January 2008

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/31/2008)

It was a busy Wednesday in the Big East and road teams continued to rebound as Syracuse, Georgetown, Cincinnati and Seton Hall brought wins back home with them. Pittsburgh was the only home team to be victories.

For tonight’s game, you can see all the links to the local media previews, our match-up analysis and a prediction from the NBE Blogger by either visiting our Providence Team Page or our Notre Dame Team Page.

We also have more news and notes on the suspensions in the Big East that are causing Connecticut and Syracuse to be short-handed currently. There are also several recruiting news and notes on several schools in the Big East.

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BRIAN CROWNOVER ON THE PHILLY HS BEAT

January 30, 2008

Brian Crownover is the Lead Recruiting Analyst for CAAInsider.com. Based in Philadelphia, look for more contributions from Brian in the future on the Big East Basketball Report. In the last couple weeks he was able to check out a four key local high school contests with several Big East commitments in action and some future conference targets. Here is his report:

Chester 82 Penn Wood 70

Chester

Nasir Robinson (Pitt 2008 Commitment)
Nasir was solid for the Clippers. He ran the floor well and had several nice finishes. I was really impressed with his passing ability as well in this contest. The aggressive wing crashed the boards and drew some contact. He really needs to work on his free throw shooting. With the style he plays he gets to the line so much, but can’t convert and winds up costing himself points. Also discouraging in this game was that Nasir lost his cool after a hard foul and went after the opposition. He wound up with a technical which only helped Penn Wood in their comeback attempt. Nasir is very strong and aggressive, he just needs to work on improving the other areas of his game.

Rahlir Jefferson
Rahlir did very little in the Chester victory. The lanky and athletic forward had a mere 4 points. He did have an impressive transition dunk. He also dished off a nice assists and pulled down some boards. Overall he was very quiet though.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/29/2008)

January 29, 2008

Connecticut pulled out a gutsy win at the XL Center in Hartford last night over Louisville. The Cardinals could not find the shooting range in this one and the UConn size was victorious on the boards and AJ Price stepped up again.

Marquette looks to continue USF’s Big East record of road futility tonight at the Bradley Center.

Lots of recruiting information and reviews of Big east commits from recent events and a list of visitors that West Virginia hosted when Georgetown came to town over the weekend.

The Bob Huggins vs. Cincinnati game has MANY storylines, especially since UC is now coached by a former protege! Pittsburgh kicked the intensity in practice back up a notch. DePaul has scheduling dilemmas that could cost them at NCAA time. Seton Hall is taking advantage of their new home and it looks like Andrew Ott is moving from one school in Pennsylvania to another.

Also today, we update our Big East Conference RPI Ratings. After a crazy week, things have fluctuated greatly since last Friday. We will see how they look again this Friday next.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/28/2008)

January 28. 2008

The recent run of road teams winning a few more games was ended yesterday as Syracuse and Seton Hall held on down the stretch to defeat Providence and Cincinnati.

Tonight, Louisville and Connecticut clash in the Big Monday match-up on ESPN and you can see the links to the local media previews, our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger at either our Louisville Team Page or our Connecitcut Team Page.

Also over the weekend, we had a Big East Recruiting Update on our Connecticut team page as the Huskies have added a late addition to their 2008 class.

Other big news from over the weekend involved the indefinite suspensions of Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins from the UConn team as Police Found the Players With Alcohol on the UConn campus. Neither player was 21. They were not the only guards suspended over the weekend as Syracuse was without a starter due to suspension.

This is Bob Huggins vs Cincinnati week as well as Rutgers/SHU week as this rivalry is getting a little new life. Pittsburgh is on a roller coaster with their lack of depth because of injury but Jamie Dixon expected more effort from his team over the weekend. Also, a few Big East recruiting notes and a player transfers out of a Big East program this weekend.

Later today our weekly Power Poll and notebook will be published.

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BIG MONDAY GAME PREVIEW (1/28/2008)

January 28, 2008

The Big East conference remains topsy-turvy and now the road teams are starting to make some headway. The NBE Blogger had a rough Saturday going 2-3 outright and against the spread. The conference action has had his head spinning and he was down for the count on Sunday and did not find the strength to post his predictions.

He is back for tonight’s Big Monday contest and for all the links to the local media previews, and an update on the UConn suspensions, a brief preview and the NBE Blogger’s prediction, you can visit either our Louisville Team Page or our Connecticut Team Page.

We will run down the conference News and Notes later this morning and have a Big East Blogger’s Power Poll and Notebook late this afternoon!

Thanks for visiting!

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: CONNECTICUT

January 27, 2008

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Scottie Haralson (SG), Jackson (MI)

Projected 2008-2009 Roster:

Seniors: AJ Price (G), Jeff Adrien (F), Craig Austrie (G).
Juniors: Curtis Kelly (BF/C), Jerome Dyson (G), Jonathan Mandeldove (C), Stanley Robinson (F), Doug Wiggins (PG), Gavin Edwards (PF/C), Hasheem Thabeet (C)
Sophomores: Donnell Beverly (G)
Freshmen: Nate Miles (G/F), Kemba Walker (PG), Scottie Haralson (SG)
2009 Commitments: Alex Oriakhi (C), Jamal Coombs (F)

The Nate Miles saga will continue as he tries to gain clearance from the NCAA Clearinghouse to join the Connecticut program either this spring or next fall. In the meantime, Jim Calhoun and the UConn staff gained a commitment Friday from 6’4 guard Scottie Haralson from Jackson (MI) and Provine High School. Provine’s Haralson Commits to UConn (Jackson Clarion Ledger) and was targeted for his ability to shoot the basketball.

For more on Haralson’s commitment and UConn recruiting, please visit our Connecticut Team Page.

Thanks for visiting!

TROUBLE AT UCONN

January 26, 2008

The Connecticut Huskies have a pivotal out of conference match-up today at Indiana but they will be without two of their top three backcourt players as Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins did not join the team for the trip. UConn head coach Jim Calhoun Suspends Dyson, Wiggins Indefinitely (Hartford Courant).

Wiggins was suspended from team activities early this fall for a series of conduct that Calhoun felt did not fit with the overall team concept. Neither player was arrested and grades are not the problem, but apparently there was an incident and the Hall of Fame coach decided on a suspension for the players after Friday’s practice.

BIG EAST SATURDAY GAME PREVIEWS (1/26/2008)

January 26, 2008

It was an up and down week for the NBE Blogger as he was 4-2 picking games outright and 3-3 against the posted Vegas spreads. It is a busy Saturday in the Big East, follow the links below to a brief preview on each league contest and the predicted score by the NBE Blogger:

Notre Dame @ Villanova.
Irish Coach Expects Wildcats are Riled (Inquirer)
Peoples Finally Providing Some Energy for Notre Dame (Chicago Tribune)

St. John’s @ Louisville
St. John’s a Pasty? Don’t Bet on It (Courier-Journal)
Louisville Guards Against Slip-Up (Kentucky.com)

Rutgers @ Pittsburgh
Pitt Not Taking Rutgers Lightly (Tribune-Review)
Freshman Coburn Growing as Season Goes Along (Courier News)
Doubters Motivate Surprising Sam Young (Post-Gazette)

Georgetown @ West Virginia
WVU Will Have Hands Full with Hibbert, Hoyas (Charleston Gazette)
Junior Guard Sapp is Tough All Over for Hoyas (Wash. Post)
Ruoff Back in New Role (Hernando News)

DePaul @ Marquette
McNeal Simply Dominant Defender (Tribune)
Burns Honing in on Marquette (Sun-Times)
DePaul to Test Marquette’s Speed (Daily Herald)
Trouble at Post Position (Journal-Sentinel)

Enjoy the action!

ZAG’S RECRUITING ROUND-UP

January 25, 2008

By ADAM ZAGORIA

The list of nominees for the McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Game on March 26 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee is out and numerous future Big East players are on it.

Twenty-four boys and girls will be chosenfrom a pool of more than 2,500 nominees. Among the New Jersey players nominated are Seton Hall-bound PG Jordan Theodore; Providence-bound F Bilal Dixon of Queen of Peace; Louisville commit Samardo Samuels of St. Benedict’s; the St. Anthony crew of Travon Woodall (Pitt), Mike Rosario (Rutgers) and Tyshawn Taylor (Marquette).

The New York list includes West Virginia commits Darryl “Truck Bryant of St.Raymond and Kevin Jones of Mount Vernon; UConn-bound Kemba Walker of Rice; Syracuse-bound Mookie Jones of Peekskill; and Sean Kilpatrick of White Plains, who put up a tournament-record 44 points Monday at the Big Apple Invitational and is looking at Seton Hall and St. John’s, among others.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/25/2008)

January 25, 2008

It is one of the greatest sports highlights ever. Can you believe It Has Been 20 Years Since Jerome Lane’s Backboard Shattering Dunk (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)!?!? I still remember where I was 20 years ago when I saw it live on TV. ‘Send it in Jerome!’ Just hearing the call and Mike Gorman’s voice brings back A LOT of Big East memories! What a conference!!

What a week for Bobby Gonzalez and his Seton Hall Pirates! Basically, it has been ‘Monumental’, to steal a term Gonzo has used a few times this week. They now have a three-game conference win streak after an IMPRESSIVE road win at Providence last night. It was the Pirates’ first win on the road after 10 previous losses in conference play under Bobby G.

Very, VERY busy day around the league. Lots of articles on the WVU/Georgetown match-up and some not-so-good injury news for the Hoyas. Player articles on Terrence Williams, Draelon Burns, Rashad Bishop and Antonio Pena and some recruiting updates as the late period will likely bring some heated recruiting battles as schools scramble to fill their open scholarships.

Also, below, is our first edition of the 2008 Big East Conference RPI rankings. These calculations take into account ONLY Big East Conference games. The formula is exactly the same as the NCAA’s calculation, but we are only looking at the games played inside the conference. All results through last night are included.

These will become a regular feature every Tuesday and Friday going forward. Stil a small sample of games, so they will fluctuate greatly in the next several weeks.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/24/2008)

January 24, 2008

Last night’s Big East action featured one BIG upset, two laughers and a thrilling ending. The underlying story of the night was three road teams can up with victories in the four games. Seton Hall will hope that trend continues tonight when they travel to play Providence.

The game of the night involving a Big East team might have been West Virginia’s thrilling victory over in-state rival Marshall. It was hard-pressed to top the UConn/Cincy game of last night, but both were classic cliffhangers until the end.

Marquette and Notre Dame have had some time to lick their wounds and kick their tires a little bit. We will see if there is anything different among them this weekend when they are back in action.

Rutgers had some important recruits in the house last night to see their upset win. However, the Scarlet Knights also learned they will be even more short-handed the rest of the way this year.

There is also an obscure Syracuse recruiting note, it is a name we are not familair with, but in the late signing period, you never know…

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THURSDAY BIG EAST GAME PREVIEWS (1/24/2008)

January 24, 2008

The NBE Blogger bucked the trends last night and went 3-1 outright and also 3-1 against the posted Vegas lines. The one game outright he missed was picking Villanova over Rutgers, although it was definitely considered as an upset special. Against the spread he missed UConn/Cincinnait as the Huskies only won by a point.

For the season in Big East action, the NBE Blogger is now 34-13 overall in picking the winner outright and 25-21-1 against the spread.

Will the road team revivial continue in tonight’s load contest?

For links to local media previews, our brief analysis on the game and the NBE Blogger’s prediction on the outcome in the Seton Hall/Providence match-up, you can visit either our Seton Hall Team Page or our Providence Team Page.

We are in the process of putting together today’s News & Notes post with a look back at last night’s action and other notes from around the Big East.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/21/2008)

Connecticut bounced back strongly Sunday with a win over Marquette. West Virginia got a road win at South Florida as they pulled away late, spurred by a ‘last resort’ defensive move by Bob Huggins to slow Kentrell Gransberry inside.

Georgetown and Syracuse renew their rivalry on ESPN’s Big Monday tonight.

Cincinnati’s seeds for upsets were planted last season. A couple Big East commitments shined in action yesterday. Former Pitt Panther Aaron Gray is having a solid rookie season in the NBA.

Late this afternoon we will have our weekly Big East Bloggers Power Poll and Conference Notebook.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/23/2008)

January 23, 2008

Definitely a tad quiet today around the Big East. Tuesday was a rare off day with no games scheduled, but we get back into the action tonight with four conference games on the schedule and a non-league showdown for bragging rights in the state of West Virginia.

For links to local media previews and stories on tonight’s games, as well as our brief preview and a prediction from the NBE Blogger, you can visit either our Pittsburgh Team Page or our St. John’s Team Page for the Pitt/St. John’s game.

For the match-up between Louisville and South Florida, be sure to check out our Louisville Team Page. All the goods on the Villanova/Rutgers match-up can either be found at our Villanova or Rutgers team pages and for insight on the UConn/Cincinnati contest, visit either our Connecticut Team Page or our Cincinnati Team Page.

Maybe someone should tell the NBE Blogger that road teams are 35-10 in Big East play so far this season…
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Hopefully everyone has had a chance to check out Jeff Borzello’s article on the St. John’s freshman class. Although they are certainly taking their lumps early on in their college careers, Norm Roberts believes that the Future is There for St. John’s, and for his sake, it better be!

Borzello and Brian Crownover also checked in on some of the state of Pennsylvania’s top high school teams and discovered some players with Big East interest. Pittsburgh’s Schenley High School has a pair of graduates from last year’s team, DeJuan Blair (Pitt) and DJ Kennedy (SJU), playing starting roles in the Big East this year, but holdover Deandre Kane is having a big season. Borzello writers that Schenley’s Kane Has Big East Interest as schools are checking out the senior guard.

Crownover continues to hit the Philly High School beat and Philadelphia’s Roman Catholic High seems to be developing a nice little pipeline of talent. Current Pitt guard Brad Wanamaker is in the Panthers’ rotation as a freshman and Maalik Wayns is a 2009 commitment for Villanova. A couple Roman Catholic Young Guns Are Drawing Early BE Interest as Rakeem Brookins (2010) and Aaron Brown (2011) have become key contributors. It is not just Wayns World with the Star PG Leading Roman (Evening Bulletin), although the Villanova commitment is having a big junior season.
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It is always tough to step out of conference action once the Big East kicks into gear, and the Mountaineers have found that out recently when they battle in-state rival Marshall. WVU, Marshall Clash in Charleston (Times West Virginian) tonight in the Capital Classic Confrontation (Charleston Gazette) that Marshall has won two of the last three times.

For Bob Huggins and Donnie Jones, this is their first taste as head coaches of the rivalry. Huggins, Jones to Make Rivalry coaching Debuts (Register-Herald) but the task is tougher for Jones who will be missing Markel Humphrey (14.2 points per game, 5,8 rebounds per game), out with a foot injury. Both coaches are not naive to the rivalry as Jones is a West Virginia native and Huggins is an alum of WVU.
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Mick Cronin has his Bearcats Believin’ (Cincinnati Enquirer) and their belief in themselves and the system installed by Cronin will be tested tonight by Connecticut.

Before Saturday’s game with Pitt, Cronin asked them to be men because the Panthers would be. The Bearcats listened, outrebounding one of the best rebounding teams in the Big East and withstanding a late run by the Panthers that was as much about will as production.

The Panthers are minus two starters, they dress just eight scholarship players. They retain their memory for winning, though, and a sleeves-rolled mentality Cronin respects above any other in the league. “They remind me of the Cincinnati Bearcats of Conference USA,” he said.
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Adam Zagoria caught up with Coach Bob Hurley on Dom Cheek (zagsblog) and learned Cheek will not be commiting to North Carolina, as many believed he would early.

The 6’5 Cheek recently told ZAGSBLOG Villanova, Wake Forest, Pitt, Texas, Florida, Marquette, Seton Hall and Rutgers were all in the mix.

Villanova probably feels pretty good in this race as Cheek is often seen at their home games.
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In order to re-start Notre Dame on the road, Mike Brey is contemplating line-up changes for their game at Villanova this weekend. Tory Jackson and Ryan Ayers both struggled in ND’s road swoons against Marquette and Georgetown, so is a Line-up Change in Store for ND (Chicago Tribune)?
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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEWS (1/23/2008)

January 23, 2008

It has been a rough go of late for the NBE Blogger as he has gone just 4-4 in his last 8 predictions outright and 3-5 against the posted spread in those games. In fact, he is not 3-9 in the last 12 against the spread, leaving him at 22-20-1 in Big East games YTD. Out right, the NBE blogger is 31-12 (72%) so far this season in Big East games.

Tonight, four games are on tap. Looking at these games and knowing that road teams are 10-35 so far in conference play has me worried…very worried…

For the links to the local media previews on the games, a brief preview by us and the NBE Blogger’s prediction, please follow the links to each team page below:

Pittsburgh @ St. John’s.

Louisville @ South Florida.

Villanova @ Rutgers.

Connecticut @ Cincinnati.

We’ll be back with a News & Notes Update early this afternoon.

THE FUTURE IS THERE FOR ST. JOHN’S

BY JEFF BORZELLO

The future is there for St. John’s.

You can see it when Justin Burrell throws another full-court outlet pass to a streaking D.J. Kennedy for a basket. Or when Malik Boothe forces a turnover, leading to a transition dunk by Paris Horne. Or when Sean Evans and Dele Coker execute nice post moves around the rim. It’s all there.

“This is the best-looking group [head coach Norm Roberts] has put on the court since he’s been here,” a veteran NBA and college scout said. “But you have to deal with the upside as well as the shortcomings.”

With eight freshmen on the roster, those “shortcomings” are also apparent. Horne taking a bad shot, Kennedy picking up a bad foul, Burrell not boxing out, Boothe turning the ball over – the list is endless.

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ROMAN CATHOLIC YOUNG GUNS DRAWING EARLY BIG EAST INTEREST

January 22, 2008

By Brian Crownover

Year after year Roman Catholic is among the top teams in Philadelphia. A big reason for that is because as players graduate, other young players step up and take their place. That is the case this year at Roman Catholic. The Cahillites lost the Wanamaker twins to graduation (Brad to Pittsburgh), but have had other take their place. Veterans Maalik Wayns (Villanova), Courtney Stanley (Illinois-Chicago), Wes Kirkland and Will Kirkland still anchor this team, but two young players, Rakeem Brookins and Aaron Brown have become key contributors.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/22/2008)

January 22, 2008

Georgetown got past a pesky young Syracuse squad last night in overtime to remain atop the Big East standings. Jonny Flynn’s big night did not finish with his big shot staying down.

DePaul was also in action and was able to coast to a non-conference victory. Other articles around the league take a look at how unpredictable the conference is, much like the UConn Huskies. Rashad Bishop has a knack already for big plays. High School teammates DJ Kennedy and DeJuan Blair reunite on the court Wednesday night. Notre Dame tries to turn from roadkill into road warriors. Charles Burch plays through the pain.

Also, several notes on Big East recruits and targets who were in action recently over the holiday weekend.

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SCHENLEY’S KANE HAS BIG EAST INTEREST

January 22, 2008

by Jeff Borzello

At most high schools, losing two players to Big East programs and a coach to a community college might hurt the basketball team greatly.

In Pittsburgh (PA) Schenley’s case, however, the departures have only increased the national attention the Spartans have been building over the past few years.

After last season’s Pennsylvania State Championship and No. 12 final ranking in USA Today, coach Fred Skrocki left for Butler Community College while wing D.J. Kennedy headed off to St. John’s and center DeJuan Blair went to nearby Pittsburgh.

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BIG EAST BLOGGERS POWER POLL & NOTEBOOK

Back for our third season is our Big East Bloggers Weekly Power Poll. This is already the tenth weekly edition of the season already. On November 8th we released our Preseason Poll and our weekly poll will be published each and every Monday going forward on the season. This week we were delayed because of the holiday, hopefully next week you can find this on our normal Monday slot.

The pollsters will also submit votes as well for a Big East player of the week and Big East freshman of the week.

Here are the 20 contributors on today’s poll:

Big East Basketball Report Blog
Troy Nunes is a Magician
Marquette Basketball Cracked Sidewalks
Card Chronicle
CuseAdelphia
Black & Green ND Basketball Blog
HoyaSaxa.com
HoyaHoops.com
CourtVisions College Hoops Blog
Freshjive, founder of BlueDemonNation
March Madness All Season Blog
SPK, frequent contributor to Piratecrew.com
Villanova by the Numbers
Let’s Go Nova
The Bracket Blog @ Bracketography
PittBlather.com ‘Welcome Back!’
Super, Scintillating & Sarcastic
Bryce’s Brackets and Observations
BigEastCountry.com
WV Mountaineer Sports

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.

Click below to see the poll results!

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