Anyone manage to sneak in?
Marquette and Kansas State staged a unique high-profile scrimmage Sunday in Manhattan, Kan. Usually these scrimmages are held with local teams, or at least comparable mid-major teams. Most high-majors can't afford to lose an exhibition gate from playing a scrimmage (schools can't charge, let alone have any fans or media come to the event under NCAA rules), but Marquette coach Tom Crean and Kansas State coach Bob Huggins got together to help each other's team prepare for the season. Crean said Tuesday that Huggins has a similar team to the ones Huggins coached at Cincinnati. Crean said the Wildcats played with the type of intensity he was familiar with when he went against Huggins in Conference USA. "There was a lot of competitive spirit between the two teams," Crean said. "They were a tough, physical and aggressive bunch. He's an excellent coach. This was such a great thing." The compliments were flowing from the other side, too. Kansas State assistant coach Frank Martin said Crean's sophomore guards (Dominic James, Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal) were as good as any in the country, especially James. He told K-State guards Blake Young and Jermaine Maybank that they won't play against a better guard than James. Martin saw Dan Fitzgerald as a key member of the Golden Eagles. He's not Steve Novak -- a catch-and-shoot guy -- but rather someone who can handle the dribble drive well. The Golden Eagles' weakness is inside, with 6-10 Ousmane Barro a critical performer, but getting strong wing Lazar Hayward eligible last Friday was a turning point for Marquette in the preseason. Crean said Hayward still isn't in game condition, since he missed the preseason conditioning program while he was trying to get eligible, but the 6-6 freshman can still get to the basket and board. "He'll impact us," Crean said. "He's key for us and we've just got to get him so he has a feel for what we're doing." Scrimmages are going on around the country at all levels, like Ohio-Boston College and Siena-Hartford, but none were as high-profile -- and maybe as productive -- as Marquette-Kansas State.
