FACTS & STATS: Site: Honda Center (17,600) -- Anaheim, California. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: Kentucky 98-43, Marquette 32-26. Series Record: Kentucky leads, 7-6.

GAME NOTES: Considered a disastrous season even before the SEC schedule began, the Kentucky Wildcats somehow made it into the 70th annual NCAA Tournament and will face off against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round of the event this afternoon at the Honda Center in Anaheim. One of the most-storied programs in all of college basketball, Kentucky, the 11th seed in the South Region, is in the NCAA Tournament for a record 48th time as it searches for an eighth national title. The start to the 2007-08 campaign had the squad reeling however, after suffering a loss to tiny Gardner Webb by 16 points at home. Four straight losses to open the month of December also set the program back on its heels, but even with a loss to Georgia during the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in overtime, the 'Cats still managed to make the cut for the Big Dance. As for the Golden Eagles, who are 32-26 in the tournament and captured the trophy back in 1977, they were at the opposite end of the spectrum with just a single loss through the start of the new year. Marquette managed to bounce back after a loss to Syracuse in the regular season finale, with wins against Seton Hall and Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament, but the run ended versus eventual champ Pittsburgh last Friday night, 68-61. Marquette, the sixth seed in the region, owns a 5-4 record versus the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament, most recently dismissing Kentucky in the round of eight back in 2003 with an 83-69 decision to move on to the Final Four. However, when it comes to overall meetings between the teams, Kentucky still clings to a 7-6 edge. The Wildcats have an official record of 98-43 in the tournament after taking into consideration NCAA sanctions that nullified a number of games. The winner of this game comes back on Saturday to face the winner of the Cornell/Stanford contest in the second round.

Of the three double-digit scorers listed for the Wildcats, only two are going to be active for this game, with Patrick Patterson out with a stress fracture in left ankle. That leaves Joe Crawford as the primary go-to guy in scoring situations after he led the program with 17.3 ppg this season. Ramel Bradley, who made more free throws (138-of-167) than anyone else on the squad attempted, adds 15.8 ppg to the attack. Responsible for more than four rebounds per game as well, Bradley accounted for team-highs of 97 assists and 48 steals as he played 35 minutes per game for Kentucky. The team looked sloppy at times, averaging a shade under 16 turnovers per contest, which in turn limited the unit to 68.6 ppg. However, holding opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting from the field resulted in a mere 65.3 ppg allowed.

One of two players to have started all 33 games for the Golden Eagles heading into the NCAA Tournament, Jerel McNeal maintained the top scoring average for the unit with his 14.3 ppg, but he was just one of four players hitting for double figures. Second on the unit with his 120 assists and among the top rebounders for Marquette with close to five per game, McNeal's value at the defensive end of the floor was tough to rival, with him recording a team-best 73 steals. Dominic James checked in with 13.0 ppg and a team-high 141 assists, not to mention 60 thefts to give the Golden Eagles one of the best defensive tandems in the Big East this season. Lazar Hayward, who was tied with James on the scoring list, spent a good portion of his time in the paint where he picked up six and a half rebounds per game. With a scoring average of almost 76 ppg, the Golden Eagles outscored the opposition by 11.5 ppg on average.

Having Patterson on the shelf is not a good sign for the Wildcats, but at least the team has had some extra time to rest after bowing out early in the SEC Tournament. That said, Kentucky will give the Golden Eagles a run for their money, but probably come up short nonetheless.

Predicted Outcome

Marquette 71, Kentucky 66