Marquette coach Tom Crean isn't about to get caught up in last Sunday's victory over Wake Forest.

He refuses to think about Saturday's showdown with Louisville, the first of two meetings with this one in Milwaukee. He was just focusing in on Wednesday's game at DePaul.

This is the ultimate example of "coachspeak.'' But the reality is the win over Wake Forest was huge for Marquette, whether those in Milwaukee want to admit it or not.

	Dwayne Wade scored 18 points in Marquette's win over Wake Forest.

So, too, is Saturday's game against Louisville.

Marquette has been a regular in the top 25 this season. Dwyane Wade has become a name to know this season. He's a player of the year candidate and in a dandy race with Louisville's Reece Gaines for Conference USA player of the year.

But the Eagles, save a win at Cincinnati on Feb. 1, hadn't grabbed the spotlight like they did Sunday -- and like they could Saturday against Louisville.

Marquette had its slump, losing late at Dayton and then at East Carolina. But since then the Eagles have ripped off nine straight wins. Their defense has been sensational by holding seven of the nine opponents to under 70 points. Three teams scored under 60, including East Carolina, which scored only 48 points in the second meeting and DePaul, which posted only 51 points in the first meeting in Milwaukee.

"None of us are going to get caught up in what has been said,'' Crean said. "We've been doing a good job over the past month. This was a great game to see where we stood at the particular time. We felt like played against a team (that) legitimately could play in New Orleans.''

There was a time, early in the season, when Marquette was one of those teams, too. Maybe they will be again. If Wade continues to be a superstar, anything is possible. But the defensive effort the Eagles got against Wake Forest and the dominant play the Eagles gave inside with Robert Jackson (19 points and 11 rebounds) and Scott Merritt (16 and nine) means Marquette (18-3, 9-1 in Conference USA American Division) has the balance to last into March.

"There was no philosophical statement out of this game,'' Crean said. "We're not going to jump ahead of ourselves here. We're just focusing on February.''

OK, OK, so you're not going to say that this team can go deep into the NCAAs. That's fine. But the truth is Marquette needed the win over Wake Forest to remind itself that it can be a factor in March. The Eagles had the win over Villanova in November in New York, the win over Wisconsin in December, but they needed one in February to give them a barometer. Television obliged with a regional ABC non-conference game, something that hadn't happened during the Conference USA season under Crean. Those type of games are usually reserved for Cincinnati (the Bearcats played Oklahoma State in one Sunday, too) and now Louisville.

"The nationally televised game made it seem as if all of a sudden we've done something,'' Crean said. "But we've had a great approach all year.''

	"	There was no philosophical statement out of this game, We're not going to jump ahead of ourselves here. We're just focusing on February. "
		— Marquette coach Tom Crean on the Eagles' 68-61 win over Wake Forest on Sunday.

Wade was euphoric Sunday, scoring his 1000th career point and saluting a frenzied crowd. His enthusiasm was at an all-time high and Crean said he was focused at both ends of the court. That's not rare but clearly he was even more driven Sunday than normal.

He'll have to be for Saturday's matchup against Louisville and Gaines.

"He's really showing that he can move the ball on offense and he has had to deal with the fact that every gameplan focuses on trying to guard him,'' Crean said. "It's a heck of a responsibility for him. But he's taken his game up another notch. So, has our whole team.''

If they continue to play with passion, defend on the perimeter, get balance inside and out then the Eagles should be a factor in March. And if the audience watching thought there was a wild atmosphere at the Bradley Center against Wake Forest, just wait for Rick Pitino and the Cardinals to come calling.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.