2009-2010 Power Poll, Cincinnati News, Connecticut News, DePaul News, Georgetown News, Louisville News, Marquette News, Notre Dame News, Pittsburgh News, Providence News, Rutgers News, Seton Hall News, St. John's News, Syracuse News, USF News, Villanova News

NBE BIG EAST POWER POLL (1/25/2010) AND NOTEBOOK

The Big East Conference, Basketball’s Best (ESPN.com) according to Dickie V. Of course, we all knew that and that is why we are here, trying to keep up on everything that is happening in this conference that NEVER has a dull moment.

With all the stories on the site since Friday, mostly covering the weekend’s Primetime Shootout in Morgantown, it made sense to combine this week’s Power Poll with today’s version of the Big East News & Notes.

Here is this week’s Big East Power Poll results (1st Place Votes in Parenthesis):

1) Villanova (11): 176 points.
2) Syracuse: 165 points.
3) West Virginia: 149 points.
4) Georgetown: 146 points.
5) Pittsburgh: 127 points.
6) Connecticut: 123 points.
7) Notre Dame: 105 points.
8} Seton Hall: 98 points.
9) Louisville: 97 points.
10) Cincinnati: 77 points.
11) St. John’s: 56 points.
12) Marquette: 55 points.
13) South Florida: 45 points.
14) Providence: 44 points.
15) DePaul: 20 points.
16) Rutgers: 13 points.

NBE’s Big East Player of the Week: Dominique Jones, South Florida

NBE’s Big East Freshman of the Week: Vincent Council, Providence

Read on below for today’s News & Notes in the Big East as we review Sunday’s action as well as the links previewing tonight’s Big Monday match-up…

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SUNDAY’S BIG EAST ACTION:

Louisville 68, Cincinnati 60

Louisville needed this one. With three consecutive losses having evened their record at 3-3 in the Big East and 12-7 overall, Rick Pitino’s team was seeing their NCAA Tournament chances slide to the wrong side of the ‘bubble.’ They were facing an equally motivated Cincinnati club that is desperately trying to get a leg up over other teams log-jammed in the middle of the Big East pack. When the final horn sounded it was Cards Ending Skid and Nixing NIT Talk For Now (Lexington Herald-Leader) with a 68-60 win over the Bearcats.

Edgar Sosa (10) and Jerry Smith celebrate Louisville's 68-60 win over Cincinnati January 24, 2010 at Freedom Hall (photo by Ed Reinke/AP)

Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa each scored 14 points and Reginald Delk added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Cardinals Bust their Slump (Louisville Courier-Journal), and not their bubble, with win over UC.

The Bearcats got off to a good start, leading 19-8 early looking to deny the Cards their 1,600th win in school history for the fourth straight time. The 19,617 fans at Freedom Hall were getting restless, but the defense that coach Pitino has been criticizing for much of the last week came to life as the Cardinals’ Defense Stymies the Bearcats (Cincinnati Enquirer) the rest of the way, especially freshman phenon Lance Stephenson who scored all 12 of his points in the game’s first 6:03 and did not score again.

By halftime, the Cards had wrestled the lead away from UC, leading 31-30 at intermission and continued their defensive resurgence after halftime to earn the victory.

Louisville also got 10 points and three assists off the bench from freshman Peyton Siva. The Cards are off until next Saturday when they attempt to give their NCAA Tournament resume a nice lift when they take on West Virginia on the road in Morgantown.

The loss dropped Cincinnati to 4-4 in the Big East and 13-7 overall. Stephenson, Yancy Gates, Cashmere Wright and Deonta Vaughn each scored 12 points to lead the Bearcats. UC connected on 10 of 20 shots from beyond the arc to keep UL within their sites, but their shooting considerably cooled after the early hot start and 17 turnovers kept them fighting uphill throughout the second half. Next up for Mick Cronin’s squad is a home date with Providence at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday night.
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Seton Hall 64, Pittsburgh 61

Seton Hall and Pittsburgh met Sunday afternoon in an affair that had two local regions wondering if the world had been turned upside down.

First, it was championship Sunday in the NFL and one team’s fanbase had a vested interest in the happenings on the gridiron. No, it was not the Steeler nation glued to their TV’s in Western Pennsylvania, it was the NY Jets still playing football.

And, more importantly to the NBE Basketball Report, this game was won by the team forcing 20 turnovers, grinding out offensive possessions and holding the opponent to 35% shooting in a halfcourt affair. Sounds like the formula for a Pitt win, not on this day as Seton Hall Knocks of No. 9 Pittsburgh, 64-61, for first Marquee Win of the Season (Star-Ledger).

Herb Pope, a native of Aliquippa (PA) scored 19 points and had 9 rebounds as Seton Hall upset No. 9 Pittsburgh Sunday January 25, 2010 (photo by Bill Kostroun/AP)

Maybe rubbing a little salt into the wound of Pitt fans, it was Herb Pope Getting the Best of his Hometown Team (JerseyNewsRoom.com) as the Aliquippa (PA) native, and former Pitt verbal commitment, scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the Pirates with leading scorer Jeremy Hazell saddled with foul difficulties.

The win puts SHU Back in Business (Hoops Haven) in the Big East at 3-4 following a pair of wins last week on their home floor against the Panthers and Louisville. For the Panthers, however, it was their second straight loss in conference play after surprising everyone by running off five consecutive wins to begin conference play. Pitt Gets a Reality Check (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) that sloppy offense, which attributed to many of the 20 turnovers, and defensive breakdowns will undermine their chances to win as Lapses Cost Panthers (Post-Gazette) throughout the game on both sides of the floor.

The Pirates led by as many as 11 in the first half, 30-19, before Pitt went on a 14-2 run spanning the end of the half and opening of the second half to take a brief 33-32 lead. However, Pope flashed his enormous potential with several impressive plays in a 9-0 run that put SHU ahead 45-37. The Pirates kept the cushion much of the game, leading 58-49 with about five minutes to play when things got interesting. A Gilbert Brown three-pointer with 15 seconds left cut the lead to 62-61. Jeff Robinson would make two free throws with 12 seconds left and Ashton Gibbs would miss two three’s in the game’s closing seconds as he tried to send the game into overtime.

Jeff Robinson added 15 points for Seton Hall which also got key contributions from Eugene Harvey who had 9 points and 6 steals off the bench. The Pirates look to keep rolling Thursday night when they travel to face South Florida.

Ashton Gibbs led Pittsburgh with 23 points, mostly because he was 14 of 14 from the line as he struggled shooting four of 15 from the field and connected on just one of seven from beyond the arc. Jermaine Dixon added 11. The Panthers look to avoid a three-game losing streak when they welcome St. John’s to the Peterson Events Center on Thursday night.
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BIG MONDAY:

Georgetown at http://w3.nbebasketball.com/big-east-team-pages/syracuse/”>Syracuse, 7 PM.

–Syracuse Moves Up to 4th in Both Basketball Polls (Syracuse Post-Standard)
–Syracuse-Georgetown Rivalry Resumes in Carrier Dome (Post-Standard)
–Georgetown-Syracuse: A Rivalry for the Ages, and a New Generation (Washington Post)
–Syracuse Swingman Kris Joseph Retools His Game and Himself (Washington Post)
–Orange Scouting Report: Syracuse vs. Georgetown (Post-Standard)
–Syracuse, Georgetown Add Another Chapter to Rivalry (RocNow.com)
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While Providence coach Keno Davis, frustrated following the Friars’ blowing a nine-point lead in the last 49 seconds of regulation Saturday night in an overtime loss to South Florida, publicly called his team’s toughness and talent not good enough for the Big East, Providence Journal writer Jim Donaldson wondered How About the Coaching, Keno? The Friars were good enough, and talented enough, to lead by 12 with two minutes to go, and by 9 with 49 seconds to go, Donaldson wondered if they are being coached defense…ouch!

And the piling on continued today as the Sun-Chronicle wrote about the Friars Getting Burned Regularly as their defense has been woeful of late.

For his part, Keno Davis Hints at Wholesale Changes in Wake of the friars’ Epic Loss (Providence Journal) to a program that entered the game 2-35 in it’s brief Big East history in league road games.
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