Gardner's Return Remains Uncertain By Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel

"When will Davante Gardner return from injury?"

That seems to be the most frequently asked question where the Golden Eagles are concerned these days and it's one that has no definite answer.

There seems to be an air of cautious optimism that the sophomore forward will be able to play Saturday against Cincinnati at the Bradley Center. But if he can't play in that one, there will be an entire week to get Gardner ready to play in the next game, at Connecticut. He continues to be evaluated on a game-to-game basis.


In the meantime, the Golden Eagles keep plugging along with what they have, and with some of the starters logging some big minutes. They have won two of the three games that Gardner has missed with a left-knee sprain.

"I handle injuries probably different than most coaches," said coach Buzz Williams. "We don't make a big deal about it. We don't have a pow-wow. Or a kumbaya meeting. He's hurt and we still have to play."

The Golden Eagles could have used Gardner Monday at DePaul, just to help spread out the minutes if nothing else as Jae Crowder and Jamil Wilson played 39 minutes each and Darius Johnson-Odom played 38.

Marquette is definitely playing some small ball with the 6-7 Wilson starting in place of the 6-8, 290-pound Gardner.

"We're playing seven guys 6-6 and under," said Williams. "(Wilson) is 6-7 with shoes on. He's not 6-7 with shoes off. That's hard. It's really hard."

Gardner can put the ball in the basket but the Golden Eagles mustered up enough scoring to put 89 points on the board in their 13-point, up tempo victory over DePaul. Five Golden Eagles scored in double figures including Johnson-Odom who led the team with 23 points, and Wilson who posted career highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds.

But Marquette needed Gardner's rebounding presence against DePaul, especially in the first half when the Blue Demons punished the Golden Eagles on the boards. DePaul had a 22-12 rebounding advantage in the first half, and went over, around and through the Golden Eagles to grab 10 offensive rebounds which led to a 10-0 edge in second-chance points. DePaul, which sank 5 three-pointers, led by three points at halftime.

But it was a different story in the second half as DePaul got its hands on only one more offensive rebound, scored no second-chance points, and made one more three. Marquette was much more assertive on the boards in the second half as that's when Jae Crowder had nine of his 11 rebounds, Wilson snared seven of his rebounds, and Marquette held a 23-10 edge on the glass.

Wilson has filled in well - very well, Monday - as a starter in place of Gardner.

"I thought he was the hardest-playing guy on the floor from start to finish," said Williams. "He's our most talented player. It's just his talent does not always show. I thought he was outstanding."

Marquette made 22 of 23 free throws against DePaul with Crowder accounting for the only miss.

"I'll make sure Jae runs for that," said Williams.