NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Big East Tournament Preview: Everyone Is Playing, Except Bubble Teams

Chas Rich — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:00 EST

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

The Big East Tournament gets underway Tuesday, and this year the Big East Tournament (BET) matches the construction of the conference -- oversized, a bit confusing and very clearly divided.

The Big East at this point has seven teams that are definitely going to the NCAA tournament and one team that lies way out on the fringe of the bubble. This year, the BET is all about teams trying to improve or maintain their projected seeding for the Big Dance.For the first time, the BET includes all 16 teams. The Big East, though, did not want the top teams to have to play too many games in a row before the NCAA Tournament or risk damaging their seed with the possibility of a really bad loss. To protect the top teams, the top four get a double-bye and do not play until Thursday. The next four teams seeded from No. 5 to No. 8 get a first-day bye. That leaves teams No. 9 through 16 to face each other.

Those teams in the bottom half have no chance of going to the NCAA Tournament, and to win the BET they would have to win five games in five days. The odds are prohibitively stacked against that. So much so, that the opening day is not televised anywhere. There are free webcasts at the Big East site.

Matchups

Tuesday: DePaul (16) vs. Cinci (9); St. John's (13) vs. Georgetown (12); Rutgers (15) vs. Notre Dame (10); USF (14) vs. Seton Hall (11).
Wednesday: 16/9 Winner vs. Providence (8); 13/12 Winner vs. Marquette (5); 15/10 Winner vs. West Virginia (7); 14/11 Winner vs. Syracuse (6)

You can view the bracket and times here (PDF).

What Teams Want

Playing for No. 1 Seed: Pitt, UConn and Louisville
Trying to improve seed: Villanova, Syracuse, Marquette and West Virginia
Hoping to find a golden ticket: Providence
Next stop, NIT: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Cinci
Where is the CBI: Seton Hall, St. John's
Just stopping by to say hello: USF, Rutgers, DePaul

Storylines

The Bubble is an Illusion for Providence
Every conference is supposed to have a bubble team. The Big East really does not. Nonetheless, for purposes of keeping punditry with standard storylines, Providence will be proffered as a Big East bubble team.

The Friars' RPI is hovering around 70. With the exception of knocking off Pitt and Syracuse, they were the beneficiary of an unbalanced schedule that gave them six five games against the bottom four of the Big East. That gave them the edge in finishing above .500 in the conference. They did beat Cincinnati twice, which only made the Big East bubble more barren.

Will the Big East Get Three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament?
That will be the most discussed issue in the BET. Pitt seems like a virtual lock for a No. 1 seed even if it goes out and loses its first game. They have the No. 1 RPI, they are No. 2 in both polls. They have been a top-five team all season. UConn was considered another lock, but how do you deny the regular season Big East Champion in Louisville? It just does not seem possible that the NCAA selection committee would pick three No. 1 seeds from the same conference. UConn and Louisville do not meet unless both get to the championship game. If so, that could decide the issue.

How Far Will Marquette slide?
The injury to Dominic James has been devastating. Before that, the Golden Eagles were looking like a No. 2 or 3 seed and seemed like a guard-heavy team that could go far in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles played tough against UConn, Louisville and Pitt but still lost. That was not so bad, even encouraging. But then Marquette lost at home, on senior day to Syracuse. That was damaging. If Marquette does not win a couple games, they could see themselves as a No. 6 or 7 seed by Sunday night.

The Big East is a Beast: It is the biggest and was supposed to be the toughest conference. With four teams in the top 10 and six teams ranked in the Top 25, there is plenty of quality in the conference. The issue is that the bottom is so weak. DePaul went 0-18 in the Big East. Rutgers is a wreck. South Florida is very slowly improving. The sheer size is the issue. Teams at the bottom have a hard time getting out from under the pile.

Predictions

Day one: Cincinnati over DePaul; Georgetown over St. John's; Notre Dame over Rutgers; and USF surprises Seton Hall.
Day two: Providence over Cincinnati; Marquette over Georgetown; WVU over ND; and Syracuse beats USF.
Quarterfinals: Louisville over Providence; Villanova over Marquette; Pitt over WVU; and UConn over Syracuse.
Semifinals: Villanova upsets Louisville and UConn finally beats Pitt.
Championship: UConn

Big East Tournament Preview: Everyone Is Playing, Except Bubble Teams originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How I Spent My Summer Vacation: The Big East Conference (Part 1)

Chas Rich — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:36:00 EST

Filed under: Cincinnati, DePaul, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Big East

With the fall beginning and college basketball just around the corner, it's time to look back at what our favorite teams did during their summer vacations. Some did some good things; some had a bad time. So let's look back at who did what in our How I Spent My Summer Vacation series.

Today's look is the Big East Conference. Since the conference is a 16-team beast, this will be in two parts. Part 1 looks at the group of teams that missed the NCAA Tournament last season. Part 2 will look at the teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

The Big East sent half its teams to the NCAA Tournament. That was the good news. The bad news was that not a one made it to the Final Four, and even worse only two made it out of the opening weekend.

This year the Big East looks to be even better, with four teams being discussed as legitimate Final Four teams, and a lot of strong teams behind them. Some of these teams will make the NCAA Tournament, or at least be perched precariously on the bubble in March.

South Florida
It's been relatively quiet in Tampa. Stan Heath will be in his second year, and has to contend with the loss of center Kantrell Gransberry and a reliable double-double every night. The attrition that naturally occurs when a new coach takes over means an incoming class of six freshmen and two junior college players. Most intriguing among the new faces will be Gus Gilchrist, who may or may not be available. Gilchrist committed to VT but got his release after the tragic shooting because he decided to be closer to his family. He chose Maryland, but didn't realize that the ACC required him to sit out the first half of the season. He ended up never seeing a minute of playing time and transferred to USF, and is now seeking a hardship waiver.

Seton Hall
Bobby Gonzalez is still the head coach after an offseason that had tons of rumors suggesting the combustible Gonzo would be fired. He and his athletic director have a distinct distaste for each other. Gonzalez will serve a one-game suspension when Big East play begins for some of his antics. He's been unable to build any depth on the team because he takes chances on academically shaky kids, and several have been unable to qualify. That's led to one player filing a lawsuit against the NCAA. Gonzalez has also brought in a couple transfers -- Keon Lawrence, late of Missouri, and Herb Pope, from New Mexico State. Both planned to seek hardship waivers for family reasons, but Lawrence has academic issues that would prevent him from playing until the winter semester. Pope's hardship waiver is also shaky since he is going to a school nearly 500 miles from his family.

Rutgers
There's optimism that Rutgers is headed in the right direction, as they're actually bringing in talented players under Mike Hill. They have their first McDonalds All-American recruit in Mike Rosario coming in this season. Rosario, along with Greg Echenique, is going to see plenty of action early -- if he's not starting right away.

St. John's
To the surprise of many, Norm Roberts remains the head coach at St. John's. Even more surprising, he was given a new five-year extension. Granted, another bad season and that contract will be irrelevant, but it provided some security. The extension provided excitement on the recruiting front as four-star recruit Omari Lawrence chose the Red Storm over UConn, Arizona, Memphis, Louisville among many others. They are also in contention to land another top player in Durand Scott.

DePaul
Every year it seems, DePaul has a couple of potential star players, but little else around them to provide any consistent help. This has resulted in an annual struggle in the conference, and diminishing crowds at the Allstate Arena. Coach Jerry Wainwright gets talent, is respected as a coach, and is a media favorite. He also knows he has to win this season or else.

Cincinnati
This is year Mick Cronin is supposed to move to above .500, both overall and in the Big East. The depth and talent issues appear to be resolved. Last year, they struggled early in the season, but became a better and more dangerous team in the grind of conference play. They have Deonta Vaughn at the point to lead and score. Freshman forward Yancy Gates should start almost immediately, plus they have Mike Williams healthy this season.

Providence
The main thing Providence wanted to do was find a coach, after finally giving up on the Tim Welsh project. It took a lot longer than expected. First Providence alum and George Mason coach Jim Larranaga turned them down to stay at Mason for less money. Then they failed to lure Travis Ford from UMass, though after Ford got a raise from UMass he got more money to jump to Oklahoma State anyway. The third time was a charm with a coach who received several national coach of the year honors. Keno Davis was lured from Drake. There is talent on this squad and they can score. The challenge will be to get the players to understand the concept of stopping the other team -- an unfamiliar idea most call "playing defense."

Syracuse
Coach Jim Boeheim spent the summer in China as an assistant coach for the 2008 US Olympic basketball team. No doubt trying to forget a second consecutive missed trip to the NCAA Tournament. This team, however, seems unlikely to miss a third time. The Orange had addition-by-subtraction with the departure of talented but ball-hogging, defense-free Donte Greene. They also get addition by the return of guards Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf. Rautins will help with depth and occasionally give point guard Jonny Flynn a breather. Devendorf will provide the energy and source of annoyance to opposing fans. As usual, Syracuse has an outstanding group of recruits led by forwards Mookie Jones and Wesley Johnson.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: The Big East Conference (Part 1) originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn Keeps It Uncomfortably Tight, but They Keep Winning

Charles Rich — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:17:00 EST

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

UConn is the hottest team in the Big East with 9 straight wins. The surprising thing is that most of them are so close. In 7 of the past 8 they were decided by 7 points or less. Make that 8 of the past 9 as UConn extends their winning streak to 10 games with a shaky 65-60 win over DePaul.

DePaul is sub-.500 in the Big East and overall, and shot a dismal 36% but came very close to shocking the Huskies in Hartford. DePaul led for most of the second half, with a 53-40 point lead with 11 minutes left. At that point, though, UConn clamped down on defense and began working the ball inside. The Blue Demons went a stunningly bad 3-16 the rest of the game as UConn outscored them 25-7 for the win. The Huskies shot a blistering 8-11 from the field and was a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line in that stretch.

Craig Austrie has been huge for UConn since Jerome Dyson was suspended and again stepped up. He scored 11 of his 14 points in that final 11 minutes. He was 4-5 and dropped both of his free throws in that stretch. Austrie was also the guy who hit the game winning shot for UConn against South Florida a few days ago.

The best thing you can say is that UConn keeps coming up with wins late in the games and find ways. The flip side is that they have struggled in their past two games against two teams in the lower half of the Big East.

UConn Keeps It Uncomfortably Tight, but They Keep Winning originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DePaul Finally Finishes a Game

Charles Rich — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:25:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Big East Basketball

Seven times DePaul went into halftime with a lead and managed to lose 4 of those games. Tonight it looked like this would be the fifth time. DePaul went into halftime leading Villanova 40-28. Through most of the second half DePaul controlled the game and up by 14 with 6 minutes left.

Of course earlier this season, Villanova had a huge comeback win against LSU, down 21 with over 8 minutes left. So, this hardly seemed insurmountable for the Wildcats. Add in the DePaul propensity to collapse late in games, and this game couldn't be considered over until the final horn.

Sure enough, Villanova went on a 10-0 run to pull within 4 points with 3 minutes and change left. All momentum and energy shifted to Villanova. Finally, the Blue Demons didn't wilt. They went inside and took high percentage shots rather than hoisting bad jumpers. They also sank their free throws.

Instead it was Villanova throwing up 3s on a night they weren't falling. They got away from brought them back. Driving and penetrating. Getting DePaul to foul or give up the drive.

Given the youth on DePaul and the number of leads they have already blown this year, this game was vital as Big East play begins.

DePaul Finally Finishes a Game originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vandy The First Team to 10 Wins

Charles Rich — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:44:00 EST

Filed under: DePaul Basketball, Big East Basketball, SEC Basketball

If you followed DePaul at all last year, you know how schizophrenic they could be. It was mainly home versus road. At home they could knock off Kansas and Marquette then go on the road and lose to Northwestern and UAB. This was expected to be and is a rebuilding year for the Blue Demons with the loss of Wilson Chandler and Sammy Meija.

They haven't looked good this season home or away, as they have struggled with their defense. They have allowed 74 points or more in 4 of 5 games. There's potential with Draelon Burns and Karron Clarke to lead them, but it really hasn't shown up yet.

Vandy has been hot. They came in 9-0 with wins over Bradley, South Alabama, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. They were nationally ranked, and the only other SEC team ranked besides Tennessee. They have been scoring bushels of points -- 77 points or more in every game -- so they would be poised to take advantage of the DePaul defensive woes.
So naturally, DePaul came out playing great defense and held Vandy to only 30 points in the first half. DePaul built a 18 point lead with under 15 minutes left in the game. This, despite not hitting 3 point shots. They were doing it with penetration, drives to the basket and, crisp passing for open looks.

Then everything changed. DePaul completely relaxed, as a young inexperienced team will. Vandy started to score quickly, and the Blue Demons started rushing shots. They could never get the intensity back.

It also helped that DePaul is an absolutely woeful free throw shooting team. They averaged 60% FT shooting coming into the game and couldn't even match that for the game. That was vital in the final minutes. Vandy could score, foul DePaul without it really costing them. It stretched the game, and Vandy was finally able to tie the game at 79 in the final minute to force overtime.

At that point, there was no doubt Vandy was going to win. The DePaul players were hanging their heads, slumping their shoulders and just gave up. They knew they had blown the game, and didn't have it in them to rally. Coach Jerry Wainwright couldn't convince them they still had a chance. Vandy cruised in the OT to a 91-85 win.

The Commodores are the first team to reach 10 wins and are one of only 14 teams to still be unbeaten.

Vandy The First Team to 10 Wins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking At the DePaul Blue Demons 2007-08 Hoops Schedule

Charles Rich — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: DePaul Basketball, Big East Basketball

The Big East has released the 2007-08 schedules for the 16 member schools. This year, all teams play each other once and there three home-and-homes in an 18-game conference schedule. All the schedules can be found here.

Toughest Non-Conference Games: at Kansas, at Creighton, Vanderbilt, and Clemson and Ole Miss (in San Juan)

Big East Home-and-Homes: Villanova, Notre Dame and Providence.

Toughest Stretch: DePaul could find itself buried before Christmas in a particularly impressive non-con. Traveling to Kansas, home for Vanderbilt and a game with Illinois-Chicago. Then down to San Juan for back-to-back games with Ole Miss and Clemson. It isn't hard to see DePaul dropping 4 of the 5 games and trying to recover the whole season.

Biggest Game: January 26, at Marquette. So much for tradition. The only meeting this year for traditional mid-west, urban school rivals that joined the Big East together.

Nov. 9 Fri. at Creighton Omaha, Neb. 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 17 Sat. Northwestern Allstate Arena 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 24 Sat. North Carolina A&T Allstate Arena 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 28 Wed. Texas A&M - C.C. Allstate Arena 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8 Sat. at Kansas Lawrence, Kan. 1:00 p.m. ESPN
Dec. 12 Wed. Vanderbilt Allstate Arena 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 15 Sat. UIC Allstate Arena 7:30 p.m.
. San Juan Shootout
Dec. 20 Thu. vs. Mississippi San Juan, Puerto Rico 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 Fri. vs. Clemson San Juan, Puerto Rico 2:00 p.m.
Dec. 22 Sat. vs. La Salle San Juan, Puerto Rico 2:00 p.m.
Dec. 29 Sat. at Detroit Detroit, Mich. 3:00 p.m.

Jan. 3 Thu. Villanova* Allstate Arena 8:00 p.m. ESPN2
Jan. 5 Sat. Providence* Allstate Arena tba
Jan. 8 Tue. Georgetown* Allstate Arena tba
Jan. 12 Sat. at St. John's* Queens, N.Y. tba
Jan. 16 Wed. at Villanova* Philadelphia, Pa. tba
Jan. 19 Sat. Rutgers* Allstate Arena tba
Jan. 26 Sat. at Marquette* Milwaukee, Wis. tba
Jan. 30 Wed. Syracuse* Allstate Arena tba

Feb. 2 Sat. at Notre Dame* South Bend, Ind. tba
Feb. 5 Tue. at Providence* Providence, R.I. tba
Feb. 9 Sat. USF* Allstate Arena tba
Feb. 12 Tue. Louisville* Allstate Arena tba
Feb. 19 Tue. at Connecticut* Hartford, Conn. tba
Feb. 23 Sat. at Seton Hall* East Rutherford, N.J. tba
Feb. 27 Wed. West Virginia* Allstate Arena 8:00 p.m. ESPN2

Mar. 2 Sun. Notre Dame* Allstate Arena tba
Mar. 6 Thu. at Cincinnati* Cincinnati, Ohio tba
Mar. 9 Sun. at Pittsburgh* Pittsburgh, Pa. tba

Looking At the DePaul Blue Demons 2007-08 Hoops Schedule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:08:00 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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Early Big East Tournament Action: Opening Round

Charles Rich — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Big East Basketball, Syracuse

I wasn't surprised by the outcomes, but I had the way they won reversed in my preview.

Villanova 75 DePaul 67. The Wildcats didn't shoot particularly well from the field. But what they did exceptionally well was make their free throws. Boy did they make their free throws. Villanova, the best FT shooting team in the Big East, was 33-38 from the line. It was 61-57, Villanova with a little over 2 minutes left. They never made another field goal, but were 14-18 from the line in that period as DePaul kept fouling and Villanova kept making FTs. Freshman guard Scottie Reynolds scored 29 points with 13 coming at the line. Curtis Sumpter had 25 as well.

For DePaul, they stayed close throughout the game but just couldn't get the game tied. Wilson Chandler and Sammy Mejia had about their normal games and there was matching production from Draelon Burns. The three combined for 56 points. The problem was that the other 6 players provided 11 points on 4-14 shooting.

Syracuse 78 UConn 65. UConn had a 2-point lead at the half. They played a very good first half, but couldn't get separation as Eric Devendorf for Syracuse kept the Orange in the game in the first half. In the second half, Demetris Nichols took over and scored 28 points. Syracuse went on a 19-6 run when the score was tied at 40 to bust the game open. UConn was the UConn team they have been all season. Unable to handle adversity and fading. UConn Coach Jim Calhoun got a technical late in the second half and I'm really not sure whether he was lashing out at the officiating or his own team after the game.

"When bad things happen to you by incompetent people, and they do happen to you at times, and as that built we became a little more frustrated," Calhoun said.

I'm assuming he was blaming the refs, but it really applied to the way his own team has played this season.

Syracuse struggled making free throws -- 13-25 -- or the game would have been a bigger blowout by the end of the game. Luckily for Syracuse, UConn struggled shooting -- period. Under 35% shooting in the game.

Early Big East Tournament Action: Opening Round originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:00:00 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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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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Big East Recap (the Others): Blowouts

Charles Rich — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 22:53:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Seton Hall Basketball, Cincinnati Basketball, Big East Basketball

DePaul 58 Cinci 45. Still trying to figure out how Cinci won one game in the Big East this year. DePaul jumped out early to a 15-5 lead and never looked back. They will look good in the NIT -- when they have home games. The Blue Demons are 12-2 at home and 5-10 anywhere else. Cinci has now lost 10 straight games, and just want to end the season.

Villanova 74 Rutgers 51. And it wasn't even that close. This game was also over early. Not a shock. Rutgers is really bad. They can't shoot well and couldn't stop the Wildcats penetration. Villanova knew they needed the game simply to get to .500 in the conference.

Seton Hall 89 South Florida 76. Two of the four worst teams in the Big East went at it. Defense was optional. South Florida, in search of their first Big East road win, had the lead at halftime and were within 5 with under 4 minutes left. Brian Laing for Seton Hall was great inside with 23 points on 10-15 shooting. Both teams just had their way inside. Neither being particularly interested in playing strong interior defense. USF won't be going to the Big East Tournament. Seton Hall still has an outside shot if it can beat Cinci and Louisville -- both on the road -- and St. John's loses its final game against Providence. Seton Hall has the head-to-head tie-breaker.

Big East Recap (the Others): Blowouts originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 24 Feb 2007 22:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notre Dame Continues the Home Perfection

Charles Rich — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 21:27:00 EST

Filed under: DePaul Basketball, Notre Dame Basketball, Big East Basketball

Notre Dame keeps itself on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Forget being ranked in the coaches poll at #23 at the moment. Their RPI (#49), non-con strength of schedule (#300) and presently only 6-4 in their last 10 games all work against the Irish.

So, this game was vital. They needed to beat DePaul -- another team close to them in RPI -- and make sure they finish the season above .500 in the Big East. This win did it, moving them to 9-5 in the conference. Notre Dame did it in impressive fashion with a 78-54 pummeling of the Blue Demons.

It was a strong, balanced game for Notre Dame as all 5 starters got into double digits -- and accounted for all but 5 of the 78 points.

As well as Notre Dame played, DePaul simply never showed up. They hung their heads early when open shots weren't falling. The Blue Demons went a pathetic 2-19 from the 3-point range.

This should just about do it for any hope DePaul had of making the NCAA Tournament. They fall to 7-7 in the Big East, their RPI will fall from #55, and their final two games won't help -- USF and Cinci.

Notre Dame Continues the Home Perfection originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 20 Feb 2007 21:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Power Poll: Surging Louisville

Charles Rich — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:10:00 EST

This Saturday has an excellent shot at deciding who will be #1 in the power poll going into the Big East Tournament. Pitt and Georgetown face off in the rematch. After that, though, Louisville had quietly climbed the rankings with win over the lesser teams. This past week was their coming out party with two road wins against Pitt and Marquette.

Georgetown -- Strong road win over Villanova and keeps winning games with an efficient offense and great defense.
Pitt -- Played their worst game of the year at the wrong time, but rebounded by gutting out a win over Washington and the same against Seton Hall without Aaron Gray.
Louisville -- I already made my mea culpa on writing off Louisville back in December. If Georgetown isn't the hottest team in the conference right now, the Cardinals are.
WVU -- Very shaky here, but no one else really deserves it. At least they are taking care of business at home.
Marquette -- Finally got a win after losing 3 straight. The guard play has been suspect and the free throw shooting unpredictable.
Villanova -- They need someone else who can step up and help Scottie Reynolds.
ND -- They just scream one-and-done at the Big East Tournament and the NCAA (if they make it).
Syracuse -- It's not often you hear Syracuse fans essentially saying, "wait until next year." But, there's a lot of hope that Johnny Flynn will be the point guard to make the team go with his old friend Paul Harris and taking any and all PG duties from Devendorf.
DePaul -- Actually on a 3-game winning streak. Too little, too late.
Providence -- A definite "wait until next year" team.
UConn -- Final 3 games: Villanova, Louisville, @ Georgetown.
St. John's -- At least they should have enough wins to get into the Big East Tournament.
Seton Hall -- They are better than their 3-10 conference record. Of course, it's hard to be worse.
USF -- On a 4-game slide. It's still been a better year then last year.
Rutgers -- Unlike Football Coach Schiano, I don't think Coach Hill will be getting a raise and extension this year.
Cinci -- It's almost over.

You can see the full Big East blog consortium results here, where Pitt actually remained ahead of Georgetown.

Big East Power Poll: Surging Louisville originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Recap (the Others): Post-Season Dreams

Charles Rich — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 21:54:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Seton Hall Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Syracuse

West Virginia 81 Seton Hall 71. It was the latest Jerry West Day at the concrete toadstool known as the WVU Coliseum. WVU led most of the way, but couldn't put Seton Hall fully away. The Mountaineers finally got separation after the Pirates closed to within 2 points, 64-62. Then WVU went on a 13-0 run to put the game out of reach. It puts WVU one step closer to the NCAA Tournament, but Seton Hall falls to 3-9 in the Big East and on the outside of the Big East Tournament.

Syracuse 73 UConn 63. UConn's inability to hit free throws cost them another game. Both teams shot 21-65. Turnovers, blocked shots and steals were all equal or nearly the same. UConn, though shot 14-28 on free throws while Syracuse was 26-31. Syracuse keeps its hopes of making the NCAA Tournament (however slim) going as they get to 8-5 in the Big East. UConn drops to 5-7 and solidly an NIT team.

DePaul 75 USF 62. South Florida has been undermanned all season. Halfway through the second half, it was 44-44. The Bulls, though, were gassed and couldn't sustain the effort. It's too late for DePaul to make the NCAA, but it will get into the NIT and possibly like last year will convince people that next year will be the year they make a real move towards the NCAA.

Big East Recap (the Others): Post-Season Dreams originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 17 Feb 2007 21:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marquette's Guards Continue to Stumble

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

Filed under: Marquette Basketball, DePaul Basketball, Big East Basketball

The Marquette Golden Eagles fell to the DePaul Blue Demons 72-67. Dominic James struggles continue, so naturally Marquette struggles. This game, though, saw all of the guards struggle with their shots. James, McNeal, Matthews and Cubillan shot 16-45 and 3-15 from outside the arc. Technically, this was a better game for James who went 6-17 considering he was 5-35 in the previous 3 games.

The forwards played well and helped Marquette to get extra chances with 19 offensive rebounds (+6 offensive rebounds) in the game. Dan Fitzgerald shot 6-10 for 16 points to help keep Marquette in the game.

For DePaul, Wilson Chandler had a solid double-double -- 14 points and 11 rebounds. Most of his effort came in the first half to get DePaul the lead. Sammy Mejia scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half to keep DePaul going.

Ultimately, the game came down to free throws. Both teams have been inconsistent at the foul line this year. In this game, Marquette (11-21, 52.4%) did poorly while DePaul (19-27, 70.4%) shot very well.

This loss, admittedly in a rivalry game, was a big hit for Marquette. They have lost 2 straight once more in the conference to fall to 8-4, with little chance of winning the Big East regular season.

The good news for Marquette is that 3 of their final 4 games are at home. The bad news, they play Louisville, Villanova, at Notre Dame and Pitt. All teams in the top half of the Big East.

Marquette's Guards Continue to Stumble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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