Pittsburgh News

COULD LONG BEACH STATE BE NEXT MARCH DARLING TO ADORE?

By Anthony Jaskulski

Falling in love with Cinderella is nothing to be ashamed of.

We allowed Butler to capture our imaginations when they did the impossible and came just two games shy of winning two back-to-back National Championships the last two years.

Last season we adored watching Shaka Smart take a “no-name” Virginia Commonwealth squad, who wasn’t even picked to win their conference—the CAA—to the Final Four.

And while it is only November, Long Beach State is an under the radar team that may just be working its way right into all of our hearts this basketball season.

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MERNAGH: CASPER WARE LEADS HIS TEAM…AND THEY FOLLOW

By Ray Mernagh

Casper Ware, Long Beach State’s stud point guard said it very clearly so that everyone would understand.

“We knew we were going to win,” Ware told me after scoring a career high 28 points in LBSU’s 86-76 victory at Pitt, “we expected it.” The 49′ers certainly played like it.

Loose balls — got ‘em.

Offensive rebounds –got 4 or 5 on one possession in the second half.

Big shots — cue Ware, a 5’9″ dynamo that on separate occasions met Pitt frontcourt players Nasir Robinson and Talib Zanna’s bodies in front of the rim, absorbed the contact, and then finished through that contact like it was a walk in the park. Ware also dropped bomb-like three pointers, with defenders draped on him, throughout the game on his way to that career high. But please don’t misunderstand that last phrase (career high).

Don’t dare get it twisted.
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MERNAGH: PITT VS. LONG BEACH PREVIEW/PRIMER

Pitt’s defense has been a work in progress thus far and even that is being kind.

Rider got whatever they wanted against the Panthers last Sunday and I’m sure that performance was critiqued and clipped to death by Jamie Dixon and his staff the last few days. The emphasis on the missteps is not without good reason as the Nate Dogg’s of the college basketball world enter the Pete with the clear intent to regulate, while at the same time taking a big step towards a possible tasty at-large type consideration OOC win.

The 213 — screw the 49ers nickname, go with the roots-respecting moniker that oozes swag — brings a lack of depth but an incredibly productive guard tandem into one of the hardest arenas in college basketball to get a win. History has shown though that this model, a mid-major team with some recent success along with Sam Cassel-type confidence, can indeed get the job done on this court early in a season against a highly ranked but untested group of Panthers.

Do I see it happening?

No.

I’m of the opinion that there’s not enough depth on the LBC sideline and if Pitt is patient and attacks the offensive glass the way a young Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr once attacked the mic, they’ll eventually wear their West Coast opponents down until they drop like skirts did whenever Nate Dogg started crooning (RIP).

If the crew from Long Beach somehow accomplish what they’re dead set on doing — getting a resume-boosting dub — I expect it to be because Casper Ware and Larry Anderson both go bananas (and by bananas I mean like 30 each).

We’ll see what happens, but I fully expect a Pitt guy with some length and strength — JJ Moore, Talib Zanna, Khem Birch or Dante Taylor — to compliment the guys that have been reliable so far in the young season and be the difference in a Pitt win, along with the message that the Panthers have no doubt had pounded into their heads the past few days in practice.

ESPN, well, ESPNU, is in the house.

The lights are bright and the MVP of the Drew League has something to prove on a national stage.

Time for the next episode….throw the rock up ref.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE NOTES – AROUND THE BIG EAST 11.16.2011

BIG EAST teams are a combined 31-2 in the early going this season, with both losses coming yesterday.

West Virginia got the day started off early for BIG EAST watchers with a 10 AM game hosting Kent State as part of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-ff Marathon. The young Mountaineers fell to one of the MAC pre-season favorites 70-60 in Morgantown.

WVU had a 5-point lead at the half, but it quickly disappeared and Rob Senderoff earned his first win as the new head coach of Kent Statet. A 19-4 run midway through the second half seized control of the game for the Golden Flashes. Bob Huggins did not want to use youth as an excuse.

“We throw the ball to them; we throw the ball to them for layups, we don’t get back and today it wasn’t just the freshmen,” said Huggins to msnsportsnet.com. “Today we had seniors who didn’t do their job.”
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Mernagh’s Big East Experience Part Two: Three That Can Win (First Up Pitt)?

By Ray Mernagh

In the first installment of our Big East Preview I gave you the two teams, based on what’s known from last year’s results and the talent coming in, that should win the league’s regular season championship.

In case you missed it the two I pegged were Syracuse and UConn.

Today I look at three teams that can win it, and truth be told, injuries have made me consider making this a foursome or switching out one team for another.

First in line is Pittsburgh (Pitt Tickets).

The Panthers won this thing last year and they return a National Player of the Year candidate in Ashton Gibbs. My two viewings of the Panthers thus far, especially the last one vs a D3 foe, have made me more of a believer than I was beforehand (and they were going to be my third pick regardless). Pitt has a program built on winning Big East games, it’s what the staff expects and that expectation is drilled into kids the second they move into their first-year dorm in Oakland. That’s all well and good but this years squad features some pieces, some sure to be backup pieces, that would tend to make me feel giddy were I an Oakland Zoo resident. This year the rookies possess, along with one vet without a lot of playing experience, talent that gives the Panthers a squad that potentially can roll as deep and thick as ONYX used to back in the day while scaring opposing coaches as much as Sticky Fingas scared the parents of daughters who loved his crew.
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AFTER A YEAR TO WATCH & LEARN, EPPS & WRIGHT READY TO HELP PITT

By Lauren Kirschman

When Isaiah Epps and Cameron Wright arrived at Pitt (Pitt Tickets) last season, Wright said that neither guard expected to redshirt.

But instead of playing college basketball as freshmen, the two sat out their first year of eligibility. They spent the year on Pitt’s bench—watching and waiting and learning—so that this season, they would be ready to make an impact.

“It was difficult for me,” Epps said. “It was a learning experience…I’m glad I sat out and learned before I got on the court to play.”

Wright said that they both used the redshirt season as a chance to develop.

“We had to know that we had great guards in front of us last year and we respected that, we paid our homage,” Wright said. “This year we are just trying to work hard so we can be out there together.”

Wright still keeps in contact with former guard Brad Wanamaker, a player he said he “learned everything” from.

“I watch film on Brad everyday,” he said. “The things he did for this University both on the basketball court and off the court were tremendous and I respect him a lot.”

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NORTH CAROLINA DOMINATES ACC PRESEASON POLLING

Roy Williams knows people have been talking about how good his team is going to be this season. Time is nearing for his Tar Heels to show it on the court.

Yesterday’s voting by media members at the ACC’s annual Operation Basketball on Wednesday in Charlotte only demonstrated how dominant many expect UNC to be this season as North Carolina was selected first in the poll, garnering 57 of the possible 59 first place votes and 706 total points.

North Carolina sophomore forward Harrison Barnes was selected as the preseason Player of the Year and joins teammates John Henson and Tyler Zeller on the preseason all-conference team.

Duke was selected second in the preseason media poll, with the other two first place votes and 649 points. Blue Devils’ freshman Austin RIvers was pegged as the preseason Rooke of the Year in the voting.

The rest of the voting rounded out in this order:

3) Florida State, 560 points
4) Virginia, 463 points
5) Miami, 455 points
6) Virginia Tech, 411 points
7) Clemson, 403 points
8} NC State, 316 points
9) Maryland, 264 points
10) Georgia Tech, 176 points
11) Wake Forest, 109 points
12) Boston College, 90 points

Miami’s Malcolm Grant, Seth Curry of Duke and Mike Scott of Virginia joined the trio of Tar Heels on the preseason all-conference team.

The word from media day yesterday was the ACC is beginning internal discussions over changes it will make to the conference tournament when Syracuse and Pittsburgh join the league. Like the BIG EAST which spreads their end of the season conference festival over five days to include all 16 teams, the ACC will likely follow a similar format to include all the programs.

ACC commissioner John Swofford also told media members it’s likely the ACC will go to an 18-game regular-season conference schedule when the league expands, which might not be until 2014-15 if Syracuse and Pitt are held to the 27-month exit notice by the BIG EAST.

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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CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

By Ray Mernagh

Talk about a no news weekend with Big East basketball huh?

Yes, that first sentence is dripping with sarcasm.

As we all know by now Pitt and Syracuse have jumped to the ACC. UCONN and Rutgers are probably next. West Virginia, rest assured, has some plans of their own.

Without a doubt it’s the end of something very special. The end of an era in which Big East Basketball was synonymous with best/greatest/elite or whatever term you choose to go with to describe the league that last season saw it’s 9th place finisher win the National Title. Even Coach K, now that he knows Pitt and Syracuse (and UConn?) are coming, has admitted that maybe the ACC wasn’t as great as his comments the last few years would have led us to believe.
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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: PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh Panthers
Head Coach: Jamie Dixon (9th year at Pitt, 216-60 record)
2010-2011: 15-3 BIG EAST, 28-6 overall, NCAA 3rd Round

Returning Players:
- Sr. G Ashton Gibbs (16.8 ppg)
- Sr. F Nasir Robinson (9.4 ppg)
- Jr. G Travon Woodall (6.4 ppg)
- Jr. F/C Dante Taylor (5.1 ppg)
- So. F J.J. Moore (3.7 ppg)
- So. F Talib Zanna (3.7 ppg)
- So. F Lamar Patterson (2.6 ppg)
- rFr G Cameron Wright
- rFr G Isaiah Epps

Incoming Players:
- Fr. F/C Khem Birch (Montreal, Can.)
- Fr. G John Johnson (Philadelphia, PA)
- Fr. C Malcolm Gilbert (Smyrna, DE)
- Fr. G/F Durand Johnson (Baltimore, MD)

Players Moved On:
- Brad Wanamaker (Graduation)
- Gilbert Brown (Graduation)
- Gary McGhee (Graduation)
- J.J. Richardson (Transfer)

Stat Notes:
- Pitt’s graduating class leaves the program with more Big East victories (52) than any other senior class in school history and helped lead the Panthers to the Big East Regular Season championship and the second number one seed in Pitt history in 2010-2011.
- The Panthers finished second in the nation last season in rebounding margin per game at +10.8.

Star Watch:
- After nearly declaring for the NBA Draft but eventually electing to return to school, All-Big East First Team choice and likely Big East Preseason Player of the Year candidate Ashton Gibbs will be one of the top players in the country. Gibbs shot 49% from beyond the arc last season and is representing Pitt on the USA team at the World University Games.

Newcomer to Watch:
- Pitt’s second McDonald’s All-American big man in three years, Khem Birch should make an impact in the frontcourt for the Panthers with his shot blocking prowess and impressive athleticism.

Notes: The Panthers will participate in the Hoop Group Classic in Philadelphia (11/25-11/26), travel to Tennessee (12/3) as part of the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge, and take on Oklahoma State in New York City (12/10) in the non-conference portion of their schedule.

– team capsule compiled by Brian Batko

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)
—————————

DePaul: Louisville, St. John’s, Seton Hall

Last season: Cincinnati, South Florida, West Virginia
Finish: 7-24, 1-17
—————————-

Georgetown: Marquette, Providence, St. John’s

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

Louisville: Pitt, Syracuse, DePaul

Last season: Connecticut, Providence, West Virginia
Finish: 25-10, 12-6 (NCAA)
———————————

Marquette: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Villanova

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

Notre Dame: Connecticut, Rutgers, West Virginia

Last season: Connecticut, Marquette, St. John’s
Finish: 27-7, 14-4 (NCAA)
———————————–

Pittsburgh: Louisville, South Florida, West Virginia

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

Providence: Georgetown, South Florida, Syracuse

Last season: Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida
Finish: 15-17, 4-14
———————————-

Rutgers: Notre Dame, Seton Hall, West Virginia

Last season: Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova
Finish: 15-17, 5-13
——————————-

St. John’s: Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown

Last season: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Finish: 21-12, 12-6 (NCAA)
——————————-

Seton Hall: Connecticut, DePaul, Rutgers

Last season: Marquette, Rutgers, Syracuse
Finish: 13-18, 7-11
——————————-

South Florida: Pitt, Providence, Villanova

Last season: DePaul, Pitt, Providence
Finish: 10-23, 3-15
————————————-

Syracuse: Connecticut, Providence, Louisville

Last season: Georgetown, Seton Hall, Villanova
Finish: 27-8, 12-6 (NCAA)
————————————–

Villanova: Marquette, South Florida, Cincinnati

Last season: Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse
Finish: 21-12, 9-9
—————————————

West Virginia: Pitt, Notre Dame, Rutgers

Last season: DePaul, Louisville, Pitt
Finish: 21-12, 11-7 (NCAA)
———————————————————————————————–

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/29/2011)

College basketball is a year-round sport. In the summer there is news of players coming and going from programs to keep track of, a busy recruiting season and more and more summer leagues that offer the players a chance to stay sharp against high-level competition. While many incoming freshmen just celebrated their high school graduation in the last few weeks and even days, many are already on a college campus and competing in the summer leagues and attending classes with their new teammates.

Today we take a quick run through some of the latest stories in the BIG EAST that touch on each of those subjects…

In Mike Helfgot’s Recruiting Notes in the Chicago Tribune there is an update on 6-foot-2 rising junior Jaylon Tate, who recently confirmed rumors he will be transferring from De La Salle High School to Chicago Simeon. At Simeon Tate will join a loaded roster that includes classmates Jabari Parker and Kendrick Nunn and senior Steve Taylor. All four players are considered sure-fire high-major recruits.

As for Tate, Helfgot reports that has offers from Northwestern, Providence and Xavier, according to his mother, Arisa Johnson, with several other high-majors such as DePaul, Marquette, Tennessee, Florida State and, as of this week, UCLA, expressing serious interest.
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DANTE TAYLOR: HIS TIME IS NOW

Pitt junior looking to be latest player to break out in junior season for Panthers

By Lauren Kirschman

It’s the summer before his junior season at Pittsburgh and Dante Taylor said it’s time for him to stop making excuses.

“I’ve been working hard my past two years and it’s my third year here,” Taylor said. “It’s time for me to just get out on the court and play.”

He said this could be the season that he takes a step forward.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that a Pitt player transformed his game before his junior year.

Former point guard and current assistant coach Brandin Knight became a third team All-American and the Big East Player of the Year as a junior.

Sam Young went from averaging 7.2 points per game as a sophomore to leading the Panthers with 18.1 points a game a year later as the Big East Most Improved Player.

2011 graduate Gary McGhee scored 6.9 points and grabbed a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game as a junior after totaling 38 points and 48 rebounds his entire sophomore season.

This year, Taylor could see similar improvement. A former McDonald’s All-American, the 6-foot-9 forward contributed off the bench throughout his first two seasons with the Panthers.
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GILBERT HOPES TO BECOME PITT’S FUTURE MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE

By Lauren Kirschman

When asked what he wanted to bring to the floor for Pittsburgh this season, incoming freshman Malcolm Gilbert said “a really big defensive presence.”

And since he’s entering a program that consistently focuses on excelling defensively, Gilbert should fit in just fine.

The 6-foot-11, 215-center joins the Panther frontcourt along with classmate and 6-foot-9 McDonald’s All-American Khem Birch.

The two add size to a Pitt roster that already holds 6-foot-9 forwards Talib Zanna and Dante Taylor. Gilbert said the team wants to use that size to its advantage.

“The guys and I were talking about we got trees now,” Gilbert said. “We just want to clog up the middle and just swat everything.”

He added that even with a focus on defense, his game has improved offensively.
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AFTER A YEAR OF WATCHING, EPPS & WRIGHT READY TO CONTRIBUTE FOR PITT

By Lauren Kirschman

Last season, when Pittsburgh claimed the Big East regular season title with a victory over Villanova, all redshirt freshmen Isaiah Epps and Cameron Wright could do was watch.

Earlier that season, they watched when the Panthers jumped out to a 19-0 lead over Syracuse in a match-up of top-5 teams at the Petersen Events Center.

They watched Kemba Walker sink Pitt’s Big East Tournament Championship hopes with a last-second shot in Madison Square Garden.

And when the Panthers lost a heartbreaker to No. 8 seed Butler in the NCAA Tournament, Epps and Wright could only watch.

When asked if that redshirt season was difficult on him, Wright’s only reply was an emphatic, “Yes. Without a doubt.”

How did he get through it?

“God.”
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JOHN JOHNSON READY TO MAKE IMPACT AT PITT

By Lauren Kirschman

Most of the hype surrounding the Pittsburgh recruiting class of 2011 centered on McDonald’s All-American Khem Birch, but on the opening night of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club’s Pro-Am summer league it was John Johnson who stole the show.

Johnson grabbed the attention of the crowd by hitting his first shot of the night—a contested 3-pointer—that caused several onlookers to check their rosters in an attempt to figure out the newcomer’s name.

The interest in the 6-foot-1, 170-pound point guard grew as he continually made moves to the basket and finished with ease. By halftime, Johnson had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and was the main topic of conversation among fans.

The point guard might have arrived at Pitt under the radar, but he quickly made a name for himself Monday night.

Although his team eventually lost 69-63, Johnson finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting and showed early signs that he could contend for minutes this season.

He said that although it took some time for him to adjust, it felt good playing his first summer league contest.

“I think it’s good publicity to play in front of reporters and Pitt fans,” he said. “I had great teammates. Everybody played defense and everybody rebounded.”

He added that the Pro-Am league is important to help incoming freshman blend with the current members of the team.

“If they see me play well then they’ll have more confidence in me when I’m on the court with them,” he said.

He made an impact on at least one current member of the Panther squad as Lamar Patterson came away impressed with all of the incoming freshmen, but especially Johnson and Birch.

Patterson has spent time helping Johnson and another incoming Pitt freshman, Durand Johnson, find their way around campus.

Johnson said that Patterson and J.J. Moore have assisted the two in navigating Pittsburgh since the freshmen arrived.

But that doesn’t mean Johnson has a handle on his new city quite yet.

“I’ve been lost,” Johnson said with a laugh. “When I first came over, I was lost for hours trying to find the Petersen Center…My phone had no service. I was just walking around for hours.”

As Johnson adjusts to the campus, he’ll find his place on Pitt’s team as well. While he acknowledged that he has plenty to work on before the season begins, he knows he’ll bring energy to the Panthers.

He said he decided to bring that energy to Pitt mainly because of how head coach Jamie Dixon interacted with his players.

“When I first came up here, I met Coach Dixon,” he said. “On the court, he’s a coach. He disciplines. Off the court, he still disciplines but he’s more of a father figure.

“I grew up without a father and I wanted to come to a place where I would have a father figure and somebody to look up to.”

BIG EAST/SEC CHALLENGE MATCH-UPS & SCHEDULE

(release per SEC conference)

The Southeastern Conference will match up against the Big East Conference for 12 games over three days in early December for the Big East/SEC Challenge. Every SEC member will be a part of the event while 12 of the 16 Big East schools will participate. Six of the games will be played at SEC home arenas while six will be played at home facilities for Big East schools. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 12 games of the three-day event.

This year’s event features the defending national champion (Connecticut), another Final Four participant (Kentucky) and an Elite Eight team (Florida) from last year’s NCAA Tournament. Nine of the schools are ranked in an early preseason top 25 by ESPN.com’s Andy Katz, including seven of the top 15 teams: No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 6 Connecticut, No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Louisville, No. 12 Florida and No. 14 Alabama.

Last year the SEC finished with a 3-1 record in the annual event. Arkansas and Kentucky earned victories over Seton Hall and No. 23 Notre Dame, respectively, on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in Louisville, Ky. Tennessee upset No. 3 Pittsburgh while Auburn fell to Rutgers at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11. In the event of a 6-6 tie this year, the Challenge trophy will remain with the conference that won the previous year.

This is the fifth year that the SEC and Big East have played each other as a part of an in-season event with the overall series tied 8-8. Previously known as the SEC/Big East Invitational, the first four years of the event (2007-2010) featured four matchups between the two conferences from two neutral sites.

The event title will alternate to the SEC/Big East Challenge in 2012 and be played Thursday, Nov. 29 through Saturday, Dec. 1. SEC teams will alternate home and away games.

Marquette, Notre Dame, South Florida and Villanova are not part of the 12-team field for the BIG EAST in 2011.

2011 BIG EAST/SEC CHALLENGE (times and networks are to be determined)

-Thursday, Dec. 1:
Georgetown at Alabama
Providence at South Carolina
St. John’s at Kentucky
Ole Miss at DePaul

-Friday, Dec. 2:
Auburn at Seton Hall
Florida at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Georgia
Vanderbilt at Louisville

-Saturday, Dec. 3:
Arkansas at Connecticut
West Virginia at Mississippi State
LSU at Rutgers
Pittsburgh at Tennessee

Lose the challenge to the SEC and the BIG EAST might be in need of looking into payday loans to build some conference equity come NCAA Tournament time!

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