Ray Floriani

FIRST HALF BLITZ BY NORTH CAROLINA ENOUGH TO END MARQUETTE’S NCAA RUN

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ- Roy Williams looked at the scoreboard early in the game. It read 10-8 in favor of Marquette. The next time the North Carolina coach looked at the Prudential Center scoreboard it read 40-15, in favor of the Tar Heels. What happened?

First off, UNC went on a 19-0 run the first half that all but sealed their 81-63 victory over Marquette in the Newark Regional semifinal. The run, or blitz, was fueled by transition and forcing turnovers.

“The first half was just very uncharacteristic of us,” Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. “I think we didn’t do some things but you have to give North Carolina a lot of credit.

The first half we were pitiful,” Buzz Williams added. “The second half we shot 52% and they shot 38%. That’s normally what we do but you can’t have that for one half. Not against a team like North Carolina.”
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2011 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT PRIMER & NOTES – - SEMIFINALS

Notes (and pictures) provided by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY – Day three, the quarterfinals at the 2011 Big East Tournament. Notes and thoughts…

Jim Boeheim admitted he could not complain. His Syracuse club outlasted St. John‘s in a hard fought 79-73 decision. The second game of the afternoon doubleheader saw the Orange get the key stops and make the crucial plays down the stretch. Score was tied at 68 with two minutes to play.

Boeheim has admitted not being a fan of the double bye. He would rather play than sit around and wait while others are getting past the early nerves and finding a groove.

The double bye did not affect Syracuse in this contest. Still, Boeheim is no fan of it.

Boeheim was asked about facing a Connecticut team that will be playing its fourth game in four days. “They (UCONN) are deeper,” Boehiem said. “Plus I think Kemba Walker could go forty minutes eight straight days.” Walker was outstanding, scoring 24 points and canning the winning buzzer beater.

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2011 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT PRIMER – - DAY TWO

* Day One Notes Below provided by Ray Floriani

Today’s Schedule (and tickets):

ROUND TWO: WEDNESDAY MARCH 9th:

–No. 9 Connecticut vs. No. 8 Georgetown, 12 noon.
–No. 13 Rutgers vs. No. 5 St. John’s, 2 PM.

Season Series: In their lone meeting on February 16, UConn scored a 78-70 win at the Hartford Civic Center. Kemba Walker pored in 31 points and also added 10 assists and 7 rebounds and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel added 23. The Hoyas got a team-high 19 points from point guard Chris Wright as the senior guard connected on five shots from three-point range. Wright will miss today’s game with a broken left (non-shooting) hand. Wright was injured early in the 2nd half of their Feb. 23 58-46 loss to Cincinnati which began a three-game losing streak for the Hoyas entering the 2011 BIG EAST Basketball Tournament.

In their lone battle this season, the Red Storm snuck past Rutgers at Carnesecca Arena, 58-56, back on Feb. 2. The Scarlet Knights turned the ball over 23 times in the contest. Dwight Hardy led the winners with 15 points while Jonathan Mitchell scored 21 for RU in the loss.
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–No. 15 South Florida vs. No. 7 Cincinnati, 7 PM.
–No. 11 Marquette vs. No. 6 West Virginia, 9 PM.

Season Series: The Bearcats defeated USF 74-66 at Fifth Third Arena back on January 12th. Sean Kilpatrick led four Bearcats in double-figures with a game-high 18 points. UC turned the Bulls over 18 times in that contest. Ron Anderson Jr. led USF with 13 points in that contest.

The Golden Eagles and Mountaineers met on New Year’s Day in Milwaukee with Marquette coming out on top, 79-74. Jae Crowder had 29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in that contest with Darius Johnson-Odom adding 21. In a losing cause, ‘Truck’ Bryant scored 25 for WVU. Buzz Williams’ crew won the battle of the boards 36-24 in the first meeting.
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Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Louisville and Syracuse await Wednesday’s winners in the quarterfinal round Thursday at MSG. Teams with double-byes are just 3-5 in the quarterfinals the last two seasons since the 16-team format was introduced.

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2011 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT PRIMER – - DAY ONE

Intro by Ray Floriani

LYNDHURST, NJ – The Big East Tournament will tip off in a few hours at Madison Square Garden. Five days of new stories to be written, a mix of the surprising, disappointing. The ’what happened to’ and a Cinderella usually added for good measure.

Game two in this afternoon’s session will be the ’rubber’ match of the battle between New Jersey’s two Big East schools. When Rutgers faces Seton Hall in the tournament’s second game of the schedule, approximately 2:30, a former officiating partner will be there. Not on the floor, the bench.

About six years ago a call came on a Summer morning asking if I could get to College of New Jersey. The Eastern Camp needed more officials. Instantly accepted but reminded the caller, the trip would be about an hour. No problem.

Arrived at TCNJ late morning and was told by the coordinator, “you will work with a camp counselor. Do you know Mike Rice?” Of course I did having covered his games as a Fordham point guard and following his coaching career. Mike knew me, more from the journalistic end. We were scheduled and worked three games. Told him to forget the signals, coaches just want the calls and don’t worry about positioning as much, I could work and adjust off his court location. Most important, I told Mike he played at a high level in college so officiating wouldn’t be impossible for him. In other words, he knew the game.

It was a high school team camp. We had some competitive clubs as one from Virginia as well as Neptune and CBA, two strong New Jersey programs. The games went well. Mike put his intensity seen these days on the Rutgers sideline, and conscientiousness into the effort. He was good with the coaches who may have questioned a call or no call. Showed a lot of patience in working the games and was impressive with his judgment. As noted, playing at the high level of DI, gave him the ability to decide on a call or pass on a ‘no call’. It was just a thrill and pleasure to work with him.

Not long after I mentioned the experience in my Eastern Basketball Magazine column, Mike was starting on Phil Martelli’s staff at St. Joseph’s. Mike told me later he copied the column to send to recruits. Why? To show prospects that coaches at St. Joseph’s will do anything and go the extra mile to help the kids in their program.

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THE BELL TOLLS FOR ‘NOVA; WILDCATS ESCAPE NEWARK WITH WIN OVER SETON HALL

Villanova freshman James Bell steps up for injured Stokes and delivers career performance on the road

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – The pass came as he made a cut from the weak side. Jeremy Hazell caught and in one motion turned and released. He was defended but had a good, clean look. Seconds remained with his Seton Hall team trailing by three. The shot seemed to have ‘eyes’ but instead rimmed and came off into the hands of a Villanova defender a split second before the horn sounded. Villanova escaped with a 60-57 victory over Seton Hall at the Prudential Center on Tuesday.

The three keys:

1. Bell stepped up. Corey Stokes is out with a turf injury about another week or two. In addition, Seton Hall did a good job defensively limiting the touches of Corey Fisher (12 points on 4 of 4 shooting). Coming off the bench to supply a team high 21 points in 29 minutes was James Bell. The 6-5 freshman guard shot 7 of 9 including 4 of 6 beyond the arc. Interestingly Bell entered the game shooting 4 of 14 on the year from three. A 29% rate. He also added three rebounds and two steals in a much-needed solid performance.

2. Poise and pace. Villanova was coming off two straight losses. The Rutgers game last Wednesday and Pitt at home, a game coach Jay Wright termed “a really ugly game”, on Saturday. Once again Villanova was in a situation similar to the Rutgers contest. On the road with the home team trailing and in possession of the ball. “We practiced that situation before playing Rutgers,” Wright said. It is easy to assume they have practiced it since as well. The Wildcats chose not to foul but to contest and play solid defense. They did.

Villanova did not want to get in a running game with Seton Hall. Paramount was stopping the Hall’s transition. For the game the Wildcats did a great job of turning this into a more pedestrian 63 possession affair. The Hall did have a 12-6 edge in fast break points but virtually the only transition available was off several of Villanova’s 22 turnovers.

Team…………………Possessions……………………..Offensive Efficiency

Villanova………………….63…………………………………….95

Seton Hall………………..63…………………………………….91

Actually, the turnovers were the only area the Hall had the upper hand. They committed only 7 of their own. Villanova shot better hitting 49% from the floor (to Seton Hall’s 33%) and owned a 37-25 rebounding edge.

3. Herb Pope foul trouble. Pope picked up his fourth foul with about 8 minutes to play. He did not foul out. Still, he managed only 7 points and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes.

“Without Herb Pope we are such a different team,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “He (Pope) is such a smart basketball player without him we become more of a mechanical team. Too play oriented.”

On a night contributions were needed from Jeff Robinson, the senior forward managed only 4 points, 7 rebounds in 35 minutes.

3A. Too many threes. The Pirates shot 4 of 26 from beyond the arc for a 15% showing (Hazell was 4-13, rest of team 0-13). “That is way too many threes at home,” Willard said. On the night Seton Hall was 19 of 58 from the floor for 33%. Adding it up, 45% of Seton Hall’s field goal attempts were from three but only 21% of their scoring was dialed long distance.

Final notes: Seton Hall is 11-15 (5-9 in the Big East). Villanova improves to 20-6 (8-5). Villanova visits DePaul Saturday and hosts Syracuse on Monday. SHU is at Marquette Saturday and at Notre Dame the following Saturday. Jeremy Hazell led all scorers with 25 points. Hazell shot 9 of 23 from the field (4 of 13 from three).

Tough home coming for Dominic Cheek. The Villanova sophomore forward out of St. Anthony’s High School did not score. Cheek was 0 for 5 from the floor but did grab 6 rebounds.

Attendance was 9,408.

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The BIG EAST conference season has moved into the stretch run and the 2011 Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden is quickly approaching. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season. WE HAVE YOUR SEATS!!
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PARTYING IN THE GARDEN: ST. JOHN’S STOMPS UCONN

by RAY FLORIANI

NEW YORK CITY – Connecticut versus St. John’s. Madison Square Garden had 13,652 in attendance. And a good 80 percent or more boisterously backing St. John’s. The St. John’s cheerleaders adorned the baseline. The dance team, fresh off a national second place (hip-hop) finish Division I dance competition at Disney World, literally graced the floor during time outs. The trappings were there. The excitement, missing the recent seasons, was in the air. Those amenities can take you only so far. The rest is up to the players’ resolve. St. John’s had plenty of it in a convincing 89-72 defeat of the tenth ranked Huskies.

UConn Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun figures the game was decided about the “time the ball was tossed for the opening tip.” Actually the first half was close with four ties and two lead changes. St. John’s took a 35-31 lead into the break.

The Red Storm started the second half with two free throws before inbounding the ball. UConn had been assessed a technical just after the buzzer. The first four minutes saw St. John’s go on a tear. Two time outs were taken by Calhoun. Still, at the under 16 minute media time out, St. John’s had a 14 point lead and were on their way. The lead would never be under 12 points again and ballooned to as many as 25, 75-50, with 7:08 left in the game. The Redstorm had a 40-19 run over a 12:52 span to blow the game wide open to start the second half.

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R-U SERIOUS? SCARLET KNIGHTS BEAT VILLANOVA IN A THRILLER

by RAY FLORIANI

PISCATAWAY, NJ – In a thriller with an ending bordering on the surreal, Rutgers upset Villanova 77-76 at the RAC on Wednesday. Two minutes to go, the visiting Wildcats owned a 70-62 edge. Rutgers hung tough but appeared headed for a fifth straight loss in Big East play. What happened ? A combination of things. The scarlet Knights forced turnovers and found the three-pointers falling at the most opportune time. When James Bell buried a three for Villanova with 11 second left, Jay Wright’s club had a 75-70 lead.

James Beatty of Rutgers canned a trey with seven seconds left to cut it to two. Corey Fisher was then fouled. Fisher missed the first before hitting the second. Rutgers came down for one last game-tying attempt.

They got it…and more.

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SETON HALL PICKS UP BIG EAST WIN OVER PROVIDENCE

By Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ- Coming off a surprising and impressive win at Syracuse on Tuesday, Seton Hall made it two straight. The Pirates defeated Providence 81-71 at the Prudential Center on Sunday. Three factors of note:

1. Confidence and defense. Maybe it was an enthusiastic crowd of 9,880. Seton Hall just came out strong and played with a great deal of energy. Actually the Hall was just building on the momentum from that win at Syracuse. They defended very well the opening half. The Pirates built a 39-23 lead at intermission and forced Providence into 11 first half turnovers. “Those turnovers were our downfall,” Providence coach Keno Davis said. “And that is a credit to Seton Hall’s defense. We could not run as much continuity (on offense) thanks to their defense.”

2. Pope and Robinson. The pair of Pirate upperclassmen have taken more of a leadership role in recent weeks. On the floor they posed a multitude of problems. Pope was especially tough in the paint. The junior forward scored a game high 23 points and added 10 rebounds in an impressive 31 minute outing. Jeff Robinson was effective inside, on the perimeter and in transition. Robinson finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Defensively he did a solid job on Marshon Brooks, one of the nation’s top scorers. Brooks had 20 points but was a subpar 8 of 17 from the field.

3. Sustaining. On a number of occasions this season the Pirates put together an impressive first 20 minutes only to come unglued after halftime and ultimately drop a potentially winnable game. Against Providence there was no trace of faltering the last half. Late in the game the Friars utilized pressure to get the margin to single digits. The Hall regrouped and calmly closed it out.

A main reason for putting two halves together of late is the healing process. As coach Kevin Willard said, “yesterday was the first practice with more than eight scholarship guys in two and a half months. We actually had a full eleven guys in practice.”

Final buzzer. Providence falls 13-9 (2-7 in the Big East). Seton Hall improves to 10-12 (4-6). Willard was pleased with Jeremy Hazell’s 10 point 6 assist effort. “He (Hazell) is about 80% of full strength,” Willard said. Sophomore center Bilal Dixon, a Jersey City native, had a creditable 17 point 10 rebound effort for Providence. Both teams were icy beyond the arc. Providence shot 4 of 19 (21%) while Seton Hall was 3 OF 18 (17%). The tempo-free numbers:

…………………. Pace…………..Offensive Eff.

Providence……….79………………….90

Seton Hall………..81…………………..100

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The BIG EAST conference season might be just getting underway, but it is not too early to begin thinking about tickets for the 2011 Big East Tournament this coming March in Madison Square Garden. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season.
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HOYAS RALLY LATE TO ESCAPE JERSEY WITH WIN OVER SETON HALL

by Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ – Road wins in the Big East are valued commodities. Forget the opposition record, the road in this conference is unforgiving and laced with potholes. Georgetown left New Jersey with two road wins in four days following an 80-75 decision over Seton Hall at the Prudential Center on Tuesday.

The Keys:

1. Weathering the storm: Not the snow and ice Mother Nature dealt the Garden State. We are talking about an eight minute run by Seton Hall to start the final half. Trailing 38-31 at intermission, the Pirates went on a 21-7 run to grab a 52-45 lead with a dozen minutes to play. They did it by getting their running game going. Once the transition turned into baskets then the full court press was set up and the momentum was changing.

Georgetown,a veteran club, maintained calm. “There was a lot of time to play,” Coach John Thompson III said. “We know what we can do in given minutes so we just kept reminding the kids the time that was left.”

Thompson did note that one-on-one defense will be a priority the next practice because, ‘we just had too many defensive breakdowns during those minutes (of the Seton Hall run).”

2. Herb Pope fouled out: Pope gave the Pirates a 16 point, 9 rebound effort and used his size against Georgetown’s Julian Vaughn. When the Pirates’ 6-8 junior picked up his fifth foul late in the game (with SHU up by 6), Vaughn (11 points 6 boards) had no one to match his 6-9, 250-pound size. Vaughn admitted Pope’s disqualification was a “big factor in this game.” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard rotates Pope and Jeff Robinson in and out of the game to avoid foul trouble and fatigue. The bottom line as Willard said is “we need another big man to step up for us on a consistent basis.”

3. Austin Freeman: The Hoyas’ 6-3 senior led all scorers with 28 points. Freeman shot 10 of 13 from the floor and capped off a Garden State sweep that included a 25 point outing in Saturday’s win at Rutgers. “Freeman is fun to watch,” Willard said. “He made some big plays for them down the stretch and he moves so well without the ball. In fact their offense with their cutting and movement is fun to watch.” Not the easiest to stop.

Jeremy Hazell had a solid 15 point outing, but was just 5-16 from the floor. “People have to remember he didn’t play basketball since around November 18th,” Willard said. “He’s still getting his legs and will take another few weeks to get to full strength.”

Ahead by three with eight seconds to go and Seton Hall with the ball, Thompson opted to foul the ball-handler (Keon Lawrence) rather than risk a three. “I did it because Julian (Vaughn) promised he would get the rebound (on a miss).” There was a miss and Vaughn did in fact grab the rebound to seal the verdict.

Georgetown is 14-5 (3-4 in conference). The Hoyas now enjoy eight days off before returning to action on January 26th when they host St. John’s. The Red Storm defeated JTIII and co. back on January 3rd, 61-58, at Madison Square Garden.

Chris Wright added 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the win for Georgetown.

Seton Hall is now 8-11 (2-5). Jordan Theodore had a solid 17 point, 6 assist game for the Hall and Jeff Robinson had a team-high 21 in the loss. The Pirates are back in action on Saturday when they host in-state rival Rutgers for a 12 Noon tip.

The efficiencies and pace:

Team…………….Pace…………..Offensive Efficiency
-Georgetown………69……………………..116
-Seton Hall…………68……………………..110

QUOTABLE:

-With roughly 10 seconds to go the Hall trailed by three and Theodore hit a corner jumper near the Hall bench. It was clearly a two and the officials did not even need a monitor to verify. Willard was asked his thoughts on the shot. “It definitely was a two (pointer),” he said. “If I thought it was a three and the officials called it a two I might have acted like my predecessor,” he said jokingly before adding,” I’ll probably get a phone call in the morning on that one.”

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The BIG EAST conference season might be just getting underway, but it is not too early to begin thinking about tickets for the 2011 Big East Tournament this coming March in Madison Square Garden. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season.
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SYRACUSE HOLDS GARDEN PARTY IN WIN OVER ST. JOHN’S

SU wins fifth-straight over in-state conference rival and 10th in last 11 meetings against ‘Storm

By Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY – There was great anticipation for Wednesday night’s Syracuse-St. John’s game. The Orange, always a draw at Madison Square Garden, were entering 16-0 and fourth ranked in the country. St. John’s came in 3-1 in the Big East with wins at West Virginia and Providence, against Georgetown and the lone conference setback at Notre Dame. Under Steve Lavin, the Red Storm suddenly are beginning to matter again in the Big Apple.

The Storm got out to an early 7 point lead and were controlling tempo. But any buzz in the Garden over a possible upset was soon quieted. Syracuse dominated the final eight minutes of the half. The Orange took a 35-24 lead into intermission. The second half was all Syracuse as they posted their 17th win of the season and the program’s 1,800th in its history with a 76-59 decision.

The Syracuse run began courtesy of transition and a few three-pointers. But it was rooted in the other end. “Our defense was crucial,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “Especially early on when we struggled offensively.”

Kris Joseph (9) and Brandon Triche (7) combined for 16 of Syracuse’s 35 first half points. The pair had a solid offensive game finishing with 18 and 15 points respectively. Both shot extremely well and were difficult to defend. Joseph was 8 of 11 from the floor while Triche was 6 of 11 (including 3 of 6 from three). Rick Jackson had another noteworthy double-double. The 6-9 senior finished with a 12 point 10 board effort. Boeheim did not feel Scoop Jardine had a particularly good game but the junior guard did add 14 points.

St. John’s was paced by Justin Brownlee with 13 points. The Orange paid attention to senior guard Dwight Hardy. He finished with 12 points but was harassed into a 4 of 15 night from the field.

“I thought we did some good things early,” Lavin said, “but Syracuse clearly dominated the game from about the eight minute mark. I told our guys we did some good things in stretches and spurts. But you are going to have to sustain if you want to beat a top four team in the country like Syracuse.”

The numbers:

Possessions…….Offensive Efficiency:

Syracuse: 70…..109

St. John’s:71…..83

Interestingly both teams entered with a mid-sixties average possession pace. Syracuse forced the issue, got out in transition and finished with a 12-4 edge in fast break points. Both teams entered with turnover rates under 20%, a very good number. On the night Syracuse’s TO rate was an alarmingly high 29% while St. John’s checked in at a sloppy 23% mark. For the Orange, the ‘sins’ of turnovers were forgiven by a defense that held St. John’s to an eFG mark of 39%, which included 2 of 12 beyond the arc.

Syracuse is 17-0 (4-0 Big East) while St. John’s falls to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in conference. Next up for the Orange is a home date with Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon ahead of a BIG MONDAY showdown at Pittsburgh just 55 hours later. As for the Red Storm, they will look to get back in the win column home in the Garden on Sunday afternoon when Notre Dame comes calling.

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The BIG EAST conference season might be just getting underway, but it is not too early to begin thinking about tickets for the 2011 Big East Tournament this coming March in Madison Square Garden. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season.
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NORTH CAROLINA STOPS RUTGERS’ WIN STREAK

by RAY FLORIANI

NEW YORK CITY- Rutgers hoped to close out their non-conference schedule on a high note. Instead, they were on the opposite end of a 78-55 decision, falling to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

First Half: North Carolina set the tone by establishing a 7-2 lead the first four minutes. The Tar Heels quickly put their stamp on the game by pushing the pace. The first half saw a 35 possession pace, a faster one than Rutgers has been accustomed to this year. After the offensive struggles of the initial four minutes, the Scarlet Knights gradually settled down. The main problem was getting stops on the defensive end. Transition, dribble penetration and three point success on the perimeter were all part of UNC’s multi-faceted attack. As lethal as the Carolina attack proved to be over the course of the first twenty minutes, there was great balance. No Carolina player hit double figures and eight entered the scoring column. Leading the way was Leslie McDonald, a sophomore guards with 8 points. Rutgers was led by Dane Miller with 6 points. Miller provided the better offensive moments for the Scarlet Knights, penetrating and showing a nice soft jumper in the paint.

Score: North Carolina 42, Rutgers 22

Offensive Efficiency: North Carolina 120, Rutgers 63

Second Half: Rutgers opened the half with 5 points for their first two possessions. Suddenly the deficit was a manageable 15 points with 19 minutes to play. North Carolina quickly countered with a 5-0 run of their own. At the 16-minute mark, the score was 49-29 North Carolina. The twenty point edge enjoyed at the half by the Tar Heels was still in tact. The optimism of Rutgers’ first two possessions had dissipated.

For a good part of the final half it was business as usual for the Tar Heels. They got out in transition found open shooters on the perimeter, in half court or fast break opportunities and displayed exceptional balance. Rutgers on their own offensive end struggled the duration to get in flow.

Following those first two possessions of the second half, North Carolina was never seriously challenged. They had two double figure scorers and both came off the bench. McDonald led with 14 points while Justin Watts added 10. Jonathan Mitchell had a solid outing for RU as the senior native of nearby Mount Vernon (NY) scored a game-high 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting from the floor.

Rutgers closes the pre-BIG EAST slate at 9-3 and the loss snapped the Scarlet Knight’s six-game win streak. North Carolina improved to 9-4.

The Final: North Carolina 78, Rutgers 55

The final efficiency in a 76 possession contest: North Carolina 103, Rutgers 72

Post Game: North Carolina coach Roy Williams was not pleased with his team’s 16 turnovers but was more than satisfied over the Tar Heels’ defensive effort. The scoring balance, with no starter in double figures was another positive.

Harrison Barnes had 9 points and 3 boards for Carolina. Williams noted the pressure on the freshman Barnes, touted an All-American before stepping on the floor for his first game. “What I can say is he (Barnes) is getting better,” Williams said. “You may not see it every game but every practice he is improving.”

The defensive effort was outstanding but that has been erratic. “Some nights we defend well,” Williams said. “Some nights not as well.”

Rutgers coach Mike Rice frequently used the word ‘determination’ in the presser. In Rutgers’ case it was lack of determination per Rice. “I don’t want to use the ‘s’ word,” Rice said, “but we were, soft.”

The Rutgers mentor alluded to the game’s first few minutes. “We got caught up in a frantic pace, we did not make the simple play. From there, their (North Carolina’s) confidence grew and their athleticism took over.”

Mitchell called the loss both, “discouraging and an eye opener. We need to get better.”

At 9-3 is Rice pleased with the non-conference start? “Tomorrow I will probably say I’ll take it,” he said. ”Right now, no. I am very disappointed in our play tonight.”

Rutgers dives right into the BIG EAST gauntlet with their conference opener set for Sunday at No. 8 Villanova. It is one of three games against current top-10 teams in two weeks for RU to kick off conference play.

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SETON HALL FAILS TO CLOSE OUT SPIDERS

Loss knocks Pirates to 6-6 on verge of Big East play

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – Richmond used a late 12-2 run over the last five minutes to defeat Seton Hall 69-61 at the Prudential Center, Sunday afternoon. The three points of emphasis:

1. Closing. In the loss to Dayton and today, the Hall led at the half. Against Dayton on Wednesday they enjoyed a 40-26 lead at intermission before dropping a 69-65 decision. In the game this afternoon, the lead was 35-30 at the half in the Hall’s favor.

The inability of Seton Hall to sustain the full forty minutes is a concern of coach Kevin Willard. “We need that full effort,” Willard said. “What is happening is our offense struggles and then our defense follows. Our defense should dictate our play not our offense.”

Missing Jeremy Hazell (an early January decision will be made on his status per Willard) and Herb Pope’s working back into full game condition have thinned the Pirates’ personnel.

2. Richmond stepped up. In the last five minutes, Richmond had six possession, scoring on five of them for 12 points, a 200 offensive efficiency. The Hall scored one out of their six, a 33 OE. With A-10 player of the year Kevin Anderson, a senior guard, putting his stamp on the outcome and 6-9 Justin Harper giving the Spiders the lead for good, Richmond closed out the game in convincing fashion.

3. Big East play starts Tuesday. South Florida enters the Rock for the Pirate’s conference opener in two days. Hazell’s injury has allowed freshman swingman Fuquan Edwin to gain minutes and experience. Willard is also looking to get more minutes from freshman forward Patrik Auda, to assist in defense and rebounding. Again, a solid forty minute effort is Willard’s immediate goal.

3A. Numbers. Richmond is 10-3; the Hall 6-6. Harper led all scorers with 24 points. SHU had three players in double figures led by Jeff Robinson, who drew Willards’ praise for his play (17 points 10 boards). Jordan Theodore added 15 while Edwin posted a dozen. Crowd was announced at 6634 but considerably less with a blizzard starting to ravage the New York area. The efficiency:

Team…….Possessions…….Offensive Efficiency
Richmond…………66……………105
Seton Hall………..68…………….90

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SETON HALL GOES DOWN SWINGING, BUT WITHOUT A FIGHT

By Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ – A week ago Seton Hall still had hopes of a bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Now the season is over. The Pirates were handed a quick exit by Texas Tech, 87-69 in the opening round of the NIT at the Prudential Center. The three key points:

1. Herb Pope’s ejection. Seton Hall’s outstanding sophomore forward was ejected just under 6 minutes into the game for a flagrant foul. The first few times down the floor Pope and Darko Cohadarevic of Texas Tech jostled for position. “Herb thought he was getting pushed and retaliated,” Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez said. “I didn’t get a good look at what Herb did but the officials were adamant in tossing him. I told Herb you can’t retaliate, you just have to keep your head and play through things.”

Minus Pope the burden fell on John Garcia and Ferrakohn Hall to produce. Garcia, playing in what would be his last Seton Hall game, had a creditable 7 point, 10 rebound effort. Hall was not much of a factor with two points and four boards.

2. Defense. Texas Tech coach Pat Knight pointed out his team does not have trouble putting points on the board. The defensive end is another thing. “We had a lot of games we gave up 80 points,” Knight said. “Seventy is our cutoff. We give up under 70 we are tough to beat.” Tech gave up 69 and in the process limited the Hall to 35% shooting from the floor that included a 5 of 26 mark from beyond the arc.

3. Here’s to you Mr. Robinson. With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel…Jeff Robinson was the only consistent performer for Seton Hall. The junior forward scored a game-high 23 points, added 12 rebounds and did a little of everything for the Pirates. Unfortunately for the Hall, Robinson had little or no help. Jeremy Hazell, with a bad back, struggled through a 6 point night and was 0 for 4 from three. Eugene Harvey, also playing in his last game, added 12 points and 6 assists. It was not enough.

“Jeff (Robinson) was spectacular,” Gonzalez said. “But for us to win we need contributions from Herb Pope and Jeremy Hazell. Herb (Pope) was gone and Jeremy (Hazell) had one of his poorer offensive games. He wasn’t at full strength but also cedit Texas Tech’s defense for that (Hazell’s performance) as well.”

Texas Tech had five players in double figures, a well-rounded attack. Guard John Roberson led the way with 22 points. Junior forward D’Walyn Roberts had a well rounded 12 point 11 rebound effort. The 6-9 Cohadarevic showed the ability to step outside (12 points) while battling inside (9 rebounds). Tech shot 30 of 60 (50%) for the game. Gonzalez said he broke down about four tapes of Tech in preparation but, “tonight they stepped up and hit some shots they normally do not make.”

Tough night overall for the Big East as NC State edged South Florida and UConn held on for dear life just getting by Northeastern by two in Storrs.

Some teams enter the NIT with disappointment. Not Texas Tech as Knight noted there was about a three week stretch when the Red Raiders lost several close games. The NCAA picture was basically out so his team refocused on getting to the NIT. “We are thrilled to be here,” Knight said. The Tech mentor also commented on his respect for the tournament. “That goes back with my father who admires this tournament so much. In fact my middle name is Clair after Clair Bee (a coaching legend with success in early NITs).”

Texas Tech advanced to 18-15 and the Hall finished at 19-13. “We had nineteen wins and were 9-9 in the best conference in the country,” Gonzalez said. “We had a successful season. You just have to look at the whole body of work not just tonight.”

Attendance was a disappointing 1,829. The atmosphere was also devoid of any excitement. It felt like two teams were playing a 3 p.m. game in a neutral site two time zones away. Unfortunately the only energy in the crowd was supplied by a sparse Seton Hall student section under one basket. They began with ‘Robert Mitchell’ chants, in support of the Hall junior recently put off the team. Later through the evening the chants changed to ‘fire Bobby..’.

Sad way to end what was the first post season tournament since 2006.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY THREE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The quaterfinals of the 2010 Big East Tournament served as reminder, as if we needed one, as how tough and unforgiving this conference is. Also, how interesting and exciting for those of us watching and/or analyzing.

The Scores:

Georgetown 91, Syracuse 84

Marquette 80, Villanova 76

Notre Dame 50, Pittsburgh 45

West Virginia 54, Cincinnati 51

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Thursday…

1. Syracuse exited the tournament one and done. For Orange faithful, the weekend to quote Steeley Dan, “didn’t turn out as you planned”. Orange fans can also take solace from 2003. That year they won a quarterfinal game before being eliminated by UCONN in the semis. Less than a month later they cut the nets down in New Orleans. ESPN reported no team lost its first conference tournament game and won the national title. Interesting, but right now Syracuse is concerned with Arinze Onuaku who exited the Georgetown game with a knee strain that needed further evaluation.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY TWO RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – Day two at the 2010 Big East Tournament is complete and one thing is definitely certain, we will have a new champion.

The scores:

Georgetown 69, South Florida 49

Marquette 57, St. John’s 55

Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall 56

Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Wednesday…

1. Georgetown did it the old fashioned way. They defended the heck out of South Florida. Dominique Jones of USF had 21 points to lead all scorers but the Bulls outstanding junior talent had no one to lend a helping hand. Credit the Hoya defense that forced South Florida into a 29% afternoon from the field.

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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY ONE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The first round of the 2010 Big East Tournament is in the books. Four games, one upset with St. John’s over UCONN in a surprisingly lopsided contest . The scores:

South Florida 58, DePaul 49

St. John’s 73, Connecticut 51

Seton Hall 109, Providence 106

Cincinnati 69, Rutgers 68

—Be sure to visit NBE’s 2010 Big East Tournament home page (HERE!) for the full schedule and links to get tickets to each session—

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from this first day:

1. Loved the attitude of South Florida coach Stan Heath. His Bulls defeated DePaul and are 20-11. Rather than discuss the bubble Heath simply tells his players to keep playing. “We win we get to keep playing,” Heath said, “and that takes care of itself.” Bulls jumped out to a 30-15 halftime lead and outside of a late run fueled by DePaul’s Will Walker (20 points), did a good defensive job.

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SETON HALL HOLDS OFF RUTGERS RALLY FOR WIN

Bobby Gonzalez and the Pirates keep NCAA hopes on life support with 76-70 home win Tuesday

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – Six in a row. Seton Hall defeated Rutgers 76-70 on Tuesday at the Prudential Center giving the Pirates their sixth straight Big East win at home. For Seton Hall, the start was big.

The Keys :

1. As noted the Pirates got off to a blazing start. Bobby Gonzalez’s troops jumped out to a 28-10 lead just over eight minutes into the contest. The Hall forced turnovers, got out in transition and simply played with a great deal of energy. “We jumped out to a great start which is something we wanted to do,” Gonzalez said. “We came out with some great energy.”

2. The lead was never lost. Rutgers gradually settled down and got back in the contest. Down the stretch it was a two possession game (as close as 68-64 with just under three minutes left). Seton Hall not losing the lead was crucial from a momentum standpoint. The Scarlet Knights were able to get back into the game by getting stops and, more importantly, cutting down on turnovers. The First half Rutgers has 12 turnovers. After intermission they had only four. Simply, not losing the ball due to the dreaded turnover gives you an opportunity to end a possession with a shot, at least.

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SETON HALL HOLDS OFF VISITING DEPAUL

By RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – In a game they never trailed, Seton Hall posted a 79-71 decision over DePaul at the Prudential Center. The St.Valentine’s Day victory gave the Hall its fifth straight home triumph in conference play.

Three keys to the game:

1. The start. A deep three pointer at the buzzer by Jeremy Hazell sent Seton Hall into the locker room with a 50-35 first half lead. “Giving up 50 points is too much,” said DePaul interim coach Tracy Webster. “Once you do that you are playing catch up basketball right from the beginning of the second half.” Actually the start was even sooner. Over the course of the first four minutes of the game the Hall sped out to a 10-1 lead. By the first media time out the tone was set.

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SETON HALL HOLDS OFF NOTRE DAME IN OFFENSIVE SHOOTOUT

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – It came down to two last second three point attempts. Both misfired and Seton Hall held on for a big 90-87 win over Notre Dame at the Prudential Center on Thursday. Seton Hall’s struggles at the foul line nearly cost them. In the final minute Herb Pope and Keon Lawrence missed one and ones. The last possession saw three-point attempts by ND’s Tim Abromatis and Carleton Scott misfire and the Pirates were victorious.

Three keys to the game :

1. Jeremy Hazell. The junior sharpshooter led all scorers with 35 points and was in an outstanding shooter’s grove. Hazell shot 12 of 16 which included 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. “Hazell gets this team going especially in this building,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. Hazell was coming off a two point game at Pitt where he shot one of seven from the floor. “Pitt just did an outstanding job defensing him,” said Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez. Naturally, after a rough game, Brey was concerned that Hazell would have a break out game. He did, in a big way.

2. Defense . It’s a tough sell when a team like Seton Hall allows the opposition to post a 1.23 mark in points per possession while shooting 54% from the field. “It may not seem like we played defense,” Gonzalez said, “but we got the stops when we needed them.”

Not to mention turnovers. ND came into the Rock with an impressive 14% TO RATE and a reputation of caring for the ball. Seton Hall forced 14 Irish turnovers for a 20% rate. And those turnovers led to the Pirate’s 20-5 edge in scoring off turnovers.

3. Luke Harangody. See defense. The 6-8 leading scorer (25 PPG in conference) for ND, left the game with about 5 minutes to go. Harangody suffered a knee injury which, at post game press conference was announced as not being serious (Harangody Tweaks Knee in Second Half – ESPN.com). The Hall had defended the Irish star extremely well. Gonzalez kept fresh bodies as Jeff Robinson, Herb Pope and John Garcia on Harangody all night. He finished with 13 points on 4 of 10 shooting in 29 minutes. “I thought Herb (Pope) and Jeff (Robinson) especially defensed him (Harangody) tremendously,” Gonzalez said.

At the half the Hall had a 49-39 lead. Chalk it up to Hazell (17 points) and a defense that forced 9 turnovers and gave the Pirates a 13-2 advantage off turnovers. The second half saw ND make a few runs. “When we got tops we were able to put a run together,” Brey said. While Harangody was being closely watched, Tory Jackson (a team high 25 points) and Tim Abromatis (18 points) were threats. Jackson got in the lane and knocked down threes while the 6-8 Abromatis worked inside but was also effective on the perimeter.

Two big factors in the Hall’s favor: they never relinquished the lead in the second half and turonovers. The Irish came into the game with a reputation of caring for the ball. Their pre-game turnover rate (percentage of possessions ending in turnovers ) was an impressive 14%. On the night they had a 20% rate and their 14 turnovers gave the Hall a 20-5 edge in points off turnovers. That figure went a long way toward deciding the outcome.

Notes: Attendance was 8,403. ND flew in on Tuesday before the storm hit the New York metropolitan area. Notre Dame, now 17-8 overall (6-6 in the Big East) hosts St. John’s on Sunday.

The loss last night creates longer NCAA basketball odds against the Irish in making the Big Dance as the work ahead is tough.

After hearing the result of St. John’s-Louisville, Brey was quite concerned about his next opponent. “The good thing about the Big East,” Brey said, ’is it’s hard and you get opportunities. The bad thing about the Big East is it’s hard.”

Both teams shot over 50% (ND 54% the Hall 55%). Seton Hall had a curious stat on three pointers and free throws. The Hall was an identical 12 of 19 (63%) from both. Jeff Robinson added 14 points 4 boards to complement his defense and Eugene Harvey had an impressive 9 point, 10 assist , one turnover outing.

Seton Hall is 13-9 (4-7) and hosts DePaul on Sunday. “This was an important win,” Gonzalez said, “especially after coming off three straight road losses.”

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It might be two months away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has 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
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JERSEY SUMMER LEAGUE KEEPS BIG EAST REF SHARP

By Ray Floriani

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Last summer Pat Devaney, who coordinates the Hamilton Park (high school) Summer League, asked if Brian O’Connell might be interested in officiating. Brian is an outstanding official who works a good portion of his schedule in the Big East. Brian and Pat are friends from their days growing up in Bayonne (NJ) so there would be a shot at getting him. The one problem would be if his conferences, as the Big East, would permit Brian to work summer ball on a prep level. As it turned out there was no problem and Brian accepted a schedule in the Hamilton Park circuit. A high school or lower division coach might be thrilled to be in a huddle with Roy Williams or Coach K. How many get the chance? Yours truly was fortunate to get the chance working three games with Brian last Tuesday.

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