By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MILWAUKEE - One of the few things that can be said with certainty about the University of Cincinnati's regular season, which comes to an end today, is that it's been anything but regular.

Bob Huggins' 14th season as UC's head basketball coach has seen an end to the Bearcats' string of seven straight Conference USA championships. They won eight games in a row at one point, then lost five of six shortly thereafter.

One player was suspended indefinitely and three others left the program, two of whom returned a day or two later.

Whether this season also ends UC's streak of 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances remains to be seen.

The Bearcats (17-9, 9-6 C-USA) take on No. 8 Marquette (22-4, 13-2), at 1:30 p.m. today at the Bradley Center.

With a Ratings Percentage Index ranking of No. 24, UC appears in good shape to make it the NCAA Tournament, but probably needs one more win to remove any lingering doubt. Certainly a win over Marquette would serve that purpose.

"I definitely think Cincinnati belongs in there," said Marquette coach Tom Crean, "because they've had some great wins this year, they've gotten better and because they've done it over the long haul.

"You're talking about one of the best coaches in the game and you're talking about a team that has absolutely been dominating for a long time."

UC could also wrap up a first-round bye in next week's C-USA Tournament in Louisville with a win today.

But beating Marquette will be a tall order. The Golden Eagles have won four straight games and 14 of their last 15, including an impressive win at Louisville last week after falling behind by 19 points in the first half.

They dominated UC physically and on the scoreboard at Shoemaker Center Feb. 1, leading by as many as 22 points in the second half before a late UC run made the score 82-76.

The Bearcats had no answer for Robert Jackson, Marquette's 6-foot-9 forward who scored 21 points against UC and still might not have an answer for him today.

"I think Jackson has been the difference for them," Huggins said. "He gives them a guy in there who can score the ball.

"We're going to try to mix things up a little bit the way we guard the post. We let them back our guys down and lay it over the rim."

The Bearcats derive some solace from the way they came back late in the Feb. 1 Marquette game, but they know if they're going to have any chance to upset the Golden Eagles they have to do a better job on Jackson.

It also would help if Field Williams or Tony Bobbitt could get hot from long-range.

"They were beating us pretty good and we came back and made it respectable," senior forward Leonard Stokes said of the previous Marquette game. "We just need to play with the same intensity that we played with at the end during the whole game."

Marquette has been a difficult place for UC - and a lot of other teams - in recent years. The Bearcats have lost four of their last five games there.

It may be more difficult today. The Golden Eagles, who already have earned a share of the C-USA regular-season title, can clinch it outright with a win today.

And if he decides to leave for the NBA after this season, this could also be the last home game for Dwyane Wade, the Marquette junior guard who's the leading candidate for conference player of the year and a contender for honors as national player of the year.

Wade, who got into foul trouble, scored only 16 points in the previous UC game, nearly six below his average.

But with Jackson having his way inside, he was content to fade into the background.

"He makes everybody else better," Crean said of Wade. "And he plays with no ego."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

Cincinnati at No. 8 Marquette

Tipoff: 1:30 p.m. today, Bradley Center (19,150), Milwaukee.

Records: UC 17-9 (9-6 Conference USA), Marquette 22-4 (13-2).

Radio: WLW-AM (700)

TV: Ch. 9, 2.

Series: UC leads 21-14.

UC

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Leonard Stokes	Sr.	6-6	16.3
Jason Maxiell	So.	6-7	12.0
Kareem Johnson	Jr.	6-7	2.4
Field Williams	Jr.	6-3	12.0
Taron Barker	Sr.	6-1	6.4

Coach: Bob Huggins (349-109, 14th season; 517-181 overall).

MARQUETTE

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Todd Townsend	So.	6-7	6.8
Robert Jackson	Sr.	6-9	15.7
Scott Merritt	Jr.	6-10	9.7
Dwyane Wade	Jr.	6-4	21.7
Travis Diener	So.	6-1	11.2

Coach: Tom Crean (78-39, fourth season; same overall.)