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AROUND THE BIG EAST (11/23/2008)

Big East teams continue to roll along in early season action as they go 5-1 as a conference on Friday night and 8-0 on Saturday. The lone blemish was Seton Hall losing to Memphis in Puerto Rico, but following their win over USC the night before, we will give the Pirates a free pass on this one…

Sunday’s action includes SHU against Virginia Tech to conclude their action in Puerto Rico. Rutgers stayed in Jersey for the Garden State Challenge which concludes on Sunday when St. Bonaventure comes to the RAC. The most interesting game on the Sunday schedule features UConn and Miami in the Paradise Jam.

We recap all the Big East action below as well as pass on some tough injury news from St. John’s…O-U-C-H, that one will hurt.

BIG EAST GAMES OF FRIDAY:

Connecticut 89
LaSalle 81
The Huskies opened up play at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands with an 89-81 win over LaSalle of the Atlantic 10. Jim Calhoun went against his normal beliefs and switched defenses, finding a Safety Zone (Journal Inquirer) to hold off the Explorers.

Freshman Kemba Walker continues to be sensational from the get-go for the Huskies as he pours in 23 points to lead UConn. Senior Jeff Adrien added 22 points and 14 rebounds in the win as the Explores Fall, But Give UConn a Tough Fame (Philly Daily News).
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Notre Dame 65
Loyola Marymount 54
On their way to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, Notre Dame had a layover in LA and took on Loyola Marymount while they were there. The Irish Survive L.A. Upstarts (South Bend Tribune) for a 65-54 road win.

As expected, Luke Harangody led the way for ND with 27 points and 17 rebounds and Tory Jackson added 16 points to help the Irish overcome an 0-fer from senior sniper Kyle McAlarney who went scoreless in 36 minutes.
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Memphis 84
Seton Hall 70
Seton Hall understandably had a little less in the tank Friday when they met Memphis after the exciting come-from-behind win over USC the night before. Memphis Was Too Strong for Seton Hall (The Record) and beat the Pirates in the Puerto Rico Tip-off, 84-70.

Jeremy Hazell scored 32 for SHU and Eugene Harvey scored 21, but the foul-prone Pirates sent Memphis to the line 46 times and the seven SHU players that saw action combined for 28 fouls. The biggest culprit, Mike Davis, who had 5 fouls in 14 points along with 0 points, 0 rebounds and 0 blocks from the 6′11 big man.
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Pittsburgh 87
Akron 67
Across the state in Philadelphia, there is the Big 5 when it comes to college basketball. In Pittsburgh, it is looking like their new term of success could be termed the ‘Big Three’ as Sam Young, Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair lead the Panthers to an 86-67 win over Akron.

Young scored 26 points and Blair added 16 points and 13 rebounds while Fields scored 19 and handed out 7 assists to just one turnover. In three games, Fields has 27 assists and just two turnovers. Not bad from your point guard!
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Rutgers 69
Robert Morris 55
RU 69, Bob Morris 55 (myCentralJersey.com).

Mike Rosario continues to impress early in his career as he pours in 27 points. Hamady N’Diaye only scored two points, but added 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots, but it remained Rosario Fueling Rutgers’ Romp (Asbury Park Press) Friday.
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Syracuse 86
Oakland 66
Syracuse Races Past Oakland (Rochester D&C) out of the gates as the Orange took a quick 22-5 lead and were never seriously challenged from there.

Jonny Flynn led the Orange attack with 18 points. Arinze Onualu added 14 and frosh Kris Joseph hit all six of his shots from the field, including one three-pointer, and finished with 13 points.
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BIG EAST GAMES OF SATURDAY:

Cincinnati 74
Western Illinois 46
The Bearcats made quick work of Western Illinois, getting a team-high 15 from Alvin Mitchell, and then were able to watch their football team earn a big win over Pittsburgh and put themselves in position for the Orange bowl berth from the Big East,
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Georgetown 81
Drexel 53
Some of the Hoyas Principal Roles Remained Undetermined

Monroe scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Hoyas to an 81-53 win over visiting Drexel. Austin Freeman added 16 points and Chris Wright added 11 points and 7 assists in the win.
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St. John’s 79
Howard 44
The St. John’s season has gotten off to a bad start as their top player Anthony Mason Jr. has suffered a torn tendon in his foot. The injury means that the Storm’s Mason is Done for the Year (NY Post), a devastating blow to the club. The 6-foot-7 forward will likely seek a medical redshirt which will allow him to return for the 2009-2010 season.

In there first game without their leading scorer and lone scholarship senior, No Mason is No Problem, At Least Against Howard (Newsday.com) as the Redstorm cruise to a 79-44 victory.

Sophomore DJ Kennedy had 17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot as he filled up the stat sheet in an expanded role with Mason out. Paris Horne added 15 and Justin Burrell 14 in the win.
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Providence 83
Maine 62
With point guard play so important in college basketball, Providence will hope theirs will stay healthy this season as the Friars Will Need Talent of Sharaud Curry to Compete (Providence Journal) in the Big East this season.

On Saturday, Curry scored just two points in the Friars’ 83-62 win over Maine, but he did contribute seven assists. Jeff Xavier carried the scoring load with 23 points and Geoff McDermott had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
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Pittsburgh 86
Indiana (PA) 60
In just 21 minutes, DeJuan Blair scored 27 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to pace the Panthers in a Legends Classic contest over D-II Indiana (PA).

Tyrell Biggs and freshman Ashton Gibbs each added 10 points in the win.
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Louisville 79
Morehead State 41
Finally, Rick Pitino’s squad opens their season as U of L Opens Season With Win over Morehead State (Louisville Courier Journal), 79-41, in the Billy Minardi Classic at Freedom Hall. Cards Open Season Late and Hope to Finish it Late (Courier-Journal) with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Samardo Samuels began his college career by leading the way with 18 points for the Cards and showed UL fans Who is Walking Through that Door (Courier Journal). Terrence Williams struggled from the floor, shooting just one of four, scoring 2 points, but led UL with 11 rebounds. Same for Edgar Sosa, who shot just one of five for 3 points, but dished out 10 assists against just one turnover.
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DePaul 67
Illinois-Chicago 63
Last season, UIC surprised the Blue Demons on their home floor, so DePaul had revenge on their minds this season as the Rivalry Has UIC and DePaul Excited (Southtown Star).

This season, DePaul was able to hold off UIC for a 67-63 win as Will Walker scored 17 and Mac Koshwal 14 to lead DePaul. Koshwal also added 15 rebounds in the contest.

DePaul had seen a double digit lead evaporate in the last eight minutes to see the game tied at 59-59, as the DePaul Recalls Last Year’s Loss (Chicago Tribune). Freshman Jeremiah Kelly scored his only three points of the game to break the tie and Dar Tucker (12 points) answered a UIC bucket with a three of his own to help seal the win.
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Marquette 100
UW-Milwaukee 80

The Golden Eagle offense under Buzz Williams continues to pile up points, with Wesley Mathews Back to His Old Self (Journal Sentinel), MU outguns rival UW-Milwaukee 100-80 at the Bradley Center.

Mathews and Lazar Hayward scored 25 each, with Hayward producing a double-double with 10 rebounds as well. Jerel McNeal added 22 points and 5 steals and Dominic James scored 16 to go with his 8 assits.
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TODAY’S BIG EAST GAMES:

St. Bonaventure at Rutgers, 2 PM (Garden State Challenge)
Inman Adjusting to Role on Improved Knights’ Squad (Asbury Park Press)
Foul Shooting is a Priority for RU’s Farmer (NJ.com)
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Seton Hall vs. Virginia Tech, 5 PM (Puerto Rico Tip-Off)
Nobody Ever Said Bobby Gonzalez Couldn’t Coach (Star-Ledger)
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Connecticut vs. Miami, 6 PM (Paradise Jam)
It was an East Trip to Paradise (Journal Inquirer) for the UConn hoops team, now the work is really ready to begin Sunday after a day off in the Virgin Islands when the Huskies meet nationally ranked Miami on Sunday.

Haith, Graham Talk No.2 UConn (Miami Herald).
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MORE NOTES OF INTEREST:
Buzzer Beaters by Kevin McNamara: The Providence Journal college basketball reporter takes a look at some odds n ends and the recruiting in the Big East and where the Friars’ class stacks up against the others in the Big East.

Memphis Still in Cheek’s List. ZagsBlog.net reports now that the commitment of Xavier Henry to Memphis has not eliminated the Tigers from the Cheek sweepstakes as has previously been speculated.

Mason, Lance and St. John’s Recruiting: ZagsBlog.net takes a look at the scholarship situation at SJU if Anthony Mason Jr returns on a redshirt next season.

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