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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT: TUESDAY PRIMER

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Let the Madness begin!! The 2010 Big East Tournament tips off today at high noon with a double-header this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

16) DePaul vs. 9) South Florida, 12 noon.
13) St. John’s vs. 12) Connecticut, 2 PM.

It is not to late to find tickets, but you have to act fast for this afternoon’s session:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 1 March 9 2010 (DePaul/USF & UConn/SJU)

The nightcap doubleheader for the opening day:

15) Providence vs. 10) Seton Hall, 7 PM.
14) Rutgers vs. 11) Cincinnati, 9 PM.

Again, tickets are still available and for great prices:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 2 March 9 2010 (PC/SHU & RU/UC)

All three NYC/NJ-area teams are in action today, as well as UConn. South Florida and Seton Hall desperately need wins to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive and kicking.

For tickets to any session of the Big East Tournament, or to purchase a full tournament ticket package, please visit our 2010 Big East Tournament and Tickets page for the complete schedule and links to purchase tickets. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and your tickets are guaranteed to be in hand before the game, even when purchasing for the early sessions of the BET: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online.

Read on below for more News & Notes on today’s action as well as other notes regarding the Big East Tournament…

DePaul (16) vs. South Florida (9), Noon.

–Pieces in Place for Bulls as Big East Tournament Opens (Tampa Tribune)
–Scouting: DePaul vs. South Florida (Daily Herald)
–Coach Stan heath Not Satisfied with Respectability for USF Bulls (St. Pete Times)

The Bulls shoot for win #20 on the season as the hope to finish the Blue Demons’ season this afternoon in Madison Square Garden. USF remain in the NCAA Tournament hunt and poses an interesting option for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as they played 15 games this season without Augustus Gilchrist, who was their leading scorer and rebounder at the time of his injury in early December. The Bulls were 8-7 in that stretch and lost their first game without Gilchrist, to Central Michigan, which sits as their lone bad loss on their resume. A loss today, however, and it will be the NIT for Dominique Jones and crew…
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St. John’s (13) vs. Connecticut (12), 2 PM.

–It’s Crunch Time for Jim Calhoun, Huskies as UConn Hangs on NCAA Tournament Bubble (NY Daily News)
–UConn’s Roller-Coaster Ride Continues in NYC (TheDay.com)
–UConn’s Motivated for a Win (NY Post)
–UConn Men Set to Start New Season (Waterbury Rep-Am)
–Huskies Hoping this Script Will Have a Happy Ending (Middletown Press)
–Huskies Have One Final Chance at Big East Tournament (Norwich Bulletin)
–Huskies Remain an Enigma to Jim Calhoun (SI.com)
–Pride Intact for SJU After Disappointing Season (NY Post)

Many are generous in keeping UConn in the bubble discussion for the NCAA Tournament at this point. The Huskies finished the regular season with a 7-11 conference mark and 17-14 overall. Can anything short of a run to the Big East Tournament championship game even put Jim Calhoun’s club back into the discussion? Sure, they have some impressive wins, but they will need a couple more this week. It should be a motivated crew today after the majority of their starting lineup was benched for the final 16 minutes of Saturday’s loss at South Florida.

Across the floor this afternoon is a Red Storm team playing on what is basically their home floor. SJU has struggled through another season under Norm Roberts but this one hurts more as this was supposed to be the season where the pieces were in place. A quick exit this week could mean an exit interview by the end of the week for the SJU coach.
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Providence (15) vs. Seton Hall (10), 7 PM.

–Herb Pope Pumped for the Garden (NorthJersey.com)
–Seton Hall vs. Providence (NewJerseyNewsroom.com)
–Preview Capsule: PC vs. SHU (Providence Journal)
–PC, Hall Set to Tangle Once More (Providence Journal)
–Big East Coaches Show No Love for greedy Peterson (Providence Journal)
–Seton Hall’s John Garcia is Hoping for a Second Trip to NCAA Tournament (Star-Ledger)

In a rematch of a game from Saturday night, won by SHU, the Friars and Pirates meet on the Madison Square Garden floor at 7 PM. Jamine Peterson had a rough night Saturday and will look to rebound tonight back in his hometown. For the Pirates, they need to put the distraction of the Bobby Gonzalez NY Times article aside and concentrate on the task at hand, winning to impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee. A loss tonight or tomorrow could be devastating to those hopes.
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Rutgers (14) vs. Cincinnati (11), 9 PM.

–Rutgers Opens Tourney With Hill’s Status Uncertain (MyCentralJersey.com)
–Will Tuesday’s Game be the Last for Fred Hill Jr. (Star Ledger)?
–Preview: Rutgers vs. Cincinnati (NewJerseyNewsroom)
–Reeling Cincinnati Looks for First Big East Tournament Win (SI.com)
–Cronin: Bearcats Need to Relax (Cincinnati Enquirer)
–Cronin on Yancy Gates (Cincy Enquirer)

An intriguing match-up closes Tuesday’s action witht he Bearcats and Scarlet Knights squaring off. Lance Stephenson returns to the court where he led Lincoln HS to four straight PSAL championships and now hopes to help UC turn things around. A loss here and Cincinnati AD Mike Thomas might begin re-thinking his Friday comments about Cronin’s future…

For RU the rumors of Fred Hill’s future have been swirling for almost a full year. However, a hefty amount of guaranteed money for a cash-strapped state institution makes his situation more complex. RU has played better towards the end of the season and a win tonight could sway a few more supporters in the embattled coach’s direction. It is a game with a couple coaches coaching for their futures…
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Last night the NBE Post-season Big East Awards were announced. Hope you had a chance to check them out.

Enjoy the action…and, stay tuned to the NBE Basketball Report for all the latest as we will have up to three contributors at Madison Square Garden throughout the week reporting on all the news and notes!

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