Big East Conference Notebook
by Jesse Ullmann and Zach Van Hart
1. Connecticut Huskies (9-0)
Next: Wednesday vs. Stony Brook
A healthy Denham Brown and refreshing play from Hilton Armstrong have helped UConn to a flawless start and undefeated record in non-conference action. A career high 33 points by Rashad Anderson including a perfect 7-of-7 from 3-point range helped the Huskies beat up on Morehead State in Storrs. Pending the return of his grades after finals, guard Marcus Williams should return for Big East play – but will he have the legs after sitting out so long? Connecticut’s next test will start in January with Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown.
2. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-0)
Next: Wednesday at South Carolina
The Panthers have managed to finagle their way into the Top 25 by playing what could generously be called a mediocre non-conference slate. Yes, at 9-0 Pitt deserves to be ranked (No. 23) but concern about how they’ll fare in Big East play may prevail because Coppin State, Vermont, Robert Morris and Saint Francis (N.Y.) are not all that good. As is tradition with the Panthers, they will not have played an away game up until this week, when they’ll travel to South Carolina.
3. Villanova Wildcats (8-0)
Next: Saturday at Temple
Remember when three Big East teams (‘Nova, St. John’s, Georgetown) went to the Final Four in 1985? That was the year Villanova pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history. Last week, the Top 25 poll was released and 3 of the top 4 teams were Big East schools. Now I am not saying we will see a repeat performance of what happened ten years ago but the conference is incredibly strong this year and the Wildcats may cash in and turn out to be the biggest beneficiaries. Coach Jay Wright has a top-heavy non-conference schedule (Oklahoma, Texas, Big 5) and with the non-conference coming to a close, will play twice each: Louisville, UConn, Syracuse. The guard play of Randy Foye, Mike Nardi and Allan Ray has been outstanding. The three-headed monster on the Main Line has so far been impenetrable.
4. Louisville Cardinals (9-1)
Next: Wednesday vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
The Cardinals came feel good about last week if they cling to the old cliché, “A win is a win.” If not, they should be worried after three lackluster performances. Louisville defeated Middle Tennessee State, College of Charleston and Detroit in a span of five days, all at home, but did not appear to be a top 15 team at any juncture. The Cardinals beat MTSU by 10, C of C by 15 thanks to a late run and Detroit by eight. Louisville is receiving solid defensive performances, though the fullcourt pressure has not been very present yet. But the team is struggling offensively, highlighted by senior guard Taquan Dean’s early-season slump. He scored 15 against Detroit but only hit 4-of-11 shots from the field.
5. Syracuse Orange (9-2)
Next: Tuesday vs. Towson
Syracuse picked up a 90-80 victory over Davidson and a 75-61 win over Illinois-Chicago last week with three more non-conference games before wrapping it up to get ready for Big East play. Lou McCroskey and Eric Devendorf have split time at ball-handling duties with the freshman having a little bit of an edge. Devendorf is for real. He is almost ambidextrous-looking in the way he plays and can dribble and sometimes shoot with both the right and left. Gerry McNamara is now averaging 17.5 points per game with just two other teammates averaging over 9 ppg.
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-2)
Next: Wednesday vs. Miami (Ohio)
The Bearcats have bounced back from early home losses with a six-game win streak, the two most impressive wins coming last week at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Cincinnati got revenge from one of its home losses, beating Dayton 81-63 before coming from behind to beat LSU 75-72. Freshman guard Devan Downey continues to show he is a star in the making (he is second on the team with 14.7 points per game) but so far this season senior forward James White has finally stepped up as the complete package. He leads the Bearcats with 18.3 points per game and scored the game’s final five points against LSU.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2)
Next: Wednesday vs. Fordham
The Fighting Irish are turning into a three-headed monster, with guards Chris Quinn and Colin Falls joined by big man Torin Frances. The three have led Notre Dame to five straight wins, including last week’s defeats of Niagara and Columbia. The Irish’s main weakness is a lack of help for Frances on the interior. That was highlighted when Columbia outscored Notre Dame 44-16 in the paint. Frances, though, as been a force, as he is averaging a double-double (14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds) through nine games. He will need more help though as conference play starts.
8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-3)
Next: Saturday vs. Princeton
The Scarlet Knights picked up a 63-45 win over South Carolina State in Piscataway behind 21 points from Quincy Douby. Rutgers is out-rebounding opponents partially due to the interior presence of Byron Joynes and Ollie Bailey.
An 85-82 loss versus Charlotte was not all that bad. They played well against the new A-10 school and gave the 49ers a run for their money. Five players scored in double figures including a solid 10 points in 20 minutes for Adrian Hill off the bench.
9. Marquette Golden Eagles (9-3)
Next: Wednesday vs. Lewis
Youth is serving in the early going for the Golden Eagles. Following Marquette’s 60-48 win against Delaware State last week, three of the team’s four leading scorers are freshmen. Not the scenario coach Tom Crean would prefer, but he has no choice but to run with it.
Following senior Steve Novak’s team-leading 13.8 points per game are Dominic James (13.4), Jerel McNeal (10.6) and Wesley Matthews (10.2). Against Delaware State, all three freshmen started, played at least 28 minutes and were the only Golden Eagles to score in double digits. With Novak leading the way, these youngsters are quickly becoming the driving force for Marquette.
10. Georgetown Hoyas (6-2)
Next: Tuesday at Colgate
Though the Hoyas’ frontcourt continues to lead the way, Georgetown is receiving solid contributions throughout the lineup. Georgetown easily won its lone game last week, dispatching Savannah State 78-49. Four players scored in double figures, highlighted by freshman guard Jessie Sapp’s career-high 11. The Hoyas have won three straight after an increasingly impressive loss at Illinois. Seven-foot-two Roy Hibbert is commanding a lot of attention, but forward Jeff Green has been the early MVP, leading the team in rebounds (7.4) and assists (3.4) while averaging 10.4 points per game.
11. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3)
Next: Friday vs. Canisius
Just in case anyone thought the Mountaineers couldn’t live up to the hype, they ended those doubts with a 92-68 thrashing of then-No. 8 Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. WVU shot a school-record 66.7 percent from the field and hit 20-of-23 free throws. Kevin Pittsnogle scored 25 points, one of four Mountaineers to score at least 14. This game was West Virginia at its best – shooting well and shooting often. There isn’t a team in the country that can hang with this group when it plays like it did.
12. Seton Hall Pirates (6-3)
Next: Thursday vs. Morgan State
When Seton Hall’s committing more turnovers than field goals made against a team that could generously be called sub par, trouble is inevitable. At home versus Northwestern, the Pirates found themselves walking off the plank by connecting on just 12-of-51 field goal attempts while committing 20 turnovers in a 44-42 loss, an ugly game played by both teams. Louis Orr and the Hall may have critics raising some eyebrows in a tough contest versus Iona coming up this New Year’s Eve.
13. DePaul Blue Demons (6-4)
Next: Saturday vs. Florida International
The Blue Demons continue to come up with big wins. Their latest was a 68-65 road win against tough California. Sammy Meija scored 20 points for DePaul in the win, as he continues to relish his role as team leader. Meija is averaging 15 points per game, along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He is getting plenty of help, too, from a couple of sophomore sensations: Karron Clarke and Draelon Burns, who are both averaging more than nine points per game.
14. Providence Friars (5-4)
Next: Tuesday vs. San Diego State
After losing to Florida, Memphis and Wichita State, the Friars needed to refocus and they did. A 90-72 win over Northeastern followed up by a 76-63 win over Yale has put Providence back up above .500. Better believe head coach Tim Welsh has already forgotten about the four consecutive losses. January games against Louisville, Georgetown and Connecticut can give PC the experience it will need if it wants to pull off some upsets later on in conference play.
15. St. John’s Red Storm (5-4)
Next: Tuesday vs. Columbia
We’ve all been there. Remember in college: you’re going to the dorm, approaching the security booth to swipe your ID. “Shoot, I forgot to bring it with me.” And so the story’s told. Well not only did Daryll Hill forget his ID but he was benched for it! It seems with the excess still from two years ago (player misconduct and rape allegations), there is simply no abandonment of punishment. The Storm should close out a decent finish in the non-conference with wins in the annual MSG Holiday Festival this week.
16. South Florida Bulls (6-5)
Next: Wednesday vs. Bethune-Cookman
The Bulls picked up their first road win of the season last week with a close 54-50 victory against Loyola Marymont. James Holmes again lit up the score board for South Florida, scoring 21 points. He’s averaging 19.5 points per game this season. The Bulls have become a four-man show between Holmes, Solomon Jones, Melvin Buckley and McHugh Mattis. All four are averaging at least 10.5 points per game, but no one else on the team is averaging more than five.
