Georgetown

BIG EAST PATH TO 2010 NCAA FINAL FOUR: GEORGETOWN

The lone Big East representative in the Midwest Region of the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is the Georgetown Hoyas coached by John Thompson III.

Fresh off a run to the 2010 Big East Tournamanet championship game the Hoyas grab the No. 3 seed in the Midwest and will take on the MAC conference tournament champion Ohio Bobcats Thursday night in the Dunkin’ Donuts center in Providence (RI).

It was an up and down regular season for Georgetown as they finished 10-8 in the Big East. In recent years Providence (2009) and Syracuse (2007) won 10 Big East conference games and did not make the NCAA Tournament while the Hoyas not only made it but received a No. 3 seed. It gives a glimpse of the Hoyas’ potential as they have knocked off two No. 1 seeds this season (SU and Duke) as well as Pitt (No. 3) on the road, Bulter (No. 5) on a neutral floor and Villanova (No. 2) as some of their biggest wins. On the downside the Hoyas lost at home to South Florida and on the road to Rutgers demonstrating some of the highs and lows of the season.

“I told the players I think Georgetown is capable of beating anybody any night,” Jim Boeheim said after the Hoyas’ upset No. 1 seeded SU in the Big East Tournament last week.

The Hoyas were the final victim of the Da’Sean Butler rampage in the Big East Tournament as the WVU senior scored in the waning seconds to beat Georgetown Saturday night. The Big East Tournament run for the Hoyas saw them reach a four-game winning streak which came on the heels of four losses in their previous five games as the plummetted in the national rankings. Now they must be re-motivated and shrug off the disappointment coming up short in New York City and prepare for the Big Dance.

“No it’s March. And there’ no time to take a breath and pat yourself on the back in March,” said JT III last week. “Your next opponent is very good. Your next opponent is very well coached. Your next opponent is trying to kick your behind. So no, we weren’t satisfied at all.”

That newx opponents is the Ohio Bobcats, the No. 13 seed in the Midwest bracket coming off a MAC Conference Tournament championship. John Groce’s club is a bit of a Cinderella story as they were just 7-9 in conference play this year before running off four consecituve wins in Cleveland last week to take the MAC crown. Former Indiana guard Armon Bassett scored 25 points and freshman DJ Cooper scored 23 in the overtime win against Akron, 81-75.

The Bobcats have not had much high-major experience on the season, losing 74-49 at Pittsburgh in December, so facing the Hoyas is a tall order. Ohio has just one player taller than 6-foot-8 on their roster and the Hoyas will start a pair with Julian Vaughn and their versatile big man Greg Monroe.

“He’s the best inside passer in college basketball easily,” said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim after Monroe scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had 7 assists in a 91-84 upset of the Orange in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals last week. “And he can score in there [too].”

The Hoyas are not very deep, but increased production from freshman Hollis Thompson off the bench and a more consistent level of production from Jason Clark on the perimeter was a big factor in the conference tournament run. While foul trouble and/or bad games from any two of the Hoyas’ big guns such as Monroe, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman could put them in deep trouble, it might not be nearly as severe as it was a month ago with others coming of age. So despite their rough stretch towards the end of the regular season the mindset of the Hoyas has their coach pleased.

“I don’t think this group has ever lost confidence in what we’re doing [or] lost confidence in each other,” said John Thompson III. “And that’s still true right now. I like where we are going into the NCAA Tournament.”

if the Hoyas avoid a first round upset Thursday night in Providence (RI) they will face the winner of the nightcap in the evening session between No. 6 Tennessee and the 11th seeded Aztecs of San Diego State. The Vols had their five-game winning streak snapped in a blowout loss in the SEC semifinals to Kentucky, the same team they started their winning streak with a 74-65 win over in Knoxville on February 27th. SDSU was a surprise winner of the Mountain West Tournament upsetting New Mexico and UNLV, both received at-large invitations, to earn the conference’s automatic bid.

Getting past the first weekend in Providence would send Georgetown to St. Louis for the Midwest Regionals and a possible date with Ohio State. The two programs are no stranger in March Madness with the Hoyas winning a second round contest in 2006 in Dayton (OH) while the Buckeyes exacted some revenge with a Final Four vctory led by Greg Oden the following year in Atlanta (GA). Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech are the 7/10 match-up that will hope to advance past Thad Matta’s club into the Sweet 16.

The other half of the Midwest bracket is headed by overall No. 1 seed Kansas. The Jayhawks will face Lehigh in the opening round and then the 8/9 winner between UNLV and Northern Iowa in the second round. If they can escape unscathed in their opening pair of games KU will have a huge following in St. Louis for the Midwest Regionals. Other top seeds in the Midwest aiming for the Jayhawks prior to the Elite 8 include Maryland (4) and Michigan State (5).

The Hoyas will also have an early round advantage with a familiarity with the first two rounds’ site as they defeated Providence College in a Big East regular season match-up, 79-70, back on February 9th. Below Georgetown fans can find the links to purchase tickets to follow their team every step of the way during the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament:

– Dunkin Donuts Center (Providence, RI)

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Session 1 March 18 2010

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Session 2 March 18 2010

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Session 3 (Second Round) March 20 2010

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Strip (Inlucdes all Three Sessions) March 18 2010
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March 26th and 28th:

– Midwest Region: Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis)

NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Tickets – Session 1 (Semifinals) March 26 2010

NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Tickets – Session 2 (Final) March 28 2010

NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Tickets – Strip (Includes both Semifinals and the Finals) March 26 2010
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NCAA Tournament Final Four:

April 3rd & April 5th

– Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)

2010 Final Four Tickets – Session 1 (Semifinals) April 3 2010

2010 Final Four Tickets – Session 2 (Championship) April 5 2010

2010 Final Four Tickets – Strip (Includes both Semifinals and the Championship) April 3 2010

BREAKING DOWN BIG EAST DANCE OPPONENTS: OHIO UNIVERSITY

by RAY MERNAGH

#14 Ohio vs #3 Georgetown (Providence, RI), 7:25 PM.

The Bobcats have been playing very strong when it counts. I called John Groce’s hiring a home run when it happened and he’s proven it a year earlier than most expected. With Ohio you have to start in the back court because that’s where they can kill you. Armon Bassett, yes the one-time Indiana guard who had a brief stopover at UAB, can put up major points in a hurry. Bassett was one of those high risk/high reward additions for Groce (who’s known the kid since he was very young). The reward has paid huge dividends. Bassett is a big talent, has breakneck speed plus a handle and can bury shots from deep as well as get to the rim and finish. He also can find open shooters like Tommy Freeman (Freeman has 15 games with three treys or more and shoots it at a remarkable 47%). Freeman will also find people in open space with the pass and sacrifice his body to take open-court charges, which he did a number of times in the MAC tournament to players not paying attention and running with their heads down. DJ Cooper is Ohio’s point guard and is the MAC’s freshmen of the year. Cooper is a long-armed baby-faced kid with moxie and game. He gets to the rim, a streaky three shooter (30%) and finds people after the bounce breakdown. The 5′11″ Chicago native puts up 13 points, 6 dimes and collects almost 6 boards a game. He and Bassett are a high-major backcourt that will be at the top of the Georgetown scouting report.

The X factor for Ohio on the player side — if they are to have a chance at a remarkable upset — will be their bigs. DeVaughn Washington is a 6′8″ junior who brings a high level of athleticism to the table. Washington will have to provide some resistance defensively without getting into foul trouble and score a bit. Kenneth Van Kampen is a Dutch kid with size, 6′10″ 250, who has turned into a decent 12-15 foot shooter. The Bobcats can also throw two young bigs into the mix in Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely who both go 6′8″. Keely had a stretch when Washington was out for five games when he came alive a bit. Asown Sayles is a junior with a Big East body, 6′6″ 228, who could really help matching up with the Hoyas bigger wings.

Groce will have a very good gameplan but the problem will be implementing it against Georgetown’s size and skill. If Monroe and either Freeman or Wright have poor games or foul trouble, Ohio has a slim chance, with their talent and coaching, to shock the world.

Tickets to the Providence pod involving the Hoyas and Bobcats:

– Dunkin Donuts Center (Providence, RI)

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Session 1 March 18 2010

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Session 2 March 18 2010

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Session 3 (Second Round) March 20 2010

NCAA Tournament Providence Tickets – Strip (Inlucdes all Three Sessions) March 18 2010

NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP RECRUITING NOTES

Lost in the shuffle of last week’s excitement with the Big East Tournament was the National Prep Championships that were held at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven (CT). Eight of the top prep schools in the country came together to battle it out over the course of two days last week and the action culminated with Brewster Academy taking the title with an overtime victory of Northfield Mount Hermon.

Big East coaching staffs were represented throughout as Villanova assistant Jason Donnelly was on hand Tuesday and Wednesday saw Rutgers’ Fred Hill and Darren Savino make the trip along with Connecticut’s Pat Sellers and Providence’s Pat Skerry.

2010 Big East commits in action included Isaiah Epps (Pittsburgh/Hargrave Military Academy), Gerard Coleman (Providence/Tilton), Ron Giplaye (Providence/Notre Dame Prep), CJ Fair (Syracuse/Brewster), Austin Carroll (Rutgers/Brewster) and Markus Kennedy (Villanova/Winchendon) and several potential spring targets of Big East schools in the class of 2010 were also in action. NBE has recruiting updates on Cleveland Melvin, Bryon Allen, Maurice Walker, who now has a list of six favorites out of the Big East and is looking to set up visits to three of them, and Majok Majok along with underclassman Naadir Tharpe.

To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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NCAA TOURNAMENT AT A GLANCE FOR BIG EAST

NCAA Tournament pairings information and ticket resources for Big East teams

The tournament selection committee has set the field of 65 and now the action of March Madness truly gets underway beginning on Tuesday with the play-in game and Thursday and Friday with the first round of the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Once again the Big East led all conferences with eight teams selected including the No. 1 seed in the West Region, Syracuse. The Orange open their quest for Jim Boeheim’s fourth Final Four appearance in Buffalo on Friday against 16th seed Vermont. Of course there is some NCAA Tournament history between the two schools as the Catamounts upset the No. 4 seed Orange in an opening round game in overtime back in 2005.

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WEST VIRGINIA TAKES BIG EAST TITLE

Mountaineers win on the heels of Da’Sean Butler

By Anthony Jaskulski

He did it again.

Arguably the most clutch shooter in the history of West Virginia basketball, Da’Sean Butler showed exactly why he is the go-to man.

And while he’s hit six game-winning shots for the Mountaineers this year, none was as big as Saturday night’s.

With just four seconds left, the senior did what he does best, and drove from the top of the key to the paint, where he then fired up an acrobatic floater that dropped giving West Virginia (27-6) the 60-58 advantage and eventual win over Georgetown (23-10) in the 2010 Big East tournament championship game at Madison Square Garden Saturday night.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: CHAMPIONSHIP PRIMER

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The 2010 Big East Tournament has reached it’s end-point as Georgetown and West Virginia will meet at 9 PM tonight under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden for the conference tournament championship.

If you can get to NYC, there are still tickets available to be purchased and the links below (or at our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page) provide the resources to find seats with Stub Hub’s guarantee for fans to have their tickets in hand prior to the game, even at this last minute…

The remaining Big East Conference Tournament Schedule…

Championship, Saturday March 13th:

Session 8:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 8 (Championship) March 13 2010

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BUTLER LEADS WEST VIRGINIA OVER NOTRE DAME

Mountaineers face Georgetown in pursuit of first-ever Big East Tournament crown

By Anthony Jaskulski

NewYork, NY–They wouldn’t be a contender without him.

The 6-foot-7, do-it-all talent that is Da’Sean Butler—a stones throw native of New York, growing up in Newark, NJ—dominated for 40 minutes, scoring a game-high 24 points and ripping down seven rebounds, leading his West Virginia Mountaineers (26-6, 15-5) to a closer-than-comfort-53-51 Big East semifinal win over Notre Dame at Madison Square Garden Friday night.

The Mountaineers advance to the 2010 Big East Tournament championship final for the second time in school history.

They are the first No. 3 seed to advance to the title game since 2000 when St. John’s did it.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT PRIMER: FRIDAY PRIMER

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The 2010 Big East Tournament lived up to the hype with an exciting and nail-biting quartet of games on Thursday afternoon and evening. Now, one of the best night’s of every year in college sports is upon us, the Friday night semifinal doubleheader from Madison Square Garden in the Big East Tournament.

With the four remaining teams (Georgetown – Marquette and West Virginia – Notre Dame) we have a 75% chance of a first time champion as only the Hoyas have hoisted the trophy on the Madison Square Garden floor previously.

If you can get to NYC, there are still tickets available to be purchased and the links below (or at our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page) provide the resources to find seats with Stub Hub’s guarantee for fans to have their tickets in hand prior to the game, even at this last minute…

The remaining Big East Conference Tournament Schedule…

Semifinals, Firday March 12th:

Session 7:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 7 (Semifinals) March 12 2010

(8) Georgetown vs. (5) Marquette, 7 PM.
(3) West Virginia vs. (7) Notre Dame, 9 PM.

Championship, Saturday March 13th:

Session 8:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 8 (Championship) March 13 2010

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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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DOUBLE-BYE A CURSE IN BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

‘Nova and Pitt join Syracuse out the MSG door heading into final quarterfinal game

In the unique, 16-team tournament format in the Big East conference the top four regular season finishers breeze into the quarterfinals with a double-bye. The reward for finishing at the top of the grueling and competitive 18 game conference schedule would seem to be a significant one and an advantage in the conference tournament played annually at Madison Square Garden.

Not so fast.

This year in the 2010 Big East Tournament the double-bye has acted more of a curse as Syracuse. Villanova and Pittsburgh all recipients of a double-bye for their outstanding regular seasons, fell one-by-one over the course of the first three quarterfinal contests Thursday.

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GEORGETOWN PUTS SQUEEZE ON THE ORANGE

Hoyas avenge a pair of regular season losses and hand Syracuse second-striaght loss heading to NCAA’s

Chris Wright scored 27 points and No. 22 Georgetown turned the tables on No. 1 seed Syracuse in a 91-84 2010 Big East Tournament quarterfinal contest at Madison Square Garden.

“I thought Georgetown really played well tonight,” Syracuse coach Jom Boeheim said following the game. “The first game we controlled the game. The second game we controlled about 30 minutes. And then they started to get the ball into (Greg) Monroe and they did that tonight from the beginning we had difficultly with it. We just couldn’t get enough stops.”

A Kris Joseph (18 points) jumper put the Orange up 59-51 with 12:49 left in the game. The Hoyas answered with a 21-4 run where they made seven of eight field goal attempts and took a 72-63 with 5:43 left in the game on a Chris Wright basket on an assist by Greg Monroe.

“He’s the best inside passer in college basketball, easily,” Boeheim said of Monroe. “And he can score in there.”

Monroe finished the game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, a team-high 7 assists and 4 steals.

“We just wanted basically to get the ball into the middle,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said of the Hoyas’ plan of attack against the Orange zone. “Get the ball either to Greg or off the penetration and then make decisions from there.”

The Orange had another run in them as Scoop Jardine (19 points) connected on a pair of free throws with 4:12 left to cut the lead to 74-72. However the Hoyas answered with a 10-4 run, fueled by a pair of Greg Monroe three-point plays and two Austin Freeman (16 points) lay-ups for an 84-76 lead with under two minutes left.

Jason Clark added 16 points for the Hoyas who improved to 22-9 on the season.

While Syracuse has their first losing streak of the season as this loss followed Saturday’s loss at Louisville, bigger concerns surround the health of fifth-year senior center Arinze Onuaku.

Onuaku landed awkwardly after trying to block a shot with 5:07 left in the game and grabbed his knee immediately. He was tended to by medical staff and coach Jim Boeheim before being helped off the floor. The senior did not return, and Boeheim said Onuaku had strained the right knee and an MRI will be performed when they return home.

“Well, he’s a key part of our team, I mean, he’s had a great year,” Boehiem said of Onuaku, “and he’s a tremendous player. We hope that he’ll be fine. We don’t know [extent of injury yet].”

Wright was 10 of 16 from the field and added 6 rebounds and 6 assists to go along with his game-high 27 points. The junior guard is a key to their success according to the opposing coach.

“I think Chris Wright had a big night,” Boeheim said. “He really had a great game. I thought when he plays like that, that’s when they beat people.”

Wes Johnson led Syracuse with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Jardine and Joseph combined for 37 off the bench and Andy Rautins added 14 points and 10 assists for the Orange. However, freshman Brandon Triche along with Rick Jackson and Onuaku before being injured struggled, combining for just nine points in the game. The Orange still remain in strong contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but with a two-game losing streak and the status of Onuaku up in the air going forward, much of the air has at least temporarily been taken out of their sails.

“I mean were not concerned about that, we just want to get there and play well,” Andy Rautins said of being a No. 1 seed. “And regardless of who we play…you’re gonna have to beat teams. Everybody’s gonna bring their A-game.”

Georgetown now meets the winnier of today’s second quarterfinal between Marquette and Villanova Friday night at 7 PM in the
Big East Basketball Tournament Semifinals (buy tickets HERE!).

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: THURSDAY PRIMER

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The 2010 Big East Tournament has reached the quarterfinal round and what better way to tip-off the action than with a match-up between Syracuse and Georgetown at high noon in Madison Square Garden. I am sure many fans will be joining Digger Phelps on a long lunch today. If you can get to NYC, there are still tickets available to be purchased and the links below provide the resources to find seats with Stub Hub’s guarantee for fans to have their tickets in hand prior to the game, even at this last minute…

The remaining Big East Conference Tournament Schedule…

QUARTERFINALS: THURSDAY, MARCH 11th:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 5 March 11 2010

1) Syracuse vs. 8] Georgetown, 12 noon.
4) Villanova vs. 5) Marquette, 2 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 6 March 11 2010

2) Pittsburgh vs. 7) Notre Dame, 7 PM.
3) West Virginia vs. 11) Cincinnati, 9 PM.

Semifinals, Firday March 12th:

Session 7:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 7 (Semifinals) March 12 2010

Championship, Saturday March 13th:

Session 8:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 8 (Championship) March 13 2010

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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: 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.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: WEDNESDAY PRIMER

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After a thrilling doubleheader Tuesday to close the first day of action of the 2010 Big East Tournament, we roll on into Wednesday with four more games as the action will continue to heat up into the weekend at Madison Square Garden.

Here is Wednesday’s schedule (and your chance to get tickets to the games):

9) South Florida vs. 8] Georgetown, Noon.
13) St. John’s vs. 5) Marquette, 2 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 3 March 10 2010 (USF vs GTown & SJU vs. MU)

10) Seton Hall vs. 7) Notre Dame, 7 PM.
11) Cincinnati vs. 6) Louisville, 9 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 4 March 10 2010 (SHU vs. ND & UC vs. UL)

The rest of the schedule this week (and your chance to buy tickets to see the action live at MSG):

QUARTERFINALS: THURSDAY, MARCH 11th:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 5 March 11 2010

1) Syracuse vs. GTown/USF, 12 noon.
4) Villanova vs. MU/SJU, 2 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 6 March 11 2010

2) Pittsburgh vs. ND/SHU, 7 PM.
3) West Virginia vs. UL/UC, 9 PM.

Semifinals, Firday March 12th:

Session 7:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 7 (Semifinals) March 12 2010

Championship, Saturday March 13th:

Session 8:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 8 (Championship) March 13 2010

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GEORGETOWN ADDS 2010 VERBAL COMMITMENT

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Georgetown strikes on the 2010 late recruiting trail by adding a small forward commitment today. The Hoyas had hosted an official visitor from the 2010 class over the weekend when they wrapped up their regular season with a 74-47 demolition of Cincinnati in the Verizon Center.

Despite no scholarship seniors on the roster, the Hoyas have at least four scholarships available for the class of 2010 and possibly five if Greg Monroe opts for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season. John Thompson III added a pair of signees in the fall period with letters of intent coming from Nate Lubick and Markel Starks. Now the Hoyas look to kick off an expected busy spring recruiting period with their third commitment of the 2010 class with a verbal commitment from Aaron Bowen.

We have previously profiled in our premium section the recruitment of 2010 spring Hoya big man targets Maurice Walker and Moses Abraham while previously reporting Bowen’s visit. You can continue to keep up to date on the latest Hoyas recruiting efforts by signing up for NBE Premium access (SUBSCRIBE (HERE)). Read on below for more on Bowen’s commitment…

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SNY TOP 10 ALL-TIME BEASTS OF THE BIG EAST; BRANDEN FRAZIER PICKS HOFSTRA

Last night SNY had a special where they took a look at the Top 10 All-Time players of the Big East. It was an entertaining hour program with in-studio commentary by the coverage crew at SNY, including former Big East Player of the Year and Pitt Panther Charles Smith, former Big East head coach Tim Welsh, Lenn Robbins of the NY Post and SNY college basketball expert Brandon Tierney and hosted by Gary Apple.

Nine of their top 10 were also included in the top 10 of NBE’s All-Time Top 50 Big East players of all-time that we released in the fall of 2008.

Here is SNY’s Top 10 with the NBE ranking in parenthesis:

10) Kerry Kittles (9)
9) Richard Hamilton (7)
8] Walter Berry (5)
7) Alonzo Mourning (14)
6) Allen Iverson (3)
5) Pearl Washington (6)
4) Ray Allen (8)
3) Derrick Coleman (4)
2) Chris Mullin (2)
1) Patrick Ewing (1)

The show included some passionate debate, especially in regards to players who played just a year or two in college compared to their four-year counterparts and the weight a national championship carried in their consideration.

Brandon Tierney agreed that Alonzo Mourning was placed too high in the SNY rankings. Another Hoya, Eric ‘Sleepy’ Floyd was the only from the NBE top 10 not to make the SNY top 10.

Always good debate when looking at all-time lists…
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Branden Frazier, the 6′3″ shooting guard from Bishop Laughlin (2010) and New Heights just committed to Hofstra. Frazier can get buckets in a hurry from deep and also possesses a step-back J and penetration game that should make him a very good player at the next level. Frazier chose Hofstra over a who’s who of mid major powers according to Kimani Young, the New Heights AD.

“Branden picked Hofstra over Kent State, Southern Illinois and La Salle,” said Young over the phone just this morning.

Big East programs such as St. John’s, Rutgers and a few others also evaluated Frazier at times last summer. Frazier was very impressive in last year’s Primetime Shootout (2009) and here is an NBE evaluation by Brian Crownover from the event:

This lanky guard exploded onto the scene for the Lions. Branden had a stellar afternoon as he used a smooth stroke to bury 6 three pointers en route to a 36 point performance. Branden hit from deep both off the dribble, as well as the catch and shoot variety. He ran the floor well too and converted on several lay-ups. Branden threw a nice pass and blocked a shot. His ball handling looked okay, but he didn’t attack much in this contest. Not surprisingly, he was named Player of the Game for his team in the victory. Branden will definitely be a player worth keeping an eye on this summer.

NBE POST-SEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAMS & AWARDS

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The regular season is complete and the Big East Tournament tips off Tuesday so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the full tournament schedule and the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions.

Throughout the day the majority of NBE writers and contributors contemplated, debated and discussed our post-season awards for the Big East conference. Its been another great season with 16 teams battling it out for 18 games each through the 71 days of Big East action from December 26th through this past Saturday. After much deliberation…here are the NBE Big East 2009-2010 season awards:

NBE Big East Player of the Year: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/8/2010)

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The regular season is complete and the Big East Tournament tips off tomorrow so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the full tournament schedule and 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. They still have plenty of seats, and inexpensive options, for the early sessions as well as the entire tournament.

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.

Before we dive into the stories of the Big East Tournament and the post season awards and the latest on this coach’s future and who doesn’t like this coach, which is all below, we urge everyone to check out Keith Sargeant’s blog post at Scarlet Scuttlebutt titled Caring for Brayden and see the stories he wrote on Rutgers men’s basketball recruiting coordinator Jim Carr. His son, Brayden, has been battling epilepsy for most of his 18-month old life and the efforts of the Carr family and those close to them and young Brayden to find a cure.

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

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NEPSAC CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

BY PAT STEVENS — C.J. Fair (Syracuse) helped Brewster Academy to a NEPSAC Class A Championship as they knocked off Winchendon School and Markus Kennedy (Villanova), 72-69 on Sunday’s season finale at Endicott College. Brewster’s Will Barton (Memphis) was named MVP with 28 points. Naadir Tharpe (2011) added 14 points. Winchendon’s Khem Birch (2012) had 11 points and several key blocks.
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Gerard Coleman (Providence) scored 20 points as Tilton School won its third straight Class B Championship beating Marianapolis, 69-61. Ryan Canty (2011) added 12 points.
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Shabazz Napier (2011) scored 23 points to go with six assists and several steals for Lawrence Academy, who finished the season undefeated at 23-0 with its Class C title win over St. Mark’s, 55-43. Nate Lubick (Georgetown) had 15 points and 13 rebounds for St. Mark’s. Alex Murphy (2012) scored 11.
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Georgetown head coach John Thompson III, Providence head coach Keno Davis, Connecticut assistant Pat Sellers and Rutgers assistants Craig Carter and Darren Savino all made the trip.

Alabama head coach Anthony Grant also watched Shabazz Napier.
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Next Up:

National Prep Championship 2010
March 9th & 10th, 2010
Albertus Magnus College – New Haven, Connecticut

Quarter-Finals – Tuesday, March 9th

2pm – #1 Hargrave Military Academy vs. #8 Tilton School
4pm – #4 Notre Dame Prep vs. #5 Northfield Mount Hermon School
6pm – #2 Brewster Academy vs. #7 Westwind Prep
8pm – #3 Winchendon School vs. #6 St. Thomas More School

Semi-Finals – Wednesday, March 10th

11am – 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
1pm – 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner

Finals

7:30pm – Championship
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The Big East Tournament tips off this week and 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

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