Big East Conference Notebook
Spot watch on post-season
With St. John’s absent from this season’s Big East Tournament due to its self-imposed ban, the top five teams will receive byes; and with this year’s balance, critical results on the final sprint to the finish will be necessary for almost every team. BC is a lock for a bye, but the other four spots are up for grabs. Syracuse, Connecticut and Pitt are your likely suitors; however Villanova, Georgetown and Notre Dame are smelling blood. Villanova last year was a No. 11 seed while Providence was No. 3.
The NCAA Tournament may feature seven Big East teams. On Selection Sunday, the Eagles are on pace to be seeded no lower than a No. 3 and Syracuse no lower than a No. 4. Pittsburgh and Connecticut are likely to be pesky No. 4 or 5 seeds and will give other teams fits in the early rounds. Villanova has the third-best RPI (19) in the conference behind Boston College (5) and Syracuse (13). The 83-63 mauling of Kansas by the Wildcats will be a factor for the selection committee. With a couple of quality losses, Villanova has just one other quality win, coming against Notre Dame by 65-60.
The Hoyas are a point of intrigue. Two games left at home (including a tough test versus Villanova) and two on the road (including a likely loss to Connecticut). Georgetown has a 36 RPI and they were tremendously underrated (myself included) in the pre-season. If the Hoyas split to finish the regular season and win one Big East tournament game (two and they are in for sure), they could get a bid. As far as Notre Dame is concerned, away games at Providence and UConn plus tough home tests against UCLA and Pittsburgh may leave the Irish with yet another NIT appearance.
Boston College Eagles (10-1, 21-1)
Next Up: Saturday vs. Syracuse at 6 p.m. (ESPN)
People perceived the 68-65 loss at Notre Dame to be the beginning of the end for the Eagles’ perfect start. This social tag almost came to fruition when BC had a rough go against lowly Rutgers on Wednesday, but held on down the stretch to win by 74-64. With 7:30 left to play, BC allowed the Scarlet Knights to pull within four, 55-51. Craig Smith finished with 13 points while team leader Jared Dudley scored 14 and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Syracuse Orange (9-3, 22-4)
Next Up: Saturday at BC at 6 p.m. (ESPN)
On game night, the Carrier Dome is one of the toughest places to play in the country (for both football and basketball opponents). Valentines Day was enveloped in some tough love and Syracuse took a dink in the armor after two consecutive losses at home to UConn first, 74-66 and then to Pittsburgh, 68-64. Gerry McNamara, arguably the most lethal threat from downtown in the country, was held to 4-of-18 shooting against the Huskies and finished with just 9 points. Seven days later against Pitt, Billy Edelin, whose insertion into the starting lineup has become a moot point, was again a non-factor and Hakim Warrick, plagued by foul trouble the entire game, finished with just 12 points. Sandwiched in between both games was what appeared to be a trap game at Villanova. Warrick scored a career high 32 points and the Orange won convincingly 90-75.
Pittsburgh Panthers (8-3, 18-4)
Next Up: Sunday at Villanova at 1:30 p.m. (ABC)
After Pittsburgh started 2005 off by losing two of their first five games, the Panthers have come roaring back. Coach Jamie Dixon has won six of seven capped by a convincing 68-64 win at Syracuse. No. 17 Pitt got back-to-back three balls from Carl Krauser in the second half and the Panthers gained momentum. With 47.4 seconds remaining the junior guard Krauser hit another three to make it 64-60. But the MVP award goes to Chevy Troutman who hit four key free throws in the final 20 seconds to close the deal. He finished 16-of-20 from the free throw line. Earlier in the week, Chris Taft, who has been criticized for his work ethic, was benched for the final 11 minutes in a 68-66 win versus Notre Dame.
Connecticut Huskies (8-3, 16-6)
Next Up: Saturday at Rutgers at 6 p.m. (ESPN Classic), Monday vs. Notre Dame at 7 p.m. (ESPN)
The Huskies have been dealing with a lot of various issues. Now, as a follow-up to the loss of A.J. Price for the season, the team’s leading scorer and a major player in last year’s championship run, Rashad Anderson, is out indefinitely (could be season-ending) with an infection. The nation’s second-leading assist man Marcus Williams had been ill and his symptoms had spread contagiously. With a 7-point loss to No. 4 North Carolina Sunday and a win at then-No. 9 Syracuse, UConn proved they can run with the big boys.
Williams has thus far proven he could be mentioned in the same breath as Raymond Felton and Gerry McNamara. Tuesday night, Williams, still recovering from a cold, dished out 13 assists to go along with 15 points in a 94-89 double-overtime win at Providence. Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva have been inconsistent, however. The sophomore center Villanueva was instrumental for the Huskies in the second overtime session with two key rebounds and four points in the win.
Georgetown Hoyas (8-4, 16-7)
Next Up: Sunday at St. John’s at 2 p.m.
The Hoyas continue to get great contribution from their freshman. Jeff Green posted 21 points and nine rebounds against West Virginia in a 67-60 win over the Mountaineers. On Wednesday, Roy Hibbert kept his team close by scoring 15 points but it was not enough to fend off Notre Dame as Georgetown fell on the road 70-64.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-5, 15-7)
Next Up: Saturday at Providence at Noon, Monday at Connecticut at 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Chris Quinn scored a career-high 25 points, including 5-of-6 from downtown, but Notre Dame still lost at Pitt 68-66. In a 70-64 win over Georgetown, Chris Thomas passed Pat Garrity to move into third place (2,097) on the school’s all-time scoring list. Dennis Latimore uncharacteristically played just two minutes against Georgetown.
Colin Falls’ campaign as one of the better shooters in conference continues to gain momentum. Averaging three three-pointers per game, the junior guard is behind only Gerry McNamara.
Villanova Wildcats (5-5, 15-6)
Next Up: Sunday vs. Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m. (ABC), Wednesday vs. BC at 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
A young verve has rejuvenated Villanova and placed it right in the thick of things for a Big East first-round bye and a possible NCAA tourney berth. With everybody healthy, the Wildcats may surprise some folks down the stretch with the ability to put together a dazzling repertoire. Allan Ray and Mike Nardi continue their fiery shooting while Jason Fraser and Kyle Lowry’s minutes have grown increasingly. The Wildcats blew out Bucknell 89-51 Tuesday after coming off a tough 90-75 loss at home versus Syracuse.
West Virginia Mountaineers (5-7, 15-8)
Next Up: Sunday vs. Seton Hall at 4 p.m.
It is usually St. John’s Daryll Hill penetrating up the middle at Carnesecca Arena, but JD Collins had his own agenda. With 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation and his team trailing by 66-65, the 5’10” junior guard Collins drove the lane, hoisted an-off balance lay-up and converted, handing the Red Storm a suffocating loss 67-66. D’or Fischer has been reassigned to a role that includes coming off the bench. Fischer is 23rd in the nation in blocked shots.
Seton Hall Pirates (3-7, 11-10)
Next Up: Sunday at West Virginia at 4 p.m., Wednesday vs. Providence at 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Seton Hall was robbed on what appeared to be a phantom foul in overtime when it visited Rutgers last week. After suffering their third straight loss, the Pirates bounced back to take a much-needed 57-55 win over St. John’s. André Sweet continues to play well off the bench while Kelly Whitney and John Allen look for other situational players who can contribute on offense. J.R. Morris, a promising 6-foot-5 junior, is averaging 10.1 points per game while freshman Justin Cerasoli has shown flashes of the pre-season hype but is still a question mark.
St. John’s Red Storm (2-10, 8-14)
Next Up: Sunday vs. Georgetown at 2 p.m.
Daryll Hill’s jump shot, which drew a foul with just under 10 seconds remaining, put St. John’s ahead against West Virginia. The crowd at Carnesecca Arena was into it and the Johnnies appeared to be headed toward their third conference victory. The bucket made it 67-66 and the free throw would have put St. John’s in good position. Instead, Hill, a 78 percent free-throw shooter, missed, and the Mountaineers J.D. Collins won it with a game-ending lay-up. Showtime finished with 27 points, seven assists. The loss for the Johnnies makes it four in a row. St. John’s lost at Seton Hall 57-55 in overtime on Saturday.
Red Man Rodney Epperson is feeling blue. The team’s second leading scorer at 14.1 ppg has been dismissed from the team after allegations of he and others receiving fake grades from their former school. The 6-foot-8 junior, 22, had transferred from Barton Community College (Kansas) to Midland Junior College (Texas) to St. John’s. Accusations have been made of Epperson’s former coach at Barton College altering grades for him as well as other former players. A well-traveled native of Queens, Epperson also spent two seasons at separate prep schools.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-10, 8-14)
Next Up: Saturday vs. Connecticut at 6 p.m. (ESPN Classic), Wednesday vs. Arkansas-Monticello at 7:30 p.m.
Try to follow along here. When a student at Manhattan College or Fordham University or any other Jesuit or religious school for that matter uses an expletive, a warning is sometimes issued, similar to Columbia’s “Code of Ethics.” So when Dr. Richard McCormick, the esteemed President of Rutgers University, was jeered and chastised by fans at the RAC February 5th, all hell broke loose. Among other things, I truly believe that Gary Waters, now in his fourth season, will be fired at the end of the season if not before it ends. Rutgers fans were not booing McCormick for Waters, though. It was because of what he did following the embarrassing 94-61 loss at home to Villanova. McCormick apparently decided to pay a visit to the locker room following the game and aggressively told the players (in front of all the coaches and directed at Ricky Shields and Quincy Douby) that they weren’t that good. McCormick said he had conversations with an NBA scout and “nobody on this team is good enough to play professionally,” as was reported.
Providence Friars (1-10, 11-14)
Next Up: Saturday vs. Notre Dame at Noon, Wednesday at Seton Hall at 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Providence finally got out of its rut. An 0-for-10 start in conference play had Tim Welsh’s players hanging their heads. The remedy came against Rutgers as Ryan Gomes scored 22 points and Tuukka Kotti scored 17 to go along with 11 boards in a convincing 81-64 victory.
The win came on the heels of some unfortunate news. Dwight Brewington, the team’s second leading scorer, tore an ACL and will be out for the season. The Brewington loss came just a week after it was made public that sophomore Gerald Brown, an occasional starter, would transfer. The Friars are now extremely thin and opposing defenses will now have the ability to focus even more on Donnie McGrath and Ryan Gomes.
