NCAA Basketball FanHouse

House Cleaning at West Virginia

John Radcliff — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:16:00 EST

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

Rodriguez might not be such a jerk after all! I'm just kidding. Nothing will ever justify the way things have gone down between Rodriguez and West Virginia. It's been one stinking mud slinging mess that hasn't benefited either party. Suggestions of racism that probably aren't true. West Virginia fans shredding Rodriguez along with a slew of youtube's taunting Rodriguez. And of course, the WVU administration enslaving Rodriguez. Hell, I just want the season to start just so we can get out of this silly off season.

But it's hard not to look at the new contract signed by West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins, and not wonder how screwed up the lines of communication are at West Virginia.

Yet, the deal was a surprise even to some who shouldn't have been stunned. That's because WVU's administration -- continuing to be battered by the Heather Bresch bogus degree scandal -- did this deal behind the backs of its athletic leaders. It was a spin move right out of a Joe Alexander post-up. The WVU athletic staff had no knowledge of the "lifetime" contract talks until WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong finally was informed about it 24 hours before the dog-and-pony show to announce it.

The Bresch thing, if you don't know, is about Governor Manchin's daughter receiving a masters degree from West Virginia without earning it. The whole story is best read here (language warning). Back to my point though, who's in charge of the athletic department if the athletic director doesn't know a coach is getting a raise?

West Virginia's president, Mike Garrison, probably wanted to make a splash in his first year. But I doubt this is what he was looking for. He's single handedly ushered out the most successful football coach in Mountaineer history and has 80% of the faculty calling for his resignation over the Bresch scandal. Not bad for just over seven months on the job! And now leaving the athletic department in the dark about contract negotiations. It's been a bad year off the field for West Virginia. A little house cleaning might be in order before it works it's way onto the field. My suggestion would be to start at the top.

House Cleaning at West Virginia originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 05 May 2008 19:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Hardline on Transfers

Charles Rich — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:21:00 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, NCAA Basketball Recruiting, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia

Conference meetings always produce a lot of talk, but little action. What makes the talk interesting is the curiosity over who started the conversation. Take this little bit of gossip from the Big East basketball coaches.

At the Big East meetings last week, one coach proposed a rule that would allow members to recruit prospects who are released from their letters of intent by a fellow league member in the event of a coaching change. It's becoming more common for players to be released under those circumstances, and the coach argued it would be better if that talent remained in the league. The proposal did not gain strong support.

The Big East has one of the tightest restrictions on transfers and poaching within the conference. Essentially, once a player signs with a Big East school, that player can never go to another Big East school to play that sport. Period. Not even as a walk-on paying his/her own way. It stems from the earliest days of the league when it was a basketball only league and most of the schools were in such close proximity and constantly battling over the same recruits. Hard feelings, bitter relations, and nasty accusations among the schools and coaches over players. There was a good reason why they instituted the rule

That the coaches in the conference would reject such a minor exception -- coach leaving, the school formally releasing the player from his letter of intent and the kid never even setting foot on the campus as a student -- is a little surprising. Still, old habits die hard.

The fun part is speculating on which Big East coach made the proposal. My guess: Seton Hall, Bobby Gonzalez. He's been fighting for a slew of recruits in just his first year, and has just missed on a few blue-chippers. He would have the most to gain from this. When you consider that the coaches likely to be on the hot seat next year -- Norm Roberts, St. John's and Tim Welsh, Providence -- are competing directly against him. Not to mention that Jay Wright at Villanova spent the past year contending with rumors that he was heading to the Sixers or a bigger job.

It would also explain why the proposal met with little interest. Gonzalez's, um, intense nature, tends to grate on a lot of people -- especially fellow coaches.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Big East Hardline on Transfers originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 02 Jun 2007 18:21:00 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

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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The Big East Has No Sense of Fun

Charles Rich — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:52:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Cincinnati Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, West Virginia

With Bob Huggins going home (yeah, yeah, "Country Roads, take me home..." I'm asking for a moratorium on that one-trick song) to West Virginia, the big subplot would be the fact that Cinci -- his old employer -- is now in the Big East. So that first trip the Mountaineers take up the Ohio River to the Queen City would be an eagerly anticipated event for many.

The last two seasons, WVU and Cinci have played each other twice in the season. It seemed the Big East Conference saw the two as natural rivals based on geography. This season the Big East will play an 18 game conference slate. The teams will play each team once with 3 home-and-homes. So surely, the Mountaineers and Bearcats would play a home-and-home. Not according to Andy Katz at ESPN.com ($$ subscription).

[Big East Commissioner Mike] Tranghese wants the first game between these two schools in Morgantown with year two being the return of Huggs to UC.

According to the little nugget, the home-and-home would be determined by TV, natural rivalry, and top teams. WVU and Cinci meets at least the first two categories. The real reason, as alluded to in the short paragraph is that the Big East doesn't want to embarrass Cinci and especially the school President Nancy Zimpher with a pro-Huggins sentiment at the game.

If a WVU-Cinci game doesn't happen in Cinci this year, don't rule out West Virginia scheduling a road game with Xavier for next season. That was one of the first things Huggins did at K-State when he took over. I wouldn't be surprised to see him do it again. It would help his recruiting in the area anyways, but it would drive the Cinci administration nuts to never fully get rid of Huggins.

Previously at Fanhouse:
The Big East Just Became a Lot More Fun with Huggins

The Big East Has No Sense of Fun originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Defending Bob Huggins

Charles Rich — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:52:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, West Virginia

This is awkward. I don't particularly like Bob Huggins, but I don't like distorted history either.

Aside from K-State fans, there is not an overwhelming outrage over Bob Huggins departing after only one season at Kansas State. What national outrage there is seems to be of the opinion that Huggins owed more to the Wildcats because the "rescued him from the scrap-heap," after his dismissal from Cinci and a year out of college basketball.

This is convenient revisionism. From the time of Huggins "resignation" in August 2005, he was working towards a return to college basketball. As an unemployed coach, he was unbound by NCAA recruiting restrictions. He was openly visiting players like Bill Walker, Michael Beasley and Herb Pope. Everyone knew that whoever hired him would have a great potential recruiting class coming in for the 2007 season. It was just a question of how big or high profile a program would come for Huggins and a fast winning record.

He wasn't a blackballed coach out for years, or banned by the NCAA. He had been fired from Cinci in a power struggle with the school's President. He wasn't fired for the DUI. That took place in 2004. The DUI certainly played a part, but so did the poor graduation rates and reputation for having players who had issues with the law.

Kansas State didn't care, because they were desperate for the other part of the equation. Huggins is a very good coach who produces results on the court and recruits very effectively.

The defense of Huggins going to West Virginia has been equally backhanded and distorted.

[Kansas State Athletic Director Tim] Weiser and [President John] Wefald didn't inherit any surprises with Huggins. They knew they were hiring a master of deception. They knew Huggins would cut corners whenever he could. If they didn't, they didn't do any homework before they hired him.

Somehow his past is treated as "Huggins the Job-Jumping Deceiver." Before Huggins came to K-State, he had 2 Division I jobs. Five years at Akron and sixteen years at Cinci. Apparently the fact that Huggins had used interest from other schools, including WVU in 2002, to negotiate bigger money from Cinci is a sign of his duplicitous and disloyal behavior. You know, the same thing that every other successful coach in college does.

He also left behind a top-20 if not potentially top-10 team in Kansas State to do it. Kansas State may have panicked and shown that the inmates run the asylum by hiring Frank Martin to keep the 1-year wonder recruiting class intact, but that kind of points to the flaws and desperation of K-State.

I'm willing to give Huggins a bit of a pass because going to WVU is going back to his alma mater and his natural recruiting turf. Not to mention a job that is more attractive long-term then Kansas State. It's simply the way in college basketball (and football).

Previously at Fanhouse:
New Kansas State Coach Frank Martin's Unethical History
The Dalonte Hill Factor in Michael Beasley's Decision
Bob Huggins Leaves Kansas State for West Virginia
The Big East Just Became a Lot More Fun with Huggins
K-State Fans Are Not Taking It Well

Defending Bob Huggins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East - SEC Basketball Challenge

Charles Rich — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:52:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Alabama Basketball, LSU Basketball, Villanova Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, South Carolina Basketball, Big East Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, Alabama, West Virginia, LSU

This one has been in the works for a while, but it's finally been announced. The Big East and SEC will play a limited challenge series over the next several years. I'm sorry, they are calling it an Invitational. It will be a four game rotation for the next four years.

The games will take place on December 5-6. On December 5, two games will be played at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham Alabama. The two games will be: West Virginia-Auburn and Georgetown-Alabama. On December 6, the games will be at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That will have South Carolina-Providence and LSU-Villanova. The games will be aired on ESPN2 and ESPN.

"This Invitational will showcase two of the premier conferences in college basketball," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Regional Television. "Both conferences compete at the highest level, as evidenced by their recent appearances in the Final Four, and we are pleased to feature them on two consecutive nights on our networks."

Of course, only 2 of the Big East teams selected for next year were in the NCAA Tournament and none of the SEC schools even made the NIT.

How do the teams get picked each year? Well, that gets left to ESPN "in consultation" with the conferences. Considering ESPN will be handling the "Big East/SEC Invitational's organization, operation, sponsorship, marketing efforts and more," I'm guessing the consultations pretty much follow whatever ESPN tells the conferences to do.

Big East - SEC Basketball Challenge originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bob Huggins' $100,000 Buyout a Bargain for West Virginia

Michael David Smith — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:33:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Gossip, NCAA Basketball Rumors, West Virginia

To review, this week West Virginia lost coach John Beilein to Michigan and pocketed a $2.5 million buyout in the process. Then West Virginia took coach Bub Huggins from Kansas State and paid a $100,000 buyout in the process.

Yeah, I'd say WVU got a pretty good deal here.

Pat Forde is maybe the best college basketball writer in the country, but he couldn't be more wrong than he was when he just said on ESPN that Huggins' leaving is "reprehensible." It's part of the college basketball business, and everyone knows how the game is played: Beilein knew he'd have to find a way to come up with the $2.5 million when he left for Michigan. West Virginia knew its athletic department would do well financially if Beilein left early. Kansas State knew a small buyout would be no obstacle to Huggins leaving.

I don't feel the least bit badly for any of Huggins' recruits, either. The kind of player who gets recruited by Bob Huggins isn't some naive kid who's planning to spend four years with a coach who can mold young minds. Big-time high school players understand what the recruiting business is about. Both the WVU administration and the big-time recruits who will no doubt play for Huggins at West Virginia know exactly what kind of coach they're getting.

Previously at Fanhouse:
Bob Huggins Leaves Kansas State for West Virginia
The Big East Just Became a Lot More Fun with Huggins
With the Hugger in Morgantown, Does Michael Beasley Follow?
K-State Fans Are Not Taking It Well

Bob Huggins' $100,000 Buyout a Bargain for West Virginia originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Big East Just Became a Lot More Fun with Huggins

Charles Rich — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:51:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Fans, West Virginia

The Anti-Beilein is taking the job at his alma mater and home town. The Big East has the villain it has lacked for a while. A coach fans from all the other teams can hate without reservation. The ripple effect this one hire generates within the Big East is tremendous. Storylines to expect out of this:

West Virginia. The prodigal comes home. Huggins was the guy WVU wanted 5 years ago, but Huggins had a good thing at Cinci, was getting plenty of money to stay, he was happy there with plenty of recruiting ties built up, and (I know many will find this hard to believe) he felt some loyalty to the program he helped bring back to national prominence.

Cincinnati. I have to believe the added bonus of taking the job was the pure revenge factor of being able to go at his old employer at least once every year. He has such a bond that still is strong with the Cinci faithful, that you can bet that first road game to Cinci will result in a lot of cheers for Huggy-bear.

Pitt. Let me say as a Pitt fan, I am happy to see Beilein gone from WVU because I actually liked and appreciated what he was doing. It's annoying when your rival has a likable coach. Huggins restores a lot of the hate in the Backyard Brawl. Then there is this tidbit. One of Huggins closest friends is in Pittsburgh and happens to operate the top AAU team in the area. The same guy who all those years ago steered Danny Fortson to Huggins. Recruiting will become a nasty, vicious thing between Pitt and WVU. Lots of paranoia begins in 3, 2, 1...

Louisville. One of the best new rivalries in the Big East started in football with Louisville and WVU. It was looking pretty good in basketball with the double-OT game in the Big East Tournament. Now you've got the basketball coach Louisville fans absolutely hate from his Cinci days. This is just a great way to throw some more gas on this. Two teams with coaches that absolutely demand defense -- but the styles contrast completely.

Marquette and DePaul. They took years of abuse in C-USA from Cinci and Huggins. You just know the fans now have the urge to want payback. That, or fear.

That only scratches the surface. The 2007-08 season can't come fast enough.

Previously at Fanhouse:
Bob Huggins Leaves Kansas State for West Virginia
Reports: WVU is Bob Huggins' Job if He Wants It
Who's Next at West Virginia?

The Big East Just Became a Lot More Fun with Huggins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bob Huggins Leaves Kansas State for West Virginia

Michael David Smith — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:11:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Recruiting, West Virginia

Bob Huggins has resigned after one year as head coach at Kansas State to take over at his alma mater, West Virginia, according to a local newspaper. Huggins replaces John Beilein, who left West Virginia this week to become the head coach at Michigan.

Huggins leaves behind an extremely talented roster -- he is perhaps college basketball's best recruiter -- and there will be immediate speculation about whether his recruits will stay at Kansas State. The incoming freshman class was supposed to be among the best in the country, but it's highly unlikely those players will enroll at Kansas State now.

Kansas State now faces two questions. One, of course, is who will be the next head coach. We'll hear plenty of names tossed around, mostly names of coaches currently employed by mid-major programs.

The other question is whether hiring Huggins was worth it for Kansas State. Yes, he brought a lot of talented players to a school that hadn't had much basketball talent. But just as everyone suspected, he bolted as soon as a better offer came along.

Don't cry for Kansas State or for Huggins' K-State players, though: They knew what they were getting when they got into bed with Huggins.

Bob Huggins Leaves Kansas State for West Virginia originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who's Next at West Virginia?

Charles Rich — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:18:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Rumors, West Virginia

With John Beilein and his five year itch taking him to Michigan, the next question is who takes over the Mountaineer program? The good news is the program is in good shape -- far better then when Beilein came in and NCAA sanctions were a distinct possibility. There is some good talent on hand, the fans are supporting the team and funding has improved. Plus, the Athletic Department will be getting a $2.5 million dollar windfall thanks to a well thought out contract with a sliding buyout.

West Virginia could simply promote assistant coach Jerry Dunn to head coach. Dunn has head coaching experience and even some success at Penn State. Of course by the end of his time at PSU, the program had fallen back to its natural state of bottom feeder and apathy.

Another choice could be Eastern Kentucky Head Coach Jeff Neubauer. He spent eight years as a Beilein assistant at WVU and Richmond before becoming a head coach 2 years ago. This past year at EKU, he won the OVC and got the Colonels into the NCAA Tournament. Neubauer is only 36 and could reasonably be considered a rising coaching talent. The advantage to Neubauer is his familiarity with Beilein's system and the transition with the players on hand and their skill set would be much less drastic.

Travis Ford's name is getting mentioned. A former player at Kentucky and Rick Pitino protege. He was the head coach at Eastern Kentucky before taking over at UMass. He has steadily improved the Minutemen in two years and is another young coach on the rise. Despite no ties to the program, his name is coming up and he is reportedly interested. The knock is that his ambition suggests more of a stepping stone view towards the job.

Then, of course, there is the dark lord. Bob Huggins. The West Virginia alum and prior target. WVU pursued Huggins a few years ago, but he just used them to get a nice raise from Cinci. It seems doubtful that he would bolt K-State so quickly. Especially with the talent he has brought in for next season. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Previously on Fanhouse:
Michigan Buying Beilein from West Virginia
John Beilein Officially Offered Michigan Job
Looking for Hot Coaches:East Bracket

Who's Next at West Virginia? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michigan Buying Beilein from West Virginia

Charles Rich — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:33:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Michigan, West Virginia

The reports all day have been that Michigan has been talking, then negotiating with John Beilein to leave West Virginia for Ann Arbor. It looks like it has finally happened. CBS Sportsline is reporting that Beilein has accepted the offer and a news conference will take place within 48 hours.

This means that Michigan will be paying West Virginia about $2.5 million dollars for the Beilein buyout -- whether directly or via Beilein. That will be on top of whatever else Beilein will receive as an annual salary.

Looks like the Wolverines might be getting serious about basketball. You don't think that team to the south that is playing in the NCAA Tournament Championship tonight may have had added a little spur to upgrade?

Previously on Fanhouse:
John Beilein Officially Offered Michigan Job
John Beilein: Win NIT Tonight, Take Michigan Job Tomorrow?
Who's Hot for Michigan Basketball?
The 1-3-1 Is Not a Gimmick

Michigan Buying Beilein from West Virginia originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Congratulations, West Virgina, NIT Champions

Michael David Smith — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:42:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Fans, NCAA Basketball Gossip, West Virginia

Did you notice the NIT championship T-shirts the West Virginia players put on last night after they won the NIT championship game? If you looked closely on TV last night, or if you look at the image to your right, you can see that there's just a bit of a problem.

6thManSportsWear.com, the officially licensed vendor for the NIT, has acknowledged its error:

***PLEASE NOTE: In our rush to put up a graphic immediately after the closing buzzer, we inadvertently used in incorrect image. We apologize for the error. The correct Championship Tee Shirts will ship, not the "misspelled" shirt! Thank You!

Hey, everyone makes mistakes, and it's nice that they've apologized and promised to ship shirts without the spelling error. Still, forgive me if I giggled like a schoolgirl when I first saw it.

Congratulations, West Virgina, NIT Champions originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Beilein: Win NIT Tonight, Take Michigan Job Tomorrow?

Michael David Smith — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Rumors, Michigan, West Virginia

West Virginia coach John Beilein's team has advanced to tonight's NIT championship game. If reports out of Michigan are to be believed, it will be Beilein's last game as the Mountaineers' coach.

A story in today's Detroit Free Press begins like this:

From all indications, John Beilein is not just a candidate to be Michigan's next basketball coach. Beilein is the candidate. Michigan athletic director Bill Martin is not tipping his hand publicly, but he appears to have zeroed in on West Virginia's Beilein.

Of course, it's not a sure thing that Beliein will take the Michigan job if it's offered. I think the consensus among coaches around the country is that Michigan isn't as attractive a job as Martin thinks it is. On the other hand, Beilein didn't make much secret that he wanted to leave for both Indiana and North Carolina State last year. If Michigan is willing to invest the kind of money in Beilein to give him a substantial raise and pay his $2.5 million buyout, the chances are good that tonight is his last game in West Virginia.

John Beilein: Win NIT Tonight, Take Michigan Job Tomorrow? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:30:00 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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Late Big East Tournament Action: Opening Round

Charles Rich — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 23:52:00 EST

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

In the evening games, I continued my streak of calling the victorious team, but completely wrong in the way it was won. This is why I hate having to make predictions. I hate being wrong, and I don't really count it as being right when I got the how wrong.

WVU 92 Providence 79. The Friars gave it a solid effort for most of the first half. They just couldn't stop WVU on the perimeter. The Mountaineers drained 17 3s -- a Big East Tournament record -- to more than make up for their 9-41 performance in Providence last month. It was an absurd performance. 17-31 on 3s and 14-29 everywhere else. That's an eFG% of .658. The Mountaineers slipped mid-way through the second half but then just pulled away with more than 7 minutes left. Senior Frank Young played a great game to lead the team with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Providence got another great performance from Herbert Hill (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Weyinimi Efejuku. Dwain Williams came out of nowhere for 21 points. The problem was that Geoff McDermott and Sharaud Curry could only muster 9 points. Tim Welch and Providence have yet another quick exit in the Big East Tournament.

Marquette 76 St. John's 67. I thought the Golden Eagles would roll over the Red Storm. I didn't count on Dominic James shooting like a one-eyed man with cataracts. James shot 2-14. Really the other guards didn't play that great on offense. Cubillan had only 5 points and Wesley Matthews may have had 15 it was deceptive. He only shot 2-8 and a bunch of the FTs came late when St. John's was intentionally fouling. Forward Dan Fitzgerald came up big in this game with 20 points and acceptable defense in place of Jerel McNeal. Hayward and Barro played inside and added 20 points.

St. John's kept it close all game. They were down at times by as much as ten but kept coming back. They just couldn't get the lead in the second half. Anthony Mason, Jr. played the great game he needed to have to help the team and it wasn't Avery Patterson that had the big help but Anthony Spears. was solid inside and put back a lot of stuff for 18 points. The problem was that St. John's needed Patterson and his 3s more than anything else against Marquette. The Red Storm could only go 7-22 from outside. A game effort, but just not enough offense.

Late Big East Tournament Action: Opening Round originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 23:52:00 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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Previewing the Opening Round of the Big East Tournament

Charles Rich — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:35:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Big East Basketball, Syracuse, West Virginia

The Big East Tournament kicks off tomorrow on ESPN. All of the Big East Tournament (BET) games will be on ESPN, which is only fair since the conference sold all media platform rights to ESPN. The least they can do is show the BET entirely on the flagship channel.

There are 4 games between teams seeded 5-12. The top 4 teams get first round byes and don't play until Thursday. The bottom 4 teams don't play at all.

Last year, was the first time in the Big East Tournament that no team with a first round bye failed to win the BET. Syracuse and Pitt were both teams that played on Wednesday in 2006. While teams have made it to the BET playing everyday, no team had won it until last year. Syracuse, in Gerry McNamara's swan song led the Orange to the Championship.

After the jump, a look at the four games on Wednesday.
#8 Villanova vs. #9 DePaul, 12pm.
DePaul won their only meeting this year, 73-65 thanks to shooting nearly 50%. Seniors Sammy Mejia and Wilson Chandler are the leading scorers and rebounders, so what kind of game they have is a huge impact on the fortunes of the Blue Demons. They also need Draelon Burns and/or Marcus Heard to have big games to take some of the pressure off the other two. DePaul is still playing to make the NCAA Tournament. They need to win at least two games to get serious consideration. This is also DePaul's first trip to the BET. Last year, they were one of the left-out teams.

VIllanova counters with probably the Big East's hottest player in Freshman guard Scottie Reynolds. He has 87 points in his last 3 games. To go with him is their leading scorer and rebounder, forward Curtis Sumpter. Not to mention guard Mike Nardi and Dante Cunningham to provide consistent help. Villanova is almost a certainty at this point.

Prediction: Both teams are 9-7 but it's a deceptive thing with an unbalanced conference. Villanova played the 5 worst teams in the conference four times (4-0), compared to seven times (6-1) for DePaul. 'Nova is just a better balanced scoring team, and plays much better defense. The Wildcats should take the rematch.

#5 Syracuse vs. #12 UConn, 2pm.
The teams split this year. It's a rivalry game, and both teams need this game. Syracuse is a bubble team, and can't afford to lose a first round team to a team with an RPI in the 90s. UConn is at least hoping to make it to the NIT, but with a 6-10 conference mark and only 32 spots, they are not assured of anything. Especially with at up to 3 other Big East teams looking for NIT bids. It's hard to say who the new Syracuse unis will impact more. Will Terrence Roberts be embarrassed by his lack of definition in his abs prominently displayed by the new unis, and will Andy Rautins drown in the shorts? Or will the UConn players be so distracted by the sight, that they completely tank the game?

Syracuse is the stronger looking team. Demetris Nichols has been playing great and had 20 points in each meeting with the Huskies this season. Andy Rautins has finally started looking like the consistent perimeter threat they need. Eric Devendorf gets under the skin of others, but when he doesn't turn the ball over provides the energy for the team. Paul Harris, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins are really the x-factors in the games lately.

UConn has Jeff Adrien and Jerome Dyson as reliable players on both ends of the ball. After that, it's anyone's guess as to which players will or wont' show up in a game. Considering the 6-10 conference record, more often then not there's not been a lot of help. Even when the offense has shown up in recent games, the defense has faded.

Prediction: I wouldn't be shocked if UConn pulled the upset, as they had time to prepare and this is really their season right now. I'm really tempted to say UConn. The thing that tips it in favor of Syracuse is that UConn hasn't made fouls shots all season: Thabeet, Johnson, Kelly, Robinson (lately) and even Adrien are unreliable at best FT shooters. For Syracuse, Terrence Roberts is the only 50-50 FT shooter.

#7 WVU vs. #10 Providence, 7pm.
If 'Cuse-UConn isn't the most competitive game of the day, then my money would be on this game. Providence won the only meeting of the year between these two, 64-61. It was a special shooting night for WVU as they shot a staggeringly bad 9-41 on 3s. No other team in the Big East (and probably anywhere else in the country) lives and dies by their 3-point shooting the way the Mountaineers do. The only places the Mountaineers have won more than a game have been in New Jersey (Rutgers and Seton Hall) and in West Virginia. They really can't use the "young team" excuse in March. Especially if they want to get to the NCAA Tournament. They absolutely have to have this (and probably one more).

Providence won't make the NCAA unless it at least gets to the BET Championship game. This game is vital, though, for Coach Tim Welsh. The future may be bright with the talent that will be coming back along with a good recruiting class. The problem as this article detailed, is that the Friars are 1-7 in the BET and not winning a single NCAA Tournament game under Welch.

Prediction: I think West Virginia will want this game more than Providence. They will not be as inept on 3s as they were the first meeting. Providence will be close all game, but between the 3-point shooting and Beilein versus Welch, I'll take Beilein.

#6 Marquette vs. #11 St. John's, 9 pm.
Marquette will likely be with out their best defensive player, Jerel McNeal, but St. John's will be without their leading scorer and rebounder. Given the overall talent disparity, that doesn't even begin to approach a wash. Marquette got their first time in the BET jitters out of the way last year. There is no reason for them not to roll on the Red Storm.

St. John's would have to have Anthony Mason, Jr. play way higher than he has and Avery Patterson would have to have a career game shooting 3s. The defensive effort will be there for St. John's, but they simply lack the offense -- even before Hamilton's knee injury, they struggled to get points.

Prediction: St. John's only hope is to make this a slog. They might be able to do that for a while, but Marquette have enough weapons on offense to put them away in the second half.

Previewing the Opening Round of the Big East Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:35:00 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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