Big East Conference Notebook
It was the last time to flood your non-conference schedule with walkovers. It was the last time each Big East school played so freely with its non-conference schedule that every team seemed destined to crack the Top 25. Big East teams were also present at the Wooden Classic, the Preseason NIT, The Jimmy V. Classic and the Big Five Classic, to name a few. This will no longer be the case with Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida making the league bigger next season. No more cupcakes for you, thanks.
Some non-college basketball folk say preseason polls are a joke and mean nothing. In actuality, they mean everything and really do set the table for March and with six teams flaunting top 25 credentials, the Big East may be rolling deeply into that month. So with two flawless records, the nation’s best freshmen and the first half of the season coming to a close, we reflect.
Boston College Eagles (0-0 Big East, 11-0 overall)
As the unranked Eagles headed out west to face UCLA, coach Al Skinner had to be wondering why his team, off to such an impressive start, hadn’t even been considered for ‘others receiving votes’ in the Top 25 poll. With injured junior starting guard Louis Hinnant sidelined and Craig Smith sitting on the bench in foul trouble, Boston College made its most impressive run of the season, overtaking the Bruins with a 13-0 second half run to win by 74-64 at Arrowhead Pond. Jermaine Watson had 11 crucial points, including a three-pointer to tie the game at 43-43. BC has since gone on to beat UMass, Kent State, and Yale in an 82-80 double overtime victory at Conte Forum.
With a flawless record through non-conference play, the Eagles have finally cracked the Top 25, coming in at an impressive No. 17. BC is in its final season of Big East play and will join the heralded ACC in 2005-06. Big East schools are not happy with this move and UConn coach Jim Calhoun said he would never play BC again because of its betrayal.
West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0, 10-0)
It was very difficult during the preseason to explain to fans outside the basketball community that West Virginia will play a major sleeper role this year. This is not so hard to explain anymore. The Mountaineers’ 10-0 start, the best in nearly half a century at West Virginia, has garnered national attention, and deservedly, the Mountaineers ushered in a national ranking (No. 21) for the first time in seven years.
Coach John Beilein saw his team end non-conference play with major victories over then-No. 20 George Washington and impressively at North Carolina State by an 82-69 score. D’or Fischer is a controlling force on defense and this is a very unselfish team offensively with six players averaging eight or more points per outing. The Mountaineers have a nice mix of Fischer and Ty Sally inside and Pat Beilein and Mike Gansey from the perimeter with soft touches.
Syracuse Orange (0-0, 13-1)
Jim Boeheim tried to pull a fast one on us. “(Madison Square Garden) is 300 miles away from us,” he said. “(They) don’t know what they’re talking about. We’ve already had three plane trips coming into this one.”
Boeheim was trying to explain why his team traveled to MSG and hadn’t left the state yet to play a non-conference game. C’mon coach. With the exception of UConn and St. John’s, if there’s anything an opposing coach (or fan) hates more than playing Syracuse at home, it’s traveling to MSG to face them. The fans flock in astronomical numbers. Boeheim doesn’t care. His team’s only loss came at MSG to Oklahoma State by 74-60 in the Jimmy V. Classic.
With help from Hakim Warrick and a couple of utility players like Terrance Roberts and Josh Pace, Syracuse picked up quality wins over Mississippi State and Memphis and against mid-majors Hofstra, Rice and Northern Colorado. While Billy Edelin came back after the NCAA declared him eligible to rejoin the team, Boeheim took an LOA and Darryl Watkins had thumb surgery relegating him to the bench for the Hofstra game and perhaps further in Big East play.
Pittsburgh Panthers (0-0, 10-1)
The Panthers had cracked the top 10 heading into the Bucknell game at the Peterson Events Center, which by the way is hated by many of the local folk because of the financial burden it’s placed on the town. So it may be correct to presume people didn’t care when they heard Pitt fell to Bucknell by 69-66. Besides, the Steelers are still playing football.
Pittsburgh looked solid as Chris Taft showed improvement. Carl Krauser and Chevon Troutman have learned to incorporate the talented freshman Ron Ramon into the mix. A lesson to be learned may be the following: Jamie Dixon should schedule more demanding out-of-conference games and some of them should be on the road (brilliant! Dixon played nine of 11 non-conference games this year at the Pete). Eventually, a team is going to come into your house and disrespect you, as has been already proven by Bucknell. Dixon did not have his team prepared.
Connecticut Huskies (0-0, 8-1)
The Huskies are basically facing the same music they heard this time last year. No one thinks this team will make a run at the championship in March. With just one loss at UMass by 61-59, the Huskies never challenged themselves and managed to finish non-conference play ranked No. 11. Rashad Anderson and Charlie Villanueva have been very inconsistent, guards Marcus Williams and Antonio Kellogg are nowhere close to being the Taliek Brown, Ricky Moore, Khalid El-Amin, even Tony “Microwave” Gwynn, the leaders they need. Coach Calhoun will red shirt A.J. Price, the freshman who suffered a brain hemorrhage and Marcus White, a talented big man who gave Josh Boone and Villanueva ample resting minutes, transferred to Purdue.
But looking at the roster, Connecticut still has a legitimate shot at winning the Big East regular season and tournament titles. Boone is top 10 nationally in rebounding, scoring and he is top five in blocks and field goal percentage. He is the Huskies’ go-to guy and is dominating, and I mean dominating, the offensive glass. Brown has been replaced by Gay in the starting lineup due to lack of production, which will be draining for him but something with which he must eventually come to grips. The Huskies will still play non-conference games at Oklahoma (Jan. 10, 9 p.m., ESPN Big Monday) and host to North Carolina (Feb. 13, 1 p.m., CBS).
Villanova Wildcats (0-0, 7-1)
Jason Fraser underwent a last-minute knee operation October 22. Hobbled by injuries thus far throughout his career, the sun is finally starting to come out and shine in Philadelphia. Fraser averaged 22 minutes per game in the final five games off the bench in non-conference action. The Wildcats finished a manageable 7-1 heading into Big East action, with the only loss coming against John Chaney and his Temple Owls in the Big Five Classic by a score of 53-52. Villanova has depth with eight players shuffled in and out of coach Jay Wright’s rotation, each averaging over 16 minutes.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0, 8-2)
Notre Dame has fallen out of the Top 25 with losses to Michigan and DePaul. Guard Chris Thomas is once and for all healthy giving 36.5 mpg and leading the team in scoring and assists. Arizona transfer Dennis Latimore has been equally impressive leading the team in field goal percentage to go along with 10.3 points per game and 6 rebounds per game.
Notre Dame was able to pull off a road win at a weak Indiana and showed early signs of struggle with a 66-59 win over lowly Harvard. Coach Mike Brey and his Irish will face tough tests against Syracuse, Connecticut, and Pittsburgh, each team twice.
Seton Hall Pirates (0-0, 8-3)
The Pirates were held at bay with a 5-2 record for the month of December. The Hall opened the season against Richmond losing by 77-71 and later sustained losses to Northwestern shooting an effortless 28 percent. They responded, however, with a nice win over a very quick and feisty Drexel defense. Grant Billmeier has replace Andre Sweet in the Hall’s starting lineup and averaged 7.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg during a 3-0 stretch. Freshman Justin Cerasoli (Chicago, Ill.) has been a contributor, as expected, off the bench averaging 19.5 mpg.
Georgetown Hoyas (0-0, 8-3)
The Hoyas were an admirable 6-2 for the month of December. With 10 minutes left in a home game against No. 1 Illinois, the Hoyas were still competitive and, even though they fell away after that, a meager 15-point loss isn’t all that bad. Convincing wins over Clemson and Penn State have brought optimism — but don’t hold your breath.
If the Hoyas were an airplane, the flight attendant would be turning on the “fasten seat belt” indicator. After starting the season 8-3, the Hoyas will now play at Pittsburgh, at Syracuse, at Boston College and home versus UConn all in January. Hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen.
The good news is John Thompson III has learned a considerable amount during non-conference games about his team. 6’8″ freshman Jeff Green is averaging 12.9 ppg and 7.5 rpg and complements the Hoyas’ post game nicely. Leading the team in scoring is 6’8″ junior Brandon Bowman with 15.8 ppg and 6.9 rpg. After that, Ashanti Cook is the only player scoring in double figures.
Providence Friars (0-0, 9-4)
The Friars suffered four losses in six games during one stretch. Following a brutal 84-66 loss to Matt Walsh and Florida, and Winthrop (which is now imposing a maniacal-type 2-2-1 full-court press) managed to upset Providence. The then-undefeated Wichita State Shockers also came into the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and escaped with a victory. The point here is that if the Friars are looking to make the NCAA Tournament in All-American Ryan Gomes’ senior season they must come up with big upsets in the Big East because their non-conference record will be unsatisfactory to the committee.
St. John’s Red Storm (0-0, 6-4)
With a new coach, three Junior College transfers, four freshmen and two redshirts in Daryll Hill and Mohamed Diakite, St. John’s closed out the first half of their schedule with a steady 6-4 record. An early loss to Tory Cavalieri and St. Francis (NY) may have hindered the team’s confidence a bit. Incredibly enough, the other losses were respectively to Niagara, at Hofstra and at Illinois State. The bad news in Queens surrounds the team’s second-leading scorer, Rodney Epperson (14.1ppg). He is being withheld because of transfer problems. The starting junior forward has already missed games versus Canisius and North Carolina State.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-0, 6-4)
Following good wins against Charlotte and St. Mary’s of Anaheim, Rutgers dropped three in a row and was in a considerable downward spiral. A tough loss at Princeton televised nationally by CSTV was the final straw for coach Gary Waters. Four wins would follow, including a 76-66 win at then undefeated Kansas State, which should rejuvenate the Scarlet Knights.
