NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 5, Louisville

Charles Rich — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Louisville

This week, FanHouse is taking a way too early look at the top teams heading into 2007 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. It's a time-honored filler for the off-season, and who are we to buck tradition? Today we look at teams 5 through 1.

So much talent in the Louisville frontcourt. So much to fear of injury. Forward Derrick Caracter finally had the proverbial switch go off in the second-half after near-exile from the team. Poised as he was to carry that into this coming season, he had to have off-season surgery to repair a cartilage tear in the left knee. There's David Padgett, gutting it out inside, with questions about whether his knees will make it through the game. Juan Palacios always seems to be battling foot injuries. Earl Clark should just avoid hanging out with all of them, as should incoming power forward George Goode.

The talent, but not the injury fears, in the backcourt is almost as impressive. Edgar Sosa had a trial by fire running the point as a freshman. Naturally, there was some up-and-down performances, but Louisville should benefit tremendously this season. Jerry Smith began to emerge in the second half. Losing Brandon Jenkins's steadiness hurts, but Preston Knowles will help stretch the defenses.

This is a Rick Pitino team, so of course, they will play a suffocating defense. The guards, especially are fast and don't provide space to shoot. And if a player tries to go inside, that frontcourt is there to alter and block shots. Things came together during the second-half last year, and there is no reason not to think the momentum won't carry into this season.

Why they should be ranked here: They are one of two teams expected to win the Big East, so being in the top-5 makes sense.

Why they should be ranked higher: The talent level is higher than it was a few years ago when Pitino took Louisville to the Final Four. There is a better mix of maturity and experience with the number of true freshmen who played last season and now have a much better sense of what to do in Pitino's system. Then, there is the fact that this is a Rick Pitino coached team. He has proven repeatedly to be one of the best college coaches.

Why they should be ranked lower: Injuries. Louisville has been dealing with a slew of them for the last two years. They even went into this summer with Derrick Caracter needing surgery.

Premature Hoops BlogPoll: No. 5, Louisville originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Assistant to Get "Freaky Wit Me"

Charles Rich — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:09:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Louisville

Rick Pitino doesn't waste time with a lot of interviews and searching when an assistant leaves. With Marvin Menzies taking over at New Mexico State, Pitino announced the hiring of his replacement almost immediately. Say hello to Walter McCarty, a player on Pitino's Kentucky squad and a couple years playing for Pitino with the Boston Celtics.

Blah, blah, blah. Member of the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats national championship team. 19th pick overall by the New York Knicks. Another former Kentucky player working for Pitino in Louisville Ten years in the NBA. Uh-huh.

What really matters is that McCarty loves to sing. He's sung the national anthem numerous times before basketball games -- get ready, Freedom Hall.

Mike at Card Chronicle, found his 2003 debut album, Moment for Love.

According to the liner notes:

Moment For Love is the debut album by Boston Celtics superstar Walter McCarty This album features an eclectic mix of retro R&B and up-tempo dance tracks inspired by the fun and laid back music of the late 80's and the early 90's

The album features the title track, along with "Freaky Wit Me," "Love You the Right Way," and "It's On Tonight." You can here samples of the tracks here or here.

Louisville Assistant to Get "Freaky Wit Me" originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shocking Confession: Sports Writer Admits Live Blogging College Basketball

Michael David Smith — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:59:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, Louisville, College Sports

Louisville Courier-Journal sports writer Brian Bennett was kicked out of an NCAA baseball game on Sunday because he was blogging about the game live, which the NCAA says is a violation of its policies.

But now it turns out that this horrible trend of journalists using the Internets to provide fans with information about NCAA sporting events is more widespread than previously known. One of Bennett's colleagues at the Courier-Journal, Eric Crawford, confesses today that he blogged during the NCAA basketball tournament's three Lexington regional games.

I know ignorance is no excuse, but that's what I'm pleading. I was naive enough to think that the NCAA actually wanted exposure for college sports.

Yes, that is pretty naive. I hope someone at the NCAA reads what Steve Johnson of the Chicago Tribune has to say, as Johnson makes a point that is probably obvious to everyone except the NCAA:

Bennett's writing was in no way competition to the official telecast or radio cast. No college baseball fan would choose reading a blog over watching or listening to the thing itself.

You'd think that would go without saying, but you get the feeling that the NCAA will need to hear it said many times before the message gets through.

Previously at FanHouse:
NCAA Violating Common Sense, if Not First Amendment
When Dealing With Online Rights, Bloggers Are in a Gray Area
NCAA Clashes With Louisville Paper on Baseball Blog
NCAA Kicks Blogger Out of Baseball Game

Shocking Confession: Sports Writer Admits Live Blogging College Basketball originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East APR is Right Around the Average

Charles Rich — Fri, 04 May 2007 10:53:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Pittsburgh Basketball, Connecticut Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Seton Hall Basketball, Cincinnati Basketball, Notre Dame Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia

According to the NCAA, if it wasn't for the "squad size adjustments" to the APR results this year, 43.6% of the Division 1 basketball programs would be under the Academic Progrees Rate (APR) this year (PDF, page 5). The Big East is a team worse than that average as 8 of the 16 basketball programs are under the 925 minimum score. The rankings are still incomplete as the APR is to be based on a rolling 4-year rankings, and this is only year three. Teams that are right around 900 are not penalized as there are "squad sized adjustments" to the figures. The NCAA expects that teams around 900 will reach the 925 floor by next year.

Villanova 993
Notre Dame 977
Georgetown 970
Syracuse 948
Rutgers 943
Providence 938
UConn 934
Marquette 927
Seton Hall 921*
Louisville 920*
WVU 915*
St. John's 909*
Pitt 907*
USF 898*
DePaul 893*
Cinci 838**

Cincinnati was penalized one scholarship for not even being close to the confidence level of the APR. Cinci apparently anticipated this, as they have not used all 13 of their allotted scholarships. While the blame will fall largely on former coach Bob Huggins, Cinci was really hurt by the firing of Huggins and the subsequent quitting and transfers of players afterwards.

DePaul could be at some risk since both Sammy Mejia and Wilson Chandler withdrew from school to focus on the draft. That will hurt them for retention points. It isn't about graduating, it's about finishing the semesters.

USF doesn't seem too concerned. Despite the firing of their coach this spring, there are no reports of players leaving or in academic problems.

Pitt feels it was thisclose this year. One player, Julius Page, finally graduated, but because he left for a couple semesters while trying to make the NBA, he didn't count in the score.

The Johnnies are a big question mark as they have lost a couple players this season. They appeared to be getting close after digging out from the mess Mike Jarvis made of things. This issue, may actually work in Coach Norm Roberts' favor to keep his job past next year. St. John's looks like it will be very close to the APR minimum. Firing Roberts could create more transfers and players leaving. Giving the school another black eye.

West Virginia will be fine for next year. It's the future with Bob Huggins in charge that will bear the closer scrutiny.

Louisville is in fine shape to be right in line by next year. The same can be said for Seton Hall. Both schools are very close.

Previously on Fanhouse:
APR Reports Generate Anxiety and Relief

Big East APR is Right Around the Average originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 04 May 2007 10:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could Rick Pitino Really Stay Put for Six More Years?

Michael David Smith — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:04:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Louisville

Rick Pitino is the type of guy who will never settle down ... he's a wanderer, yeah a wanderer, he roams around around around. So I feel a little bit skeptical when I read that he's signed a contract extension that should keep him as Louisville's men's basketball coach until 2013.

The longest Pitino has ever stayed in one place was the eight years he spent at Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Wildcats, he was an assistant with Hawaii, Syracuse and the Knicks, and head coach at Boston University, Providence and the Knicks. At every stop he had one eye on his own team and one eye on the next job opening, culminating with his decision to leave Kentucky to coach the Celtics.

Then again, the experience with the Celtics seemed to change Pitino. Maybe he really is done hopping from job to job and is planning to finish his career at Louisville. With three more seasons there, he'll have coached Louisville longer than he coached Kentucky. He might make it three more years at Louisville, but I don't think he'll make it six. By the time this latest contract extension expires, Louisville will be someplace else.

Could Rick Pitino Really Stay Put for Six More Years? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 04 May 2007 09:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas A&M Survives Hostile Crowd and Announcers

Charles Rich — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 18:34:00 EST

Filed under: Texas A&M Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Louisville, Texas A&M

I don't blame Texas A&M fans if they feel the CBS crew of ~~Ian Eagle~~ Dan Bonnor and Gus Johnson were totally in the tank for Louisville and Rick Pitino. From the harsh bitter laughter halfway through the second half when Texas A&M threw the ball away while being pressed; to the way too excited response every time Edgar Sosa even held the ball. I say this as a Big East guy, it bordered on pathetic. It's part of why opposing teams hate Pitino's teams. The announcers love talking to him and just love his teams by extension.

This game, though,was as good as expected. Both teams were going at it the entire game. No separation for either team the entire game. Edgar Sosa won the battle of the guards over Acie Law IV, but Law won the war with a 72-69 win.

Sosa had been tremendous, but after 15-15 from the free throw line, he bricked 2 that could have given the lead with under a minute. He finished with 31 points and was the man that kept Louisville in this as Caracter and Padgett were inconsequential from inside.

Acie Law IV was excellent with 26 points but got more help from Kirk and Jones. The Aggies got through a game they could easily have lost in what was essentially a road game for them.

Texas A&M Survives Hostile Crowd and Announcers originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 17 Mar 2007 18:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino on Playing In Lexington: 'It's Meaningless'

Michael David Smith — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:12:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Louisville

The general consensus on Selection Sunday was that the committee screwed the Big East. There's a lot to be said for that, but there is one way in which it's a first-round opponent of a Big East team that feels like it's getting the short end of the stick: ~~Stanford~~ Texas A&M, a 3 seed, has to cross half the continent to get to Lexington, Kentucky, to likely take on Louisville in the second round, which is located just 75 miles down the road.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino, however, said during his press conference today that the argument that his team is getting an advantage is bogus. "You guys are making such a big deal of that," Pitino told reporters. "To me, that's bizarre.... It's meaningless."

Pitino noted that when he coached at Providence in 1987, his team had to play against UAB in the tournament -- on UAB's home court. "We won by 28, so the fans didn't matter too much," Pitino said.

I think Pitino is overstating things a bit: It certainly can't hurt to be close to home, and I'll be shocked if the crowd doesn't have a significantly pro-Louisville sentiment. But I agree with Pitino that it gets a little tiresome that it's now Wednesday and people are still asking about the decisions the committee made on Sunday. The three days between the brackets coming out and the games tipping off aren't as bad as the two weeks off before the Super Bowl, but I'm ready for the games to start already.

Rick Pitino on Playing In Lexington: 'It's Meaningless' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Louisville Cardinals

Charles Rich — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Louisville

Conference: Big East
Record: 23-9, 12-4 in conference
RPI: 37
How They Got In: At-large
Seed/Bracket: 6/South (San Antonio)

Mascot: Cardinal. The State Bird of Kentucky is the Cardinal (as it is for North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia -- just a swath straight across the US of states with the same bird) . So there you go with the connection. Louisville also wants you to know that the specific color red is PMS 485.

Big Wins: Knocking off Pitt in the Pete. It got everyone's attention about the Cardinals and was vital to the hot streak that got them into the NCAA Tournament.

Notable Loss: It was in December, when it raised serious questions about the overall status of Louisville with a loss at home to UMass.

Player You Should Know: The Cardinals are a balanced team that gets contributions from everyone. In such cases, the player to know is the point guard. In this case, Freshman Edgar Sosa. As he goes, so goes Louisville. In the double-OT win over WVU, Pitino praised Sosa for being a NYC Point Guard; but in the loss to Pitt in the Big East Tournament Semifinal he got pulled and Pitino explained it after the game (PDF):

Q. Sosa out, talk about the way he played?

RICK PITINO: I didn't think he was playing too well. That's why I kept him out.

Q. What was he not doing?

RICK PITINO: He was not making other people better.

Outlook: Louisville is fully capable of making it to the Sweet 16, with the way they have been playing. It's been improvement all season for the Cardinals and before the loss in the Big East Tournament, they looked like they were peaking at exactly the right time. Getting beyond the Sweet 16 means that the loss was merely a hiccup, and they can keep their emotions in check.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Louisville Cardinals originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WVU Will Miss the NCAA byThisMuch

Charles Rich — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:08:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville, West Virginia

They came close. Oh, so close tonight. They lost, though, and at this time of the year there are no "good losses." West Virginia is going to be sitting there on Selection Sunday, and be disappointed. They needed the win to get on the right side of the bubble.

It may have taken double-OT. They did have an astounding comeback, down by 17 in the second half and going on an 18-0 run to take a one point lead.

WVU should have, could have had the game in regulation. They took a 58-56 lead with 4.3 seconds left. Edgar Sosa took the inbounds and went coast-to-coast for the lay-up as the clock expired to tie the game. It was a tremendous effort by Sosa, especially when he split the defenders. It sure appeared that he traveled, though.

Len Elmore doing the color commentary for ESPN, declared as they watched the replay that Sosa "did not travel." There was, shall we say, a pregnant pause from Dan Shulman on that declaration. It also led to the following exchange between fellow Fanhouser Michael David Smith on IM.

Michael: "did not travel"?

me:The refs are over looking at a monitor I'm picturing this conversation after they confirm the clock.

"Boy, we really missed that walk."
"Yeah, but I wasn't going to call it at that point."
"I think Len Elmore just covered our asses."

Michael: Apparently if you play in an NBA arena, they call traveling like it's an NBA game.

Not that it matters. No one other than Mountaineer fans will be remembering this.

Just as maybe only Louisville fans will see a balancing of last year. Last year, Pitt appeared to have Louisville blown completely out. Louisville made a valiant comeback but fell short. This time, Louisville had the huge lead, blew it but got the win.

WVU Will Miss the NCAA byThisMuch originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Tournament Quarterfinals Late Action Preview

Charles Rich — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Pittsburgh Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Louisville Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville, Pittsburgh, West Virginia

Tonight has 3 teams playing for NCAA Tournament seed and 1 team trying to get on the right side of the bubble.

#7 WVU vs. #2 Louisville, 7pm
These two never faced each other this season. so there is even less information about this game. The Louisville defense is a clear advantage for Louisville, but with WVU the issue is always about whether they will be hitting their 3s. This should present a real challenge to Pitino and Louisville's young team. The way to minimize the 3s from WVU is to be very patient on defense to prevent the uncontested shot. They will keep the ball moving about trying to find the open shot. WVU is a bubble team still looking for quality wins. Especially quality wins that are on neutral or road. This would be a big one.

On defense for WVU, I just don't see the 1-3-1 zone being as much of a problem for Louisville since they have players that can attack the basket and go right inside. Unless the Cardinals get in early foul trouble or the officials call a lot of charges, Louisville should be in good shape.

Prediction: Unless the Mountaineers have a second straight night of hot 3-point shooting, Louisville should be able to take care of WVU. They present a tough match-up for WVU who will have to stay desperate.WVU playing yesterday should have little impact given their depth. Still, this will be Louisville's game.

#6 Marquette vs. #3 Pitt, 9pm
Marquette won both meetings this year plus the last game they played last year to make it 3 straight against Pitt. Every game the Golden Eagles play, it seems someone different steps up to help compensate for the loss of Jerel McNeal and the ongoing shooting woes of Dominic James. Last week against Pitt, David Cubillan stepped in with a career high 20 points. Yesterday night, Dan Fitzgerald who had scored 17 points in his prior 4 games dropped 20 on St. John's. Who's it going to be tonight? Ousmane Barro? Lazar Hayward?

For Pitt, the problems in the past month have been that the guards have struggled mightily. Beyond simply not shooting well -- and thus not opening things up inside for Aaron Gray as teams won't leave the double team -- they have not done well against more athletic, aggressive guards. This is a major reason why Marquette has won three straight against them.

Prediction: It's really hard to win three games in one season against another team (in part because it very rarely happens in college basketball), but it's hard not to pick Marquette. They had to work harder than expected against St. John's last night, but they are an athletic team that doesn't carry big bodies that lumber about. Fatigue shouldn't be an issue. Marquette has to be the pick until the Pitt guards show they can shoot against the quicker, defensive-minded Marquette guards.

Big East Tournament Quarterfinals Late Action Preview originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The De-Valued All-Big East

Charles Rich — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:41:00 EST

Look, I understand the Big East has 16 teams, and it can be hard to pick the best players for an All-Big East team, but to have a 1st team with 11 players is a joke. It may create some hard feelings (maybe) or may take a little more effort but if conferences with 12 members can have a 5-member or even 6-member All-conference squad, surely the Big East could at least limit it to a max of 8.

Instead there's this:

2006-07 All-BIG EAST First Team
*Jeff Green, Georgetown, Jr.
*Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, Jr.
Dominic James, Marquette, So.
Russell Carter, Notre Dame, Sr.
Colin Falls, Notre Dame, Sr.
*Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh, Sr.
*Herbert Hill, Providence, Sr.
Lamont Hamilton, St. John's, Sr.
*Demetris Nichols, Syracuse, Sr.
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova, Sr.
Frank Young, West Virginia, Sr.

The asterisk indicates a unanimous choice.

At least five of the choices were unanimous -- even if it was all forwards and centers. Not a particularly strong year in the Big East for guards.

That's ridiculous. There's a 10-member second team and 7 players listed for the "honorable mention."

The Big East designated 28 players as all-conference. That's 35% of the starters in the Big East being put among the "best" of the group. Clearly the Big East doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I'd say if you start in the Big East, you have to be pissed that you somehow didn't make the cut. They must really think you suck.

But wait, there's more. There's still the 11-member All-Rookie Team.
Witness:

BIG EAST All-Rookie Team
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, Fr.
*Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, Fr.
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, Fr.
DaJuan Summers, Georgetown, Fr.
Edgar Sosa, Louisville, Fr.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, Fr.
Tory Jackson, Notre Dame, Fr.
*Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall, Fr.
Paul Harris, Syracuse, Fr.
*Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, Fr.
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia, Fr.

If anything shows how devalued this "everybody gets in" approach is, it's seeing Hasheem Thabeet make this list. Yes, he's a major NBA prospect in time. Sure he's 7'3" and gets 6.4 rebounds a game. He also only scores 6.3 points/game and turns the ball over 1.6 times. That's actually being kind. In 16 Big East games his numbers are only 5.9 rebounds and 5.4 points. That's an all-rookie player?

He has tons of "upside," just by virtue of his size and build. He's nowhere close to being one of the best freshmen this year based on performance. It takes away from what players like Reynolds, Harvey, Dyson, Harangody, Sosa and Vaughn have done this season.

Look, the Big East is actually working at this point with 16 teams. Much to my surprise. Stop the amateur hour, though, and actually pick a real all-conference group. Bloggers were able to do it.

The De-Valued All-Big East originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Honors Handed Out

Charles Rich — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Notre Dame Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville, Pittsburgh

The Big East announced its individual honors at its banquet last night. There aren't any real surprises in the accolades.

Player of the Year, Jeff Green, Junior, Georgetown
Years from now, someone who never saw Green play this season, will look look at the numbers Jeff Green put up and wonder how he was named player of the year over Demetris Nichols of Syracuse and Herbert Hill of Providence. Green only averaged 13. 6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game. Those are nice numbers but don't seem too impressive. Hill and Nichols had more points. Nichols had comparable rebounds while Hill averaged nearly 3 more/game along with 3 blocks/game and had a better FG%.

Generally, I'm big on the numbers, but not this time. The thing Green has beyond a much more well rounded game (the assists) is his defense. He can shut guys down on the wing, perimeter or in the paint. He actually seems to like playing defense. He forces the other team to play away from him on offense.

There's also the belief that his numbers would be better in a different style. That may be true, but he wouldn't be nearly the more complete player that he is. His offensive game is so efficient, and he is a constant threat.

Coach of the Year, Mike Brey, Notre Dame
Coaches especially love giving this award to a fellow coach who is on the hot seat. Mike Brey was probably sitting on the hottest seat coming into the season in the Big East. This is not to say he didn't do a very good job and was undeserving. I'm just saying his job status made this a no-brainer for the coaches.

Brey did do a very good job. Little was expected from the Irish this season with only Colin Falls, an unproven Russell Carter and maybe Rob Kurz. They surprised everyone and still managed to keep winning even after losing starting point guard Kyle McAlarney to a dismissal for dope possession. The Irish may have struggled mightily on the road (a very common trend this season) but they were completely perfect at home this year, so that was a pretty good offset.

I would have gone with the job by Rick Pitino, considering the continual improvement of this team all season and overcoming a bunch of injuries and issues (even now, Juan Palacios is out with back spasms), but it isn't a gross injustice to go with Brey.

Defensive Player of the Year, Jerel McNeal, Marquette
This was fairly easy. He's a lockdown defender on the perimeter and averages 2.6 steals/game. When he has missed games for Marquette, their defense has clearly suffered and the high number of turnovers they usually generate drops noticeably.

Rookie of the Year, Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Duh.

Edgar Sosa at Louisville, Luke Harongody for Notre Dame, Eugene Harvey with Seton Hall, or even Jerome Dyson from UConn would be reasonable runner-ups. This award, though, was a lock. Reynolds has carried the Wildcats in entire games this season and has just been one of the most exciting players in the Big East. Not even close in my mind. I lost track of how many weeks he was Rookie of the week this year.

Most Improved Player, Herbert Hill, Providence
Again. Duh.

It's not like Hill was a bad player last year. He only got to play maybe 18 minutes a game though. This year as a starter and playing over 30 minutes a night, his scoring jumped from 9.0 to 18.0 points/game and his rebounds went up from 4.8 to 8.6. But his efficiency also increased. He shot much better this season. He was the focal point of the offense and a leader. He went from unknown to unanimous First Team All-Big East.

Sportsmanship Award, Brandon Jenkins, Louisville
Sure. Why not. Hard to say anything one way or another with this kind of award, since I don't know what the kid is really like on the court compared to the others. He came back from a broken leg for his senior year which is nice.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Aaron Gray, Pitt
Thanks for coming back for your senior year and getting your degree rather than the NBA draft. Here's your prize.

Big East Honors Handed Out originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East PowerPoll: Watching Georgetown

Charles Rich — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:58:00 EST

Fun factoid, that Hoya fans will be letting you know this week. Georgetown has never lost the Big East Tournament (BET) as the #1 seed. This will be the final full Big East PowerPoll. With the last four teams not going to Madison Square Garden, saying anything more about them and how bad they are would simply be piling on.

Here's last week's PowerPoll if you feel like comparing. There wasn't a lot of change. Pitt dropped another spot, and Villanova moved up one.

Georgetown -- After an 11 game winning streak, culminating in beating Pitt on CBS, some let-down was expected. Especially going to a desperate bubble-team on Senior night with only one day off.
Louisville -- Now on a six game winning streak, playing their best basketball, and just looking like a very confident Ric Pitino team.
ND -- Anyone else realize they have won 5 straight and 7 off their last 9? They even won a couple road games (yes it was Rutgers and Cinci, but you have to start somewhere).
Pitt -- On the one hand they are 3-3 in their last 6 games. On the other, the losses are to Louisville, at Georgetown and at Marquette -- not exactly "bad" losses. Still their perimeter shooting has really slipped.
Marquette -- They have won 2 of their last 3, but only 2-4 in the last 6. They've become a bit unpredictable in what kind of performance they will give.
Villanova -- Scottie Reynolds has actually managed to raise his game as the Wildcats have won 3 straight. Reynolds has scored 87 points in those games.
Syracuse -- That Georgetown game put them on the right side of the bubble and capped a 5-game winning streak. The loss to Villanova, though, kept them on the bubble.
DePaul -- They've won 5 of 6, but buried themselves too early in the season with their inconsistency, not to mention 3 of those wins came against USF and Cinci.
WVU -- 4-4 since February. There's a reason they're on the bubble, even with beating UCLA.
Providence -- 8-8 in the Big East. Never lost more than 2 in a row. Never won more than 2 in a row in the conference. That about sums them up this year.
St. John's -- It's always scary in the BET to have to play St. John's in the Garden. If Lamont Hamilton and his hyper-extended knee aren't able to play, not so much.
UConn -- They've lost 4 of 5, and why in the world is Hasheem Thabeet even being considered as an NBA draft choice? Oh, yeah. He's 7'3". He could be great someday for the second NBA team that gets him.
Seton Hall -- The Hall lost 7 of 8 to end the season. Coach Bobby Gonzalez better win quickly, because he's not exactly the most charming guy.
South Florida -- 3 conference wins, is actually a big step forward since they won only 1 last year. Someday they may actually be healthy in conference play. And someday they may win a conference road game.
Rutgers -- Year one of the latest Rutgers rebuilding job went as expected when there isn't much offense. Poorly.
Cincinnati -- At least they get a headstart on most of the other teams in recruiting. They need it.

Here's the full Big East Bloggers PowerPoll. They left Pitt at #3 and flip-flopped DePaul and WVU. Otherwise, things are rather stable.

Big East PowerPoll: Watching Georgetown originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sorting Out the Big East Tourney

Charles Rich — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:22:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Pittsburgh Basketball, Connecticut Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Notre Dame Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia

Well, the Big East games today provided a mild surprise as St. John's upset Providence. That "cost" Providence the #8 seed in the Big East Tournament. If they had won, they would have faced DePaul in the opening round and then having to face Georgetown. Instead they fall to a #10 seed to face WVU, and if they advance it means facing Louisville. It also moved St. John's to the #11 seed instead of #12.

Louisville was briefly challenged by Seton Hall, but prevailed and ties Pitt for 2nd in the Big East with a 12-4 record. Since Louisville beat Pitt in their only head-to-head meeting, they win the tie-breaker for seeding in the Big East Tournament.

Here's the Big East Tournament Schedule.

Wednesday, March 7 (opening round):

#8 DePaul vs. #9 Villanova, 12pm

#5 Syracuse vs. #12 UConn, 2pm

------------------------------------------------------------

#7 West Virginia vs. #10 Providence, 7pm

#6 Marquette vs. #11 St. John's, 9pm

Thursday, March 8 (quarterfinals):

#8/#9 vs. #1 Georgetown, 12 pm

#5/#12 vs. #4 Notre Dame, 2pm

----------------------------------------------------------

#7/#10 vs. #2 Louisville, 7pm

#6/#11 vs. #3 Pitt, 9pm

Friday, March 9 (semifinals):

#8/#9/#1 vs. #5/#12/#4, 7pm

#7/#10/#2 vs. #6/#11/#3, 9pm

Saturday, March 10, 8 pm, Big East Tournament Championship Game:

#1/#4/#5/#8/#9/#12

vs.

#2/#3/#6/#7/#10/#11

Sorting Out the Big East Tourney originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is This Rick Pitino's Best Coaching Job?

Michael David Smith — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 09:56:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Louisville

A couple months ago, the expectations for Louisville were in the gutter. The Cardinals started the year 4-4 against a relatively weak schedule, and it looked like a second consecutive disappointment after last year's 6-10 Big East season.

But Rick Pitino does his best work when expectations are low, and he's had one of his best coaching jobs ever this year. The Cardinals are now 21-8 and a lock to make the tournament. I even think they could be a sleeper Final Four team.

With the one notable exception, Pitino's career has been all about exceeding expectations: No one thought Boston University would become a winning program, no one thought Providence College would get to the Final Four, no one thought the Knicks would become a good team after three straight seasons of less than 25 wins, and no one thought Kentucky would rebound so quickly from NCAA sanctions.

And yet this might be Pitino's best coaching job. This Louisville team is young and injury prone, and Derrick Caracter's talent is outweighed by his lack of commitment. But Pitino has the Cardinals playing very, very well. We'll have to wait until March to know how to judge this Louisville team, but Pitino has once again proven his greatness.

Is This Rick Pitino's Best Coaching Job? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 09:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Power Poll: Hello, Georgetown

Charles Rich — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:46:00 EST

[This poll was completed before tonight's action.]

Well, last week I put G-town at the top of the power poll. The majority of Big East bloggers stayed with Pitt. The Hoyas vindicated me (dammit, I wanted to be wrong).

Georgetown -- Now, maybe people will notice Jeff Green.
Louisville -- UConn and Marquette showed they can be susceptible to teams that have guards that penetrate, but then again they still won both games.
Pitt -- It's hard to decide which is more worrisome, Aaron Gray's left ankle or the team's collective shooting slump.
Notre Dame -- I have to admit to being surprised by their resiliency. I thought they would fold after losing two straight on the road to USF and DePaul.
Marquette -- Dominic James has gotten more inconsistent. They are still a scary team, but you just don't know how they are going to play.
Syracuse -- Not bad, not particularly good. One of the ultimate bubble teams.
Villanova -- I really wonder if they have enough depth. Scottie Reynolds has looked gassed by the second half of recent games.
Providence -- Even with the graduation of Herbert Hill, they suddenly have a bright future.
WVU -- Losing to Providence was not good for the post-season hopes. They are the poster-child for why the 3-point line needs to be moved back.
DePaul -- Even with the unbalanced conference schedule giving them a number of easy games, they weren't that impressive.
UConn -- Well, Dyson and Adrien never quit on the season.
St. John's -- Just trying to hang-on to make the Big East Tournament.
Seton Hall -- Still trying to make the BET. If they can get some depth, they will be much better next year.
USF -- They really remind me of Virginia Tech when they first came into the Big East. Still looking for a conference road win.
Rutgers -- They've scored less than 60 in half of their games this year. 50 or less in seven games.
Cinci -- The Big East is not the friendliest conference to have to rebuild.

The full Big East Bloggers poll is here. They don't completely agree with my order.

Big East Power Poll: Hello, Georgetown originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Bubble Report: Just a Few Left

Charles Rich — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:59:00 EST

Obviously Cinci, Rutgers, South Florida and Seton Hall have been done for a while. So, there's no pretending they have a chance. They aren't even heading to the Big East Tournament

Playing for Seed:

Georgetown: With 11 straight wins, including beating Louisville, Marquette, Pitt and ND the Hoyas are the best team in the Big East right now. They are positioned at the moment to grab a #3 seed or possibly a #2.

Pitt: Could very well end the season losing 3 of their last 6 and their star player hobbling. On the plus side, they played a difficult non-con and have an RPI in the single digits. They have been in expected to be a 2 or 3 seed all season, but depending on Gray and how they do in the Big East Tournament, they could be a #4 seed.

Louisville: If Georgetown is the hottest team in the Big East, the Cardinals are a close second. In just a couple weeks they have gone from the wrong side of the bubble to a possible #5 seed. And that's before what could happen in the Big East Tournament.

Marquette: Losing 4 of 5 will kill seeding. Plummeting from a possible 2 seed and a popular "darkhorse" for a deep Tourney run, to around a #6 seed and a lot of questions.

Notre Dame: At the beginning of the month, the Fighting Irish had put themselves on the bubble with losses at South Florida and DePaul. Now they are at least a #7 seed. Their lack of quality road wins -- other than Maryland and maybe Syracuse -- and a poor non-con SOS; will hurt their seeding without a good run at the Big East Tournament.

On the Right Side of the Bubble:

Villanova: Played one of the tougher non-cons and have the good wins at Oklahoma, at Iowa, and Texas. In the conference they've beaten Louisville, Georgetown and Notre Dame. They really just need to finish the season at 8-8 and they will be in the tournament.

Solidly on the Bubble:

Syracuse: RPI #53, Non-con SOS 115, 8-7 versus RPI top-100 and 6-4 in last 10 games. Good wins: at Marquette, Villanova. Bad loss: at St. John's. An almost non-descript resume. Nothing particularly good or bad. They've mostly beaten the teams they should and lost to the teams you would expect. They have a chance to really help themselves with the last two games at Georgetown and Villanova. If they don't win at least one of those, they won't be getting to the NCAA without at least 3 wins in the Big East Tournament.

West Virginia: RPI #55, Non-con SOS 281, 4-6 versus RPI top-100 and 6-4 in last 10 games. Good wins: UCLA, Villanova. Bad loss: at Cinci. Even with playing and beating UCLA, their non-con was so weak that it drags them down. They need to beat Pitt on Tuesday or they will need a deep run in the Big East Tournament to show they can win a game outside of the Coliseum against a quality opponent.

Off the Bubble:

Providence: Their loss to Syracuse on Saturday took them off the bubble. They had no room for error and their RPI fell to #70. Their last two games won't help at South Florida and St. John's. Only 5-5 in their last 10 games. Good win: Marquette. Bad losses: Brown and Seton Hall. Just not enough.

DePaul: Like so many other teams this year, great at home and far less on the road. RPI of #59. Good wins: Kansas, at Villanova, Notre Dame and Marquette. Bad losses: at Northwestern, at UAB and at St. John's. The Blue Demons went 6-9 versus the RPI top-100 and are only 5-5 in their last 10 games.

Only by Winning the Big East Tournament:

UConn: Sure it's possible they could beat Villanova and then go to DC and get Georgetown. They are, however, 0-4 against the RPI top-50 and 3-10 versus the RPI top-100. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and their RPI is down in the 90s.

St. John's: Yeah, right

Big East Bubble Report: Just a Few Left originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Guts Out the Game

Charles Rich — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville

The Cardinals had a tougher than expected game against UConn. It started out tight for most of the first half, as Louisville came out flat and sloppy. It appeared that Louisville started to pull away late in the half and appeared to have the game under control with an 11 point lead and under 14 minutes left.

Instead, UConn didn't wilt and came back to tie the game at 58 with 4 minutes left. UConn, though, couldn't get the lead. Louisville kept going to the basket. UConn went cold in the final two minutes. Not scoring until 27 seconds left in the game. It was a surprisingly strong offensive game as both teams shot 48% and the Cardinals hung on for the 76-69 win.

For UConn, as Jim Calhoun has previously noted, the effort came mostly from Jeff Adrien and Jerome Dyson. Adrien provided his usual toughness and 16 points on 7-12 shooting. Dyson was deadly from outside scoring 23 points and 6-8 on 3s. The Huskies were able to attack and penetrate from the perimeter more effectively then their usual approach of getting the ball inside. Guards Craig Austrie and A.J. Price had 10 and 11 points as well. There was no production, however, from the Thabeet and Robinson or any other inside players not named Adrien.

It's been that kind of a season for UConn where they might actually take some solace for playing hard and making it a tough game, even if they lose. Not what is normally expected from the Huskies.

Once again, Derrick Caracter came off the bench for Louisville to be a force inside. He had 16 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes. Terrance Williams played all 40 minutes and had 17 points 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Another solid win despite Juan Palacios still out with an injury. Louisville scoring came mainly from the inside, despite the shot-blocking presence of Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien. The Huskies couldn't make stops.

Louisville has now clinched a 1st round bye in the Big East Tournament no matter what they do in their final game against Seton Hall. Even if they lose, Notre Dame wins their final game and Syracuse wins their final 2 games so that all 3 finish with an 11-5 record, Louisville holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Syracuse.

Louisville Guts Out the Game originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Round-Up: About What You Would Expect

Charles Rich — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:53:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Connecticut Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Cincinnati Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville

Three games tonight, and little suspense or surprise.

Louisville 75 St. John's 45. For about 12 minutes this was a tight game. Then St. John's started really struggling as Louisville picked up the defense and the Red Storm reverted to their usual struggles shooting. They couldn't buy a score. For the game they shot 15-59. The announcers, in looking for something nice to say about St. John's Coach Norm Roberts could only say that the program is very excited about the incoming recruits. Louisville was efficient and continued to play very well on offense. Going inside and scoring with great ease. The only question mark was the inexplicable need to shoot 3s by Louisville. They were 5-20 from outside. Inside the arc, they were 24-40, penetrating with ease. Why they would settle for those 3s, would be troubling against a better team. Louisville is now happily playing for seed position.

Georgetown 75 Cincinnati 65. Can't help but think the Hoyas were looking past the Bearcats to Saturday's game with Pitt. At least a little. Georgetown trailed for much of the first half, before a 13-2 run over the final 3+ minutes to take the lead for good. Still, the Bearcats kept making runs. Getting as close as 3 points several times in the second half before fading again. Cinci actually outrebounded Georgetown and 7'2" Roy Hibbert. Especially on the offensive glass. Well, part of why CInci had a 16-7 offensive rebounding advantage was that Georgetown was 26-48 shooting so there weren't that many opportunities for offensive rebounds. Jeff Green was the dominating force on offense, scoring 21 points on 6-10 shooting and 7-8 at the free throw line. The atmosphere for the Pitt game on Saturday should be intense.

UConn 65 Rutgers 55. As with just about every Big East game for UConn, it wasn't pretty. Still they got the win. Jerome Dyson and Jeff Adrien led the team, combining for 31 points, and A.J. Price added 10 more. Coach Jim Calhoun severely limited the minutes for his bench. The bench only gave the Huskies 7 points and 9 rebounds. Rutgers hung around, but were doomed by the simple fact that they are a horrible shooting team. They couldn't do much with Hasheem Thabeet and others guarding the basket, and their jump shooting was plain awful -- under 35% shooting for the game. The Huskies are a solid NIT team.

Big East Round-Up: About What You Would Expect originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville's Edgar Sosa Hates St. John's

Charles Rich — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Big East Basketball, Louisville

St. John's has surprised teams once or twice this season -- when at home. It doesn't seem likely tonight with Louisville being the hottest or second hottest team in the Big East and hosting the game. Still, it happens. Especially when the home team has a few key players from the NYC metro area. They tend to get juiced and a little overhyped because it is against the school they always hear about back home.

Louisville has several key players from the NY/NJ area. Derrick Caracter, Earl Clark and Edgar Sosa. Most of the time, they speak nicely of St. John's and the history and tradition. Not Edgar Sosa. He just flat is not fond of the Red Storm.

"I hated St. John's and I still do hate St. John's," he said. "If I played bad this whole season, but played good against them, that would make my season. All the kids growing up in New York City liked them, but I never liked them even a little bit. When they started recruiting me I acted like I liked them, but I knew I wasn't going there."

How do you really feel?

Actually, I find it refreshing when a player these days admits he doesn't like a team. None of that bland, talk of respect and admiring their history. Just plain, honest dislike.

Louisville's Edgar Sosa Hates St. John's originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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