By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jason Maxiell is primed and ready to go. The University of Cincinnati forward still had his sprained ankle taped for practice Tuesday but said he's close to 100 percent and looking forward to the Bearcats' biggest test of the season tonight at No. 5 Louisville.

"To me," UC's leading scorer and rebounder said, "this will make us feel like we get our respect. My friends, they don't see us on TV or ESPN. It's always Duke or UConn."

LEAGUE EMPHASIS: The winner of tonight's game between UC and Louisville, the last two unbeaten teams in the league, will gain a leg up on the rest of Conference USA for the regular-season championship.

That might be more important for UC than it is for a lot of other schools in an era when a team's performance in the NCAA Tournament is so heavily emphasized. The Bearcats have won seven of the eight regular-season titles C-USA has offered.

"That's why you play the regular season," Huggins said. "When you've won it as much as we've won it here, naturally the guys take a lot of pride in it. It's something guys talk about all the time, so they hear it so much."

TOP 10 CLASH: UC and Louisville have played each other 81 times in basketball, but tonight's game is only the second time both teams have been ranked in the top 10 at the time of their meeting.

In 1996-97, Louisville was ranked eighth and UC ninth. Louisville won that game 81-70 at Louisville.

DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE? UC averages 83.6 points and Louisville 80.1 a game, but UAB coach Mike Anderson thinks tonight's game will be decided by defense.

"I think it will be close, and as much as both teams like to score, I think it will be a defensive battle," Anderson said.

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com