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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/16/2009)

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A busy weekend of Big East hoops concluded with three more games on Sunday as Seton Hall moved to 2-0, Providence won their third game already on the young season and West Virginia opened their season with a victory. However, the news at WVU was more about who did not play for the Mountaineers than who did play.

Notre Dame and Rutgers opened their seasons on Saturday with victories and five Big East teams hit the court on Monday night. Connecticut is in action as a regional host of the NIT Tip-off tournament when they host Colgate. Villanova opens Big 5 play by hosting Penn of the Ivy League. Notre Dame is back in action hosting St. Francis (PA) and South Florida hosts Virginia of the ACC, looking for their second win on the season. Opening their season tonight is Cincinnati as the regular season debut of Lance Stephenson takes place when the Bearcats host Prairie View A&M.

In other news around the league, the Syracuse big men are not taking advantage from the charity stripe. Will that cause more pain for the Orange this season since their experience is in their frontline as opposed to the backcourt like last year? Also, recruiting news on George Marshall, Roscoe Smith, Tobias Harris and Doron Lamb from the weekend.

Lots to cover today…check it out in the News & Notes links below…

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BIG EAST WEEKEND RESULTS:

NOTRE DAME 86, NORTH FLORIDA 65 (Saturday)
–It has not taken Ben Hansbrough very long to find his niche with Notre Dame this season as the Hot-Shooting Guard Settles in for the Irish (Journal-Gazette), scoring 19 points in their win over North Florida Saturday afternoon.

Hansbrough, a transfer from Mississippi State, connected on all five of his three-point attempts and finished with 19 points in the 86-65 Notre Dame win. NBE Preseason All-Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody also scored 19 points and added 7 rebounds.

“The exhibition games definitely shook a little bit of the rust off,” Hansbrough said in the Indianapolis Star. “I felt pretty relaxed.”

The Irish got some solid play in their opener from Jonathan Peoples scoring 11 in his expanded role. The Irish Will Count on the Steady Peoples (South Bend Tribune) this season as the senior played a career-high 30 minutes on Saturday. Peoples and Tim Abromaitis stand to get the bulk of the opportunities in the wake of Scott Martin’s preseason injury that will force him to miss the season. Abromaitis gets in the flow (South Bend Tribune) in the opener as well, scoring 13 points on five of six shooting which inlcuded three 3’s in 21 minutes. He also added four rebounds, all career highs, for the junior.

The Irish connected on 56% (28-50) from the field and three-point range in the win.
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PROVIDENCE 76, BUCKNELL 65 (Saturday)
PROVIDENCE 79, MERCER 77 (Sunday)
–The young Providence club under the direction of Keno Davis got off to a 3-0 weekend as they took the Word Vision Classic on their home floor of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this weekend.

After their blowout win on Friday over Bryant, Providence had their hands full ealry and often with Bucknell, who held a two-point lead over the Friars at the half. The home team gained control after intermission as PC Struggled Past Bucknell (Providence Journal), 76-65, behind big efforts from junior Marson Brooks and redshirt-soph Jamine Peterson.

Brooks Showed he is Destined to be the Next Great Friar (Pro-Jo) with his all-around game on full display this weekend. After scoring 15 against Bucknell, Brooks sewed up thew World Vision Classic MVP honors with a 26-point, 7-rebound, 3-assits, 3-block and 2-steal performance in a 79-77 win over Mercer.

The Friars led by as many as 19 as the mid-wat point of the second hald neared against a tough Mercer squad. However, the Friars Nearly Cough it Up, but Hold on to Win (Providence-Journal) as a potential Mercer go-ahead three was off the mark in the game’s final moments.

Brooks had 22 first-half points in the finale, but left the game mid-way through the second half with an ankle injury and PC leading by 19. After not expecting to return, Brooks came back on the floor with Mercer mounting a charge and cutting the lead to five. PC has a challenge in their next outing this week and Brooks Says He Will be Fine for Alabama (Pro-Jo) after rolling his ankle.

Jamine “Greedy” Peterson enjoyed a massive rebounding game for the Friars against Mercer with 22 rebounds, 11 offensive and 11 defensive. PC outrebounded Mercer as a team 46-31 with 23 on the offensive glass. Peterson’s rebounding effort was the highest single game rebounding total for a Friar in 16 years. Of course, Peterson could probably finish better inside as he was just 5-20 from the floor in the game.
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RUTGERS 74, MARIST 67 (Saturday)
–One of the questions surrounding Rutgers this season was who will score besides Mike Rosario? It was only one game and the opponent was just Marist, but RU fans should be encouraged with the Well-Rounded Opening Victory for the Scarlet Knights (Asbury Park Press).

As expected, Rosario led the way with 17 points. However, he knows that he needs help in order for RU to win more this season and International Play this Summer Taught Rosario he Needs Easier Shots (Star-Ledger) and if he can trust his teamates to score, that will come easier. Patrick Jackson showed he is capable as a scorer to take some pressure off of Rosario as he connected for 15 points and Greg Echenique added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the 74-67 win for Rutgers.

Junior Mike Coburn started at point guard and split the position with JUCO transfer James Beatty. Coburn scored just one point, but had 7 assists against 3 turnovers in the contest.
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WEST VIRGINIA 83, LOYOLA (MD) 60 (Sunday)
–Quite possibly the story of the day on Sunday comes out of West Virginia as Devin Ebanks’ name was noticeably absent from the box score. Just prior to the game, WVU released the news that Ebanks would be a no-show for the contest and Huggins would only say a ‘Personal Issue’ Kept Ebanks off the Court (Charleston Gazette) and offered no timetable on a return.

The possible distraction of the Ebanks absense and guard Joe Mazzulla sitting out with a shoulder injury, the Mountaineers were rather listless playing to a 31-all tie in the first half. Strong efforts from senior Da’Sean Butler and freshman Danny Jennings kick started WVU in the first half and went a long way in Filling the Void (Times West Virginia) of the missing Ebanks.

Butler finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and kept Huggins’ team in the contest early on. Jennings entered the game with WVU trailing by seven, 20-13, and immediately lifted the energy of the team as the 6-foot-8, 260-lb big man threw his body around. Jennings finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 17 minutes of action as Jennings’ Boost Gets WVU Going (Daily Mail).

West Virginia entered the game ranked #8 in the country and much of the expectations of the season centered around the potential of Ebanks and the depth in their frontcourt. Just one game into the season and those strengths are a big question mark as Ebanks’ status is unknown and freshman Deniz Kilicli will be sitting out 19 more games as part of a NCAA suspension for playing with professionals in his native country of Turkey. Also in the opener, forward John Flowers left with an ankle injury. X-ray’s were negative, but the junior could miss some time.
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SETON HALL 87, MONMOUTH 72 (Sunday)
–After their narrow escape Friday night when a running 30-foot prayer was needed from Eugene Harvey to beat St. Peter’s on their home court, Seton Hall hit the road to play Monmouth on Sunday evening and the result was more in line with what is expected from the Pirates this season. Seton Hall Blows Past Monmouth (Star-Ledger) for an 87-72 victory behind Jeremy Hazell’s 26 points. The junior guard who was the Big East’s second leading scorer last year, rebounded from an 0-10 performance on Friday to shoot 9-23 from the floor and his big three’s seemed to come at opportune times to keep Monmouth at bay.

Herb Pope added 15 points and 17 rebounds in the win. Seton Hall also got a burst of offense from JUCO transfer Jamel Jackson whose long distance shooting came in a decisive run. Jackson also scored 15 in the win.
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BIG EAST MONDAY SCHEDULE:

Penn @ Villanova, 7:00 PM
–City Play Begins Monday (Philly.com)

Penn is at Villanova on Monday night as the 55th season of City Series (Big 5) play begins.
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Prairie View A&M @ Cincinnati, 7:30 PM

St. Francis (PA) @ Notre Dame, 7:30 PM

Virginia @ South Florida, 7:30 PM
–USF Bulls Basketball Player Gus Gilchrist Gaining Strength, Confidence (St. Pete Times)
–USF vs. Virginia Preview (St. Pete Times)

This is one where the other 15 Big East teams become South Florida fans as the Bulls welcome Virginia of the ACC to the Sun Dome. USF started the season off with a tough road win at SMU Friday and now host the Caviliers and their new coach, Tony Bennett, in their home opener. Gus Gilchrist led USF with 21 points and 13 rebounds in their opening win.

Virginia is without three key players. G Calvin Baker is injured, 7-foot C Assane Sene is suspended and 6-9 F Jamil Tucker is on indefinite personal leave.
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Colgate @ Connecticut, 9:00 PM
–Calhoun Counting on Extreme Makeover vs. Colgate Tonight (Hartford Courant)
–< a href="http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2009/11/15/sports/uconn/doc4aff941c1c925298535483.txt">Calhoun Not Pulling Punches (Register Citizen)

Tonight’s game is part of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Gampel Pavilion. Connecticut vs. Colgate is the second game in a doubleheader that begins with Hofstra vs. Yale. The winners play each other, as do the losers, on Tuesday. With two victories, UConn would advance to New York for the semifinals and final Nov. 25 and 27. Other regional hosts hoping to advance to MSG for the Thanksgiving week event include Duke, LSU and Arizona State.

UConn coach Jim Calhoun is looking for a better effort from the Huskies who got past William Mary on Friday night in a tune-up. Expect UConn to play with increased urgency tonight.
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ADDITIONAL BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES:

Connecticut had a high-profile recruit making an official visit this past weekend as Oak Hill Academy guard Doron Lamb made the trip to Storrs (CT). Lamb Makes Official Visit to UConn (Stamford Advocate) and has already visited Kansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky. He is also considering Arizona, although he has yet to set-up a visit to see the school.

UConn is also recruiting Lamb’s Oak Hill teammate, forward Roscoe Smith. Smith has narrowed his choices to UConn, Duke and Georgetown, and is expected to announced his decision soon.

David Borges of the New Haven Register reports that Roscoe Smith has a Frontrunner after speaking to the 6-foot-7 forward recently. However, Smith is not ready to reveal the frontrunner or make a decision. He did say he is likely to decide in the next couple weeks, but not sign a LOI until April.

The possibility of Lamb deciding early and signing late also exists and is a strong possibility.
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The process is winding down for Tobias Harris as one more visit is left before the 6-foot-8, 5-star forward chooses a school this week. Harris recently visited Maryland, and like all his trips, and had a very good time. Harris will check out Georgia Tech and return hom on Tuesday and will go over the options with his family. Harris plans to sign a letter of intent on Wednesday and the announcement will come on Thursday, November 19th.

Harris has now visited Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville, West Virginia and Maryland with the trip to Georgia Tech in progress. All are still under consideration as Tobias’ father Torrel Harris Says “I Don’t Even Know Myself” (ZagsBlog.com) which school it is going to be.
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George Marshall, the 5′11 point guard from Brooks High School in Chicago, is a hot recruiting target in the class of 2011 in the Midwest. The Illinois Prep Bulls-eye reports that Marshall Receives a Big 10 Offer from Wisconsin to go with previous scholarship offers extended by DePaul, Illinois State, Xavier, Baylor and Ohio University.

Purdue, Northwestern, Marquette and Notre Dame are also showing strong interest in recruiting Marshall.
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New England Recruiting Report goes One on One With Nate Lubick, the Georgetown signee who NERR ranks as the top player in New England in the class of 2010.
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The struggles from the foul line of Syracuse senior center Arinze Onuaku are well documented. Last season, Onuaku made just 29.8% from the foul line, but the Free Throw Line Perils of Syracuse Big Men (Syracuse Post-Standard) do not end with Onuaku. Starting power forward Rick Jackson shot just 48% last season and Kris Joseph was at 40% (but showing improvement this year at 5 of 7). With an emphasis for the Orange to get the ball inside, opposing teams might employ a ‘hack-an-Orange’ strategy. Through the first two games this year, Onuaku and Jackson are 21 of 24 (88%) from the field, but six of 16 (38%) from the line.
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