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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/24/2008)

It was a good Sunday in the Big East as Connecticut and Seton Hall earned impressive wins over counterparts from the ACC. Louisville did what was expected of them this weekend in the Billy Minardi Classic at Freedom Hall. The only blemish on Sunday came as Rutgers fell at home in the Garden State Challenge finale. Ray Floriani reports from the RAC for the NBE Network as St. Bona Upsets Rutgers for the Challenge Title in overtime. Tough loss in front of a top recruit for RU.

It is a big night around the league tonight as UConn goes for the Paradise Jam championship, Notre Dame opens up in Maui against a former foe on a new bench and Syracuse looks to make a national statement in the CBE Classic. Cincinnati and St. John’s are also in action tonight against lesser-opponents at home.

Also, a story on Dominic Cheek’s visit over the weekend, a new target in the class of 2010 possibly for Louisville and a story on a WVU freshman making an impact early for the Mountaineers.

Also on the NBE Network, Chris Dokish answers his reader mailbag with an informative New Q&A on Pitt Basketball, hitting on topics of recruiting, early season play of the Panthers, Early NBA Draft decisions and injuries, which seem to be an all-to-often topic with the Panthers.

SUNDAY’S BIG EAST ACTION:

St. Bonaventure 64
Rutgers 63 OT
Even with a bally-hooed recruiting class, Rutgers faces a tough climb in the Big East and that point was reiterated yesterday as Bona Upsets Rutgers on the Road (Buffalo News), spoiling the Scarlet Knights quest for the Garden State Challenge Title.

Rutgers got a team-high 14 points each from freshman Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique, who also added 14 rebounds for a double-double. However, the Scarlet Knights only made 11 of 21 free throws in the one-point OT loss.

Rosario, who had been carrying RU offensively in their first three wins, shot just 6-17 on Sunday, and in Breaking Down Rutgers’ Loss (Star-Ledger) it is obvious other Scarlet Knights will need to step-up offensively, otherwise Big East defenses will but the extra attention on Rosario, forcing someone else to step up.
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Seton Hall 77
Virginia Tech 73
Seton Hall had an outstanding showing in Puerto Rico as they once again rallied from a large 1st half deficit to earn a surprising victory. On Sunday, Seton Hall Beats Virginia Tech To Finish Third in Puerto Rico Tip-off (Star-Ledger) Tournament, 77-73. The Pirates, who opened the tournament on Thursday, rallying from a 15-point halftime hole to beat nationally ranked (at the time) USC, erased a 14-point 1st half deficit this time to defeat the Hokies.

Jeremy Hazell led SHU with 23 points and Robert Mitchell, playing his first game in Puerto Rico after a two-game suspension, added 15 points in the win.
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Connecticut 76
Miami 63
Whatever Jim Calhoun and/or the UConn teammates of Hasheem Thabeet did to motive the 7-foot-2 big man prior to the game with Miami, they should file away to use again when they need their big man to play like the dominate force everyone has expected. While those around him seem to wonder What Makes Thabeet Tick (Journal Inquirer)? On Sunday against Miami of the ACC, Thabeet played as though a bomb went off.

Thabeet scored 19 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 7 shots, playing with Hurricane force in the Virgin Islands, as Thabeet Leads UConn into Championship Game (Hartford Courant) tonight against Wisconsin.

AJ Price also produced a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds (yes, rebounds!) and five assists for the winners.
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Louisville 81
South Alabama 54
Early Reviews are Good (Louisville Courier-Journal) following a pair of easy wins in the Billy Minardi Classic for Louisville over the weekend. In the finale against South Alabama, Samardo Samuels continued his impressive beginning with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, although Samuel’s 24 Points Aren’t MVP Honors (Courier-Journal). Senior Terrence Williams, who was the classic’s MVP, added 12 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals, setting the tone for the Cards, as noted by coach Rick Pitino.

“If you look at who’s the best scorer, Samardo is going to be the MVP,” Pitino was quoted as saying in the C-J. “If you look at who’s the best passer, it’s T-Will. If you look at who’s the best rebounder, it’s T-Will. If you look at who makes the people better, it’s T-Will. The best defensive player? T-Will.”

I guess we know who had the deciding vote in the MVP balloting.
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MONDAY’s BIG EAST SCHEDULE:

Indiana vs. Notre Dame, 5:30 PM in the Maui Invitational
Indiana and Notre Dame are in-state rivals, but they are travelling all the way to Maui to face each other. The rebuilding Hoosiers Get Ready for Challenge in Maui (News-Sentinel) against nationally ranked Notre Dame.

Fans of Indiana college basketball will have to settle for the meeting in Maui, maybe for the foreseeable future, as ND-IU Could Be a One & Done (South Bend Tribune) as the rivalry that dates back to 1908 is not currently schedule to resume for the programs that are currently Traveling in Opposite Directions (Journal-Gazette).

With a field that includes in-state rival IU as well as Texas and North Carolina, the Irish are Not There to Surf (South Bend Tribune) in Maui, but make a national statement as Maui May Tell Tale if Irish as Good as Hype (Chicago Tribune).
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Florida vs. Syracuse, 7:30 PM in the CBE Classic
With Jonny Flynn and Nick Calathes matched-up this evening in the semifinals of the O’Reilly Auto Parts/CBE Classic in Kansas City (MO), college basketball fans will be treated to Top Point Guards on Display Tonight (Gainesville Sun) when Florida and Syracuse meet.

Florida Enters Challenging Tournament Short-handed Against Syracuse (TampaBay.com) because of Jai Lucas’ abrupt transfer and injuries to Eloy Vargas and Adam Allen, keeping them out of action. Kansas and Washington make up the other half of the tournament field in Kansas City, meaning four of the past six national champions will be competing.

As it currently stands, Syracuse is flying under the national radar, while the recent success for Florida has many possibly believing they are better than they really are. The Orange are Ready for No. 18 Florida (Auburn Citizen) and look for SU to come out strong and make a statement.
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Wisconsin vs. Connecticut, 8:30 PM in the Paradise Jam
Huskies Take on Badgers for 2008 Paradise Jam Championship (uconnhuskies.com)
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Coastal Carolina @ Cincinnati, 7:30 PM
Cincinnati will welcome Coastal Carolina to town tonight and the Bearcats might have a candidate to help take some of the scoring load off of Deonta Vaughn this season developing on the wing. It was a tough freshman season for Alvin Mitchell, in fact, he finished the season suspended and his future with the program was cloudy. In the last two games, the Florida native has scored 34 points as Mitchell Steps Up to fill Scoring Void (Cincinnati.com) as coach Mick Cronin had hopes someone would.
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Eastern Michigan @ St. John’s, 8 PM

OTHER BIG EAST NOTES:
With the graduation of Darris Nichols and the limited previous experience of Joe Mazzulla, West Virginia had a question mark going into the season to watch at point guard. It also was a situation that would put freshman Darryl Bryant into the spotlight early on and the Mountaineers’ Bryant is Making His Mark as a Freshman (Daily Mail) and showing that NYC toughness that earned him his nickname: Truck.
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It was probably not the impression Rutgers wanted to make on Dominic Cheek over the weekend, as the Scarlet Knights fell to St. Bonaventure with Cheek at the Rutgers Game (ZagsBlog.net) Sunday afternoon.
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The Scott County High School boys’ basketball team is loaded with Division 1-A prospects and junior guard Ge-Lawn Guyn is beginning to emerge as a high profile recruit himself. Scott County’s Guyn is Rising Rapidly (Louisville Courier-Journal) and most of his college interest most interest has come from Louisville and South Carolina, along with Xavier, Tennessee and some from Kentucky.

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