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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/2/2010)

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Da’Sean Butler went out as a winner in his West Virginia final home game as the Mountaineers dealt slumping Goergetown another loss. The Hoyas were without Austin Freeman, who is battling an illness, and their lack of depth makes it very tough to overcome.

Tonight on the Big East schedule is four games. Deonta Vaughn hopes to go out as a winner in his final regular season home game at Cincinnati and the Bearcats hopes to finish strong while Villanova, losers of three of their last four, hope to make some short-order repairs in time for the post-season. Syracuse hopes to wrap-up the regular season conference title outright with a win over St. John’s as the Carrier Dome crowd gets to cheer 5th year seniors Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku one last time. South Florida looks to keep their hopes for a .500 Big East season alive when they visit DePaul and Louisville and Marquette have an intriguing nightcap with several post-season implicatons tied to the outcome.

In other news, Lenn Robbins gives it to a couple Big East coaches following their weekend losses. Notre Dame is likely without Luke Harangody at least one more time as UConn and the Irish battle tomorrow in a game that has very big post-season ramifications. Carleton Scott has given ND a lift during ‘Gody’s absence. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is a candidate for coaching awards as the Panthers look to sew up a double-bye in the Big East Tournament in their last two games this year.

Also, it just a week away, so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big East fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. 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

Now, onto today’s News & Notes around the Big East…

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MONDAY’S BIG EAST GAMES:

West Virginia 81, Georgetown 68

Georgetown losses for the fourth time in five games last night at West Virginia, 81-68, in a game that was never even really that close. With Austin Freeman Out with Illness, Hoyas’ Late Season Slump Continues (Washington Post) as they fall to 9-8 in the Big East and 19-9 overall.

West Virginia teammates congratulate senior Da'Sean Butler near the end of WVU's 81-68 win over Georgetown Monday night (AP Photo).

The Mountaineers, celebrating Senior Day in the Coliseum, stormed out of the gates against the short-handed Hoyas, taking a 43-20 lead late in the first half. The WVU Victory Was More than Just a Win (Daily Mail) as the Mountaineers clinched a top-four finish in the Big East and a double-bye in the 2010 Big East Tournament which begins one week from today in Madison Square Garden.

The crowd of 13,211 also got a chance to send senior Da’Sean Butler off in style as The Butler Did it the Right Way (Wheeling News Register) once again, scoring 22 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and handing out 6 assists in the win as Butler Shines in his WVU Home Good-bye (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Butler is currently the third all-time leading scorer in Mountaineer basketball history with 1.936 career points.

Butler Does it a Final Time (Charleston Gazette) and sophomores Devin Ebanks (15 points), Kevin Jones (14) and Darryl Bryant (11) also reached double figures. The Mountaineers close the regular season at Villanova on Saturday and can play their way into second place in the conference with a win. After some inconsistent play at times this season, WVU and coach Bob Huggins are hoping Best is yet to Come from the Mountaineers (Daily Mail) as the post-season arrives. West Virginia improved to 23-6 on the season.

For the Hoyas, they must hope their best is not behind them. After being ranked as high as #7 in the country just a few short weeks ago, the bottom has falled out with four losses in five games which began with a loss at Rutgers February 14th, a team they had beaten by 25 points just three weaks earlier. Once 6-2 in the Big East, Georgetown now must win against Cincinnati Saturday to finish above .500 in conference play.

Greg Monroe had 22 points and 9 rebounds with Chris Wright adding 21 points and 7 assists in the loss. However, the Hoyas lack depth and with Freeman out they were definitely a short-handed team facing the energized Mountaineers. With their lack of depth and a team facing the nation’s toughest schedule computed by the RPI ratings through 28 games, in some ways the Hoyas look to be worn down. They will have to dig deep to close out the season successfully.
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TUESDAY NIGHT’S BIG EAST GAMES:

Villanova (12-4) at Cincinnati (7-9), 7 PM.

–Deonta Vaughn: A bright Spot in a Tough Four Years of Cincinnati Basketball (Cincinnati Enquirer)
–Cronin, Vaughn Forever Connected (CNati.com)
–Villanova Has Little Time for Repairs (Philadelphia Inquirer)

The Wildcats have lost three of their last four games and now look to right the ship as the Bearcats hope to send off senior Deonta Vaughn with a win in his final regular season home game. The season began with high expectations for UC with a talented and deeper team than any of Mick Cronin’s first three squads, but the results have been similar with a late season slump. They have two chances to make some noise, hosting ‘Nova and then hitting the road for Georgetown on Saturday, and finish the season strong.
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St. John’s (5-11) at Syracuse (14-2), 7 PM.

–Orange Pride: Syracuse Rises to #1 Ranking (Syracuse Post-Standard)
–Orange Scouting Reprt: Syracuse vs. St. John’s (Post-Standard)
–Final Game in Dome: Q&A with Arinze Onuaku (Post-Standard)
–Final Game in Dome: Q&A with Andy Rautins (Post-Standard)
–Top Spot Doesn’t Change SU’s Overall Goal (Auburn Citizen)
–Syracuse Celebrates No. 1 Ranking in Home Finale vs. St. John’s (Newsday)

The Orange will look to clinch the outright Big East regular season title tonight as fifth-year seniors Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku play their final Carrier Dome contests against original Big East rival St. John’s. The Redstorm have not lived up to increased expectations this season with a veteran club and one wonders if Norm Roberts is entering his final couple weeks as the Red Storm head coach.
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South Florida (7-9) at DePaul (1-15), 7:30 PM.

–Bulls Aim to Keep Focus (Tampa Tribune)
–Blue Demons and Bulls in Big East Play Tuesday (DePaulBlueDemons.com)

USF still clinging to hopes of being in the NCAA Tournament bubble discussion on Selection Sunday can not afford to slip up on the road against the Blue Demons tonight. The Bulls can still climb to .500 in the Big East with a win at DePaul and a home win on Saturday against UConn.
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Louisville (10-6) at Marquette (10-6), 9:30 PM.

–Pitino Has No Reaction to Officials’ Discipline (Lexington Herald-Leader)
–Weekly Golden Eagles Report (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
–Marquette Looks to Catch It’s Breath at Home (NY Times)
–Another Chapter of Success for Marquette Basketball (Journal-Sentinel)
–It’s Bracket Season for Louisville Basketball (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Rick Pitino set the goal more than a month ago: 11 Big East wins. Tonight is one of two chances in closing the season to reach that mark and, as he believes, guarantees them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It will not be easy as the Golden Eagles, winners of eight of their last nine Big East contests, including three consecutive overtime road games, welcome in UL as they also look to put a final stamp on their NCAA Tournament resume.
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MORE BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES:

There is a big game on the Big East schedule for Wednesday night as Notre Dame hosts Connecticut with both teams fighting for the #8 spot in the Big East standings and the final first round bye in the 2010 Big East Tournament. It is also Desperate Times for UConn and Notre Dame (TheDay.com) as their NCAA Tournament lives could depend largely on this game and their finales on Saturday.

It looks like the Irish will once again have to get it done with out the Big East’s leading scorer Luke Harangody. ND has won their last two, vs. Pitt and at Georgetown, without their injured star and Harangody Looks Doubtful for UConn Game (Connecticut Post) because of the bone bruise on his right knee suffered in a loss at Seton Hall February 11th.

It has been a team effort in the wake of Harangody’s injury and forward Carleton Scott Mans up to Big East Physicality (South Bend Tribune) to help in the paint.
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SNY.tv has a Coach’s Corner with Pitt’s Jamie Dixon this week. The Pittsburgh head coach is a candidate for Big East coach of the year and National coach of the year (and his biggest challengers are likely Big East peers Jim Boeheim and Buzz Williams) as he has guided the Panthers to an 11-5 conference record and 22-7 overall mark in a season they were picked in the bottom half of the Big East. The Panthers have lost just four games with Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown both in their line-up.

With one win in their last two games, Pitt will clinch a double-bye into the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, quite an accomplishment, but Dxon also knows that the Double Bye Has Pros and cons (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) from experience.
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NY Post writer Lenn Robbins was tough on a couple Big East head coaches this weekend:

Norm Roberts’ Job at St. John’s is in the Pitts After Loss to Pittsburgh Saturday.

Seton Hall’s NCAA Bubble Pops As Coach Losses Cool in OT loss to Marquette on Sunday.
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