Big East Conference Tournament: Did someone say overrated? Senior guard Gerry McNamara — recently criticized in Syracuse newspapers and profanely defended by coach Jim Boehim — proved once again that when he is on the court, No. 9 Syracuse is never out of a game. McNamara led the Orange to a 58-57 win against No. 5 Georgetown, taking the lead for the first and only time in the final 10 seconds. McNamara cut a four-point game to one with a killer three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining. Syracuse then forced a Hoya turnover and McNamara sprinted down court to dish his most important assist of the Big East Conference Tournament to freshman guard Eric Devendorf, who hit the game-winning layup. Syracuse advances to the championship game to play No. 6 Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh advanced to the Big East Conference Tournament championship game with a 68-54 win against No. 2 Villanova, setting up a championship between the two lowest combined seeds to reach the finals in Big East history. The Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh tilt signifies the depth of the enormous Big East. Junior guard Antonio Graves led the Panthers with 18 points. But the most critical story in the game was an injury to Wildcat senior guard Allan Ray. Panther senior guard Carl Krauser accidentally poked Ray in the eye while chasing a loose ball, and Ray immediately collapsed in pain. He could be heard saying that he couldn’t see, and doctors called for a stretcher and rushed Ray to the hospital. Although the injury was initially considered severe, doctors later announced that Ray and his eyesight will be fine. He may be available to play this week in the NCAA Tournament. [3/10/06]
