By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MILWAUKEE - When Marquette point guard Travis Diener woke up this morning, he might not have known what his classes would be like or whom he might run into on campus, but there was one thing he could be sure of: He was going to spend his evening being trapped, pressured and harassed by the University of Cincinnati basketball team.

UC, which has forced an average of 23 turnovers this season, has made a living off its full-court press. The Bearcats have no intention of changing their approach against Marquette tonight at the Bradley Center just because Diener is such a formidable presence.

"We're going to press everybody," UC coach Bob Huggins said, "so we'll find out (how he handles it). That's what we have to do to be what we want to be."

Diener averages 17.5 points and leads Conference USA in assists (6.1 per game) and free throw shooting (86.0 percent). He is the heart of this Marquette team.

"We're just going to pressure (Diener) the whole game and make him work for everything he gets," UC guard Field Williams said.

The Golden Eagles have other weapons in 6-foot-10 center Scott Merritt (11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds) and 6-10 forward Steve Novak (12.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 40.2 percent from 3-point range), but everything Marquette does revolves around Diener.

"They're really dependent on Diener being involved in about 90 percent of what they do handling the ball," UC associate head coach Dan Peters said, "and if they take him off the point, they usually have Merritt handling it and Diener coming off a screen. They do a good job of trying to get their mismatches with Merritt, Diener and Novak."

The Bearcats know what they have to do to win this game. Slowing Diener is just part of it. UC, which has not been a proficient rebounding team, also must hold its own on the boards against a team that outrebounds its opponents by 6.2 per game compared with UC's 4.0.

"They try to box out on every possession," Peters said. "They make a very conscious effort every time a shot goes up to get a body on somebody. They play team defense, and they team rebound."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com