1. Vander Blue:

Everything for the Golden Eagles tonight comes down to the way their 6-foot-5 junior guard leads them. Blue struggled for most of the game against Davidson, and Marquette nearly fell victim to a No. 14 seed. But it didn’t, because Blue turned it on late and made the winning shot. Blue outplayed Rotnei Clarke Saturday against Butler, scoring 29 points and hitting an enormous three-pointer late in the game to push Marquette into the Sweet 16. Tonight, Blue will draw a whole lot of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Durand Scott. Scott matches Blue in height and athleticism and will hound Blue all game long. Blue will need to establish himself early on for Marquette to succeed, and if Scott can rattle him, it could be a long night offensively for the Golden Eagles.

2. Attack the paint:

With Miami senior center Reggie Johnson out with a knee injury, the Hurricanes lose a significant body inside. Johnson hasn’t been a factor offensively lately, averaging less than two points per game in his last six, but he rebounds and defends the post well. With him out, Miami will rely heavily on Kenny Kadji and Julian Gamble down low. Marquette needs to work the ball into the post to Davante Gardner or Chris Otule on almost every possession and Blue and Junior Cadougan need to attack the basket instead of settling for outside jumpers. The Golden Eagles are still the worst three-point shooting team in the tournament. They need to score how they score best: down low and in transition.

3. Wear Miami down:

In its last two games, Marquette has struggled in the first half. They trailed Butler by eight points at the half, and shot under 30 percent in both tournament showdowns. Buzz Williams plays up to 11 different players with regularity. Miami, however, only have six regulars available without Johnson. Marquette will need to hang with the ‘Canes for the first 30 minutes of the game. In the final 10 minutes, all of Marquette’s preparation and off-season conditioning work (boot camp) should kick in. If the Golden Eagles keep it close, they could pull away late and win another nail-biter.