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AROUND THE BIG EAST (11/16/2008)

The first weekend of college basketball for the 2008 season concluded on Sunday with four Big East teams involved in regular season action. Notre Dame and Syracuse opened their seasons while Seton Hall and Rutgers took the court for the second time already in this early season.

Let’s take a look at the action and some of the league’s news and notes…

Seton Hall 71
Columbia 50

Ray Floriani took in the game at the Prudential Center in Newark and noted that Seton Hall Spurts Past Columbia with an early second half run that allowed them to re-take control of the contest and cruise to the finish. The Pirates got 21 points from Jeremy Hazell and double-doubles from John Garcia (11 pts, 14 rebs) and Eugene Harvey (12 pts, 10 rebs and 8 assts), who nearly registered a triple-double.

SHU, 2-0, will now head to Puerto Rico where they will face nationally ranked USC on Thursday night. The Pirates, currently with just 8 eligible players, will play the first two games in Puerto Rico even more short-handed as Robert ‘Stix’ Mitchell serves a two-game suspension for violating NCAA rules last season.

Rutgers 85
Delaware 77

There has hardly been any time for the Rutgers Win Over Marist Wrap-up (by Ray Floriani) as RU Survived a MAAC Scare on Fiday night at the RAC before the Scarlet Knights were in action again on Sunday afternoon. This time, RU traveled to Newark (DE) and Rutgers Beats Delaware 85-77 on Strength of Career Game by Hamady N’Diaye (NJ.com).

N’Diaye, after registering eight of RU’s school record 16 blocked shots in the win over Marist Friday, scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the win over the Blue Hens. The game also marked the return to game action of seniors JR Inman (2 pts, 4 rebs in 15 minutes) and Jaron Griffin (0-3 in 4 mins), although neither was a big factor in this one.

Freshman Mike Rosario added an efficient 17 points on just 7 field goal attempts and Corey Chandler added 13 points in just 15 minutes.

Former Georgetown Hoya Marc Egerson registered 28 points and 12 boards for DU in a losing cause.

Rutgers will close out the Jersey Challenge next Friday/Sunday by hosting Robert Morris and St. Bonaventure at the RAC.
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Syracuse 85
LeMoyne 51

Notre Dame 94
South Carolina Upstate 58

Luke Harangody picked up where he left off as Harangody and the Irish Start Fast (South Bend Tribune) and cruise to their opening win over South Carolina Upstate.

Harangody exploded out of the blocks as the NBE Pre-Season Big East Player of the Year scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Senior Luke Zeller came off the bench and added 19 points for ND.
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Early Look at Monday’s Action:

Hartford @ Connecticut, 7 PM.
Price Questionable for Tonight’s Game (Norwich Bulletin)
Price Misses Second Straight Practice, Might Miss Hartford Game (Hartford Courant)
Injury Update (TheDay.com)
Calhoun, Huskies Aware of Upset Trend (Register Citizen)

Miami (OH) @ Pittsburgh, 7 PM.
Panthers Take on Scrappy Miami Team (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Miami Holds 10-2 Series Edge over Pitt (Tribune-Review)
Redhawks Will Have Hands Full at No. 5 Pitt (Dayton Daily News)
Jermaine Dixon Learning Offense on the Run for Pitt (Beaver County Times)
Pitt Men Still Battling Injury Bug (Tribune Review)

Fordham @ Villanova, 7:30 PM.

Jacksonville @ Georgetown, 7:30 PM.
Georgetown Takes First Steps Tonight (DC Examiner)

Chicago State @ Marquette, 8 PM.
Players Sorely Lacking for Marquette (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Albany @ DePaul, 8:30 PM.
Look at DePaul/Albany (Albany Times-Union)
DePaul Gets Big Upgrade (Chicago Tribune)

Cornell vs. St. John’s at the Conte Forum in Chestnut (MA) in the opening round of the Preseason NIT.
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Other Big East Notes:

In an effort to stay sharp between their exhibition matches and their regular season opener against Morehead State of November 22nd in the Billy Minardi Classic, Louisville held an inter-squad scrimmage over the weekend and fans got to see a healthy Terrence Williams. T-Will Returns in UofL Scrimmage (Kentucky.com) to the tune of 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds after practicing for just a week after arthroscopic surgery on a medial meniscus tear in his right knee.
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The Louisville Courier-Journal in their Few Sunday Nuggets reports that Kyrie Irving, a 2010 target of several Big East schools, made an unofficial visit to Indiana for their opening game this past weekend.
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Recently it was noted by Adam Zagoria that Louisville was making a push for Westchester CC 6-foot-11 center Jarrid Famous, now Villanova is looking to throw their hat into the ring in his recruitment as well. Famous has taken one official visit, to Seton Hall, this fall and was present for the Pirates’ win over Columbia at the Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon. Connecticut and West Virginia are also among the Big East Schools Trying to Get Famous (ZagsBlog.net).
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Durand Scott has set his announcement time on his college decision. The highly touted NYC shooting guard will choose between Miami, Connecticut and Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Yu can see him make his announcement as Scott to Announce on SNY.tv (ZagsBlog.net), Will Durand Scott Say ‘No Mas’ to UConn (New Haven Register)?
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Here is Adam Zagoria’s latest update on Dominic Cheek, who visited Memphis this past weekend with John Wall: Cheek, Wall on Memphis Visit (ZagsBlog.net).
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The Connecticut Post has an excellent article on former UConn star Chris Smith, who was recently named to our Big East All-Time Top 50 Players and is regarded as the player that began to turn the tide for Jim Calhoun’s program. The successful recruitment of Smith and Gampel Pavilion Fuel UConn’s Rise to the upper echelon of college basketball.

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