February 2007

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

February 28, 2007

Pittsburgh rallied in the 2nd half to take care of West Virginia last night and set-up their chance for at least a tie for the Big East Regular Season Championship if (big IF) they can win at Marquette on Saturday night. Expect a tough venue at the Bradley Center for a 9 PM start with the excitement of College Gameday.

Three games on tap tonight with Seton Hall visiting Cincinnati, Connecticut hosting Villanova and Providence meeting South Florida.

Around the league, Jim Boehiem believes Syracuse is in and wants a harsh critic to eat some crow. Mike Nardi’s career might not have been ‘as expected’ at Villanova, but it still has been a good four years. Rick Pitino has seen his team rise when expectations bottomed-out and Derrick Caracter getting on the ‘right road’ has helped them overcome the latest injury issue. DraftExpress gives it’s readers a look at their view of the Big East postseason awards.

To read these articles and more, click ‘Read More!‘ below.

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LAST NIGHT’S GAME:

Pittsburgh 80 West Virginia 66
With his team trailing 32-29 at halftime, Aaron Gray felt compelled to do something rare in the locker room at halftime, he spoke up! What followed was a 51-pt 2nd half outburst for the struggling Pittsburgh offese as last night’s 80-66 Victory Rings Loud and Clear for Panthers (Post-Gazette) and the Loss Leaves West Virginia With a Glaring Hole on its NCAA Resume (Post-Gazette).

Gray, along with Levon Kendall, Antonio Graves and Doyle Hudson played their final game in the Peterson Events Center and improved their 4-year mark to 101-27 as Pitt Honored its Seniors Prior to the Game (Tribune-Review) and the Seniors Led Pitt to Second-Half Surge Over WVU (Tribune-Review), with Gray scoring 12 pts and grabbing 13 rebounds and Kendall scoring 12 pts and grabbing 9 rebounds. Levance Fields led Pitt with 14 points (all in the 2nd half) and Mike Cook scored all 12 of his after intermission.

WVU is Not Hanging Their Heads After Loss (Daily Mail) as they hung tough wit the Panthers for more than 30 minutes on the road. Darris Nichols led WVU with 14 points, but none after the 15:30 mark in the 2nd half. WVU got career-games from Jamie Smalligan (13 pts in 19 minutes) and Joe Mazzulla (11 pts, 6 assists) in the loss. WVU had nearly a full week to prepare, but Pitt had too much down the stretch, proving WVU Still Has a Ways to Go (Charleston Gazette) in earning an NCAA bid and as a challenger in the Big East.

Mazzulla’s performance gives WVU something to think about with Alex Ruoff’s struggles, but Don’t Look for a Major Shakeup in Mountaineer Starting Line-up (Daily Mail) anytime soon.

Pitt will visit Marquette on Saturday night with a chance to at least tie for the Big East regular season championship. West Virginia closes out their regular season schedule with a date with Cincinnati this weekend. Both teams will then head to Madison Square Garden for the Big East Conference Tournament next Wednesday in New York City. Pittsburgh has a bye and the Mountaineers will be playing on Wednesday. Two years ago the Mountaineers, with a similar record, went to NYC and parlayed a run tot he Big East finals into a NCAA Tournament bid and a trip to the Elite 8 where they lost to Louisville in overtime. Do the Mountaineers Have the Heart to Make a Run (Charleston Gazette) this time?

TONIGHT’S GAME:
Seton Hall looks to keep their faint Big East Tournament hopes alive when they travel to Cincinnati. For the links to the pregame stories and previews, as well as a prediction from the NBE Blogger, please visit either our Seton Hall or Cincinnati team page.

Villanova seems to be a popular choice to be ‘in’ the NCAA Tournament. Howeve,r they can not afford to slip up down the stretch or their picture becomes much more cloudy. Connecticut hopes to embark on a run and starting it tonight would be a wise move with Georgetown coming up this weekend and the Big East Tournament next week. for all the links to the pregame stories and previews on the internet, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, you can check out either our Villanova Team Page or our UConn Team Page.

The other match-up tonight has Providence, clinging to their faint hopes of a NCAA Tournament bid, taking on South Florida on the road. For all the pregame information, please check out our Providence Team Page.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
An interesting back and forth between ESPN analyst doug Gottlieb and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has developed over the last couple seasons and after Syracuse cemented their bid to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over Georgetown on Monday, Orange head coach Jim Boehiem Swipes Back at Harsh Critic (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle) Gottlieb.

Mike Nardi is wrapping up his career on the Main Line in Philadelphia for Villanova. A career that has not gone according to plan, but that is OK as the Intense Nardi is Now Flexible, too (Philadelphia Inquirer).

DraftExpress President Jonathan Givony unveils the DraftExpress 2006-2007 Big East Postseason Awards for their readers. They award a POY, Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year as well as 1st, 2nd and 3rd all-league teams, an all-freshman team as well as an all-disappointment team. Check it out…

Injuries have been a big detriment to Louisville in their time as a member of the Big East. However, in the last two games without 3rd leading scorer Juan Palacios, the Cardinals have not missed a beat because of the improved play and attitude of freshman Derrick Caracter. Caracter’s Right Road Boosts Cards (Louisville Courier-Journal) into the NCAA Tournament and a 1st round bye in the Big East Tournament and as dangerous as any team in the Big East right now.

Rick Pitino has always believed in this group of players that made up this year’s Louisville squad. Even when things weren’t looking so good back in December, he talked of their potential and Pitino Shines When Expectations are Lowest (NY Sun) and the Cards are now riding high.

WEDNESDAY BIG EAST GAME PREVIEWS

Febriary 28, 2007

On the even of March, the Big East gives us three match-ups to get us in a March-like mood. We are a week away from the start of the Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City, 11 spots are accounted for with only the 12th and final spot up for grabs. Seton Hall travels to Cincinnati tonight with the hopes that they will keep their chances alive for the final spot. They need a win tonight and at Louisville over the weekend and still need Providence to knock off St. John’s this weekend to get the last spot. In order for that to happen, the Pirates will have to do something they have not done all season, win a Big East game on the road. For all the pregame previews and stories found on the internet, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, please visit either our Seton Hall Team Page or our Cincinnati Team Page.

Another key game tonight in the March Madness scheme of things pits Connecticut and Villanova. Last year these two teams were competing for the Big East title and a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. This year, things are different, but this is still a meaningful game for two teams that do not have a winning Big East record through 14 league contests. Villanova, with a high RPI, is still very much ‘in’ the mix for the NCAA Tournament, but their room for error is small. Connecticut is definitely on the outside looking in,but you never know what a little momentum heading to New York City for the Big East Tournament could do (see Syracuse, 2006). For the links to all the pregame stories and previews, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, please visit either our Villanova Team Page or our Connecticut Team Page.

The third match-up has Providence travelling to South Florida to take on the Bulls. The Friars still like to hear their name mentioned as a team in the mix for the NCAA Tournament. However, any chance at a bid will rest on winning both road games to finish the Big East schedule and a long run next week in the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden. For tonight’s preview, you can visit our Providence Team Page.

last night the NBE Blogger was 1-0 outright, but missed against the spread as Pittsburgh pulled away from West Virginia in the last three minutes. On the season, the NBE Blogger is 80-25 in picking games outright (76%) and 55-45-5 (55%) against the spread.

Enjoy the games tonight!

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Villanova @ Connecticut

February 28, 2007

Last season this was a battle for the top spot in the conference as both Villanova and Connecticut finished with 14 conference wins and a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year, things have changed as neither team is over .500 in the Big East through 14 league contests. Villanova is still in the mix for a bid to the NCAA Tournament with their strong RPI rating, but another loss in the conference and they could find themselves behind several other 9-7 Big East bubble teams. Connecticut is just 6-8 in the Big East, so getting to 8-8 is the ultimate goal, but a tough task with Villanova tonight and a trip to Georgetown on Saturday ahead.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

UConn’s Price of Success (Philadelphia Daily News)
Even NIT Berth Looks Grim for UConn (Bristol Press)
Last Gasp for Huskies (Norwich Bulletin)
This Year, Very Different Stakes (Hartford Courant)
‘Nova-UConn Remain Intense (Philadelphia Inquirer)
UConn Will Honor Lone Senior Tonight (Norwich Bulletin)

This is definitely a ‘bubble watch’ game for the NCAA Tournament. Connecticut, at this time, is on the outside looking in, but a win over Villanova and an upset on the road at Georgetown would send the young Huskies to New York city next week with some momentum as they look to make their move in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Many people believed that one big win could ignite the Huskies and they have done some things better of late, bu they still look for that complete game. As of now, many have Villanova on the right side of the bubble, mostly due to a high RPI, but they still need to find a couple wins down the stretch. At 7-7 in the conference, there is little room for error.

The line on this game is ‘even’ and it definitely looks like it will be a nailbiter. Villanova has the experience edge with three seniors in the starting line-up (Curtis Sumpter, Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan) and Scottie Reynolds, a contender for freshman of the year in the conference. They also rotate a couple athletic forwards in Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, but from there, the Wildcats become very young and inexperienced, like tonight’s opponent.

Actually, nobody is as young and inexperienced as Connecticut, and it has shown often this year. With no juniors or seniors on scholarship, the Huskies have gone to battle in the Big East with eight freshman and 5 sophomores, only two (Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie) with extensive previous experience in the Big East (and they were role players last year). All season long the Huskies have struggled offensively, especially with their shooting and decision-making. Jim Calhoun has been persistent in encouraging his troops to do the little things to help make things easier, but the youngsters seem not ready to grasp those concepts. There is a lot of raw talent, but it needs to be refined and the players need to be stronger, physically and mentally, to compete night in and night out in the Big East.

This game figures to be a tight one. I would be surprised if it is really high scoring. Both teams might play fast, but look for each to defend the perimeter very hard and contest every shot possible. In the end, the Villanova experience and Curtis Sumpter should be enought for the Wildcats to earn the win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 62 Connecticut 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Villanova @ Connecticut

February 28, 2007

Last season this was a battle for the top spot in the conference as both Villanova and Connecticut finished with 14 conference wins and a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year, things have changed as neither team is over .500 in the Big East through 14 league contests. Villanova is still in the mix for a bid to the NCAA Tournament with their strong RPI rating, but another loss in the conference and they could find themselves behind several other 9-7 Big East bubble teams. Connecticut is just 6-8 in the Big East, so getting to 8-8 is the ultimate goal, but a tough task with Villanova tonight and a trip to Georgetown on Saturday ahead.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

UConn’s Price of Success (Philadelphia Daily News)
Even NIT Berth Looks Grim for UConn (Bristol Press)
Last Gasp for Huskies (Norwich Bulletin)
This Year, Very Different Stakes (Hartford Courant)
‘Nova-UConn Remain Intense (Philadelphia Inquirer)
UConn Will Honor Lone Senior Tonight (Norwich Bulletin)

This is definitely a ‘bubble watch’ game for the NCAA Tournament. Connecticut, at this time, is on the outside looking in, but a win over Villanova and an upset on the road at Georgetown would send the young Huskies to New York city next week with some momentum as they look to make their move in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Many people believed that one big win could ignite the Huskies and they have done some things better of late, bu they still look for that complete game. As of now, many have Villanova on the right side of the bubble, mostly due to a high RPI, but they still need to find a couple wins down the stretch. At 7-7 in the conference, there is little room for error.

The line on this game is ‘even’ and it definitely looks like it will be a nailbiter. Villanova has the experience edge with three seniors in the starting line-up (Curtis Sumpter, Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan) and Scottie Reynolds, a contender for freshman of the year in the conference. They also rotate a couple athletic forwards in Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, but from there, the Wildcats become very young and inexperienced, like tonight’s opponent.

Actually, nobody is as young and inexperienced as Connecticut, and it has shown often this year. With no juniors or seniors on scholarship, the Huskies have gone to battle in the Big East with eight freshman and 5 sophomores, only two (Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie) with extensive previous experience in the Big East (and they were role players last year). All season long the Huskies have struggled offensively, especially with their shooting and decision-making. Jim Calhoun has been persistent in encouraging his troops to do the little things to help make things easier, but the youngsters seem not ready to grasp those concepts. There is a lot of raw talent, but it needs to be refined and the players need to be stronger, physically and mentally, to compete night in and night out in the Big East.

This game figures to be a tight one. I would be surprised if it is really high scoring. Both teams might play fast, but look for each to defend the perimeter very hard and contest every shot possible. In the end, the Villanova experience and Curtis Sumpter should be enought for the Wildcats to earn the win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 62 Connecticut 58

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Seton Hall @ Cincinnati

February 28, 2007

On surface this game has little meaning as Cincinnati (1-13) hosts Seton Hall (4-10), howver for the Pirates, this game could mean their season. Seton Hall needs to win their last two conference games (Cincinnati and Louisville) and hope that Providence can beat St. John’s for SHU to qualify for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden next week. for a team that was in the NCAA Tournament last season, that is quite a drop, but they still have something to play for.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

UC’s McGowan Exiting Proudly (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Gentry Plays With Bum Ankle (Cincinnati Post)
Seton Hall vs Cincinnati Preview (Star-Ledger)
Seton Hall-Cincinnati Scouting Report (Courier News)

Seton Hall snapped an 8-game Big East losing streak when they beat South Florida over the weekend. The Pirates were off to a surprising start at 3-2 in the Big East, but once the meat of their schedule got started, the losses piled up. The Pirates are very guard-oriented and are not one of the best shooting teams. They rely on pressuring the ball and pushing the tempo with their perimeter players attacking the basket and hoping that Jamar Nutter is on from the perimeter. In the Big East, not having much of a threat inside is a tough way to live.

Cincinnati continues to limp home down the stretch. The storie program is mired in its longest losing streak in more than 80 years. With only two seniors to honor tonight, it is unlikely that the senior night festivities will really bump up the emotional level as the fans bid farewell to Cedric McGowan and Ronald Allen, both have been here for just two seasons.

Cincinnati is a slight (-2) home favorite tonight and the Pirates have yet to win away from home in conference play. It is the law of averages, look for the Bearcats to put an inspired effort, if just for one night, and use their athletic ability to match-up with the Pirates and scratch out a win. It will be a tight game and I like this Pirate group. Both coaches will have their players playing hard, but th ehome team has just a little more lift tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Cincinnati 67 Seton Hall 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Seton Hall @ Cincinnati

February 28, 2007

On surface this game has little meaning as Cincinnati (1-13) hosts Seton Hall (4-10), howver for the Pirates, this game could mean their season. Seton Hall needs to win their last two conference games (Cincinnati and Louisville) and hope that Providence can beat St. John’s for SHU to qualify for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden next week. for a team that was in the NCAA Tournament last season, that is quite a drop, but they still have something to play for.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

UC’s McGowan Exiting Proudly (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Gentry Plays With Bum Ankle (Cincinnati Post)
Seton Hall vs Cincinnati Preview (Star-Ledger)
Seton Hall-Cincinnati Scouting Report (Courier News)

Seton Hall snapped an 8-game Big East losing streak when they beat South Florida over the weekend. The Pirates were off to a surprising start at 3-2 in the Big East, but once the meat of their schedule got started, the losses piled up. The Pirates are very guard-oriented and are not one of the best shooting teams. They rely on pressuring the ball and pushing the tempo with their perimeter players attacking the basket and hoping that Jamar Nutter is on from the perimeter. In the Big East, not having much of a threat inside is a tough way to live.

Cincinnati continues to limp home down the stretch. The storie program is mired in its longest losing streak in more than 80 years. With only two seniors to honor tonight, it is unlikely that the senior night festivities will really bump up the emotional level as the fans bid farewell to Cedric McGowan and Ronald Allen, both have been here for just two seasons.

Cincinnati is a slight (-2) home favorite tonight and the Pirates have yet to win away from home in conference play. It is the law of averages, look for the Bearcats to put an inspired effort, if just for one night, and use their athletic ability to match-up with the Pirates and scratch out a win. It will be a tight game and I like this Pirate group. Both coaches will have their players playing hard, but th ehome team has just a little more lift tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Cincinnati 67 Seton Hall 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Providence @ South Florida

February 28, 2007

Providence heads south to meet the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday night in a Big East Conference match-up. The Friars need to rebound from a tough home loss to Syracuse on Saturday that has put their NCAA Tournament chances in grave condition. Road wins to finish the conference schedule against South Florida and St. John’s will not necessarily put them in any better position, but it will give them some hope as they head to Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament next week.

At South Florida, they are winding down their second season in the Big East without hope for the post-season. The Bulls have already been eliminated from qualifying for the Big East Tournament and are wrapping up their season.

Here is the lone pregame article currently found on the internet:

Friars Need to be Driven in Last Two Road Tests (Providence Journal)

Providence is a 3.5-pt road favorite tonight as they look to earn their 8th conference win against the 3-11 (Big East) Bulls. Neither team is very deep, but the Friars have more talent. They are led by their excellent inside-out duo of Sharaud Curry and Herbert Hill. Curry, in Big East games, averaged 15.2 PPG which ranks 8th in the conference. Hill averages a league-best 18.9 PPG in conference action and is 2nd in the league averaging 9.6 rebounds and his 57.8% shooting percentage ranks 3rd in the Big East. Rugged sophomore forward Geoff McDermott is in the top 5 in both rebounding and assists in league play and sophomore guard Weyinmi Efejuku is among the top 30 scorers in league play with just over 12 PPG. So, the Friars definitely have some productive players.

South Florida has a big man in the middle themselves in Kentrell Gransberry who averages 15 PPG and a league-leading 10.6 rebounds in conference action. His girth against Hill’s length and athletic ability will be a match-up to watch. The Friars like to push the tempo, so Gransberry will have to avoid picking up fouls trying to prevent Hill from beating him downt he floor for easy baskets. Gransberry is also aided by the presence of Chris Howard who is finally healhty and leading the Big East in assists (5.83/game) since returning from a knee injury that kept him out of action for his first year and a half as a Bull. Seniors Melvin Buckley (14.1 PPG) and McHugh Mattis (13.6 PPG) also ranks among the top 20 in scoring during Big East games and Mattis adds 7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks a contest as well.

Neither team expects to get much from the rest of their line-up, but the Friars are deeper with Brian McKenzie and Jonathan Kale having some good games of late. The Bulls still do not quite seem ready to put things together, but they are deeper than at anytime this season. Unfortunately, they just do not seem to be playing up to their level of talent. That could be because of all the players going in and out of their line-up, but they continue to be out of sync on most nights.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Providence 68 South Florida 62

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

February 27, 2007

Syracuse put a stamp on their NCAA Tournament resume as they are starting to gel as we gear up for the Big East Tournament next week at Madison Square Garden. The Orange won their 5th straight last night as the ended Georgetown’s 11-game winning streak, sending seniors Terrence Roberts, Darryl Watkins, Matt Gorman and Demetris Nichols off as winers in their Carrier Dome finale.

Pittsburgh will look to do the same tonight for seniors Aaron Gray, Antonio Graves, Levon Kendall and Doyle Hudson in their home finale while West Virginia will look to make a statement on their tournament resume. Pittsburgh has lost their last two home finales.

Around the league, Connecticut is still looking to play a complete game, whether it is when they get some offensive life or when their defense is dominating, something tends to come up short. As Rick Pitino is fully aware, that is life with a young team that has expectations set too high by early and unreasonable rankings. Louisville has shown Caracter as freshman Derrick Caracter has come ‘Myles’ wih hard work. Cincinnati is limping him, Marvin Gentry moreso than others. UC senior hopes to have more than a dollar with his dream. Marquette looks to right their ship. Jamar Nutter contemplates his future and a new future home looks to be imminent for Seton Hall.

To read these articles and more, click ‘Read More!‘ below.

Last Night’s Game:

Syracuse 72 Georgetown 58
After 11 cosecutive wins, the Hoyas’ Streak comes to an End (Washington Times) as It’s Carrier Doom for Georgetown (Washington Post) in their 72-58 loss at Syracuse.

It was a Big Dance Step (Syracuse Post-Standard) for Syracuse who pulled away in the last 8 minutes of the game behind a timely barrage of 3-pters from Demetris Nichols (22 points) and Andy Rautins (13 pts) and a basket by Darryl Watkins (9 pts, 8 rebounds) in a 14-0 run to stretch a 47-46 lead into a 61-46 advantage. Eric Devendorf added 11 pts and 11 assists and Paul Harris added 11 points off the bench. Senior Terrence Roberts battled through an injury to post 6 pts and 6 rebounds and Roberts Was Emotional in Dome Finale (Syracuse Post-Standard) as he soaked up the atmopshere after the game as a throng of Syracuse fans stormed the court to celebrate the victory and NCAA clinching win with fellow seniors (Roberts) Nichols, Watkins and Matt Gorman.

With it being senior night at the Dome and Georgetown coming off a similar emotional taxing victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday, it was a perfect set-up to see the 11-game Hoyas win streak end. Kudos to Syracuse for making the plays to take advantage of their opportunity and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

TONIGHT’S GAME:
Like Syracuse, West Virginia is in desperate mode for a big win. However, the Mountaineers need it worse and will face a tougher task as they need to get the win on the road, at Pittsburgh. It will be senior night at the Peterson Events Center and the Panther faithful will be sending off Aaron Gray, Antonio Graves, Levon Kendall and Doyle Hudson. There is some uncertainty surrounding Gray’s status for the game, but for all the links to the pregame stories and previews, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, please visit either our West Virginia Team Page or our Pittsburgh Team Page.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Their 76-69 loss to Louisville on Sunday had a Familiar Refrain for the UConn Huskies (New Haven Register). However, some positives have evolved of late, like Jerome Dyson becoming a consistent scoring threat and the Huskies received more of a complete offensive effort on Sunday, but as soon as the offense seemed to hit a stride, the defense broke down and Louisville scored on every key possession down the stretch…ahhhhh…youth…

Adam Zagoria has an item on his blog where Louisville Shows Caracter, led by the resurgence of Fanwood, NJ native Derrick Caracter. He also links an excellent article from earlier this month in the Louisville Courier-Journal where Caracter talks about his relationship with UL basketball strength coach Ellis Myles and how Caracter is Better by Myles.

Jerry Carino of the Courier News caught up with Jamar Nutter of Seton Hall and learned that Nutter is Undecided About Returning Next Season. Nutter sat out his freshman season due to academic concerns, but is on target to get that season back as he is 21 credits shy of graduation. He is listed as a junior, but has been at SHU for four years. Nutter also gives his thoughts on Seton Hall’s impending move from Continental Airlines Arena to the Prudential Center in downtown Newark.

For more on the possibility of a move by Seton Hall out of Continental Airlines Arena, see Tom Luicci’s article from Saturday: Seton Hall Planning Continental Airlines Departure (Star-Ledger).

Keith Sargeant of the Courier News hands out his Big East player awards for the season in his Big East notebook as Pittsburgh’s Gray, Georgetown’s Green, Hibbert Vie for Big East MVP. I think a case can certainly be made for Demetris Nichols as well, but that is my opinion.

The Cincinnati Bearcats season will come to an end this weekend and Marvin Gentry will undergo surgery next week to fix a bone spur in his right foot. Gentry is Playign Through Pain (Cincinnati Enquirer) and can hardly practice.

As he prepares for his last home game at Cincinnati, Ronald Allen still has a dream as the seldon-used center believes in himself and his chance at a professional career. Allen’s NBA dream Still Alive (Cincinnati Enquirer) despite playing just seven minutes in the last 11 games for the worst team in the conference.

Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel offers his Weekly Golden Eagles Report for slumping Marquette.

Rick Pitino and his young Louisville Cardinals have hit their stride. However, Pitino knows it is not that easy and seeing the struggles at Connecticut are familiar to him and Pitino Knows it is a Class Struggle for UConn (Hartford Courant) and their early rankings definitely made things tougher.

TUESDAY BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW

February 27, 2007

The NBE Blogger got the outright winner last night as he called it right on the Syracuse upset over Georgetown. The game was a perfect set-up for the Orange and to their credit, they took full advantage and hit the big shots late in the game.

Tonight, Pittsburgh and West Virginia meet in a big game for each team. West Virginia could be fighting for the NCAA Tournament lives. Pittsburgh is in the NCAA Tournament, now they are playign for seeding and with the Georgetown loss last night, they control their own fate for at least a share of the regular season Big East Championship.

For all the links to the pregame stories and previews, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, please check out either our West Virginia or Pittsburgh Team Page.

If you have ESPNU, enjoy the game…

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Pittsburgh

February 27, 2007

The Backyard Brawl between Pittsburgh and West Virginia meets for Act II on the hardwood tonight when the Mountaineers travel north to take on the Panthers. Pittsburgh won their earlier meeting this season at Morgantown, 60-47, when Sam Young scored a career-high 21 pts off the bench. Tonight, the Pittsburgh fans will converge on the Peterson Events Center one last time to send-off seniors Aaron Gray, Antonio Graves, Levon Kendall and Doyle Hudson. West Virginia will hope to dampen the party by making it rain threes.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning:

Anatomy of Gray’s Climb from Obscurity (Charleston Gazette)
Well-Rested Mountaineers Seek Revenge at Pittsburgh (Register-Herald)
A Tough Task for Pete’s Sake (Charleston Gazette)
Pitt Keeping Title Hopes Alive (Tribune-Democrat)
Panthers Learn Lesson (Beaver County Times)
Match-up: West Virginia @ Pitt (Tribune-Review)
Pitt Seniors Bid Farewell to Peterson Events Center (Tribune-Review)
Panthers Try to Solve Shooting, Defensive Problems (Post-Gazette).

Pittsburgh, a 9-pt favorite tonight, saw their chances to share the Big East Regular Season title greatly enhanced on Monday night with Syracuse knocking off Georgetown. However, they need to take care of business against their rivals from West Virginia tonight in what will be an emotionally charged Peterson Events Center. When West Virginia comes to town, the Pittsburgh fans will be ready, and tonight, they will be saying farewell to seniors Aaron Gray, Antonio Graves, Levon Kendall and Doyle Hudson, a senior class with 100 wins in their four years.

West Virginia has seen their hopes for a return to the NCAA Tournament put in limbo with their inability to win away from home and lack of quality wins. They only have one win against a Big East team (DePaul) with a current winning record in the conference. Their lone marquee out of conference win was impressive, beating UCLA at home earlier this month, but the Bruins were without their starting point guard. So, after a week off after a loss to Providence, where the Mountaineers shot 9-41 on three-pointers in a 64-61 loss, the Mountaineers will be a desperate bunch playing for their March lives when they come to Pittsburgh tonight.

The Panthers have shown some vulnerability of late, losing two of their last four, including a home loss to Louisville. The Panthers have also not won by more than six points since their win at West Virginia 20 days ago. Pittsburgh’s offense has been inconsistent, at best, of late as their one-time league leading 3-pt shooting percentage in league play has dropped to 38%, which still leads the league, yet is down from the 43% that it was a few weeks ago. The Panthers are also slowed by the severly sprained ankle of their big man, Aaron Gray. The 7-footer gutted through 21 minutes of play in their 61-53 loss at Georgetown on Saturday, scoring 10 pts, but he was obviosuly not close to 100%. It is doubtful that he will be 100% tonight, and is questionable if he will play. Battling the WVU 1-3-1 zone, having that big body to anchor inside is a huge advantage for the Panthers. They have also found good luck with Sam Young on the baseline using his athleticism to score over the 1-3-1 defense.

West Virginia will need to shoot the 3-ball effecively and slow Pitt inside to have a chance to night. Coming off a 9-41 effort beyond the arc at Providence is not encouraging, but the Mountaineers have had a week off to regroup and get their touch back. Darris Nichols will look to run the show and get Frank Young and Alex Ruoff the ball in position to light it up from beyond the arc. Joe Alexander and Da’Sean Butler will try to slash to the basket and keep defenses honest with their ability to hit from beyond the arc, but if they are not hitting a high percentage, Pitt will just grind out the game and pull away late.

Pittsburgh is not playing their best and with Gray definitely limited, if playing, this game might be a tad closer than expected. Pitt should still get the win, but the dangerous shooting of the Mountaineers will likely make it closer at times with a few flurries of 3’s, but overall, too much Pitt.

NBE Blogger Preview: Pittsburgh 68 West Virginia 61

BIG EAST BLOGGERS WEEKLY POWER POLL

February 26, 2007

For the first time all season, Pittsburgh does not sit atop our Power Poll and Georgetown received all 18 1st place votes this week and easily outdistanced Pitt for the #1 spot. Louisville also made up some ground on the Panthers as well.

Every Monday during the season we will release a weekly power poll with everyone’s votes as well as our awards for Big East player of the week and Big East freshman of the week. We also have a new expanded notebook section of the weekly report where we look back at the week that was and ahead for the week in the Big East conference.

Here are the regular sites that contributed on today’s poll:

HoyaSaxa.com
BlueDemonsNation.com
Marquette Basketball Cracked Sidewalks
The Bracket Blog @ Bracketography
RAC ‘Em up
BigEastCountry.com
Black & Green ND Basketball Blog
Big East Basketball Report Blog
i95Ballerz.com
PittBlather.com
Troy Nunes is a Magician (Syracuse) Blog
ND Nation Notes from the Geetar
The Big EZ Show
WVU BlueGoldNews.com
Card Chronicle
No More Spin Sports
Villanoa Viewpoint
SPK, frequent contributor to the Seton Hall Rivals and Scout sites.

Other Regular Contributors Missing This Week:
JW Hoops Blog at Draftexpress.com
St. John’s Basketball Blog
Just Call Me Juice Sports Blog
True Sports Fans Blog

As always, if you have a site related to college basketball or the Big East, send us an e-mail ([email protected]) with a link and you will be added to the list of contributors to the polls in the future.

One of our favorite sports writers around the Big East is Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal. As a life-long Providence native and graduate of Syracuse Univesity, McNamara has certainly seen his share of the Big East. As a college basketball writer for the past 18 seasons, many have become very familiar with his work. He has recently released a book on the Big East called Basketball Warfare that should be well received among all Big East fans. To learn more about the book, click here: Basketball Warfare.

If any Big East fans (or college basketball fans) want to play fantasy basketball this season, check out Coast 2 Coast Fantasy College Basketball and click on ther ‘Play Fantasy Basketball’ link on their menu. Everything is free this year as they launch their product. Once I get settled this week, I will be looking at it more and trying to get some action started!

Click below to see the poll results and read our weekly conference notebook.

Click on ‘Read More’ below to view the rest of the article.

This Week’s Poll (first place votes in parenthesis):

1) Georgetown (18): 288 pts.
2) Pittsburgh: 267 pts.
3) Louisville: 252 pts.
4) Notre Dame: 233 pts.
5) Marquette: 208 pts.
6) Syracuse: 193 pts.
7) West Virginia: 184 pts.
Villanova: 167 pts.
9) DePaul: 142 pts.
10) Providence: 135 pts.
11) Connecticut: 109 pts.
12) St. John’s: 87 pts.
13) Seton Hall: 72 pts.
14) South Florida: 52 pts.
15) Rutgers: 38 pts.
16) Cincinnati: 18 pts.

Player of the Week: Jeff Green, Georgetown

Freshman of the Week: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

——————————————————-
Poll of February 20th (first place votes in parenthesis):

1) Pittsburgh (10): 235 pts.
2) Georgetown (5): 230 pts.
3) Louisville: 202 pts.
4) Marquette: 183 pts.
5) West Virginia: 179 pts.
6) Notre Dame: 166 pts.
7) Villanova: 151 pts.
Syracuse: 135 pts.
9) DePaul: 129 pts.
10) Providence: 114 pts.
11) Connecticut: 84 pts.
12) St. John’s: 76 pts.
13) Seton Hall: 60 pts.
14) South Florida: 49 pts.
15) Rutgers: 30 pts.
16) Cincinnati: 16 pts.

———————————————-

BIG EAST CONFERENCE RPI RATINGS & SOS

February 26, 2007

Using the NCAA calculation for their Ratings Percentage Index, I have calculated the conference RPI of all 16 teams based solely on conference play and results. With the unbalanced schedule calling for teams to play some twice and some not at all, I thought it would be an interesing look at how the teams stack up in the conference. Ratings will fluctuate greatly over the next few weeks, but we will update these on every Monday and Friday throughout the regular season. These are through the games of Thursday, February 25th.

For an explanation of how RPI Ratings and the SOS is calculated, here is a link to the RealtimeRPI site and their RPI/FAQ. Remember, these calculations are ONLY based on Big East play within the conference.

….TEAM………..CONFERENCE RPI………CONF SOS….SOS RANK
Georgetown————-.5827——————.4912———-12
Pittsburgh—————.5765——————.5119———-5
Louisville—————-.5624——————.5031———-8
Marquette—————.5511——————.5271———-2
Notre Dame————-.5472——————.4906———-13
Villanova—————-.5323——————.5430————1
Syracuse—————-.5217——————.4784———-14
DePaul——————.5216——————.5109————-6
West Virginia———-.5021——————.4720———-15
Providence————-.4842——————.4913———-11
Connecticut————.4780——————.4976————-9
St. John’s—————-.4751——————.5048————7
South Florida———-.4248——————.5147————4
Seton Hall—————.4230——————.4951———-10
Cincinnati—————.4056——————.5257————3
Rutgers——————.3881——————.4547———-16

Additional Notes:
- Home teams are 74-41 in Big East play, good for a .643 winning clip.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

February 26, 2007

Louisville continued their impressive play by answering Connecticut’s challenge down the stretch yesterday and added another road win to their late-season resume. St. John’s hosted Duke in an out of conference match-up in a game that got ugly in many ways.

Tonight, Georgetown hopes to clinch at least a tie for the Big East regular season title when they travel to Syracuse. The Orange hope to send off their senior class with a big win.

Notre Dame and Marquette staged an emotional game on Saturday. The win for the Irish means the NIT is just a memory for their returning players. Providence made things much more difficult themselves with a home loss to SU over the weekend. Cincinnati’s skid reaches 10 games, the longest in a LONG time. Louisville is a team that has grown up a lot, and not just the freshmen. West Virginia’s top frosh, Da’Sean Butler, is having an impressive 1st year by WVU standards and the Mountaineers prepare for an agry Pittsburgh team that sees its hopes for a regular season title slip away in their loss to Georgetown over the weekend. aaron Gray’s injured ankle will be a factor in their remaining games and could be taken into account when their NCAA seeding is determined.

Later this afternoon we will post our updated Big East RPI and SOS ratings as well as our Big East Bloggers Power Poll later on.

To read these articles and more, click ‘Read More!‘ below.

YESTERDAY’S GAMES:

LOUISVILLE 76 CONNECTICUT 69
Derrick Caracter’s 16 points in 20 minutes proved the Big Man is Back (Connecticut Post) as the Cohesive Cardinals Fend off Connecticut (Louisville Courier-Journal), 76-69 for a road victory. Terrence Williams led UL with 17 pts, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals as UConn’s Bid for Big Win Shot down by Louisville (Hartford Courant) down the stretch after the Huskies ralled from 11 down to tie the game at 60. Jerome Dyson (23 pts) tied the game for UConn with about four minutes left but the Cardinals answered with points on eight straight possessions and the Cardinals Finish UConn in Final Minutes (Connecticut Post).

Duke 67 St. John’s 50
St. John’s managed just 10 points in the entire 1st half as they had their doors blown off on their home court in a non-conference match-up with Duke of the ACC in a Disgraceful Showing (NY Post) which included one technical, instigating two double tecnhicals and the crowd was asseses a ‘T’ for throwing objects onto the court. Lamont Hamilton led St. John’s with 17 points but the Johnnies Were Off the Spot (NY Daily News) all afternoon as the Storm Was Buried by Halftime (Newsday), trailing 34-10 after committing more turnovers (11) than points scored in the first half. St. John’s is still in the drvier’s seat for the last Big East Tournament spot at Madison Square Garden and clinches the 12th spot with either their next win or the next Seton Hall loss. The way St. John’s has looked in their last two ‘efforts’, they better hope the Seton Hall loss comes soon.

TONIGHT’S GAME:
Syracuse will try to send off their senior class with a big win as the Orange will host 1st place Georgetown tonight at the Carrier Dome for a Big Monday match-up. For all the pregame stories and previews, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, you can visit either our Georgetown Team Page or our Syracuse Team Page.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
While emotions ran high yesterday in the St. John’s/Duke game, on Saturday Emotions Ran High for Irish and Golden Eagles (South Bend Tribune) in a physical contest that had its share of technicals, jawwing, bumping and a Tom Crean temper-tantrum while he played keep away with the ball from the officials. The victory for the Irsh has made the NIT Just a Memory for Notre Dame (South Bend Tribune) seniors Colin Falls and Russell Carter, as well as the resot of their returning players.

With Saturday’s loss to DePaul by Cincinnati, the Bearcats’ Skid Reaches 10 Games (Cincinnati Post), the longest losing streak in more than 80 years for UC!

Much improved play of late has shown not only the Big East, but many around the country, that the Young Cardinals Are Growing Up (Louisville Courier-Journal) as Louisville continued their hot streak yesterday hitting the clutch shots to shoot down Connecticut. Terrence William’s game has also matured and the new ‘T-Will’ has become the team leader as only a sohomore.

Freshman Da’Sean Butler is averaging 10 PPG and 3.6 rebounds a game in his first season at West Virginia. The New Jersey native Butler Ranks Among All-Time Rookie Greats (Register-Herald) at WVU. The Mountaineers will need a big game from him and to find their shooting touch in a hurry to have a chance to earn a road victory tomorrow night when WVU Faces the Angry Panthers (Register-Herald) in Pittsburgh.

Providence let a golden opportunity to impress members of the NCAA Selection Committee slip away on Saturday when they lost a home contest to Syracuse, 71-67. The loss leaves PC Facing a Difficult Road to Tourney (Providence Journal) with a 17-10 overall record and 7-7 Big East mark. The Friars finish with a road game at South Florida and a home date with St. John’s. A loss in either would mean the friars have to win the Big East tournament to receive a bid, but neither game offers an attention-getter victory to their resume. They may still need a deep run in the Big East Tournament next week.

Aaron Gray’s Injury Shouldn’t Affect Pitt’s Seeding (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), but it will still be difficult for Pitt to hold onto a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament as it stands right now. Of course, winning the Big East Tournament would definitely push the Panthers back up a line, but with a hobbled Gray, that is a tall order. Gray definitely expects to play Tuesday when Pitt hosts WVU on ‘Senior Night’, but Saturday’s loss leaves Panthers With Little Hope For Regular Season Title (Post-Gazette).

BIG MONDAY GAME PREVIEW

February 26, 2007

A classic Big East rivalry is on display tonight with Georgetown travelling to Syracuse for a late-season match-up in the Carrier Dome. For the Orange it is senior night and there is nothing they would like more than to delay Georgetown from clinching at least a tie for the Big East regular season championship.

Over the weekend, the NBE Blogger was 5-1 in picking games outright, running his YTD record in Big East games to 78-25 (76%). He split, 3-3, those six games against the spread for a YTD record in conference action of 54-44-5 (55%) against the posted number.

For all the links to the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this morning, you can check out either our Georgetown Team Page or our Syracuse Team Page.

Enjoy the game!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Syracuse

February 26, 2007

It is Big Monday, late in February and Georgetown travels to Syracuse for a meaningful Big East Conference showdown. There is even a #33 on the court for Georgetown by the name of Ewing and a Thompson on the sideline. While it may not be for the Big East championship, the Syracuse Orange would love nothing better to send off their four seniors with a memorable final home game and put any clinching victory for Georgetown on hold for a few days.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

SU Looks to Extend Streak (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
Tough Road Schedule Steels Georgetown (Washington Post)
Hoyas, Orange on Tap Tonight (Washington Times)
Senior Moments (Syracuse Post-Standard)
More Work Ahead for SU (Syracuse Post-Standard)

Georgetown is coming off a hard-fought 61-53 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon that pushed the Hoyas win streak to 11 games and moved them into sole possession of 1st place in the conference. Georgetown rallied from an 8-pt defecit in the last 12 minutes and outscored Pitt 12-4 in the last 3 and a half minutes to earn the win. Now, they have to re-focus and head to Syracuse where the Orange will be waiting.

Syracuse has won four in a row to move to 9-5 in the Big East. The Orange know that a win tonight will help ease any Selection Sunday concerns. It also marks the final home game for Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins, Terrence Roberts and Matt Gorman. The Syracuse senior class might have not always lived up to expectations, but they have been putting together a solid run at the end of the season and sending the Dome crowd into a frenzy in their last home game would be an appropriate send-off.

Georgetown will test the Syracuse frontcourt. The Orange have the height and athletic ability to match up with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, but Georgetown is deeper with Vernon Macklin and Patrick Ewing jr off the bench. Syracuse will look to continue their solid shooting, especially with Nichols, but the Orange have been getting a big lift from Andy Rautins beyond the arc. The sophomore scored 19 at Providence, hitting five of nine from beyond the arc, and is averaging over 15 PPG in this stretch. If he is providing Syracuse with an outside compliment to Nichols, allowing Eric Devendorf to slash to the hoop, Syracuse could be tough.

Georgetown is a 3.5-pt favorite over the Orange, but their 11-game win streak will certainly be put to the test tonight. In fact, I think it comes to an end as this is a tough spot for Georgetown to pick themselves back up as emotionally as they were on Saturday against a team that will be charged up from the get-go.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 67 Georgetown 63

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Syracuse

February 26, 2007

It is Big Monday, late in February and Georgetown travels to Syracuse for a meaningful Big East Conference showdown. There is even a #33 on the court for Georgetown by the name of Ewing and a Thompson on the sideline. While it may not be for the Big East championship, the Syracuse Orange would love nothing better to send off their four seniors with a memorable final home game and put any clinching victory for Georgetown on hold for a few days.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

SU Looks to Extend Streak (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
Tough Road Schedule Steels Georgetown (Washington Post)
Hoyas, Orange on Tap Tonight (Washington Times)
Senior Moments (Syracuse Post-Standard)
More Work Ahead for SU (Syracuse Post-Standard)

Georgetown is coming off a hard-fought 61-53 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon that pushed the Hoyas win streak to 11 games and moved them into sole possession of 1st place in the conference. Georgetown rallied from an 8-pt defecit in the last 12 minutes and outscored Pitt 12-4 in the last 3 and a half minutes to earn the win. Now, they have to re-focus and head to Syracuse where the Orange will be waiting.

Syracuse has won four in a row to move to 9-5 in the Big East. The Orange know that a win tonight will help ease any Selection Sunday concerns. It also marks the final home game for Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins, Terrence Roberts and Matt Gorman. The Syracuse senior class might have not always lived up to expectations, but they have been putting together a solid run at the end of the season and sending the Dome crowd into a frenzy in their last home game would be an appropriate send-off.

Georgetown will test the Syracuse frontcourt. The Orange have the height and athletic ability to match up with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green, but Georgetown is deeper with Vernon Macklin and Patrick Ewing jr off the bench. Syracuse will look to continue their solid shooting, especially with Nichols, but the Orange have been getting a big lift from Andy Rautins beyond the arc. The sophomore scored 19 at Providence, hitting five of nine from beyond the arc, and is averaging over 15 PPG in this stretch. If he is providing Syracuse with an outside compliment to Nichols, allowing Eric Devendorf to slash to the hoop, Syracuse could be tough.

Georgetown is a 3.5-pt favorite over the Orange, but their 11-game win streak will certainly be put to the test tonight. In fact, I think it comes to an end as this is a tough spot for Georgetown to pick themselves back up as emotionally as they were on Saturday against a team that will be charged up from the get-go.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 67 Georgetown 63

SATURDAY BIG EAST GAME PREVIEWS

February 24, 2007

An exciting day ahead in the Big East, highlighted by Pittsburgh travelling to Georgetown in a game that could decide the Big East championship. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Aaron Gray is likely to be very limited with a sprained ankle.

The NBE Blogger is 5-0 this week in picking games outright (after sitting on Monday’s action) and 3-2 against the spread. Below are his quick thoughts on Saturday’s action:

Cincinnati @ DePaul
The Blue Demons are 11.5-pt favorites in this battle of former C-USA rivals. The Bearcats are limping home this year and DePaul should have a little fire in their belly after being drubbed by Notre Dame this week.

NBE Blogger Prediction: DePaul 71 Cincinnati 60

Pittsburgh @ Georgetown
The conference’s two best teams from day one square off with identical 11-2 conference marks this afternoon. Pittsburgh won their earlier meeting in Pittsburgh and will look for the sweep, but will likely have to do it with preseason Big East Player of the Year Aaron Gray being slowed by an injured ankle. Georgetown has won 10 straight since losing to Pitt and they are clicking in all areas right now. They are a 7-pt favorite at home and without Gray at 100% matching up with Roy Hibbert, they should win #11.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 71 Pittsburgh 63

Syracuse @ Providence
Here is a very interesting game as Providence looks to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with their last chance for a statement win. Not that beating an unranked Orange squad at home is a statement, but it will put some seperation between themselves and Syracuse on the bubble. Syracuse is a definite bubble team, adding a road win here would go a long way in making them a team on the right side of the bubble. PC is a 2.5-pt favorite and they match up very well in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Providence 73 Syracuse 70

Marquette @ Notre Dame
The Irish look to complete a perfect season at home, but probably face their toughest test when Marquette visits South Bend on Saturday. The Irish are 5.5-pt favorites, but will have to contend with the lethan MU backcourt. With a sellout crowd looking to send the Irish seniors off as winners, look for the Irish to pull out a tight win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Notre Dame 72 Marquette 69

Rutgers @ Villanova
The Scarlet Knights were eliminated from any chance of a post-season with their loss to Connecticut on Wednesday. Villanova has lost two straight to drop to 6-7 in the conference and can not afford to mis-step down the stretch. The 16.5-pt favored Wildcats should cruise.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 81 Rutgers 63

South Florida @ Seton Hall
This could be South Florida’s best shot at a road win in their bried Big East history. However, Seton Hall has played a bit better of late and will look break their losing streak in conference play by forcing USF to turnover the ball. Look for the Pirates to take out some of their frustrations and get a win as 5.5-pt favorites.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Seton Hall 68 South Florida 62

Enjoy the games and let me know what you think will happen today!

BIG EAST CONFERENCE RPI RATINGS

February 23, 2007

Using the NCAA calculation for their Ratings Percentage Index, I have calculated the conference RPI of all 16 teams based solely on conference play and results. With the unbalanced schedule calling for teams to play some twice and some not at all, I thought it would be an interesing look at how the teams stack up in the conference. Ratings will fluctuate greatly over the next few weeks, but we will update these on every Monday and Friday throughout the regular season. These are through the games of Thursday, February 19th.

For an explanation of how RPI Ratings and the SOS is calculated, here is a link to the RealtimeRPI site and their RPI/FAQ. Remember, these calculations are ONLY based on Big East play within the conference.

….TEAM………..CONFERENCE RPI………CONF SOS….SOS RANK
Pittsburgh—————.5714——————.4942———-10
Georgetown————-.5683——————.4741———-14
Louisville—————-.5623——————.5116———-7
Marquette—————.5544——————.5220———-5
Notre Dame————-.5477——————.4969————9
Villanova—————-.5394——————.5605————1
DePaul——————.5299——————.5292————-2
Syracuse—————-.5134——————.4811———-13
West Virginia———-.5016——————.4712———-15
Providence————-.4973——————.4858———-12
Connecticut————.4835——————.4872————-11
St. John’s—————-.4737——————.5029————8
South Florida———-.4356——————.5262————3
Seton Hall—————.4263——————.5138————6
Cincinnati—————.4049——————.5240————4
Rutgers——————.3874——————.4508———-16

Additional Notes:
- Home teams are 69-39 in Bog East play, good for a .639 winning clip.

- Villanova, DePaul, Cincinnati, Seton Hall and Pittsburgh have faced the toughest home schedules to date.

- Notre Dame is the only undefeated team at hom in the conference and they have the best home RPI to date, followed by DePaul West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

- South Florida, Villanova, Providence, Seton Hall and Marquette have faces the toughest road schedules.

- Pittsburgh remains the only unbeaten team on the road in Big East play. Pitt has the #1 road RPI, followed by Louisville, Marquette and Villanova.

- How much of a drain is it to have Cincinnati on your schedule twice? Without the Bearcats, Georgetown would have the 6th toughest Big East schedule to date and the best RPI. With the 1-12 Bearcats on the slate twice, their Big East SOS is 14th among 16 teams and their RPI checks in behind Pittsburgh in 2nd place.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

February 22, 2007

Georgetown took care of business last night on the road to set up Saturday’s big game with Pittsburgh. After a slow start, Georgetown took control of the game and pulled away from Cincinnati. Louisville continued to play well as they battered a listless St. John’s club. Hopefully the Redstorm play A LOT better this weekend when they host Duke. Connecticut clinched its spot in the big East Tournament with a 10-pt win at Rutgers, ending any chance of Rutgers earning a trip to Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament.

Around the league, Aaron Gray is still in a boot and neither he nor his teammates practiced yesterday. Selection Sunday is going to be an interesting day for several Big East teams. Parity has dominated the league and it will have to be sorted out in order to decide who is in and who is out of the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse is 19-8, but seems to be universally dismissed when talking about ‘Bracketology’ today. Is John Beilein the Big East Coach of the Year? Notre Dame has an opportunity to make Selection Sunday a very enjoyable experience with a win on Saturday.

To read these articles and more, click ‘Read More!‘ below.

LAST NIGHT’S GAMES:

Georgetown 75 Cincinnati 65
Cincinnati game out strong, hitting their first 5 shots from 3-pt range and having a lead of 24-14 and things looked even better when Jeff Green went to the bench with 2 fouls. Green had scored nine of the Hoyas first 14 points and would not return for the last 8+ minutes of the opening half. However, UC’s Best Not Good Enough (Cincinnati Enquirer) as Jonathan Wallace and freshmen Jeremiah Rivers and Da’Juan Summers keyed a 23-7 run to end the 1st half with Green on the bench.

Jeff Green led Georgetown with 21 pts and Wallace added 17 and Jesse Sapp 14. Roy Hibbert was held in check (7 pts) as the Bearcats Win a Battle, But Lose the War (Cincinnati Post) to 12th ranked Georgetown, 75-65. Freshman Deonta Vaughn led UC with 19 pts, but shot just 5-21 from the floor.

After the slow start, Red-Hot Georgetown Rolls to 10th Straight (Washington Post) and sets up Saturday’s match-up with Pittsburgh as a showdown for 1st place.

Louisville 72 St. John’s 48
Not the kind of progress that St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts wants to see late in the season as the Johnnies lay an Egg in Louisville (NY Post), being blown out 72-48 on national TV. After a pair of high-profile wins on the road, the Louisville Cards Swarm the Redstorm and Avoid a Letdown (Lexington Herald-Leader) in earning their 20th win of the season.

Playing without Juan Palacios, the Cardinals continued to get strong play from their freshman foursome to show how deep the team is now. One a Weakness, Freshman are Now UL’s Strength (Herald-Leader) as they combined for 31 points last night. Sophomore Terrence Williams led 11 Cardinals in the scoring column with 16 pts.

St. John’s managed to shoot just 15-56 from the field, if you take away Anthony Mason (19 pts) and Lamont Hamilton (12 pts), the other eight Johnnies that saw action combined to shoot 5-30 and score 17 pts, three of which came from walk-on Devin Mayo’s 3-pter just before the buzzer as Louisville Slugs St. John’s (NY Daily News).

Connecticut 65 St. John’s 55
It has not been easy, but last night’s win over Rutgers means that the Connecticut Huskies Earn Berth to Big East Tourney (News Times Live) as Huskies Punch Tourney Ticket (Norwich Bulletin) with a 65-55 win.

On the other end the Season is All But Over for Rutgers (Asbury Park Press) as RU’s Tourney Hopes Quashed in Loss to UConn (NorthJersey.com), meaning there will be no Big East Tournament for the third time in seven years for the Scarlet Knights and a 16th season in a row without a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

UConn made it a Wrap at the RAC (Hartford Courant) with a 21-5 run that finished the 1st half and began the 2nd half to take control of the game. Jerome Dyson once again led the Huskies in scoring with 17 pts and Jeff Adrien added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Rutgers got 15 pts each from JR Inman and Adrian Hill. Senior Marquis Webb finished with 8 points and his 3-pter with 5:01 left in the game meant Webb Joined 1,000-pt Club at Rutgers (Star-Ledger).

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Parity Dominates the Big East (News Times Live) and you can see in the standings that as many as 6 teams could finish 9-7 and be fighing for three NCAA spots between them. Selection Sunday is going to be interesting, but do not be surprised to see someone pull off a surprise or two in the final week and a half!

A sell-out crowd and national television audience will be on-hand Saturday when Notre Dame Has a Chance to Seal It (South Bend Tribune). ‘It’ is a spot in the NCAA Tournament next month and a home win over nationally ranked Marquette would definitely take some of the suspense out of Selection Sunday if the Irish were to stumble. It would also put Notre Dame in pretty good shape for a Big East Tournament bye as well.

Dave Hickman of the Charleston Gazette wants to know How is John Beilein Not Coach of the Year?

Bud Poliquin of the Syracuse Post-Standard wonders Why No Respect for Orange at 19-8?

Still no definitive word on Aaron Gray’s availability for Saturday’s showdown with Georgetown. Yesterday, The Panthers, Gray Get the Day Off (Tribune-Review) from practice. Gray’s ankle remains in a protective boot and he is listed as day-to-day.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

February 21, 2007

Last night Notre Dame got revenge against DePaul in a big way as they routed the Blue Demons in South Bend. West Virginia was ice-cold from 3-pt range and the Friars held on for a home victory to keep their NCAA hopes alive.

Tonight, Georgetown hopes to take a step closer to a league title by taking on Cincinnati on the road. Connecticut looks to end Rutgers’ Big East Tournament hopes and cement their own. Louisville looks to stay hot when they welcome St. John’s to Freedom Hall.

Jamie Dixon’s quick trek to 100 career wins puts him in some impressive company. The Panthers are also trying to join an exclusive group of Big East teams, but the road will be tough. A new book on the 16-team Big East is out on the market and is reviewed below. DaJuan Summers adds some beef to the Georgetown line-up and Eric Silver gives his thoughts on the 16 Big East teams, in a conference that the coaches believe is much better than being given credit for.

To read these articles and more, click ‘Read More!‘ below.

LAST NIGHT’S GAMES:

Colin Falls Makes Amends and a Lot of Points (south Bend Tribune)as he scored all 19 of his points in the 1st half as the Irish raced to a 40-22 lead at the break and Tory Jackson added 13 pts, 9 rebounds and 6 assists as ND moved to 17-0 at home this year and 9-5 on the Big East with a 78-54 win over DePaul. The Blue Demons were hoping for an impressive road win to impress the NCAA Tournament committee but their NCAA Hopes are Scrambled as Demons Lay an Egg (Chicago Sun-Times). DePaul entered the game with Sweep Dreams Turned into a Nightmare (Chicago Tribune) by game’s end as the Demond hoped to upset the Irish for the second time this month and jump them in the standing. Sammy Mejia led DePaul with 17 pts.

When DePaul tried to make a game of it in the second-half, slicing the Irish lead to 12, Tory Jackson Steals the Show (South Bend Tribune) as the Freshman Puts Irish into High Gear (Journal Gazette) with six quick-strike points to restore a comfortable 18-point margin as the Domers Breathing Easier on the Way to March Madness (Journal Gazette).

Providence 64 West Virginia 61
Live by the three, die by the three…what else can you say when you shoot 9-41 from 3-pt range and lose by 3 points on the road? Last night WVU Did Not Have a Shot (Charleston Gazette) as PC Nips Mountaineers (Pawtucket Times) meaning the Friars Have Higher Hopes (Providence Journal) of an NCAA Tournament Bid still.

After being frustrated by WVU’s 1-3-1 zone defense and trailing 31-25 at the break before a sold-out Dunkin Donuts crowd, Providence regrouped and rode Weyinmi Efejuku’s 24-pt performance to a victory. With the team also in need of an energy boost in the 2nd hald, Jonathan Kale’s hard Knocks Provided the Boost (Providence Journal) and gave his teammates some energy.

The Friars only played 6 players last night with Charles Burch out with a back injury, Jamal Barney away from the team for personal reasons, Randall Hanke redshirting and freshman Dwain Williams out with the flu and possible academic issues, according to Coach Tim Welsh.

West Virginia does not play again until next week when they travel to Pittsburgh and head coach John Beilein Says Mountaineers Need the Week Off (Charleston Gazette) as WVU is Headed back to Books (Daily Mail) and basics in preperation for the stretch run.

TONIGHT’S GAMES:
For the links to the pregame stories and previews, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger on tonight’s St. John’s/Louisville game, you can visit either our St. John’s or Louisville team Page.

For the Georgetown/Cincinnati game, be sure to visit either the Georgetown Team Page or our Cincinnati Team Page.

All the information on the UConn/Rutgers game can be found out either our Connecticut our Rutgers Team Page.

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Pittsburgh’s best-even Big East road record is 6-2. The are guaranteed at least of equalling that mark as they are 6-0 this season on the road in conference games. Of course, breaking that mark is going to be tough as Pitt has to go to Georgetown and Marquette to wrap up their road schedule. Nonetheless, Pitt on Road Not Taken Previously By Panthers (Post-Gazette) or many others. Since the inaguaral season in the Big East, when Syracuse, St. John’s and Georgetown all went 3-0 in conference road games (1979-1980), only three Big East teams have finished the season undefeated on the road, the last being the 1998-1999 Connecticut Huskies (9-0). The 1983-1984 Georgetown Hoyas and the 1984-1985 St. John’s Red(men)storm were also 8-0 for the season on the road in Big East play.

Jamie Dixon earned his 100th win at Pitt in 126 games, becoming the fastest to reach 100 to start a coaching career in 27 years since Jim Boeheim reached the mark in 117 games. As Pitt’s Dixon Rises up the Ranks (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) longevity and making his mark in March is left to accomplish, much like it was for Boeheim in those early seasons.

Eric Silver details some Big East Tidbits and Updates for CollegeHoopsNet.

The Big East has taken quite a few shots by many claiming it is a down year in the conference. And, while it certainly is down from last year, some of the Big East bashing is definitely overblown. As expected, the Coaches Say the Big East is Better than People Think (Daily Mail) with 5 teams in the top 25 and many returning for next season, things are only going to get tougher.

Bill Reynolds of the Providence Journal reviews the book written by his colleague, Kevin McNamara, who looks at how the Big East became a 16-team conference as College Basketball’s Upheaval is Chronicled in Basketball Warfare. As we mentioned yesterday, you can find out more of McNamara’s book, including how to get your copy, by following this link: Basketball Warfare.

The Baltimore Sun takes a look at the freshman season of loal product DaJuan Summers out of McDonogh as the 6′8 and 241 pount Summers Beefs Up Georgetown.

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