said. “She has a really strong shot, so that helps me finish for points and vice versa.”

The lineup will be very different for Marquette as Bronson continues to juggle doubles partners and who plays in what slot. Chicago could be in for a few surprises with the raw talent, but Bronson’s ultimate goal of winning remains the same.

“We expect (UIC) to step up to the challenge. If you’re playing great, or maybe not so great, the whole idea is that you find a way to win,” Bronson said.

But, on Tuesday night, as I was making my way from the media room at the Bradley Center to press row, I heard three guys in the courtside club talking about how much it annoys them that Indiana is having success under former Marquette head coach Tom Crean. I thought nothing of it, and kept walking.

I went back about five minutes later, and they were still talking about it and how they hoped Wisconsin puts a whooping on the Hoosiers tonight.

Four years after Crean’s departure, people still think of him in a predominantly negative way. There were many aspects of his exit that bugged people and made them forget everything he’d done for the program.

I’m here to tell you it’s about time to remember the positive things Crean did for the program, and why it wouldn’t be the same without him.

People may be mad his players heard about his exit on SportsCenter instead of from the man himself. Crean waited until he agreed with Indiana before telling the team he was considering a departure from Marquette. But what good would come from informing his team about it and having nothing come of it? He was right to wait. It was just unfortunate the news was leaked before his team knew.

Also, he had little time to negotiate with the Hoosiers. Tony Bennett, current coach at Virginia (then of Washington State), was the school’s first choice, but he turned the job down. Crean was option “B,” with Brad Brownell, then of Wright State, being third. Indiana wouldn’t have wasted any time in going to Brownell if Crean had any hesitation.

If you’re mad about him leaving, well, it’s Indiana. It is one of the top-tier programs in the country. It’s full of rich tradition.

With no prior connections to Marquette, Indiana could only be seen as a promotion. Crean would have been stupid not to go. At Indiana, he could build a perennial national championship contender. Doing that at Marquette is nearly impossible. Crean did all he could for Marquette. His stock would never be higher — it was as good of a chance as ever to leave.

Also, think about everything he did while here for the program.

Marquette was a mediocre team in Conference-USA when Crean arrived. Then, everything changed with his arrival from Michigan State, where Crean served as an assistant coach under Tom Izzo.

The Golden Eagles won just 14 games in the 1998- ’99 season, Crean’s predecessor Mike Deane’s last season in charge. Four years later they were in the Final Four.

Crean built that team, obviously around Dwyane Wade, to whom many may give all the credit. But Crean made Wade.

Wade had scholarship offers from Illinois State and DePaul before Marquette offered. There’s no chance Wade would have become the player he currently is if he went to Illinois State or DePaul. Talent goes undeveloped and wasted all the time. Without Crean, Wade’s talent would have wasted away as well, and Marquette would never have gotten to Final Four.

Marquette has only had two coaches take it to the Final Four: Crean and Al McGuire. That run in 2003 with Wade changed the program forever.

Would Marquette be in the Big East without that Final Four appearance and Crean? Maybe. But it still might be in the currently average Conference-USA. Crean deserves credit for bringing Marquette back to the national stage, which started with the Final Four run and concluded with its entrance into the Big East.

So next time Tom Crean’s face is on the jumbotron before a game, think about where the program is, and where it came from. I hope you realize none of this would be a reality without Crean, and I hope you don’t waste your time booing him.

Junior Cadougan, Davante Gardner, and Jae Crowder play defense. Photo by Elise Krivit/elise.krivit@marquette.edu

Marquette is one of the top-scoring offenses in the nation, but its tenacious play on the defensive end is what has helped it to a Big East-best five game win streak.

The No. 17/18 Golden Eagles (17-4, 6-2 Big East) will look to continue their run of stellar defensive play when they travel to Villanova (10-11, 3-6 Big East) on Saturday in search of their sixth straight conference victory.

Marquette’s 76.3 points per game is second-most in the Big East behind only Syracuse, but Golden Eagle opponents are averaging just 60.6 points per game during their winning streak.

They allowed just 47 points in Tuesday night’s victory over South Florida and scored 20 points off 22 Bulls’ turnovers.

“They’re extremely quick, and they get some offense from their defense so you worried about how quick they get to the other side of the court,” South Florida coach Stan Heath said of the Golden Eagles on defense. “But they’re very active, too. They rotate and they cover well for each other.”

Marquette has lost on the road to Villanova in each of the last three seasons, including a 75-70 loss last year. All three of those games were played at The Pavilion, Villanova’s on-campus, 6,500 seat arena. It is considered one of the biggest home-court advantages in the Big East, but Saturday’s contest will take place at the Wells Fargo Center, which seats over 20,000 fans and is home to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

The two teams last met on New Year’s Day, with senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom scoring a game-high 24 points en route to an 81-77 Marquette victory. The Golden Eagles used an 11-2 run to open the second half and forced 17 turnovers in their Big East opener.

Johnson-Odom said playing a team a second time can be difficult, but Marquette will need to continue doing the things it does effectively.

“They know what you’re going to do so we’ll have to change it up a little bit,” Johnson-Odom said of the Wildcats. “I’m sure they’re going to change it up a little bit on the offensive end because we try to take them out of the ball screen action, which they’re very good at. We have to be able to guard the ball. That’s what it comes down to. When we get stops, it helps us on the offensive end.”

Luckily for Villanova, it may have the hottest scorer in the Big East to rattle the Marquette defense.

Maalik Wayns, who was named the Big East player of the week, is averaging 27.8 points and 4.5 assists in Villanova’s last four games. The junior point guard was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting against Marquette earlier this year but is playing as well as anyone in the Big East entering Saturday’s matchup.

Forward JayVaughn Pinkston also earned All-Big East honors last week, being named the Freshman of the Week after recording back-to-back double-doubles in Villanova’s wins over Seton Hall and St. John’s.

Both Wayns and Pinkston, along with junior forward Mouphtaou Yarou (11.6 points, 8.3 rebounds per game), will be difficult covers for the Marquette defense, but coach Buzz Williams said his team is playing as disciplined as it has all year.

“You want to have a crescendo with your team that, as the season progresses, guys are improving individually and, collectively, there’s more of a pace and fluidity to what you’re doing, and all that comes down to discipline, and I think that’s happening with our club.

“Obviously we’re doing more things defensively to hide our deficiencies, but sometimes doing more things changes the rhythm of the opponent in a good way for us,” Williams said. “And I think (Jamil Wilson’s) versatility, and even the few possessions Juan (Anderson) was able to get in, was really good.”