Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, the pre-Madness edition. Here are some quick thoughts to help you pass these last few hours before Bracket-mania takes over your life.

SILVER LINING? Many Marquette fans were devastated by the team's loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament, particularly those Time Warner Cable customers who didn't get to see the final thrilling minute due to a test of the Emergency Alert System.

Still, the loss may end up being a good thing for the Golden Eagles.

After pounding St. John's and recovering from a brutal first half against a tough 'Nova squad, Marquette got an extra day of rest and should enter the tournament with a high level of confidence. Maurice Acker found his three-point stroke, Jimmy Butler continues to show improvement and the team appears to be recovering from the Dominic James injury in time for the first weekend of the tourney.

A victory over Villanova, if followed by an expected loss to Louisville, wouldn't have helped Marquette's tournament seeding significantly.

The primary concerns for coach Buzz Williams - McNeal seems to be forcing things a bit. And, the Golden Eagles can't afford to go a half without contributions from Lazar Hayward and Wes Matthews. And foul trouble could again be a problem.

One of the primary concerns for Marquette, though, is something nobody thought would be an issue - the play of senior leader and all-time leading scorer Jerel McNeal.

Ever since James went down, McNeal seems to be forcing things a bit. His miscues at the end of the Villanova game - a questionable three-point attempt, a forced drive with too much time on the shot clock (even though he probably was fouled) and a defensive lapse that led to the winning layup - are not what Golden Eagles expect from a "money" player like McNeal, whose display of mental toughness over the past four years has been nothing short of astonishing.

Maybe he's suffering fatigue. More likely, it's a combination of fatigue and the absence of his backcourt buddy. Without James breaking down defenses, McNeal is getting the ball further away from the basket and drawing more defensive attention. If he relaxes and hits some early jumpers in the tournament, he could settle in and be his usual, productive self. If he doesn't, though, things could get nasty.

WAS IT WORTH IT? A few of our friends watched Syracuse outlast UConn in a six-overtime battle and came away wondering, "Was that the greatest college hoops game ever played?"

It was great theater, to be sure, but we came away thinking "There are two teams that might be too burned out to make a run to the Final Four."

That game made us consider the utility of conference tournaments in general. Both Syracuse and UConn were locks to make the NCAA tournament regardless of what transpired at Madison Square Garden.

The same was true for Oklahoma and Kansas and other teams. Conference tournaments have devolved into a "last chance" for teams that didn't play well in the regular season to improve their standing or win an automatic berth.

It makes you wonder if they are worth the trouble. As long as the networks are buying, the conferences will keep selling.

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