February 2011

MERNAGH: PITINO HAS LOUISVILLE LOCKED IN DEFENSIVELY

by RAY MERNAGH

Louisville‘s matchup zone is a weapon of mini-mass destruction, taking out groups of fifteen at a time, usually in 40 minutes.

Yesterday, Rick Pitino’s Cards needed 45, but the result was the same as they vanquished Pittsburgh 62-59 at their spanking new KFC YUM! Center — a palatial palace quickly becoming known for instilling nauseating stomach pain to visiting groups as their bus pulls in.

(A side note -this pain has also been rumored to effect male cheerleaders in a way similar to a potent synthetic hallucinogenic once the initial stomach pain subsides, which explains the actions of Card’s Man-O-Cheer Jordan Alcazar, who ran onto the court, grabbed the ball with .5 seconds left, and threw it towards the rafters while reportedly screaming “wheeeeeee, the pain is gone, wheeeeeee!”).

Too much?

Okay, I may have quoted him incorrectly — or just made the whole thing up — but consider this: Louisville is now 8-0 in Big East games at what I like to call informally the Double Y -YumYum being the more formal version of that — including besting Syracuse, UConn, and now Pitt.

Also consider that Pitino, a great coach who, truth be told, has always excelled more when he had what was perceived as less, has this squad defending each and every possession like the lives of their loved ones depend on it. Louisville gets you playing in a hurry, they make you frantic and also make you do head-scratching things.

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KYLE ANDERSON RECRUITING UPDATE - - DUKE REACHES OUT

Versatile 2012 elite prospect preparing for monster high school match-up while recruiting continues to churn for his talents

by Matt Whitfield

This time last year as a sophomore, Kyle Anderson was seeing significant minutes on the top-rated Paterson Catholic High School Cougars. The Cougars were the favorite heading into the state playoffs, but saw its unbeaten streak and season halted by St. Anthony’s in what sadly was the final game for the Cougar basketball program. That’s because Paterson Catholic announced that it would be closing its doors for good a month later and thus Anderson and others needed to find a new school to continue their high school basketball careers.

Fast forward to nearly a year later, Kyle and former Paterson Catholic teammate Myles Mack have found a new home with one-time foe St. Anthony’s and are currently unbeaten at 22-0 and seemingly headed on a collision course to meet St. Patrick’s in the NJISSA Non-Public, North B Championship game which is essentially the unofficial national championship game for high school basketball. According to his father, Kyle Anderson Sr, his son is definitely enjoying the ride of the season, while maintaining focus on the bigger picture of what is ahead.

“Kyle is enjoying the success of the season immensely, but it is nothing new to him,” said Kyle Anderson Sr. “At this time last year he and Myles were also 26-0 at Paterson Catholic. He really likes the chemistry of the team and how they play well together, as he did last year too.”

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2011 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT AT A GLANCE (PART I)

One week is left in the 2010-2011 BIG EAST regular season and the seeding picture for the 2011 Big East Tournament is very unclear. There is plenty to play for this final week as 11 BIG EAST teams are also in the mix for NCAA Tournament invitations as well as 11 of the 16 teams in the league are currently 9-7 or better in the mega conference.

The current magic number for Pittsburgh to claim the outright conference title is 2 with two games remaining. The Panthers have lost two of their last three games, falling to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden by one on a last second score by Dwight Hardy and at Louisville yesterday in overtime. Pitt finished the regular season this week at South Florida on Wednesday night and then hosting Villanova on Saturday at 6 PM. Any combination of two wins by the Panthers or losses by Notre Dame will give Jamie Dixon’s club the outright regular season title, quite an accomplishment this year in college basketball, which many believe will result in a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Pitt has clinched a double-bye in the 2011 Big East Tournament, meaning their first acton will come on Thursday (March 10) at Madison Square Garden.

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4 GAME SUNDAY IN THE BIG EAST

Marshon Brooks of Providence went for 52 last week in a loss to Notre Dame (a game that Ben Hansbrough of the Irish had 32 in).

Dwight Hardy went for 34 yesterday at Villanova during an 81-68 St. John’s win. St. John’s moved to 11-5 in Beast action and 19-9 on the season.

There’s been a lot of discussion about who’s the Player of the Year in the Big East and guys like Brooks, Hansbrough, and Hardy seem to make a new case for themselves each and every game.

Who will it be today?

Huge games today in league play and plenty of opportunities for both personal and team accomplishments.

UConn goes to Cincinnati for a noon tip. The Mighty Bearcats have righted their ship as of late and now stand at an impressive 22-6 and 9-6. UConn is 20-7 and 8-7 and has lost two straight.

The noon hour also gives us a West Virginia at Rutgers tilt. WVU is 17-10 (8-7) and continues to struggle to make shots in close. Bob Huggins was asked after the Pitt game to explain it and said simply “we missed shots” while admitting the Mountaineers had to put the beating at Pitt behind them and “get ready for Sunday.” Rutgers is dangerous, especially after a string of strong efforts was interrupted with a bad one in their 59-37 loss to Louisville. Mike Rice will probably have his kids ready for a battle. RU is 13-14 and 4-11 in the league.

Pitt goes to Louisville for a 2pm tip. Pitt’s 25-3 and 13-2 in the Big East while Louisville is 21-7 and 10-5 in what’s probably the marquee match of the day.

Also, Mr. Brooks takes his act to Milwaukee to face a Marquette team fresh off a huge win at UConn Thursday night. PC is 14-14 (3-12) while Marquette is 17-11 (8-7). That game tips at 4pm.

It’s gotten to the stretch run here.

In fact we leave for the Big East tournament a week from tomorrow.

We will have wall-to-wall coverage of the tourney throughout.

Should be fun!

Enjoy the games today.

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BIG EAST and college basketball fans better not miss the 2011 Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden next month. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. Even though the event is sold out to the public, NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season. WE HAVE YOUR SEATS!!
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SECOND HALF RUN LIFTS PITT PAST WEST VIRGINIA

With Gilbert Brown on the bench because of three first half fouls and Talib Zanna not dressed because of a broken thumb, redshirt freshman Lamar Patterson saw an expanded role for BIG EAST leader Pittsburgh on Thursday night. The Lancaster (PA) native came through with a career-high 11 points and was the catalyst for a second half run that swung the came into the Panthers’ favor.

After trailing 31-30 at the half, Patterson scored the first five points of the second half and then assisted on the next three baskets in an 11-2 run over the first 4:10 after intermission, sparking Pitt’s 71-58 win over West Virginia at the Peterson Events Center Thursday night.

“He played really well,” said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. “He defended well and didn’t force anything. He made some great passes and did a good job of just making the simple play. He’s been a big part of what we’ve been trying to do and he gave us very good minutes.”

In his 22 minutes, Paterson finished with 5 assists, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal along with the career-best 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from the line.

“It felt really good,” said Patterson. “Like [my teammates] said, I’ve been practicing and playing pretty well. It felt good to go out on the court and finally put something together. By watching these leaders on the court ahead of me I was able to make the process really smooth.”

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VOLVO S60 MORGANTOWN ROAD TRIP

by MATT WHITFIELD

Thanks to Volvo and the myBIGEASTvolvo fan challenge, I got to feel what it was like to be in college again for one weekend recently as well as experience my first WEST VIRGINIA Mountaineers basketball game as a fan since my days as a student at WVU.

Morgantown, West Virginia is an ideal college town - even for someone several years out of college. One can still go back and still love the town with dirt cheap bar specials, very attractive females wearing skimpy attire all over the place, and just all-out shenanigans as everyone is looking to have a good time on the weekend.

Go to High Street on any weekend during the school year, and if you’re out long enough chances are you’ll witness or be a part of a story to tell. This past weekend my friend Zach and I were left with several stores to tell, none too appropriate to write on here, but trust me if your single and under 30, Morgantown is definitely a place that you should visit.

While the Mountaineers are known for their athletic teams, their basketball team is living up to the reputation and prospering under Coach Bob Huggins. This past weekend Volvo provided me and my fried Zach tickets to the game versus Notre Dame. The game although close at first, ended up being a blowout as the Mountaineers blew the Irish out of the water in the second half as they went on to a 14 point victory.

During the stay I also got the chance to talk to some student’s about the brand new Volvo S60. Many were left impressed with its sleek, stylish look. Heck, as some that likes style mixed with class I was left very impressed with the Volvo S60.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Morgantown and kudos to Volvo for giving me such an awesome opportunity.

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BIG EAST and college basketball fans better not miss the 2011 Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden next month. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. Even though the event is sold out to the public, NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season. WE HAVE YOUR SEATS!!
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CHRIS WRIGHT HAS SURGERY ON BROKEN HAND; EXPCTED TO RETURN FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT

Georgetown University Head Men’s Basketball Coach John Thompson III announced today in a statement that “Chris Wright, injured in last night’s game with Cincinnati, underwent successful surgery this morning for a break in the third metacarpal of his left (non-shooting) hand. Our medical staff is optimistic and although we do not have an exact timetable, we expect to have Chris back before the end of the season.”

Wright, a senior guard, is averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 assists this season. With him the Hoya offense struggled mightily in a 58-46 loss last night to the Bearcats in the Verizon Center.

“I think we were out of sync,” Thompson said Wednesday night following the game when asked about his team’s performance following Wright’s injury. “I don’t know that our intensity was down. I just thought we were out of sync, I thought we went through a phase where we started feeling sorry for ourselves, which we don’t need to do.”

There is no definite timetable for Wright’s return, but it is believed he will miss the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament which begins March 8th at Madison Square Garden. The early target for return would be the first round of the NCAA Tournament which would begin on March 17th or 18th.

Georgetown hosts BIG EAST rival Syracuse this weekend.

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BIG EAST and college basketball fans better not miss the 2011 Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden next month. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. Even though the event is sold out to the public, NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season. WE HAVE YOUR SEATS!!
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BIG EAST HOOPS UPDATE - - 2/24/2011 (BROOKS’ RECORD NIGHT, INJURY ISSUE FOR HOYAS)

Wednesday night in the BIG EAST featured three contests on a night that will leave an impact on the conference record books, the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s view of one BIG EAST team and another could be facing a tough road ahead with an injured point guard.

We will start in Providence where senior guard Marshon Brooks set a BIG EAST single game scoring record by pouring in 52 points against Notre Dame. The Irish won the game, as they try and keep pace with Pittsburgh in the race for the regular season conference crown, 94-93 to improve to 11-4 in conference play.

Brooks connected on 20 of 28 field goal attempts, six of 10 from three-point range and the foul line while playing all 40 minutes and leading a frantic rally that fell a point short when Brooks’ 75-foot desperation heave at the final buzzer was off the mark.

“That was staggering,” said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey on Brooks’ performance, “and I’m glad we escaped.”

Brooks scored 11 of his 52 points in the final 50 seconds, but the Irish made 7 of 8 free throws to keep PC at arms length. After freshman Eric Atkins made the final two free throws in that stretch with 7 seconds left, it was a 94-90 lead for the Irish. Brooks scored points 50, 51 and 52 on a three-pointer with two seconds left to draw within one and the Friars sent Tim Abromaitis to the line for two free throws. Abromaitis missed both and Brooks tried to cap a fairy tale evening with his desperation heave, but it was not to be.

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MERNAGH: REACTION TO SOME OF THE UCONN REACTIONS

The reactions to the NCAA’s rulings on the Connecticut case have been varied and interesting.

Over at ESPN, Pat Forde thinks it shows that the NCAA is moving away from the recent past of head coaches being protected behind the old “plausible deniability” excuse, while his colleagues on the TV side — particularly former coaches Dan Dakich and Fran Fraschilla — think it’s more of the same really.

Forde argues that this is a movement away from the days of assistant coaches taking the fall (like in the Indiana investigation of Kelvin Sampson and a plethora of other cases over the last several years) but he seems off-base on that. If anything it seems as if UConn dropped the ball on their “plausible deniability” by being really stupid with the phone calls. They needed a bat phone, a burner that was untraceable if you will (somebody’s girl needed to go to a Cricket store) and they didn’t get one.

Beau Archibald, the director of basketball operations at UConn during the time, and assistant coach Patrick Sellers, lost their jobs after allegations they provided false and misleading information to NCAA investigators.

Archibald also received a two year show-cause penalty, which basically means no college will touch him for that time period and probably for a lot longer than that — unless he has a Laing Kennedy in his corner like Sampson/IU fall-guy Rob Senderoff did. Kennedy is the AD who welcomed Senderoff back into the Kent State fold as Geno Ford’s associate head coach following his time at IU. Take it from me here, there’s only one Laing Kennedy.

So, what you really have is one assistant, Sellers, who lost his job, along with a DOBO who’s basically persona non-Grata for the foreseeable future in college basketball.

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LOUISVILLE JUMPS ON RUTGERS EARLY, CRUISES TO WIN AT RAC

by RAY FLORIANI

PISCATAWAY NJ - Rutgers head coach Mike Rice couldn’t see this coming. The day before his Rutgers team had a great practice. They came to the game in a very positive frame of mind and were eager to take on 16th ranked Louisville. Once the ball was tossed up it was a different story. The Cardinals led from tap to buzzer scoring a 55-37 victory at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

The first four minutes of each half, the coaches tell us, often set the tone. Louisville jumped to a 20-3 lead just past the 11 minute (remaining) mark. That quick jump can be attributed to the first four minutes. At the 16 to go mark, Louisville had a 5-0 lead. The Cardinals had 7 possessions, two ending in turnovers but did knock down a two and three pointer and had a 71 offensive efficiency. On the other side, Rutgers came up totally empty. The result of their 6 possessions:

1. Turnover

2. Turnover

3. Turnover

4. Missed FGA

5. Missed FGA

6. 0 for 2 from the line.

Prospects got better, but not by much for the Scarlet Knights. On the other hand Louisville found the range, especially from three shooting 7 of 16 (44%). Rick Pitino’s club actually shot better beyond the arc the first half as they were 5 of 12 (42%) the first twenty minutes. Louisville led 33-19 at intermission. He efficiencies:

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MYLES DAVIS UPDATE: RUTGERS NOW AN APPEALING OPTION FOR 2012 SG

Top east coast shooting prospect in Class of 2012 is opening list up more in his recruitment

Notre Dame Prep guard Myles Davis has been on the recruiting radar of much of the BIG EAST for the past year and that has continued since transferring from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City (NJ) to Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg (MA). The change of schools was only one of the major changes to his status of a top recruit, Davis is also firmly planted in the recruiting Class of 2012 and is one of the more highly sought after shooters on the east coast in the class. He has also shown this season with ND Prep he is more than just a lights-out shooter.

Earlier this season at the National Prep Showcase, Davis was one of the more impressive players in the early games of day one. Known as a shooter for much of his career, Davis showed he is expanding his game in a major way. Hewas getting to the rim off the dribble, and has vastly improved court vision and ball-handling ability. Davis has the ability to play the point guard position and find teammates for baskets. Of course, he still has the deep range that made him such a coveted prospect in the first place. The list of schoosl currently involved is impressive.

“It’s Pitt, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Villanova, Georgetown and anybody else who wants to recruit me,” Davis told NBE’s Matt Whitfield this afternoon via text when asked for the latest list of schools recruiting him. “I am really open right now.”

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‘PHILLY GUYS’ RETURN HOME TO BITE VILLANOVA AGAIN

Eight days ago it was the Pittsburgh combination of Brad Wanamaker and Nasir Robinson that led the Panthers to a win at Villanova, ending the Wildcats long win streak at their on-campus Pavilion.

“Our Philly guys played like Philly guys,” Jamie Dixon would say afterwards.

Earlier tonight Scoop Jardine, Rick Jackson and Dion Waiters returned home and led Syracuse to a 69-64 win over Jay Wright’s team at the Wells Fargo Center in a Big Monday BIG EAST clash.

“The difference was the Philly guys,” Orange coach Jim Boeheim said following the game.

Indeed it was.

Jardine scored 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor and added 6 assists. Jackson was 8 of 9 from the field on his was to 18 points and he added four blocked shots. Waiters made two clutch foul shots to put Syracuse up three with 14 seconds and left and Jackson, a 50% shooter from the line, iced the game with two more from the line 10 seconds later to provide the final scoring margin.

“Scoop and Jackson were great it was like a home game for them,” said Jay Wright.

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DWIGHT HARDY HONORED AS BIG EAST’S BEST FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE WEEK

BIG EAST Player of the Week:
DWIGHT HARDY, St. John’s, G, Sr: Hardy wins Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. He averaged 23.5 points, 4.0 steals and 3.5 rebounds while leading the Red Storm to an 80-68 win at Marquette and a 60-59 victory over No. 4/4 Pittsburgh.

Hardy scored 28 points in the win over Marquette and netted 19 against the Panthers, including the winning basket with 1.2 seconds left.

“To see that shot beat the No.4 team in the country was surreal,” said SJU head coach Steve Lavin following the game.

Hardy leads St. John’s (17-9 overall, 9-5 BIG EAST) with 17.2 points a game on the season.
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BIG EAST Rookie of the Week:
CLEVELAND MELVIN, DePaul, F, Fr: Melvin earns rookie honors for the fourth time this season after averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Blue Demons. In a 79-76 win at Providence, he posted 20 points and six rebounds. Melvin followed that effort with 16 points and four boards in a 77-75 overtime loss to Villanova. He is the BIG EAST’s top freshman scorer, averaging 14.2 ppg.
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BIG EAST Honor Roll:

- Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, Jr: Had 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a 78-70 victory over Georgetown. He averaged 23.5 ppg in a 1-1 week.

- Jeremiah Kelly, DePaul, G, Jr: Posted consecutive career scoring highs in a 1-1 week. He scored 23 points in a 79-76 win at Providence and 25 points in a 77-75 overtime loss to Villanova. Shot 55 percent from 3-point range.

- Chris Wright, Georgetown, G, Sr: Averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week. He shot 51.7 percent from the floor, 58.3 percent from 3-point range and made all eight free throw attempts.

- Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Jr: Averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a 2-0 week. Had 21 points and eight rebounds in an 84-80 overtime win
over Rutgers.

- Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Sr: Averaged 23.0 points in a 2-0 week. Scored a career-high 34 points in a 77-75 overtime win at DePaul. His 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation forced the extra period.

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BIG EAST HOOPS UPDATE - - BIG EAST TOURNAMENT JUST GOT TOUGHER (2/21/2011)

The 2011 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be a great event with the first game tipping off in just 15 days! Not only has the regular season shown to be very unpredictable with tough games night in and night out, but St. John’s will be playing on their home floor which has been a house of horrors for visitors this season, unlike any other in recent memory.

Steve Lavin’s team already owns sins at Madison Square Garden over the conference’s top three teams in the current standings: Georgetown, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. The have also beaten Connecticut and Duke in the past month at MSG when both were ranked in the Top 10.

The Johnnies’ current four-game win streak is the longest active win streak in the conference and Saturday’s win over No. 4 Pitt has put an exclamation point on the resurgence of the Red Storm. Dwight Hardy’s tightrope dance of the sideline and twisting lay-up with 1.2 seconds left gave SJU a 60-59 win over thr tough-minded Panthers whom had just taken the lead moments earlier on a Travon Woodall three-pointer. Hardy finished with 19 points in the game and is deserving of BIG EAST Player of the Year consideration with his role in the recent ‘Storm surge.

“To see that shot beat the No.4 team in the country was surreal,” said Steve Lavin following the game.

Hardy is averaging over 24 points a game in that span while shooting 51% (55-108) from the floor and 50% (18-36) from beyond the arc in the stretch. In the last two games, which included a road win at Marquette, the 6-foot-2 senior guard originally from the Bronx has also made 27 trips to the free throw line, making 22, and his ability to break down the defense for scoring opportunities has been a key element to the St. John’s half court offense that allows them to set the tempo and make teams pay late in a shot clock.

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LAUREN KIRSCHMAN’S WALK ON CHRONICLES: WEST VIRGINIA’S CRAIG CAREY

When Craig Carey was young, his mother took him and his siblings to all of his father’s basketball games. Afterward, Carey would stay in the gym and shoot around in the dark.

Carey said basketball is all he ever knew.

Now Carey spends his time shooting around with the West Virginia basketball team as a walk-on for the Mountaineers. One thing hasn’t changed, however: Carey’s father is still nearby.

Mike Carey is the head coach for the West Virginia women’s basketball team.

“It was always a little bit of added pressure,” Carey said of growing up as a coach’s son. “When people know your dad is a coach, there is this assumption that you’re good and you know about the game.”

But at the same time, Mike helped his son develop as a player.

“He helped me out a lot,” Carey said. “I liked having a dad as a coach. He would always watch my games, tell me what was wrong.”

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MERNAGH: LAVIN HAS ST. JOHN’S BACK

Wow!

What else can you say about the Pitt/St John’s game that just concluded an hour ago on a Dwight Hardy baseline drive?

Hardy put Pittsburgh‘s Gil Brown in the spin-cycle on a beautiful hesitation/look back move before finishing at the rim for the 60-59 St. John’s win.

What else can you say about Pitt‘s Travon Woodall, who despite taking on the annual role of “let’s bash player x” on this year’s team, somehow continues to hit huge shots like the three-pointer he drained to put Pitt up 59-58 with 11 seconds left on the clock?

What else can you say about Pittsburgh not having any timeouts left with 1.8 seconds left and the length of the court staring them in the face down one?

I mean wow, wow, and yeah…freaking wow!

Whenever I exchange text messages with St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, his message is always the same regarding his surging basketball team.

It always about making progress in their journey — and inevitably or is it fittingly? — includes the words baby steps.

Well, when Dwight Hardy — he of the seven-game blitz that’s put him solidly in discussion for Big East Player of the Year along with UConn’s Kemba Walker, Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs and Notre Dame’s Ben Hansbrough — baby-stepped his way along the baseline for this incredible win I think it’s safe to say that Lavin’s crew raced right past puberty, shook hands with adolescence, and were welcomed into adulthood…all by the time the final buzzer sounded.

That journey to adulthood has been a brisk one for the Red Storm, but they’ve definitely come of age while bringing the city that never sleeps right along with them. Let’s take a look at the maturity process and just how it happened.

They Beat Duke 93-78.

Beat UConn 89-72.

Won at Cincinnati and Marquette — “business trip,” said Lavin.

And now beat #4 Pitt 60-59 in a game that had the 1980′s Big East glory days written all over it (and Coach Carnesecca at mid-court giving his blessing).

Hardy’s gone for 26, 15, 32, 33, 18, 28 and 19 in his last seven games (all wins except for the 32 that happened during a complete hosing at UCLA).

St. John’s, with the same team that could never win big games before this season, has now won a slew of them.

Lavin said afterward he believes Hardy is the runaway winner in the Player of the Year competition.

I’m not so sure about that but he’s definitely in the first group of names involved in the discussion.

You have to love the way Lavin is pushing for a kid who’s helped make his initial season in Queens a dream come true after that kid endured a lot of heartache in the previous ones.

Hardy very well might be the Player of the Year…we’ll see how the last few games go.

With a 17-9 record -9-5 in the Big East- an RPI of 16 before the win over Pitt, plus a phenomenal strength of schedule, I think it’s time to declare these Johnnies as all grown up.

Hardy very well might be the Player of the Year (we’ll see how the last few games go plus the Big East Tournament before we at NBE hand out any hardware).

However, with the numbers mentioned above in mind I don’t think there’s any question — not after today — about who the 2010-11 Big East Coach of the Year is.

That’s Steve Lavin.

Hands down.

And it’s not really close.

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The BIG EAST conference season has moved into the stretch run and the 2011 Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden is quickly approaching. You can visit the NBE 2011 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the event schedule and links to purchase tickets to each and/or all sessions. NBE is uniquely partnered with TicketNetwork.com to bring our readers Tickets to All Sporting Events during ANY season. WE HAVE YOUR SEATS!!
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For travel deals and arrangements, click here: Book Air and/or hotel for NYC and 2011 BIG EAST Tournament

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LOUISVILLE REBOUNDS TO DEFEAT UCONN, 71-58

Louisville (20-7, 9-5 Big East) bounced back from a 63-54 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday night by turning around on Friday to defeat Connecticut, 71-58, at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinal defense limited UConn to 7-22 shooting in the first half while forcing 10 turnovers to take a 31-23 lead at the half. UL guard Peyton Siva set the early tone with 10 points and 5 steals in the opening half.

The Huskies came out with renewed energy and offensive efficiency after halftime, scoring the first nine points of the second half, punctuated by Alex Oriakhi’s putback slam dunk which gave UConn their first lead of the game, 32-31, with 17:26 left in the game. The lead would be short-lived and their only lead.

After Rakeem Buckles kept the next Louisville possession alive by getting an offensive rebound, Siva made an extra pass to an open Kyle Kuric who nailed a three-pointer to give the Cards the lead right back. On the very next possession after a UConn miss, Siva again found Kuric open for another three and a minute later Siva capped a 9-0 counter punch by UL with a three-pointer of his own and the eight point lead was restored at 40-32 with 15:33 left, prompting Jim Calhoun to call a timeout.

Alex Oriakhi would score eight of UConn’s next 10 points, but the closest the Huskies would get again would be five, 47-42, with 9:36 left. UConn would go nearly eight minutes without a field goal and Louisville would outscore them 20-9 during that stretch to build its biggest lead of 67-51 with 2:44 left.

Siva finished with a team-high 15 points and added 6 steals. Freshman Gorgui Dieng registered his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Smith added 11 for Louisville.

Connecticut fell to 8-6 in the BIG EAST with the loss, snapping their two-game win streak. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel was six of eight from the field and finished with 16 points, but he was limited to 23 minutes because of foul trouble. Outside of Coombs-McDaniel and Alex Oriakhi (5-8, 13 points) the rest of the Huskies were just 6-30 (20%) from the field, including Kemba Walker who was just 3-10, finishing with 16 points.

For the game, UConn had 16 turnovers with just 8 assists while Louisville flipped those numbers on their end, handing out 16 assists, led by Preston Knowles’ 7, and committed just 8 total team turnovers.
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DEPAUL ENDS BIG EAST LOSING STREAK AT THE EXPENSE OF PROVIDENCE

The 1,000-lb piano is off the back of the DePaul Blue Demons, finally. After losing 29 consecutive games on the road and 25 consecutive BIG EAST contests overall, Oliver Purnell’s club finally came out on top with a 79-76 win at Providence Thursday night. It was Oliver Purnell’s first BIG EAST win as the Blue Demons head coach.

“It’s good for our guys,” said DePaul coach Oliver Purnell in the Providence Journal Game Recap. “We’ve been playing better and better so it’s nice to have an affirming event like a win to show them that they are actually playing better. I thought out guys did a really good job in the face of adversity..our guys kept believing and stayed aggressive. We played to win.”

DePaul led 39-29 at the half and increased the lead to 13 at the 14:10 mark, leading 52-39. The Friars showed some life, responding with a 14-2 run that was highlighted by two three-pointers by Duke Mondy. The game remained tight until the final minutes and Jeremiah Kelly hit a huge corner three to push DePaul up 75-71 with just under a minute left. Kelly finished with a team-high 23 points, including four of seven from beyond the arc.

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STEFAN JANKOVIC CLIMBING RECRUITING LADDER TO TOP TIER OF 2012 PROSPECTS

2012 forward seeing recruiting amp up higher with move to Huntington Prep

6-foot-10 Canadian import Stefan Jankovic continues to make a big name for himself on the recruiting trail and his recent mid-year transfer from Kiski to Huntington Prep was aimed to better prepare his game for the college level and the competition he would be facing with the schools recruiting him.

“I made the change because I felt that it was needed, I wasn’t facing the top competition at Kiski that I’m facing now at Huntington Prep, as they play a nationally ranked schedule,” said Jankovic. “Skill development was huge too, I didnt think at Kiski I was developing enough, especially in the weight room, but Huntington Prep is a whole different situation, they have me in the weight room constantly, and practice is tough and I’m getting a lot better.”

Jankovic also feels he has seen the results and his game and body are improving…

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual membership to read more on Stefan Jankovic as the impressive 2012 prospect talks about the transition of moving to Huntington Prep, the improvement in his game since arriving at Huntington and his recruitment, which continues to grow, and although he is still open, he gives a preview of what schools would be at the top of his list today. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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BIG EAST HOOPS UPDATE - - 2/17/2011

Connecticut rode the strong play of Kemba Walker and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel to earn a 78-70 win over Georgetown Wednesday night at the Civic Center in downtown Hartford. The loss snapped the Hoyas eight-game winning streak.

Walker scored 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting and added 10 assists and 7 rebounds while sophomore guard Coombs-McDaniel added 23 points, his second consecituve impressive outing.

“I’ve just been real confident,” said Coombs-McDaniel following the game. “I’ve been playing a lot more as well. The guys have a lot of confidence in me. And I’ve just been knocking down shots.”

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