Cincinnati News, DePaul News, Louisville News, Pittsburgh News, Providence News, Rutgers News, Seton Hall News, USF News, Villanova News

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (10/29/2009)

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Exhibition action continued last night as Louisville had a tough tussle with NAIA power Georgetown. In the end, the UL muscle was too much for the undersized Tigers. Pittsburgh looks to be getting a nice lift from an unexpected source this season if their annual Blue/Gold Scrimmage is any indication of things to come. DePaul will have a closed scrimmage against the usually tough Bradley Braves this coming weekend.

Expectations are high and that was very evident during the recent Seton Hall media day gathering. At Rutgers, who also had a media day event, expectations are not quite as high, but optimism is also shown for their prospects this season. Providence hopes a favorable schedule helps their young squad this season in the Big East. Role players are likely to make or break several teams hoping to emerge from the pack in the conference, Cincinnati looks to have a big three, but contributions from players like Rashad Bishop will be vital. Villanova will look to help a prized big man recruit make his transition smoothly to big time American basketball while Reggie Redding deals with the consequences of not doing the right thing over the summer. South Florida is another team hoping to work their way out of the bottom rungs of the conference this year.

Read about all these and more today in our news and notes links below…

Also, a reminder, for the latest in news and notes on the Big East football conference, be sure to check out our NBE Football Report. For those who like to follow BiG East alums in the NBA, as well as keep an eye on the latest NBA draft chatter, we have launched a new NBE site, this is called our Association Report and it will keep track of the action in the NBA, through the eyes of the Big East fan. Check these sites out, too!!

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Louisville opened up their exhibition schedule with their annual tussle with NAIA power Georgetown (KY) College on Wednesday night at Freedom Hall. The Cards trailed by as many as nine (31-22) in the 1st half and found themselves trailing at the half to the motivated Tigers, 35-31. UL rallied in the second half, but did not take control in the final minutes as Hustle and Muscle Was Enough for UL in 80-68 Exhibition Win (Louisville Courier-Journal).

Sophomore center Samardo Samuels provided the muscle, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the contest. Much of the hustle during a decisive stretch that saw the Cards finally take control of the game was provided by sophomore Kyle Kuric, who came off the bench to score 15 points, grab 7 rebounds and be credited with 3 steals. His follow-up dunk off a Terrence Jennings miss tied the score at 51-all and then Peyton Siva, who had 8 assists, many of the flashy variety, and six steals in the game dropped a pair of dimes to Jennings and Kuric each and suddently the Cards had some control.

Despite struggles on offense shooting the ball from his veterans and a sloppy affair that had turnovers and 60 fouls called on the teams combined, Rick Pitino understands where his team is and the work ahead of them.

“I think our offense is going to be very good,” Pitino told the Courier-Journal following the game. “Last year at this time, we probably had seven or eight sets in; right now we have two. We’ve just got to go very slowly with these guys because they’re so young.”
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Pittsburgh fans got a first look at the new version of the Panthers as they try to replace stars DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields. The well-decorated trip led Pitt into the Elite 8 last season and will certainly be missed by fans this year. While fans were excited to get a chance to see they acclaimed new freshmen in the program, including McDonald’s All-Americah Dante Taylor, in action Tuesday night at the Peterson Events Center, it was Chase Adams that left his mark. The Transfer Shines in Pitt Scrimmage (Tribune-Review) as the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Adams, known more of a defensive stopper at Centenary College, proved he can score as well, going 8 for 11 from the field and 5 for 7 from 3-point range, as his Blue squad won, 56-53, with Adams scoring a game-high 21 points. Other notable performances were turned in by junior Brad Wanamaker, who scored 19, and sophomore Ashton Gibbs, who scored 17. As Adams Makes a Big Impression (Post-Gazette), it looks like Pitt could be more be a more guard orientated attack than anytime in recent years.
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DePaul looks to begin putting the memories of last year’s 9-24 campaign behind them when they take on Bradley in a closed scrimmage this weekend. Originally scheduled to be held on the Blue Demons’ campus, the Braves’ Scrimmage With DePaul Has Been Moved to Peoria (Peoria Journal-Star) and will take place at a time and location still to be determined.
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Yesterday was Media day at Rutgers, here are the articles:

Rutgers Basketball Q&A With Mike Rosario (Star-Ledger)
RU Media Day: Thoughts & Quotes (Hoops Haven)
Rutgers Men’s Basketball Players Hoping for a Different Forecast this Season (Star-Ledger)
Beatty Feels at Home at Rutgers (SNY.tv)
Rutgers Coach Hill Gets Endorsement from Former SHU Assistant John Carroll (Star-Ledger)
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The New Jersey-based media was kept busy this week as Seton Hall also held their gathering with the media. Here are those articles found on the web:
SHU Media Day Thoughts & Quotes (Hoops Haven)
Hall Believes it Has Something Special (NorthJersey.com)
Seton Hall Excited for Upcoming Season (Asbury Park Press)
Seton Hall Believes an NCAA Berth Not out of the Question This Season (Star-Ledger)
Good News for the Hall: Jackson Can Shoot (ZagsBlog.com)
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Big things are expected out of Cincinnati this season with the expected trio of Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates and freshman phenom Lance Stephenson carrying the load. As anyone knows, three players do not make a team and contributions from others will likly be the deciding factor on how good UC becomes. One key component is 6-foot-6 junior forward Rashad Bishop who does the dirty work for the Bearcats that his coach certainly appreciates. With Bishop Under the Radar, But Not Overlooked (Cincinnati Enquirer) with his effort on defense, that is the kind of understanding of a complimentary role that separates teams from the middle of the pack.
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Providence has a tough hill to climb this season with a team short on experience and size as it readies for the Big East gauntlet. However, one area PC did get some help with might be with who they play this season twice in the league. The Friars’ Schedule Should Help Team (Providence Journal) as they were paired with Syracuse, Marquette and South Florida twice within the league schedule.
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The transition from high school to college is always a big move for any student-athlete. However, if you have only been in the United States for two years and now your being thrown into the mix as a key component of a potential national title contender, it could be overwhelming. Throught it all, Benin (West Africa) native Mouphtau Yarou is getting acclimated to Villanova as well as everything else in his life. There is no denying that a Big Transition for Villanova’s Yarou (Philly Inquirer) has underway and how well he settles into the new surroundings this year could have a major influence on the heights ‘Nova reaches this year.

The Wildcats will also be without senior guard Reggie Redding the first semester as he is suspended for an incident over the summer as he faces misdemeanor charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana (less than 30 grams) for a July 28 on-campus incident. Instead of receiving the spoils that go to a senior coming off a Final Four appearance and being a captain of the conference’s pre-season favorite, Villanova’s Redding Takes Responsibility for not doing ‘The Right Thing’ (Philly Daily News) which has put his basketball career on hold until December 19th, the earliest he is eligibile to return to the Wildcats.
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South Florida faces a tough climb in the Big East but they hope that this is the season progress begins to show. South Florida is Hoping to Make Strides in the Big East (Tampa Tribune) this season led by high-scoring Dominique Jones and JUCO addition Jarrid Famous.
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