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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (12/22/2009)

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The Big East and the Ivy league went head-to-head last night in a pair of games and it took a Providence rally against Yale for the Big East to earn a split of the two games as a short-handed St. John’s team fell to Cornell in the Holiday Festival final at Madison Square Garden.

Tonight, eight games are on the schedule involving Big East teams. With seven of the games at home and only DePaul on the road, all against lesser-conference foes, on paper it looks like a bunch of mismatches. However, we will be watcing Pitt/Ohio and Rutgers/St. Peter’s as games that could pose surprising tests for the Big East squads involved. We try to preview each game below…

Also, it might be three months away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. With all the excitement recently at Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament tickets could make a great holiday gift for any Big East fan on your shopping list. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to any Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

Read on below for all of today’s News & Notes…

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Cornell 71, St. John’s 66
–The third time is the charm for Cornell as the Big Red finally upended a Big East squad in their three attempts already this season. After falling to Seton Hall (at home) and Syracuse (at the Carrier Dome), the two-time defending Ivy League champion got past St. John’s in last night’s Holiday Festival Final at Madison Square Garden.

Cornell Denies St. John’s Hokiday Festival Title (NY Times) as the Big Red was led by Jon Jaques’s 20 points. Jeff Foote added 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

It was the fourth consecutive season the Red Storm failed to capture the title on the Madison Square Garden floor. Norm Roberts’ squad led by as many ass 11 points early on, but a 13-2 run after halftime by Cornell flipped the game into their favor.

With Anthony Mason Jr. still sidelined with a hamstring injury and Justin Burrell out with an ankle injury, the Redstorm has seen their depth depleted as Quincy Roberts is out because of recurring headaches and likely taking a medical redshirt this season. Dwight Hardy put up a pair of strong outings in MSG over Sunday and Monday, finishing with a team-high 19 points in 19 minutes off the bench in the finals. DJ Kennedy added 15 in the loss.

The Redstorm dominated the boards, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds and winning the overall rebounding battle 39-23. However, poor shooting (hitting just 42% from the field) was the difference as Cornell shot at a 57% clip, including 11-18 from beyond the arc.

St. John’s will host Bryant on Wednesday ahead of their conference opener against original Big East rival Georgetown on New Year’s Eve at the Verizon Center in the nation’s capitol.
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Providence 87, Yale 78
–Keno Davis said prior to the game that he had hoped his team learned their lesson in their loss to Iona in their previous outing. For nearly the first 30 minutes, it looked like Yale was going to teach Davis’ young Providence squad another lesson. However, PC Pulls Away for an 87-78 Win Over Yale (Providence Journal) as the Friars closed the game with a 31-13 run over the final 12:28 to earn the win in their final pre-conference tune-up.

Jamine Peterson led PC with 25 points and 13 rebounds while guards Marshon Brooks, Sharaud Curry and Vincent Council each added 13 in the win.

Yale led by as much as 11 in the first half before attention to defense helped turn the game in the favor of the Friars. Now, with Big East play up next, Providence shifts its focus ahead to the start of league play in South Bend on Dec. 30 when they take on Luke Harangody and Notre Dame.
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Oakland (6-6) @ Syracuse, 7:00 PM
–Oakland Takes on all Comers in Non-conference Schedule (Syracuse Post-Standard)
–Orange Scouting Report: SU vs. Oakland, Mich (Post-Standard)

What to watch for: The Orange are rolling and should roll along tonight. Arinze Onuaku’s health is a concern ahead of the Big East battles, but his bruised quad should heal in time for the conference opener.
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Maine (5-4) @ Connecticut, 7:00 PM.
–So Far, Nothing Easy for UConn; Maine Tonight (Hartford Courant)
–Huskies Could Use an Energy Boost (TheDay.com)
–Huskies Looking for 40 Minute Effort (TheDay.com)
–Oriakhi Has Not Been Front and Center (Middletown Press)
–Calhoun Wants UConn to Bust Zones from Inside (Stamford Advocate)

What to watch for: Jim Calhoun has publicly asked for freshman center Alex Oriakhi to be more assertive offensively, we will see if his tactics are effective with his young big man. Also, Ater Majok has one game under his belt including an intense chewing off his ear by coach Calhoun late in the game. We will see if Majok finds more of a comfort zone tonight.
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Ohio (7-3) @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 PM.
–Brown Makes Anticipated Return to Panther Line-up (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

What to watch for: Ohio is a tough test for the Panthers whi will add Gilbert Brown back into the mix at forward. Brown instantly becomes Pitt’s most experienced player, but how long will it take the moving parts in the Panther line-up to settle in?
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Navy (4-7) @ Seton Hall, 7:00 PM.
–SHU Looks to Return to Winning Ways Hosting Navy Tuesday (SHUpirates.com)

What to watch for: How much more of a role Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robinson play in their second game and how much less of a role for Jordan Theodore, ‘Stix’ Mitchell and others come from it…
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Bucknell (4-7) @ Notre Dame, 7:00 PM.
–Irish Still Forging an Identity as Big East Looms (South Bend Tribune)

What to watch for: Will the Irish try and develop depth or are they going ahead with a six or seven man rotation here on out?
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DePaul @ Fla. Gulf Coast (3-6), 7:05 PM.
–Koshwal to Return Tuesday for DePaul (Chicago Tribune)
–Hill Hopes to Keep Climbing Against Fla Gulf Coast (DePaulBlueDemons.com)

What to watch for: How effective will Koshwal be inhis return? The 6’10 big man will be needed in Big East play and getting him up to speed will be vital for Jerry Wainwright’s club to have any chance to compete in the conference.
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Winthrop (5-5) @ Cincinnati, 7:30 PM.
–Vaughn in Search of Offense (CNati.com)
–Dixon Gives UC Spark off the Bench (Cincinnati Enquirer)

What to watch for: What will the status of Yancy Gates and Cashmere Wright be? The usual starters saw limited time (Gates four minutes, Wright nine minutes) in their previous win over Lipscomb and Gates did little to make coach Mick Cronin want to play him in his brief first half appearance.
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St. Peter’s (5-5) @ Rutgers, 7:30 PM.
–Johnson Stepping Up for Knights (mycentraljersey.com)

What to watch for: With the absence of Greg Echenique, RU has been getting by against lesser conference foes in tight contests. Will this be the night it hurts them with a loss?
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