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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/30/2009)

The Big East’s battle of New Jersey came down to the final seconds as Seton Hall extended the Rutgers’ losing streak, which has now hit nine game.

There is a night off from games in the Big East on this Friday, but the action will be hot again this weekend. Around the league we take a look at the Louisville defense that is propelling their run into the conference lead. One UL player has big dreams and plans for after college, and it is NOT the NBA. Pittsburgh looks to avoid the similar ingredients that have led to their two losses. It is a big battle ahead on Saturday for the Panthers with Notre Dame as the big men take center stage. Injury updates at Syracuse and UConn and the Huskies hope to snap a streak of losing at home to Providence this weekend. They may need more production from Stanley Robinson to do so. Cincinnati is also getting the job done of late with defense.

One 2010 Big East prospect from NYC made his college decision yesterday and opted to stay close to home, but not with a Big East school. Elsewhere, Maalik Wayns’ high school career could possible be over a little earlier than expected.

In the first have, Seton Hall scored 26 points and found themselves trailing Rutgers 27-26 at the Prudential Center.

In the second half, however, Jeremy Hazell exploded for 28 points himself and the Pirates held off a late Scarlet Knight rally as Seton Hall Knocks off Rutgers, 70-67, Behind Hazell’s 35 Points (Star-Ledger).

Hazell finished with his first career double-double as he also added 10 rebounds in the contest. He was effecient offensively, scoring 35 points on 17 field goal attempts (10-17), connecting on three of four from beyond the arc and made 12 of 13 free throws.

It was SHU’s second consecutive win after beginning conference play 0-6. Robert Mitchell added 11 points and Eugene Harvey fought off strept throat to add nine points and nine assists in the win.

The Struggle Continues for Rutgers, Now 0-8 in Big East, After Loss to SHU (Star Ledger) and are now 5-37 in the Big East under Fred Hill Jr.

The hope of the RU program is that freshmen Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique lead them to better days. Rosario scored 25 points last night and Echenique added 13 points (all in the second half) and 8 rebounds, but they can not do it themselves. Their teammates shot just 12-35 from the floor, good for just 34%

With No Love Lost Between the Jersey Coaches (SNY.tv), the game was full of subplots, but in the end, it was settled on the court in a game that tightened up in the last 30 seconds with Rutgers failing to get off a potential game-tying three before the buzzer sounded after a SHU turnover.

With two wins in a row, SHU now has a stretch of winnable games, starting February 5th when they host St. John’s and then hit the road for the rematch with Rutgers and a date with DePaul, who is winless in the Big East.

Rutgers will match-up with winless DePaul on Saturday, but their schedule is looking much tougher here on out.
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Louisville has risen to the top of the Big East standings, tied with Marquette with a 7-0 record in conference play.

Defense has keyed the UL run and it seems like Halftime is Post Time for Card’s Defense (Courier-Journal) as they have been off and running (nice horse racing connections) after intermission of late. The latest evidence was their 27-5 run turning a 33-32 lead against South Florida into a blowout.

When you face Rick Pitino’s squad, you have to utilize all your offensive weapons and philosophies as the Cardinals Can Defend With Man or Zone (Daily Mail) and are more than adept at unleashing the Pitino staple in the full court press.

Here is a great story on Louisville guard Will Scott, who had transferred from Cornell to UL to realize his dream of playing basketball at the highest collegient level. The next step for Scott is not a pro contract, he will be off to study at Oxford. U of L’s Scott Got to Oxford on his own Terms (Courier-Journal).
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Pittsburgh will look to rebound from their loss to Villanova on Saturday afternoon when they return home to meet slumping Notre Dame at the Peterson Events Center.

Pitt has fallen to Louisville and ‘Nova in the last couple weeks and the Two Losses are Strikingly Similar (Post-Gazette) as DeJuan Blair found himself in foul trouble and Pitt struggled to score down the stretch agains the extended pressure defenses.

Blair will hope to stay on the floor more on Saturday against reigning Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody. Their pair of big bodies in the post are a common sight in the conference as the Big East Features Players of Immense Proportions (Chicago Tribune), and in the case of these two, immense talent.
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Stanley Robinson’s return to the Connecticut line-up has not meant a lot of subtance to the Huskies. In the last six games, Robinson has averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds a game. Robinson Has Yet to Find a Rhythm (Register Citizen) and with a tough finishing stretch ahead, UConn will need the 6-foot-9 junior to make more of an impact.

As a precaution, UConn’s Kemba Walker Sits Out Practice (Norwich Bulletin) on Thursday. The freshman point guard has a mild left ankle and knee sprain.

In one of the most inexplicable streaks in the Big East, and maybe the country, Providence has won their last four games at UConn. So, when the two teams meet in Storrs, the Friars Figure to be Confident When they Visit UConn on Saturday (Greenwich Time) in a Big East contest.
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Cincinnati started conference play at 0-3 as their defense was being lit up by opponenets. Since that poor start, the Bearcats have been Turning Up the Pressure (Cincinnati Enquirer) and the improved defense has led to four wins in five outings, inlcuding the upset of nationally ranked Georgetown on Wednesday night.
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Syracuse has the weekend off from games and that is good news for the walking wounded of the Orange. With Mookie Jones lost for the season because of a hip injury and Andy Rautins missing the loss to PC and Arinze Onuaku playing just 15 painful minutes, the week off will help recharge their batteries, including nagging injuries that others, like Eric Devendorf, are battling through. Head coach Jim Boehiem Says Both Rautins and Onuaku Should Return for Next Game (Post-Standard), versus West Virginia at the Dome.
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Class of 2009 Villanova-commit Maalik Wayns will be sidelined with a knee injury. The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Roman Catholic’s Wayns is out 2-5 Weeks with the injured knee. An MRI was performed on Wednesday and the results are expected today to learn the full extent of the injury.

Northstar Basketball Blog is reporting that Wayns is Done for the Season because of the injury.

Wayns had been averaging about 18 points and 8 assists a game. The team’s leading scorer, Rakeem Brookins, will likely hand more of the point gaurd duties, which could help him make the transition from scoring guard to the point, which he will need to for his future. Brookins is in the class of 2010 and the 5-foot-11 guard is averaging over 20 points a game on the season. Their first big test without Wayns comes tonight in the Primetime Shootout when they face Chester (PA) High School on the Villanova campus.
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With scholarship offers from Providence and St. John’s as well as strong interest from West Virginia, it looked like 6-foot-6 junior (class of 2010) forward Joel Wright would find himself in the Big East for his college days. The Thomas Jefferson forward, known as ‘Air Jamaica’ because he moved to NYC at age 12 from the island country, surprised many with his early decision yesterday as Jefferson’s Wright Picks Fordham and Passes on the Big East (Five Boro Sports).

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