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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: MERNAGH’S THOUGHTS ON DAY I

by RAY MERNAGH

USF 58 DePaul 49

A lot is being made about South Florida winning without scoring from outside a few feet and I’ll concede it’s one of the more stranger things I’ve seen in a long time.

But it also points to the control that Stan Heath has over this squad. The Bulls finished 0-8 from three but only took two of those in the second half.

Why? Because they didn’t have to make three’s or a lot of jump shots to beat DePaul. Heat told them that and they executed their game plan of getting to the rim.

Today against Georgetown they’ll have to hit some J’s, but because they realized they didn’t need to yesterday they got to today.

It’s all about advancing folks.

For DePaul it was an end to another miserable season (8-22). Their porous shooting — 29% from the field, 24% from the field and 37% from the line — was the reason why USF wasn’t sweating not scoring outside of the lane, but they went out swinging. They played hard for Tracy Webster and the Blue Demons get props for that.
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St. John’s 73 UConn

There’s no number next to UConn’s name because they didn’t show up.

St. John’s dominated Connecticut.

Took their basketball souls from them.

Pitbull Sean Evans, along with the rest of the Johnnies, treated their more-heralded opponents like the puppies they turned out to be, playing with them for a little while and then finally just swatting them away when they were fed up.

Johnnies get Marquette today.

UConn gets…what exactly?

How big of a mess is this program right now?

The guys on ESPN kept talking about Kemba Walker finally being able to lead the team next year when his softer mates move on. Word on the street is Kemba Walker is about 85% sure he’s at least putting his name into the draft. Verbal commitment Roscoe Smith is an elite recruit, but the scuttlebutt is that he is still being recruited by local (non-conference) rivals that are using this situation to cast doubt on the Huskies future. UConn had a terrible year, looked like they were going to make a run when Calhoun came back, and then defecated all over their season.

They have two or three NBA players (used to think four with Dyson but after yesterday’s exhibition would you spend money on him?) and there’s no way this type of effort should happen.

Disgraceful.
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Seton Hall 109 Providence 106

Seton Hall had a 29-point lead, 76-47, with 13:36 to play in the game, before needing Duke Mondy (a first-year shooter from Grand Rapids, Michigan) to misfire on a three-pointer (it was a good look) to avoid overtime.

Greedy Peterson, NBE’s Most Improved Award winner, freaked the Pirates for 38 points, 16 boards and 4 assists before fouling out. Herb Pope (27, 11 and 5) and Jeremy Hazell also fouled out for the Pirates.

I know this — After all the unflattering attention he’s received because of the recent piece in the New York Times, if Mondy’s three had dropped Gonzo’s head might have exploded all over the Garden’s floor!

I also know this: If PC would just care on the defensive end, they’d be pretty damn good.

Bottom-line: The Pirates advanced and that is all that will matter at 7 PM when they tip off a crucual contest with Notre Dame.
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Cincinnati 69 Rutgers 68

If Mick Cronin had made Lance Stephenson his point guard in December, this season might have been different for the offensively-plagued Bearcats. Lance might have learned how to control a game by now, might have found a way to keep Yancy Gates involved and get Deonta Vaughn some in-rhythm looks. Instead the NBE Big East Rookie of the Year got yo-yo’d in and out of the lineup and lost confidence in conference play. Last night he played with a burst of it during a Cincinnati run, then hit the game-winning free throw late.

Hard fought game between a mediocre team (Cincinnati) and a bad one (Rutgers).

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