Big game tonight in Milwaukee, as No. 8 Marquette squares off against No. 2 Connecticut. Dickie-V and the ESPN crew are in town for a game that will have a huge impact on NCAA Tournament rankings (and positioning in the Big East Conference standings) for both teams.

Also on the line? Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun’s 800^th win. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Home sweet home

Marquette is unbeaten at home since a loss to Georgetown last season (17 straight games). And it’s been close to impossible to win on the road in the Big East (ahem, Pittsburgh). Except, that is, for the Huskies who are 12-0 away from home this season (8-0 in true road games).

Injury factor

Calhoun hasn’t been shy about admitting that his team misses injured guard Jerome Dyson (torn ACL). Dyson was averaging 13.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg and would have posed an interesting matchup for one of Marquette’s three starting guards.

Stopping Marquette

Something has to give tonight as Marquette boasts the top scoring offense in the Big East (80.0 ppg) and Connecticut sports the best scoring defense in the conference (60.0 ppg).

The key for Connecticut to stop the Golden Eagles will be to limit turnovers, and get back on defense. When Marquette can force steals and get out in transition they can pile up points in a hurry.

The Huskies will  also need to focus on perimeter defense, and might not want to resort to funneling guards Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dominic James toward all-everything center Hasheem Thabeet – all three guards are talented finishers with a knack for drawing fouls.

We’ll have more from this one as we go.