The Edge

Coach: Buzz Williams, one year at Marquette, one year in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: At-large bid. West first round: def. No. 11 seed Utah State 58-57.

They'll keep winning if ...: Missouri doesn't feature one player the Golden Eagles have to stop, but it's interior scorers will make coach Buzz Williams cock an eye in reviewing game film. Contrary to the first-round result, Marquette realizes it cannot advance if McNeal, Matthews and Hayward all don't play well. The Golden Eagles can't afford for their stars to have an off night, because there isn't much of a bench behind sixth man Jimmy Butler to back them up. It also needs to focus for 40 minutes on the defensive end, a problem in recent weeks and exacerbated by the loss of James, one of the team's premier on-the-ball defenders.

Memorable moment: The most positive moment Golden Eagles fans will remember may be the early December win over Wisconsin, the second consecutive win over its local Big Ten rival for a team that's struggled against the Badgers in the recent past. Sadly, however, the two most recent memorable moments were negative; Dominic James breaking his foot against Connecticut and seeing his storied Golden Eagles career end early, and Villanova's Dwayne Anderson eliminating Marquette from the Big East tournament with a layup at the buzzer.

Go-to guys: Marquette spent much of the year counting on its big four players to take on most of the scoring load, and McNeal, Matthews, Hayward and Dominic James obliged. With James out for the season, that increases the pressure on the other three.

Jerel McNeal

McNeal has rewritten the school record book and is one of the top 3-point shooters in the country as well as an excellent defender, with Hayward providing the team's inside offense. Jimmy Butler is the sixth man, but has taken on a bigger role with James gone and led the team with 19 points in the Big East tournament loss to Villanova.

Strengths: The Golden Eagles don't have much depth, but the guys they toss out there for the tipoff can make up for a lot of that. When McNeal gets hot, he can make threes from anywhere on the court and pile up points in a hurry. Marquette's top three scorers, McNeal, Matthews and Hayward each average more than 16 points per game, making the Golden Eagles one of four teams in the country with a trio that proficient.

Weaknesses: Marquette really misses James. Not only is the team paper-thin without him, it's also not as good defensively. It can't afford to have any of its three key players -- Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews or Lazar Hayward -- get in foul trouble. McNeal and Matthews in particular have to play within themselves and not try to do James' job as well as their own, or they start to struggle.

Coach: Billy Gillispie, first year at Kentucky, first year in NCAA Tournament.

How they got here: At-large berth.

Memorable moment: The big question after Patrick Patterson, the team's leading rebounder and No. 2 scorer, was diagnosed with a stress fracture was how the Wildcats would respond. They answered that by controlling the game at Tennessee. Despite losing by 63-60, the Wildcats showed they weren't going to disappear simply because of the loss of Patterson for the rest of the season.

Ramel Bradley

Go-to guys: Ramel Bradley has had a remarkable senior season and is a calming presence in end-game situations. Joe Crawford, another senior, can get you 20 or more if his shot is falling. Both players can shoot the three. Perry Stevenson, a little-known sophomore, has stepped up in Patterson's absence and is capable of a double-double, plus he gives Kentucky a shot-blocking threat inside.

They'll keep winning if: Keeping Marquette's penetrating guards in front of you isn't easy. Kentucky strives to control the tempo by avoiding turnovers. Stevenson also will be a big key inside. He doesn't have to have a double-double, but he does have to be a threat. Bradley and Crawford also will have to avoid foul trouble and stay on the court for close to 40 minutes.

Strengths: Kentucky is one of the SEC's best defensive teams, holding opponents to under 40-percent shooting on the season. The Wildcats were the second-best shooting team in the league for the regular season, including attempts from 3-point range, and they were second in free-throw shooting. Their biggest asset may be in intangibles, where they simply have the ability to come with big plays while putting bad plays behind them. Bradley and Crawford never give up. They are resilient, and it's a contagious trait. After losing by a record 41 points at Vanderbilt, the Wildcats won their next four games.

Weaknesses: The Wildcats were at the bottom of the league in turnover margin in and ranked 11th against conference opponents. They were in the middle of the pack in rebounding against SEC opponents. If an opponent can force the tempo and get an early jump, the Wildcats figure to struggle in the game of catch-up.

Despite being declared out for the season after breaking a bone in his foot less than a month ago, Marquette's Dominic James has been cleared to play in this second-round matchup vs. Missouri. It's tough to say what it means because we don't know how much he'll play or how rusty he might be. Rest assured, whether James is on the court or not, Missouri will throw everything but the kitchen sink at the Golden Eagles. While both teams are keyed by their aggressive defenses, the Tigers are stronger inside, which should give them a rebounding edge, and go deeper on the bench, which should prove useful in wearing down the Golden Eagles.