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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/4/2010)

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There was one lone Big East game on the Wednesday Night schedule and it was an important meeting in South Bend (IN) between UConn and Notre Dame. Riding Tory Jackson, the Irish picked up another resume padding late-season win while UConn is dealt a critical blow to their NCAA Tournament chances. Tonight, Pitt looks to lock down the final double bye into the 2010 Big East Tournament quarterfinals when hosting Providence and the Seton Hall/Rutgers rivalry commences for round two in nine days.

Austin Freeman returned to the practice floor for Georgetown on Wednesday, but the Hoya junior also released the news he has developed diabetes. It will not impact his long-term basketball career, but the immediate impact is still to be determined in regards to his availability on the court in upcoming Georgetown games of the next week or so.

Also, Pat Stevens updates us on some of the happenings in the NEPSAC playoffs with several Big East commits and targets looking to extend their seasons. Finally, Rutgers to the Big 10 looks like a possibility and a good fit for the Scarlet Knights if an offer is extended to them in the future.

It is now less than 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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WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S BIG EAST GAME:

Notre Dame 58, Connecticut 50

In March there are few things more special in college basketball than a senior guard stepping up and leading his team down the stretch. Both Connecticut and Notre Dame have a player with that potential and last night in a must-win for both teams hoping to be in the NCAA Tournament field of 65 in less than two weeks, it was Tory Jackson Carrying the Irish (Post-Tribune) with a 22-point performance in a 58-50 win over UConn.

On the other side, Watching Jerome Dyson and UConn is Just Painful to Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs. Dyson struggled through a two of 14 shooting night from the field as an extended offensive drought did the Huskies in and UConn is Running out of Time…and Answers (TheDay.com) as they fall to 7-10 in the Big East and 17-13 overall. If the season ended today, the Huskies would be the 12th seed in the 2010 Big East Tournament.

It was a familiar scene last night for UConn that has played out often in earlier losses. With UConn’s Big Three Struggling Against the Irish (TheDay.com) Jim Calhoun and company were Out of Answers (Journal Inquirer) in overcoming their struggles. Besides Dyson, Stanley Robinson pulled a disappearing act against the Luke Harangody-less Irish, playing 35 minutes, yet registering just six points on two of four shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Walker scored a team-high 15 points, but was just five of 12 from the field.

The Huskies took an early 16-6 lead and a Donnell Beverly basket with 6:38 left in the first half put UConn up 20-14. UConn would not score again until Gavin Edwards stopped an Irish 10-0 run with 17:39 left in the second half with a bucket to make the score 24-22 in favor of the Irish. The drought continued for the Huskies who, in all, scored just six points over 16:38 of game action spanning the end of the first half and first 10 minutes of the second. A Tory Jackson three-pointer have ND a 37-26 lead with 10:20 remaining and the Huskies never were able to mount another charge.

The Irish Pad NCAA Tournament Resume (Journal Gazette) behind Jackson and forward Carleton Scott, who received very little time on the court prior to harangody’s injury. Scott Opens a Door for the Irish (South Bend Tribune) in the paint, finishing with 12 points and 14 rebounds helping make it a Memorable Senion Night for Jackson (South Bend Tribune). It was a far cry from the depths of the season for the 6′7 junior forward from Texas as Scott seemed close to transferring out about mid-season as he left the team for personal reasons for a couple days.

The Irish close their regular season Saturday at Marquette where they hope to earn their 10th conference win and lock up the #8 spot, and last first round bye, in the BiG East Tournament next week.

Connecticut closes their regular season at South Florida. The Huskies know a 7-win conference team will have little hope of an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, no matter how tough their schedule has been. Their last two games might have done enough damage, but there is still hope if they can win Saturday and take some momentum to NYC next week.
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THURSDAY’S BIG EAST GAMES:

Seton Hall (7-9) at Rutgers (5-11), 7 PM.

–Hamady N’Diaye Has Been Picture of Persistence for Rutgers (NewJerseyNewsroom)
–Seton Hall (16-11) vs. Rutgers (15-14) (New Jersey Newsroom.com)
–The Rematch (Hoops Haven)
–Hall-RU Rivalry Gets Spicier (NorthJersey.com)
–Seton Hall Needs a Late Run for Tournament Berth (Asbury Park Press)

The Pirates still hope to play themselves onto the NCAA Tournament bubble in the next week while their Jersey rivals would love nothing better than to but an end to those hopes and pop their bubble on their senior night. The Scarlet Knights lost 76-70 in their earlier meeting of nine days ago, which ended on a Herb Pope foul both teams still remember…
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Providence (4-12) at Pittsburgh (11-5), 9 PM.

–Pitt Knows to be Wary of Providence (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
–Providence’s Peterson a Big Problem for Pitt (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
–Friars Threaten to Set an All-time Low on Defense (Providence Journal)
–Capsule Preview: PC at Pittsburgh (Providence Journal)
–Both on the Court and On the Ice there is a Chill of Discontent (Providence Journal)
–Pitt has Big Games Against Lesser Likes (Beaver County Times)

With one win in either of their last two games, the Panthers will clinch a double-bye in the Big East Tournament. Last season Pitt was upset at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center while ranked No. 1 in the country. Much has been said of the Friars pourous defense in the last week, maybe that attention will increase their effort on defense tonight. PC can score…
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MORE BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES:

Georgetown has struggled lately on the court and junior Austin Freeman has been limited in the last two games because of illness. Freeman became ill prior to their game last Saturday with Notre Dame and ended up in the hospital Monday with what was originally thought to be a stomach virus. Instead, Freeman has Developed Diabetes, Which Shouldn’t Affect His Basketball Career (Washington Post) in the future, but the Hoyas’ leading scorer is still wrapping his head around the situation and the impact it will have on him off the court. Freeman did return to practice on Wednesday, but it is still unclear when he will return to game action, which will likely be determined in the coming days or week, according to coach John Thompson III.
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Pat Stevens checked in with some notes from the NEPSAC Playoffs…

-Seasons came to a close for JJ Moore (Pittsburgh) and Russ Smith (Louisville) in No. 5 seed South Kent’s 87-83 loss to No. 4 seed St. Thomas More. Moore had a team-high 16 points and Smith had 11. Bryon Allen had 16 for STM and Andre Drummond (2012) sat a majority with foul trouble but made several key plays on both ends down the stretch. Trashon Burrell (2011) did not dress.

-CJ Fair (Syracuse) scored 12 points in top-seed Brewster Academy’s 94-59 win over Bridgton Academy. Maurice Walker and Naadir Tharpe (2011) also registered double figures (11 and 10). Dashaun Wiggins (2011/Seton Hall) did not play for Bridgton.

-Majok Majok was limited with foul trouble and Aaron Cosby (2011) had 11 points in Northfield Mount Hermon’s 76-69 win over Maine Central Institute.

-Winchendon topped New Hampton, 74-66, as Markus Kennedy (Villanova) and crew advance. Khem Birch (2012) had key blocks late in the game to help seal the victory while Angel Nunez (2011) played sparingly.

-Providence’s Pat Skerry was the lone Big East coach in attendance.

-Friday’s semi-finals take place at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., and see Brewster vs. St. Thomas More and Winchendon vs. Northfield Mount Hermon. Games are at 7 and 9 pm. The final takes place Sunday at 6 pm at Endicott, with the championships for Class B and Class C earlier in the day.
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Another story on Rutgers and their possibilities with the Big 10: Rutgers Could be Making the Move from Big East to Big 10 (NY Daily News).
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