Marquette News

MERNAGH: MARQUETTE IS ROLLING

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By Ray Mernagh

Marquette has won seven straight to get the Still-Warriors to 19-4 (8-2 in BEAST play) but neither the gaudy record or the streak is the most impressive thing about these sleek jets wearing the nicest uniforms (it ain’t even close) in all of college basketball.

Nope, it’s the way they snatch you, like a boa constrictor suddenly engulfing your jugular. One second you’re chilling in the bush, the next you’re deader than the Washington Wizards playoff hopes.

Poor Kevin Willard. His Seton Hall team was battling, trading blows with the Buzz Bunch.

Then BAM, Vander Blue caught a lob and swung from the rim not long enough to get a tech but just long enough to kind of survey the situation,kind of take it all in. It’s as if he was trying to warn the Pirates: “You all still have time, get out while you can because what is about to go down will most definitely not be pretty!” And it wasn’t pretty for the Hall or their fans, but it sure was beautiful to watch for just about everyone else.
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BIG EAST REPORT – CINCINNATI EXTENDS POST-FIGHT WIN STREAK; RU STUNS NO. 10 FLORIDA

BIG EAST teams went 2-1 on Thursday against non-conference opponents. As a whole, the BIG EAST is 153-44 in non-conference contests, good for a 78% winning percentage.

The highlight was Rutgers’ thrilling 85-83 double overtime victory over No. 10 Florida at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights rallied from deficits in regulation and the first overtime to earn the victory.

“This is what happens when you don’t think impossible is impossible,” said RU coach Mike Rice following the game. “This is what happens when young men are determined to follow the formula and play for one another.”

Freshman guard Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. Dane Miller posted 16 points, Myles Mack had 14 and Jerome Seagears added 13. Carter, Mack and Seagears are freshmen. Classmate Derrick Randall added four points and eight rebounds in 17 key minutes as well. Kadeem Jack, returning from a foot injury, played three minutes in his first college experience for RU.
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BIG EAST REPORT – 12/29/2011 – ORANGE STAY UNBEATEN; HOYAS PICK UP SIGNATURE WIN

Coming into their BIG EAST opener against Seton Hall, Jim Boeheim and the Syracause Orange knew they had to stop Pirate senior forward Herb Pope to keep SHU from having any hopes of upsetting the No. 1 team in the nation at the Carrier Dome. Mission accomplished for the Orange who moved to 14-0 with a 75-49 win last night.

“I thought our forwards did the best job all year of getting back in there and helping with him [Pope], and then Fab [Melo] and Baye [Keita] blocked a lot of shots,” said SU coach Jim Boeheim after the game.

Pope entered the contest averaging 20.3 points a game and 11.4 rebounds, but he was stymied inside by the Orange 2-3 zone defense and finished with just four points on 2-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds, while committing six turnovers and four fouls in 28 ineffective minutes.

“I thought we did a good job tonight interior on Pope and getting to their shooters,” said Beoehim.

Melo recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 blocks, also adding seven rebounds in 25 minutes. Dion Waiters was the high-scorer for the Orange with 15 points coming off the bench. The Orange, who lead the nation in steals with an 11.6 mark, had 17 steals
against the Pirates and they forced Kevin Willard’s club into 23 turnovers while only committing seven themselves.

Syracuse visits DePaul Sunday. Last year, SU beat the Blue Demons 107-59 at the Carrier Dome. It was the largest margin of victory in a conference game.

Seton Hall saw their eight-game win streak stopped with a thud, never challenging the top-ranked Orange, trailing 34-15 at the half and by as many as 33 in the second half. With 14 points, Jordan Theodore was the only Pirate to reach double figures in the loss.

The Hall hosts West Virginia Friday. The Pirates have lost six straight in the series. Their last win was 71-64 at home on Feb. 14, 2006.
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Georgetown lost an 11-point lead in the second half at Louisville, but regrouped to prevail 71-68, handing the Cards their first loss of the season.

Sophomore guard Markel Starks scored a career-high 20 points and freshman forward Otto Porter contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

“He hit some big shots for us tonight when we needed shots to be made,” Hoya head coach John Thompson III said of Starks. “He made some big plays and his defensive got better in the second half.”

Four freshmen saw action off the bench for Georgetown, led by Porter’s contributions. Jabril Trawick (9 points) Mikael Hopkins (2 points) and Greg Whittingham all made meaningful contributions as the Hoya bench outscored their Cardinals counterparts 25-17.

“It’s no doubt about that,” said Thompson about the key contributions of the four rookies. “Otto (Porter), Jabril (Trawick), Mikael (Hopkins) came in and gave us outstanding minutes. You say freshman class, and they are freshmen and this is their first BIG EAST experience, but they’ve been doing that since the summer. It’s a group that plays hard and competes.”

The Hoyas host Providence Saturday and will put their current nine-game winning streak on the line. GU has beaten the Friars in the last five meetings and holds a 31-16 advantage in BIG EAST regular-season play.

The Cardinals saw their 20-game home winning streak end with the loss. Kyle Kuric led the team with 17 points and guards Peyton Siva and Russ Smith added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Louisville will play at No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday, a tall order for the fourth-ranked Cards that Rick Pitino knows will greatly challenge his squad.

“Well, I think Kentucky is the better basketball team right now,” said Pitino. “Running up and down and trying to outscore Kentucky would be a futile attempt to try to get a ‘W.’ They are a very good team defensively and that causes a lot of offense so we’ve got to really study. It’s more about personnel than it is any sets.”
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Jeremy Lamb scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor in the victory at South Florida, 60-57. Lamb scored 16 points in the second half.

The game was the Huskies’ first on an away court this season and the first of a three-game suspension being served by coach Jim Calhoun. Associate head coach George Blaney took the controls and will do so again as UConn hosts St. John’s in Hartford on Saturday. The Huskies have dropped their last two meetings against the Red Storm after winning nine in a row.

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick recorded 14 points and game highs of 12 rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss. Augustus Gilchrist added 12 points and five rebounds. Stan Heath’s club will look to bounce back and get their first conference win on Sunday when they host Rutgers. USF has won their last three home meetings against the Scarlet Knights.
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Senior Truck Bryant scored a career-high 34 points to lead West Virginia to an 83-69 victory over Villanova in the Big East opener for both teams last night at the WV Coliseum.

Kevin Jones, who suffered a cut near his right eye that required stitches, had 13 points and seven rebounds. Gary Browne came off the bench to score 11 points. Deniz Kilicli added 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

WVU plays at Seton Hall Friday. The Mountaineers won last year’s meeting 56-44 in Morgantown.

Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek each scored 20 points in the loss for ‘Nova.

The key stretch of the game came with 5:47 left and the score tied at 63 when Bryant hit two of three free throws to start a 10-2 spurt where WVU took control of the game for good. Browne followed with a three-pointer and then Bryant answered a Wayns three with one of his own. Brown capped off the run with a driving lay-up to make the score 73-65

The lead eventually swelled to as many as 16 in the last minute, making the final distance between the two teams a little deceiving.

“That’s the best 7-6 team there is in the country,” said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins of Villanova. “I thought they were extremely physical.”

The Wildcats play Sunday at Marquette in their next outing, hoping to even their conference record.
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Thursday’s schedule shows three BIG EAST teams hosting non-conference opponents, all on national television. Rutgers battles No. 10/10 Florida on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. followed by Vanderbilt at Marquette. At 9 p.m., ESPNU has Cincinnati hosting Oklahoma at US Bank Arena.

Thursday, December 29
Florida at Rutgers – ESPN2…………………………………..7:00
–Former RU guard Mike ROsario might miss homecoming because of back injury

Oklahoma at Cincinnati USBA – ESPNU…………………….9:00
–The Bearcats host Oklahoma Thursday at US Bank Arena. Last season UC beat the Sooners 66-56 in Oklahoma City.

Vanderbilt at Marquette – ESPN2…………………………9:00
–In last year’s matchup against Vandy, MU lost 77-76 in Nashville.
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The 2012 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be one to remember. As usual, tickets will sellout, but fans can get yours early at the best prices by following the links below and get that special holiday gift for YOURSELF that you did not receive from your loved ones. Also, buy with our relationship with TicketNetwork and .

NBE PODCAST – THE EXPERIENCE, EPISODE 1.4 (MARQUETTE COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS)

Marquette is off to a 9-0 start, which included a win at Wisconsin in their annual rivalry battle and a thrilling 79-77 victory over Washington in Madison Square Garden. Currently ranked #11 in the country, the Golden Eagles are preparing to return to action this weekend against Northern Colorado at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Seniors Darius Johnson-Odom (18.8 PPG) and Jae Crowder (17.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG) lead the way for the MU squad with sophomore Vander Blue and freshman Todd Mayo are also putting up double digits, or very close to it, in points each game. As a whole Marquette currently has 11 players playing at least 11 minutes a game and 10 of them average over 3.3 points a game. Head coach Buzz Williams has a deep and talented team at his disposal and will challenge for the BIG EAST title and be among the top teams nationally this season.

NBE is excited to welcome coach Buzz Williams to the NBE Experience podcast series and Williams talks with Ray Mernagh about Marquette’s 9-0 start, injuries to key players and some coaching advice he received from Jon Gruden. All that and more on this week’s podcast which can be found below…

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RANDOM BIG EAST REALIGNMENT RAMBLINGS

By Raphielle Johnson

Wednesday was a big day for the Big East Conference with Men’s Basketball Media Day being held at the New York Athletic Club with Madison Square Garden still being renovated. Of course the topic du jour had little to do with the upcoming action on the courts around the league but rather what the next step will be for a conference hit hard by realignment. Tuesday’s teleconference with commissioner John Marinatto, which was supposed to clear up matters and leave this stage to the players and coaches, did little in that regard.

Media from around the country wanted to hear directly from the coaches how the lack of stability is affecting them from a recruiting standpoint as well as what options may be available to them in the near future. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey essentially said that regardless of what may happen (Big East expansion to 12 football-playing members or a Big 12 expansion that includes current Big East members) the Irish will be alright, which is to be expected of a school with such a storied football program.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino minced no words on the subject, saying that while he couldn’t imagine the Big East without charter member Syracuse he could imagine the conference without Pittsburgh. And then came the unfortunate analogy that sparked numerous “pot meet kettle” reactions given the coach’s own issue a couple summers ago.
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BIG EAST COACHES’ POLL RESULTS

From the BIG EAST Basketball Men’s Media Day in NYC:

Big East preseason coaches’ poll (First place votes in parenthesis):

1. Connecticut (7) 209 points
(tie) Syracuse (5) 209 points
3. Louisville (3) 201 points
4. Pittsburgh (1) 188 points
5. Cincinnati 169 points
6. Marquette 155 points
7. West Virginia 132 points
8. Villanova 127 points
9. Notre Dame 114 points
10. Georgetown 104 points
11. Rutgers 75 points
12. St. John’s 71 points
13. Seton Hall 56 points
14. South Florida 43 points
15. Providence 40 points
16. DePaul 27 points

Preseason awards:

Big East Preseason Player of the Year: Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh

Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year: Andre Drummond, Connecticut

Big East Preseason First Team: Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh; Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut; Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette; Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame; Kris Joseph, Syracuse; Kevin Jones, West Virginia.

Big East Preseason Second Team: Yancy Gates, Cincinnati; Alex Oriahki, Connecticut; Peyton Siva, Louisville; Scoop Jardine, Syracuse; Maalik Wayns, Villanova.

Big East Preseason Honorable Mention: Andre Drummond, Connecticut; Shabazz Napier, Connecticut; Cleveland Melvin, DePaul; Jae Crowder, Marquette; Augustus Gilchrist, USF

Today is only media day, but you can get your 2012 BIG EAST Tournament Tickets for yourself or that special fan this upcoming holiday season. The tournament is certain to sell-out to the general public, but all season great seats at great prices will be available through our 2012 BIG EAST Tournament Page. You can begin browsing below:

MERNAGH: THIS BIG EAST MEANT A LOT…SO DON’T SAY IT DIDN’T

by Ray Mernagh

I’m not sure what to make of this feeling that’s come over me after allowing all this conference realignment mess to sink in. After all, my initial reaction (Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes) was so mature, so enlightened, that it made me feel what’s best described as false pride about how adult my response was. Then a funny thing happened on my journey to accepting this with a rational level of, dare I say, Bilas-like comportment — I got stuck.

I couldn’t write a damn thing about the upcoming season, completely paralyzed regarding any news coming out of the entire world of college basketball. In fact I think I conned myself into thinking it was just my extraordinary amount of work on other sports the last few weeks (freelance variety) that had kept me from my usual barrage of words this time of year.

But that was just me kidding myself.

Denial.

Then Thursday night, while watching college football of all things, it hit me.

This hurts.

I mean, it’s ridiculous to blow up this conference.

Nobody really knows what the end game will be here but one thing is obvious — the Big East that we’ve known for the last several years is soon to be no longer.
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MERNAGH: MARQUETTE MAKING MOVES UNDER BUZZ WILLIAMS

By Ray Mernagh

Marquette seems primed, maybe more than any other Big East squad in that 5-10 league position, for next-step status. The still-Warriors (at least to this writer) have gone to three straight tournaments, including last year’s Sweet Sixteen appearance. Buzz Williams and his staff have explored just about every corner of the country, not to mention every level available to them, in recruiting and have managed to infuse the Jesuit-run institution with talent capable of playing at a high level.

But with the recent commitments of 2012 face-up big forward Steve Taylor (Chicago/Illinois’ top prospect in his class) and 2013 man-child Deonte Burton (a Milwaukee city kid now balling for Jason Smith at Brewster Academy) Williams seems to be locked in on bigger and better accomplishments in seasons 4, 5 and 6 of his tenure. Throw in 6’8″ transfer Jamil Wilson, eligible this season, and a return to Marquette’s glory days, when they were beating Carolina for championships, seems doable (fast forward to 2:18 on the youtube for a breakdown from my mother’s all-time favorite announcer). It’s funny because just last Spring, if you listened to the experts, it appeared as if Williams might be ready to catch the first thing smoking out of some remote airfield in Whitefish Bay.
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2011-12 BIG EAST CONFERENCE COMPOSITE MEN’S BASKETBALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

The BIG EAST basketball conference released their 2011-2012 composite Men’s Basketball Schedule this afternoon. All 144 conference games will be televised either nationally or be ESPN regional. With an incredible 91 percent of all conference games in 2011-12 including a team that played in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, more than half of the league games will be televised nationally by ESPN or CBS.

It is the fifth consecutive season that all 144 league games will be televised.

“Last year’s historic success proved once again that the BIG EAST Conference continues to be among the most competitive conferences in the country from top to bottom,” said BIG EAST Commissioner John Marinatto in a statement released by the league today. “With a record 11 teams earning their way into last year’s NCAA Championship, our coaches and players reaffirmed the fact that BIG EAST basketball and excellence are synonymous. Our schools continue to take great advantage of the unparalleled media exposure they are afforded annually from both ESPN and CBS Sports – which is one of the reasons why we are confident that the 2011-12 season will be as exciting as any in our history.”

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2011-2012 BIG EAST TEAM CAPSULE: MARQUETTE

Marquette Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Buzz Williams (4th year at Marquette, 69-36 record)
2010-2011: 9-9 BIG EAST, 22-14 overall, NCAA Sweet 16

Returning Players:
- Sr. G Darrius Johnson-Odom (15.8 ppg)
- Sr. F Jae Crowder (11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
- Jr. C Chris Otule (5.1 ppg)
- Jr. G Junior Cadougan (4.0 ppg)
- So. G Vander Blue (5.1 ppg)
- So. F/C Davante Gardner (4.6 ppg)
- So. F Jamail Jones (1.4 ppg)

Incoming Players:
- So. F Jamil Wilson (University of Oregon)
- Fr. F Juan Anderson (Oakland, CA)
- Fr. G Todd Mayo (Huntington, WV)
- Fr. G Derrick Wilson (Anchorage, AK)

Players Moved On:
- Jimmy Butler (Graduation)
- Dwight Buycks (Graduation)
- Joseph Fulce (Graduation)
- Erik Williams (Transfer)

Stat Notes:
- Marquette hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament since joining the Big East in 2005-2006 and will look to make it for the seventh straight year.
- The Golden Eagles lose their second leading scorer, second leading rebounder, and leader in minutes played with the graduation of do-it-all forward Jimmy Butler.

Star Watch:
- All-Big East Second Team selection Darrius Johnson-Odom is the undisputed leader of this team now with Butler gone and should be one of the premier scoring guards in the conference in 2011-2012 after averaging at least 13 points per game his first two seasons with the program after transferring from junior college.

Newcomer to Watch:
- Jamil Wilson, a consensus top 100 recruit coming out of high school, redshirted last year after transferring from Oregon and should be a solid contributor at both forward spots. Wilson started 14 of 26 games and averaged 4.7 points per game for the Ducks in 2009-2010.

Notes: Buzz Williams and crew will be participating in the Paradise Jam in addition to non-conference match-ups at Wisconsin (12/3), against Washington (12/6, Jimmy V Classic in NYC), at LSU (12/19), and against Vanderbilt (12/29). Junior guard Junior Cadougan was named MVP of the Scion Dental Milwaukee Pro-Am over the summer. The Golden Eagles are one of four BIG EAST teams not participating in this year’s BIG EAST/SEC Challenge.

– team capsule compiled by Brian Batko

LIKE THE MARQUETTE TEAM, DARIUS JOHNSON-ODOM IS READY TO PLAY HARD

High-scoring junior guard embodies Buzz Williams’ tenacity that is expected from Golden Eagle players

By Lauren Kirschman

The Marquette Golden Eagles surprised plenty of onlookers when they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last season as a No. 11 seed.

But they didn’t surprise themselves.

And this year, junior Darius Johnson-Odom and the Golden Eagles are ready to go even further.

“We just play so hard that we give ourselves a chance,” Johnson-Odom said. “We were a very undersized team last year and we’ll be undersized this year.”

He added that this year, the team won’t be satisfied with just making it to the Sweet Sixteen again.

“We want to go further than that and I think we have the right nucleus to do it,” he said.

At the LeBron-James Skills Academy and other summer skills camps, Johnson-Odom is working to develop his abilities as a point guard. He mostly plays shooting guard for Marquette.

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2011-2012 BIG EAST HOME & HOME GAMES REVEALED

The official release from the BIG EAST is expected today, but main television partner ESPN has the information already and Andy Katz posted this summary on the college nation blog earlier this morning:

Cincinnati: Villanova, Marquette, St. John’s

Last season: DePaul, Georgetown, St. John’s
Finish: 26-9, 11-7 (NCAA)
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Connecticut: Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Syracuse

Last season: Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame
Finish: 32-9, 9-9 (NCAA)
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DePaul: Louisville, St. John’s, Seton Hall

Last season: Cincinnati, South Florida, West Virginia
Finish: 7-24, 1-17
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Georgetown: Marquette, Providence, St. John’s

Last season: Cincinnati, St. John’s, Syracuse
Finish: 21-11, 10-8 (NCAA)
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Louisville: Pitt, Syracuse, DePaul

Last season: Connecticut, Providence, West Virginia
Finish: 25-10, 12-6 (NCAA)
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Marquette: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Villanova

Last season: Connecticut, Notre Dame, Seton Hall
Finish: 22-15, 9-9 (NCAA)
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Notre Dame: Connecticut, Rutgers, West Virginia

Last season: Connecticut, Marquette, St. John’s
Finish: 27-7, 14-4 (NCAA)
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Pittsburgh: Louisville, South Florida, West Virginia

Last season: South Florida, Villanova, West Virginia
Finish: 28-6, 15-3 (NCAA)
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Providence: Georgetown, South Florida, Syracuse

Last season: Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida
Finish: 15-17, 4-14
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Rutgers: Notre Dame, Seton Hall, West Virginia

Last season: Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova
Finish: 15-17, 5-13
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St. John’s: Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown

Last season: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Finish: 21-12, 12-6 (NCAA)
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Seton Hall: Connecticut, DePaul, Rutgers

Last season: Marquette, Rutgers, Syracuse
Finish: 13-18, 7-11
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South Florida: Pitt, Providence, Villanova

Last season: DePaul, Pitt, Providence
Finish: 10-23, 3-15
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Syracuse: Connecticut, Providence, Louisville

Last season: Georgetown, Seton Hall, Villanova
Finish: 27-8, 12-6 (NCAA)
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Villanova: Marquette, South Florida, Cincinnati

Last season: Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse
Finish: 21-12, 9-9
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West Virginia: Pitt, Notre Dame, Rutgers

Last season: DePaul, Louisville, Pitt
Finish: 21-12, 11-7 (NCAA)
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2011-2012 BIG EAST EARLY SEASON TOURNAMENT PARTICIPATION SCHEDULE

Last November and December the BIG EAST made quite a statement in the non-conference schedule and those results will be hard to duplicate when the 2011-2012 season gets underway. Six BIG EAST teams won their 2010 pre-conference national tournament draws and took home titles against tough fields. Two others finished as runners-up in multi-team bracketed events. The six BIG EAST tournament winners defeated teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, and SEC in championship games. No other conference won more than two of the early season tournaments in November.

Pittsburgh won the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden early in November by beating both Maryland and Texas. Georgetown took home the championship in the Charleston Classic with a win over NC State. Connecticut was the winner of the EA Sports Maui Invitational in Hawaii as the Huskies knocked off a pair of top-10 teams, Michigan State and Kentucky, on their way to the title. Syracuse took the title of the Legends Classic in Atlantic City with wins over Michigan and Georgia Tech. St. John’s bested the field at the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout with a victory over Arizona State and Notre Dame won the Old Spice Classic championship in Orlando with a win against Wisconsin.

West Virginia was the runner-up of the Honda Puerto Rico Shootout in San Juan, falling to Minnesota 74-70 in the championship game. Villanova finished second in the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden, losing to Tennessee 78-68.

The BIG EAST will hope to get off to another strong start this coming season and below are the list of early season tournaments to watch as the conference will hope to establish itself once again:
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BIG EAST SPRING COMINGS & GOINGS

Connecticut:
–Junior point guard Kemba Walker declared for the NBA Draft. Walker is expected to be a lottery selection in June’s draft.

DePaul:
–Big forward Donnavan Kirk will be eligible after the first semester during the 2011-2012 season. Kirk enrolled at DePaul last January after transferring from Miami.
–Point guard Michael Bizoukas has another year of eligibility remaining, but he will not return to DePaul for the 2011-2012 season.

Georgetown:
–Sophomore G/F Hollis Thompson declared for the NBA Draft. Thompson, who is not expected to be drafted should he remain in the draft, can still withdraw from the draft and return to the Hoyas for his junior season.
–Sophomore guard Vee Sanford announced he was leaving the program and pursuing a transfer this spring.

Louisville:
–Junior center Terrence Jennings declared for the NBA Draft. Jennings, a second round-to-undrafted prospect, can return for his senior season if he withdraws from the draft prior to the May 8th deadline.

Marquette:
–6’7 forward Jamil Wilson will be eligible for the Golden Eagles after sitting out the 2010-2011 season as a transfer student from Oregon.

Notre Dame:
–Junior forward Carleton Scott declared for the NBA Draft. Although listed as a senior last season, Scott has another season of eligibility and can return to the Irish next season if he withdraws from the draft prior to the May 8th deadline. Scott is not expected to be drafted at this time if he were to stay in the draft.

Pittsburgh:
–Junior guard Ashton Gibbs declared for the NBA Draft. Gibbs has not signed with an agent. Projected as a 2nd round-to-undrafted prospect, Gibbs can still withdraw from the draft by the May 8th deadline and return for his senior season.
–Sophomore forward J.J. Richardson announced he will leave the program this spring and transfer somewhere closer to home.

Providence:
–The Friars fired head coach Keno Davis following the season. Former Boston College assistant and recent Fairfield University head coach Ed Cooley was hired as his replacement. Cooley is a Providence (RI) native.

Seton Hall:
–Freshman forward Anali Okoloji announced he was leaving the program and will seek a transfer this sprint.

South Florida:
–Junior forward Augustis Gilchrist declared for the NBA Draft. Gilchrist, projected as a second round-to-undrafted prospect has not signed with an agent and can return to USF if he withdraws his name from the draft prior to the May 8th deadline.
–Sophomore guard Mike Burwell was released from his scholarship and will transfer to another program. Burwell averaged 1.7 PPG last season.
–Junior point guard Shedrick Haynes left the program. Haynes played sparingly in his one season with the Bulls, averaging 1.1 PPG.
–The Bulls will receive the services of 6’7 forward Victor Rudd, who sat out the 2010-2011 season after transferring from Arizona State.

West Virginia:
–Junior forward Kevin Jones declared for the NBA Draft. Jones, a second round-to-undrafted prospect, can return to WVU for his senior season if he withdraws from the draft prior to the May 8th deadline.
–Forward Dan Jennings officially was granted his release from scholarship and will transfer this spring.

We will update the spring recruiting signings tomorrow night…

MARQUETTE, BUZZ WILLIAMS FINALIZE NEW CONTRACT DEAL

release per www.GoMarquette.com:

Marquette University and men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams have finalized a new agreement with the school, Director of Athletics Steve Cottingham announced Wednesday afternoon.

“The new agreement is an acknowledgement of Buzz’s standing as one of the rising stars in collegiate coaching,” Cottingham said. “The current direction of the program under his leadership fits perfectly into the mission and values of the University. Buzz has done a tremendous job guiding the program to successes both on and off the court and we look forward to that continuing for many years to come.”

The Golden Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of Williams’ first three seasons as program mentor, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11. MU is 69-37 (.651) overall during his tenure and 32-22 (.593) in BIG EAST Conference competition. Williams and his staff have collected multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes and attendance at the Bradley Center has reached record numbers since the 2008-09 campaign.

“I was given an opportunity beyond my wildest dreams 1086 days ago and my entire family is extremely humbled and grateful by the opportunity to continue this journey,” Williams said.

“Too much attention is given to my position, but I assure you, it’s the collective ownership of all of those who impact our program daily, who have developed the culture we currently have,” Williams added. “I am thankful to all of those who work so diligently to make our program the success it is today.”

Specific terms of the contract will not be released per University policy.

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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MERNAGH: FANS NEED TO ENJOY THIS MAGICAL TIME OF YEAR

Quicken Loans Arena has seen its fair share of basketball “moments” over the years.

It used to be called Gund Arena but was changed to the “Q” after one rich guy paid another rich guy to buy the CAVS. I’ve been fortunate to see some of those moments. Yesterday I had to settle for watching another on TV, but it added another chapter to the book of big shots made on that particular piece of hardwood.

There’s a grit about the downtown area where the “Q” is located and I’ve spent a lot of time there over many years watching AAU ball, the MAC tournament, and early round NCAA games. Saw Leon Williams tip in a game-winner that allowed the Bobcats from Ohio University to go dancing. Watched a kid named Doug Penno bank in a 28-foot-three to do the same for Miami (OH) in 2007. West Virginia played a couple of classic NCAA games there.

Last night the court at the “Q” was again privy to a joyous celebration, this time thanks to a kid with initials for a nickname.

Marquette and Syracuse were dead-locked at 59-59 when Darius Johnson-Odom received a gorgeous pass from Jimmy Butler with just under 30 seconds left in regulation. Johnson-Odom rose up without hesitation and stroked a left-handed J so pure that all of Milwaukee knew it was going down.

It was DJO after all. That’s what the young man with the distinguished face does.

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BIG EAST’S MARCH FALL IN NCAA TOURNAMENT HARD TO COMPREHEND

‘The Big Least.’

‘The Itty Bitty East.’

The pundits and commentators are having their fun at the expense of the BIG EAST conference.

With the results of the first weekend of the 2011 NCAA Tournament it is expected and earned.

With the conference receiving a tournament record 11 bids the BIG EAST was in a no-win situation. Anything short of a dominating March run by the league would leave it open to criticism and skeptics piling on.

But nobody saw this coming.

Nine of the 11 BIG EAST teams are done. The only two still alive moved into the Sweet 16 by beating other BIG EAST opponents. The conference did not beat a single school from another league in the Round of 32.

WOW!

What happened?

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MERNAGH: WARRIOR EFFORT BY MARQUETTE SHOWS BIG EAST IS FOR REAL

Marquette locked up Tu Holloway.

Put him in jail.

Without bail.

In fact, the Warriors (as the Golden Eagles will be forever known to me) suffocated Holloway to the point that he’s probably considering another name change.

Maybe he will return to Terrell, or Frank, because Tu Holloway, the A-10 Player of the Year and a deserving first team All American prospect?

He doesn’t exist anymore.

Marquette annihilated him, reduced he and his team to a level where a 2 point per game guy was their best scoring option.

Perfect game-plan.

Better execution.

There will be talk about the Big East today, especially from the Blow Hard they throw money at to crack wise on the NBA, about it being overrated.

Just know this, anyone who thinks the VCU or George Mason wins were upsets is ignorant.

‘Nova and Georgetown haven’t beaten anyone in a really long time.

They were limping to the finish and will be interesting to watch next year to see how big their falls will be. I had both games correct and didn’t have to blink in picking them (I was shocked Villanova stayed so close with Mason).

So, IF the Big East is overrated today and tomorrow will tell that story.

In my opinion though, a big part of the story was told last night in Marquette’s win, when a team that finished 15-1 in the A-10 got decimated by one with better athletes and better players.

That winning team finished 9-9 in the Big East.

Pretty good league.
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NBE will also like to take a moment to introduce our new ticket solution for sports fans. TiqIq.com is BY FAR the most intelligent, sophisticated and convenient ticketing solution we have come across on the internet and we had to have this set up for our fans in time for the NCAA Tournament. It is a ticket aggregator which searches for the BEST prices on the internet from all the ticket providers used by fans. We are talking StubHub, EBay, TicketsNow, Razorgator and more. The best prices are shown with links to get your tickets. Additional features fans will find VERY useful include:

1. Aggregated Listings: They aggregate all major sellers in the market so you can find the best deal.
2. TiqZone Categorization: They break each venue up into TiqZones, which are groupings of sections that we’ve determined are comparable in value.
3. TiqIQ Statistics: They provide ticket-level buying intelligence through their IQ rating and TiqIQ Statistics.
4. E-Ticket Filter: Want tickets last minute? You can find all the available e-tickets so you can print your tickets from home or the office.
5. All-in Pricing Option: Before you complete your sale you’ll be able to tell exactly how much your tickets will cost including all service and shipping fees.

Here it is in action:

2011 NCAA TOURNAMENT UPDATE – - 3/18/2011

Only three ‘upsets’ were registered on the first full day of the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the BIG EAST were victims in two of those. The Southeast Region’s No. 6 seed St. John’s was ousted by Gonzaga, the 11-seed in the region, 86-71. In the Southwest Region, the upset of the tournament so far was registered as No. 13 seed Morehead State sent Rick Pitino and Louisville to an early exit with a thrilling 62-61 victory.

Pittsburgh (No. 1 in the Southeast), Connecticut (No. 3 in the West), Cincinnati (No. 6 in the West) and West Virginia (No. 5 in the East) were victorious in their opening games of the 2011 ‘Big Dance.’

The final five of the BIG EAST’s record-setting 11 invites to the tournament will be in action today and the set schedule is below for the next two days:

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