West Virginia News

WOODALL: I GOT THIS

By Ray Mernagh

Travon Woodall has been the object of scorn from certain groups of Pittsburgh fans over his four years in the program.

Complaints have ranged from he didn’t start for his high school team to he’s too sloppy with the ball to he takes too many chances. Some have even gone so far as to say the redshirt junior isn’t a D-1 caliber player.

Woodall has almost always come through for his team. I’ve witnessed him win games by blocking a shot at the rim, hitting multiple three-pointers or by finding flying teammates for alley-oop dunks or cutters for layups. I’ve watched him guard a 6’8″ post player because nobody else was left to do it, purposely taking an elbow to the chops because it meant a foul on the man he was guarding. He’s always had a really good assist-to-turnover ratio and has never, ever, played with fear. He’s also always been Pitt‘s toughest player.
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MERNAGH: PITT KEEPS HOPE ALIVE HEADING INTO BIG MONDAY SHOWDOWN AT WEST VIRGINIA

Pitt 86 Providence 74 is what the scoreboard read when the buzzer sounded last Wednesday night. It remained there for maybe a half second before the board changed to reflect the record for Pittsburgh inside the Peterson Events Center since it was built. The loss side of that all-time record has grown more in the last month than in the last several years.

Wednesday evening’s result inside the Peterson Events Center brought relief to a program and fan-base in dire need of a fresh breath.

Now all of a sudden, in the span of 72 hours, relief has turned into, dare I say…hope?

What was a slightly encouraging win for Pitt against Providence parlayed itself into an actual conquest over a #10 ranked Georgetown team that came in sporting the resume of a soon-to-be top 3 seed. In movie terms the Pitt Panthers have quickly moved from Waiting to Exhale territory directly into the How Stella Got Her Groove Back neighborhood.
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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 .

BIG EAST REGULAR SEASON TIPS OFF

Notre Dame and St. John’s began the BIG EAST portion of the 2011-12 season Tuesday with wins against Pittsburgh and Providence, respectively, on Tuesday night.

Notre Dame extended its homecourt winning streak to 28 games with last night’s win, 72-59 over No. 22 Pittsburgh. The Irish haven’t lost at Purcell Pavilion since Feb. 14, 2010, when they fell 69-68 to St. John’s.

Guard Alex Dragicevich scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Irish on Tuesday night. Dragicevich, who had scored just six points in six previous BIG EAST games before this season, scored 17 of his 22 after halftime, which included making all three of his attempts beyond the three-point arc.

The Irish rallied from a 26-25 halftime deficit by shooting 72% (18-25) after intermission.

“I have been a part of a lot of fun games here,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said after the game. “But this one ranks right up there with the best. To see us play with that swagger in the second half, I guess I just wasn’t sure this group was ready for that.”

Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins also reached double figured for Notre Dame, scoring 15 points a piece. Grant added a game-high nine assists and Jack Cooley helped ND stay close on the boards, grabbing 14 shots off the backboards to go with his eight points.

“We have a week to practice and after a win you always have a little more juice,” said Brey. “It’s just great to be 1-0 in this league, especially at home, that feels good. It’s something to build on and God knows we needed something to build on.”

The Irish play the first of back-to-back road games with a Jan. 4 visit to Cincinnati. Notre Dame has won three straight against the Bearcats, including a pair of wins last season.

For Pitt it was their second consecutive loss after falling to non-conference opponent Wagner on Dec. 23 at the Peterson Events Center.

“We need to play better, we will play better and that’s what we have to work on,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said following last night’s loss. “We are a team that has a lot of things to improve on and we will get there and we know we’ve got things to work on.”

Sophomore Talib Zanna led the Panthers with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the game. Seniors Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson each added 12. Gibbs passed current Pitt assistant coach and former point guard Brandin Knight for 12th place on Pittsburgh’s career scoring chart (1,443 points).

Junior guard Tray Woodall returned to the lineup after missing six games with a groin/abdominal injury, but did not score in 18 minutes.

Last night’s loss was just the seventh time in Jamie Dixon’s nine-year tenure that Pitt had lost back-to-back games. Pitt will try to avoid a third-straight defeat when, like the Irish, they take on Cincinnati in their next game. Pittsburgh has won its last six meetings against Cincinnati. The Panthers are 6-1 against the Bearcats in regular-season BIG EAST play. They will host Mick Cronin’s club at the Peterson Events Center on New Year’s Day.
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Freshman Moe Harkless scored 32 points in his BIG EAST debut to lead St. John’s past Providence last night, 91-67, at Carnesecca Arena. Harkless’ total is the most by a freshman in his first BIG EAST game in league history. The previous mark of 30 points was held by Notre Dame’s Troy Murphy and Georgetown’s Allen Iverson.

“I didn’t even know that,” Harkless said following the game on his record-setting performance. “That’s an honor to even be mentioned with those guys. Being able to break the record is a great feeling.”

For the seventh consecutive game the Redstorm was coached by associate head coach Mike Dunlap as Steve Lavin continues his recovery from prostate surgery.

“We were able to play a team that came in pretty hot and has played some good people, so we are very pleased with that win,” said Dunlap. “We’ve still got to work Amir [Garrett] in and now we have a seven-man rotation.”

D’Angelo Harrison added 25 points and 7 assists in the win and Phil Greene also finished in double figures with 12. In all, SJU freshmen combined to score 77 of the 91 points put on the scoreboard for the ‘Storm.

Up next for the Redstorm is a New Year’s Eve date with defending national champion UConn. St. John’s has won its last two meetings
against Connecticut.

The loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Friars, who also had their worst defensive effort of the season, a trait that has plagued them in recent BIG EAST seasons. SJU scored 91 points and shot 56.5% from the field. PC also hurt themselves by turning the ball over 20 times. All in all it was not the performance Friar head coach Ed Cooley was expecting from his team.

“Our kids were just pathetic today in every imaginable way,” said Cooley afterwards. “I thought we were very selfish today. We weren’t tough at all. We just weren’t tough. I could take losing games. As a coach you’re going to lose a lot of games and you’re going to win some games. But you just have to show that passion to compete and we didn’t show that tonight. I’m very disappointed with our execution and our competitive level.”

Gerard Coleman scored 20 points against the Red Storm for Providence, which will look to avoid an 0-2 BIG EAST start when they travel to Washington DC to take on Georgetown at the Verizon Center Saturday. PC has not won at Georgetown since March of 2005.
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Tonight’s BIG EAST Schedule:
Wednesday, December 28
GEORGETOWN at LOUISVILLE – ESPN2……………………….7:00
SETON HALL at SYRACUSE………………………………..7:00
VILLANOVA at WEST VIRGINIA…………………………….7:00
CONNECTICUT at SOUTH FLORIDA…………………………..9:00

Eight more teams begin BIG EAST play Wednesday, including tough tests for the league’s two unbeaten clubs. Top-ranked Syracuse takes a 13-0 record into a 7 p.m. game against 11-1 Seton Hall at the Carrier Dome. While the Orange and Pirates split their two contests last season, the 90-68 drubbing SHU put on SU at the Dome last season will be certainly on the mind of the Syracuse players. No. 4/4 Louisville (12-0) hosts No. 12/12 Georgetown (10-1) on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. U of L is 2-4 against the Hoyas in BIG EAST play.

West Virginia and Villanova also meet at 7 p.m. in Morgantown, W.Va. The Wildcats hold a 10-9 edge in the series in conference regular-season play. No. 9/9 Connecticut plays its first road game of the season when it visits USF at 9 p.m. The Huskies will be without coach Jim Calhoun, who begins an NCAA-imposed three-game suspension. UConn has an 8-1 edge in its all-time series against the Bulls.
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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 .

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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BIG 12 WELCOMES WEST VIRGINIA TO THE CONFERENCE; CONFERENCE RELEASE PUTS WVU IN LEAGUE FOR 2012-2013 SEASON

Official Big 12 statement:

The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012. The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

West Virginia is the second new member to join the Conference since it began in 1996 after the addition of TCU earlier this month.

“The Big 12 Presidents and Chancellors are excited to welcome another outstanding institution to the Conference,” said Burns Hargis, Chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors and President of Oklahoma State University. “The addition of West Virginia, while expanding the reach of the Big 12, brings an impressive institution with esteemed academics and a proud athletic tradition into the Conference. This is another step in building a strong foundation for the future of the Big 12.”

“The Big 12 is a perfect fit for West Virginia University,” said WVU President Dr. James P. Clements. “It is a strong conference that, like WVU, values quality academic and athletic programs, and has a great tradition of success. This is a very exciting time for WVU and Mountaineer nation. I am confident that the future of WVU athletics has never been more promising.”

West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, sponsors 17 varsity sports. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, swimming & diving and wrestling. Women’s sports are basketball, cross country, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field and volleyball. The Mountaineers also boast a co-ed rifle squad. The Big 12 sponsors every sport the Mountaineers participate in except rifle and men’s soccer.

“We are excited to add West Virginia to our exceptional lineup of Conference members,” said Big 12 Interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas. “They bring an excellent overall athletic program to the Big 12 and allow the league to expand into an area that boasts a passionate group of fans and alumni throughout its region.”

Since its inception 15 years ago, the Big 12 has won 42 team national championships and 492 NCAA individual crowns. In addition, more than 3,700 student-athletes have earned All-America First Team accolades for their play on the field with more than 500 being recognized with Academic All-America honors.

Beginning with the 2012-13 season it is expected that the Big 12 Conference will be comprised of 10 Universities – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12’s footprint will encompass five states with over 36 million people. More than 4,100 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually in the 23 sports sponsored by the Conference.

WEST VIRGINIA LATEST TO LEAVE BIG EAST; CONFERENCE INTENDS TO HOLD WVU TO 27-MONTH NOTIFICATION PERIOD

Statement from Commissioner John Marinatto on the departure of West Virginia:

“This move by West Virginia does not come as a surprise. League officials, members of our conference and the candidate schools to whom we have been talking were aware of this possibility. We have taken West Virginia’s possible departure into account as we have moved forward with our own realignment plans. West Virginia is fully aware that the Big East Conference is committed to enforcing the 27-month notification period for members who choose to leave the conference. We are confident that in the coming weeks we will complete our own realignment program, adding a number of high-quality members to remain among the top conferences in both football and basketball.”

What should the Big East do next? Well, here is my opinion on what the individual schools should decide to do: Enough is Enough!.

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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2011-2012 BIG EAST TEAM CAPSULE: WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia Mountaineers
Head Coach: Bob Huggins (5th year at WVU, 101-42 record)
2010-2011: 11-7 BIG EAST, 21-12 overall, NCAA 2nd Round

Returning Players:
- Sr. F Kevin Jones (13.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
- Sr. G Truck Bryant (11.3 ppg)
- Jr. C Deniz Kilicli (6.6 ppg)
- rFR F Kevin Noreen

Incoming Players:
- Jr. F Dominique Rutledge (Western Texas CC)
- Fr. G Jabarie Hinds (Mount Vernon, NY)
- Fr. F Keaton Miles (Dallas, TX)
- Fr. F Tommie McCune (Saginaw, MI)
- Fr. G Gary Browne (Trujillo Alto, PR)
- Fr. F Aaron Brown (Darby, PA)
- Fr. F/C Pat Forsythe (Brunswick, OH)

Players Moved On:
- Casey Mitchell (Graduation)
- Joe Mazzulla (Graduation)
- John Flowers (Graduation)
- Cam Thoroughman (Graduation)
- Jonnie West (Graduation)
- Dalton Pepper (Transfer)
- Danny Jennings (Transfer)

Stat Notes:
- The Mountaineers return only three players with D-1 experience but all three (Jones, Bryant, Kilicli) played more than 15 minutes per game last season.
- WVU hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament since Bob Huggins took over at his alma mater in 2008 and will look to make it five years straight in 2011-2012.

Star Watch:
- Huggins’ squad doesn’t have much experience returning but they will have one of the best forwards in the Big East in 6-foot-8 senior Kevin Jones. Jones, who flirted with the NBA Draft before deciding to return to Morgantown, led the team in rebounding last year and was second in scoring.

Newcomer to Watch:
- After finally being cleared by the NCAA in late August, point guard Jabarie Hinds could be the X-factor for the Mountaineers. Hinds is a gifted scorer and distributor who, despite not joining the program until late in the summer, could allow Truck Bryant to play his more natural position off the ball and start alongside him in the backcourt immediately.

Notes: WVU will take part in the Las Vegas Classic (12/22-12/23) where they will face off with Missouri State and Baylor, and also play non-conference games at Mississippi State (12/3) in the Big East-SEC Challenge, against Kansas State in Wichita (12/8), and at home against Miami (FL). Center Aaric Murray (LaSalle) and guard Juwan Staten (Dayton), two talented A-10 transfers, will sit out 2011-2012 and be eligible to play next season.

– team capsule compiled by Brian Batko

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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KEVIN NOREEN HELPING YOUNG MOUNTAINEER TEAMMATES LEARN THEIR WAY

By Lauren Kirschman

Kevin Noreen is the lone player on his summer league team that played a game for the West Virginia Mountaineers last season.

The remainder of the squad is made up of freshmen and two transfers—Aaric Murray (La Salle) and Juwan Staten (Dayton).

The team played its first game together on Monday.

The players all met for the first time on Saturday.

“We’re all on the same team in this league and we’re just getting to know each other really well,” Noreen said. “I think in these two games we’ve already gelled and have a good camaraderie going on so far.

Although the Mountaineer roster isn’t completely lacking experience with seniors Darryl Bryant and Kevin Jones as well as junior Deniz Killcli, none of those players are on Noreen’s team this summer.
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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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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/30/2011)

In today’s News & Notes section around the BIG EAST recruiting tidbits dominate the discussion as there is some more about Zach Auguste as well as some touching base with Josh Fortune, Jaylen Bond and Daniel Dingle. Also so more on West Virginia players in this summer’s Pittsburgh Pro-Am summer league and the status of star incoming freshman Jabarie Hinds.

We will also be following closely the summer leagues in DC and Milwaukee when they get underway soon and hope to have some coverage of the Jersey Shore Basketball League in the near future (fingers crossed).

With the month of July bearing down on us…the main focus of course will be recruitng! Now…on to today’s News & Notes…

New England Hoop News has a series titled July or Never and today’s focus is 6-foot-8 New Hampton Prep forward Zach Auguste. As we detailed in yesterday’s BIG EAST News & Notes (6/29/2011) Auguste visited Connecticut earlier this week with prep teammate Noah Vonleh. The athletic forward has a lot of potential and will be on the circuit this July performing in front of the masses of college coaches on the road with the Mass Rivals in July as well as with the Albany City Rocks, during the Nike Peach Jam. In New England fans and coaches can look for Auguste at Elite 75 and Hall of Fame National Invitational, both starting on July 10th in the Western Massachusetts area.

According to Auguste’s Mass Rivals AAU coach, Vinny Pastore, schools that have offered scholarships include Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Boston College, Providence and Virginia to name a few.
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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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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!

BIG EAST BASKETBALL WIRE — MAY 19, 2011

A look around the BIG EAST basketball conference with some of this mornings latest headlines from newspapers around the country…as well as our own sources:

The BIG EAST/SEC Challenge is expanding to 12 games this season and match-ups are starting to be leaked. The NY Post has learned one match-up will have St. John’s meeting Kentucky next season. The game will feature two of the top recruiting classes of incoming freshmen in the country.

According to the Post, the game will be played in early December at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats, under John Calipari, will bring in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class. St. John’s brings in the nation’s No. 3-ranked class, headlined by Queens forward Maurice Harkless, Texas guard D’Angelo Harrison and Juco center God’s Gift Achiuwa.
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The Post’s Lenn Robbins also reported this morning that Arizona guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones of Harlem, will transfer to St. John’s and could be eligible to play this upcoming season pending the application of an NCAA hardship waiver.

As a sophomore for the Wildcats last season, Jones averaged 9.7 points a game and 2.4 assists in 26 minutes a game as Sean Miller’s club reached the Elite 8 before losing to Connecticut.
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The Hoop Group has announced the field for their 2011 Philly Classic, which will be headlined by the BIG EAST’s Pittsburgh Panthers. Other teams participating include: La Salle, Penn, James Madison, Robert Morris, and Rider.
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New Providence coach Ed Cooley is working hard on the recruiting trail. New Hampton Prep’s Zach Auguste took an unofficial visit to get a closer look at the Friar campus earlier this week.
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West Virginia sophomore Dalton Pepper has left the program. The guard averaged nearly 4 points a game last season. Most reports have Pepper returning closer to his Pennsbury (PA) roots to attend Temple.
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Georgetown head coach John Thompson III has added former Hoya big man Othella Harrington to his coaching staff. Harrington played at Georgetown from 1992-1996 and spent 12 seasons in the NBA. Harrington is a native of Jackson, Miss.
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While Connecticut Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun basks in the glory of his third national championship, questions of his future remain. Calhoun Could Make Decision on Future in June (The Sporting News) but is preparing as if he will be coaching the Huskies next year. The 69-year old has battled several health issues in recent seasons and will use a 10-day family vacation in June to get away from the game for a little bit and reflect on his future.
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With Lamont Jones’ impending transfer to St. John’s, it will likely remove the Red Storm from the mix for NC State transfer Ryan Harrow who was expected to visit the program before making a decision. Harrow is also considering Kentucky, Louisville, Georgia and Texas – all of which he has visited. Expect a decision very soon.
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Anthony Crater, who has run into his share of difficulties since transferring to South Florida from Ohio State, has been kicked off the team by Stan Heath for a violation of team rules.
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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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