Slow news day. Nothing new trickling in from the Georgetown game and the UConn game isn't until sunday so there isn't much in the way of previews. But lets get to whats out there.

Bearcat News

Gates back on top of his game: Bill Koch

Over his last three games – none of which he has started – Gates has averaged 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds.

"I’m just trying to get back to how I was playing before," Gates said. "I think trying to find my way is the reason I went through a lot of the things that I did. I think going through those things helped me find it and get my head back right so that I can go out there and play hard and help my team."

I think it is time for me to admit that I may have jumped the gun on young Mr. Gates. Perhaps

Cincinnati looks to finish strong: Cincinnati.com

"Coach has been telling us, 'you guys have got to keep playing,' " said junior guard Dion Dixon, 'just keep playing. Don’t let up.' So that’s what we did."

"We’ve been working towards this point," said UC coach Mick Cronin. "We had a lot of tough games early in the conference schedule on the road. We probably weren’t ready as a group to win those games yet. We weren’t playing hard enough for 40 minutes. We’re to a point now where we’re getting 40 minutes of toughness out there and our defense is consistent."

From walk on to NFL Combine: Butch Jones Blog

You really have to admire Jason Kelce and the way that he has conducted himself as a Bearcat

Big East News

Marquette 74 UConn 67: The UConn blog

When you haven't figured out how to attack a zone defense 27 games into a season, you shouldn't expect to beat a team that plays zone.

When you don't play with any energy for the final 15 minute stretch at the end of the first half, you shouldn't expect to win.

When you don't take advantage of a team starting the second half 2-for-19 from the field, you shouldn't expect to win.

And yet, here UConn was on Thursday night, leading 59-57 with 31 seconds to play, with the ball in the hands of its superstar point guard, a 5-second differential in the shot clock the only thing standing between the Huskies and their 21st win of the season.

Finally: Anonymous Eagle

The beautiful thing about playing basketball in the Big East Conference is that a team is constantly presented with opportunities to pick up valuable wins against top level opposition.  So far this season YOUR Marquette Golden Eagles have had six chances to knock off a ranked opponent on the road, but had yet to manage to close the deal.  Tonight they went to Hartford to take on the Jim Calhoun-less  No. 14/15 UConn Huskies with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance.  This was the final chance to put a quality road win on the resume.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  And I do mean the last minute.

Reading This Will Make You Smarter

Chris Dale: The Telegraph

In 2003 he climbed what he believed to be Britain's last unclimbed mountain, a rocky pinnacle called Dun Dubh – Gaelic for black fort – on the Quiraing mountains on the Isle of Skye. Lying two miles off the tourist path, the 1,000ft face took Dale an hour to ascend. "If you slipped, you would fall to the bottom," he reported afterwards. "It's quite precipitous. The rock is absolutely atrocious."

Besides mountains, Dale's other passion was women's clothing. On one occasion he was in drag when introduced to a Frenchman as "Chris Dale". The Frenchman misheard "Crystal", and the name for Dale's alter ego stuck.

Oh, Britain. Does your repression know no bounds?