MINNEAPOLIS-On Thursday, Wisconsin nearly accomplished the impossible. Two nights later, rival Marquette finished the job.
In a surprising exhibition of dominating basketball, the No. 3 seed Marquette destroyed the No. 1 seed-and consensus No. 1 team in the nation-Kentucky 83-69 Saturday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. With the win, the Golden Eagles advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1977.
\It's a great feeling. I can't describe it,"" Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean said after the game. ""I just know that we feel great, and I'm unbelievably excited for this team.""
Marquette knew it would not be easy against Kentucky, which entered the game with a well-documented 26-game winning streak and a penchant for jumping out to a huge lead. In this game, however, neither team came out hot, and the score remained locked for the first seven minutes. Even with the initial deadlock, it was apparent almost right away that Kentucky's game plan, used so effectively against Wisconsin, was not going to work against Marquette. The reason: MU senior forward Robert Jackson, a 6'10,"" 260-pound force.
Kentucky needed center Marquis Estill, who two nights earlier had abused the Badgers' tough- but-undersized Mike Wilkinson, to again be the Wildcats' primary scoring option. Jackson, however, turned out to be not only the big body needed to deny Estill's easy baskets, but also the clear winner in the offensive matchup. Jackson scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Estill only managed 10 points and six rebounds, a far cry from his 28 points against the Badgers.
""I'm quite sure he knows me now,"" Jackson said, in reference to Estill overlooking him. ""I just took it as motivation and tried to establish myself early. My teammates did a great job of getting me open for easy baskets.""
With their first option in check and senior guard Bogans a shell of himself because of an ankle injury, the Wildcats' offense went stagnant and the first half turned into a nightmare.
Junior guard Dwayne Wade, who was guarded well by Kentucky's ""defensive-stopper"" sophomore forward Chuck Hayes early on, began to assert himself as the half progressed, and when Hayes got his third personal foul with 4:39 remaining, Kentucky could not have been in a worse position. In all, with Wade, sophomore guard Travis Diener and freshman forward Steve Novak leading the way, the Golden Eagles went on a 36-18 run over the last 15 minutes of the first half to take a 45-26 halftime lead.
The second half was relatively uneventful, as the margin was just too large and Marquette's offense executed too well for Kentucky to get back in the game.
While the Golden Eagles enjoyed a superb team effort, the game belonged to Wade. By halftime, the soon-to-be-pro was flirting with a triple-double. The junior standout ended with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and enough dunks to satisfy Sportscenter regulars for months. Along with flashing his athleticism, Wade played solid defense, ran the break, played point, skied above Kentucky's tallest players for rebounds, blocked four shots and grabbed a steal. After the game, he deservedly won the MVP of the Midwest Regional but deflected all of the credit.
""Once I got going, my teammates did a great job of finding me,"" Wade said. ""And once anybody gets going, they are tough to guard.""
Kansas better hope that Wade's teammates suddenly become selfish in the next week. It might be the only way to stop Marquette.
In the East and South regions Syracuse and Texas won.
