Big East Conference Notebook
by Jesse Ullmann and Pat DiSalvo
1. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-0 Big East, 15-2 Overall)
Up Next: Saturday vs. Georgetown at 9 P.M. (ESPN)
Pitt has rebounded from two tough non-conference losses to win four straight games, including a contest at Syracuse last Thursday. While star senior center Aaron Gray has struggled with four straight single-digit scoring efforts, the deep Panther bench has picked up the slack. In their latest win, the Panthers bench outscored South Florida’s 28-2 and had ten players register at least two points. Pitt enters Big East play as the hunted team picked by many to finish first in the conference. To stifle opponents seeking an upset, the Panthers have succeeded by playing their trademark tough defense (allowing only 55 points per game in their last four), as well as taking care of the ball offensively. Pitt leads the conference in assists per game with 19.8 and assist/turnover ratio at 1.7. Jamie Dixon’s squad will face some of its biggest challenges in the next few weeks, especially during a tough three game stretch against Georgetown, UConn and Marquette (all of which are home games).
2. Providence Friars (2-0, 12-3)
Up Next: Saturday @ Louisville at 12 P.M., Wednesday @ Seton Hall at 7:30 P.M. (ESPN360)
The Friar’s are now 4-1 in their last five games picking up wins this week over Seton Hall and Marquette. In two convincing wins, PC put up a combined 165 points and this, again, came without their leading scorer Sharaud Curry, who Tim welsh has finally announced will indeed return for the Louisville game (he will not be fresh, though, as Curry is not allowed to practice with the team until Friday, the day before the road contest). Dwain Williams has filled in for curry and against Marquette contributed 11 points and just two turnovers in 38 minutes. Starting wingman Weyinmi Efejuku gave a tremendous effort with 18 points and 10 rebounds versus Marquette. The Golden Eagles also saw rejuvenated Friar big man Herbert Hill, who proceeded to get 23 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.
The court at the Dunk will from now on be know as Dave Gavitt Court, named after the newest Naismith Hall of Fame inductee and former Friar head coach.
3. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1, 13-2)
Up Next: Saturday at Marquette at Noon (ESPN), Wednesday vs. South Florida at 7 P.M.
West Virginia, despite being predicted to finish well below last year’s third place rank in the Big East, is on a tear as conference play is underway. In having to replace four starters, head coach John Beilein has an energetic and young squad that appears willing to play with – and shock – anyone. That included a then-undefeated Connecticut Huskies on December 30th, as the Mountaineers beat UConn 81-71 in Morgantown. The WVU squad has raced out to a 3-0 start in the Big East with additional wins over St. John’s and Villanova. Their 13-1 mark is the best start for a Mountaineer team since the 1981-82 season. WVU is using stifling defense, holding its opponents to less than 50 points per game, as well as balanced scoring, with senior Frank Young leading five players that average more than nine points per game (14.6). Young is also aided by sophomore sensation Joe Alexander, who has scored in double digits in his last nine games. Alexander is one of many talented athletes on the Mountaineers who have not only been giving opponents fits on the offensive end, but on defense as well with their active 1-3-1 zone. For as much success as WVU has had, the true test awaits as six of their next eight games are on the road.
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1, 14-2)
Up Next: Sunday vs. Seton Hall at 2 P.M., Wednesday @ Villanova at 7:30 P.M.
After a woeful shooting performance in a loss to Georgetown Mike Brey and the Irish rebounded with an impressive 61-58 victory over West Virginia. Russell Carter had 19 points and is now third in the conference in scoring with 17.6 points per game. Unlike most wingmen or combo guards, Carter is very unselfish, but he has the wherewithal to know when to take it on his own and create. You could make an argument that the Irish, a team picked to finish 11th in the pre-season Big East Coaches Poll, is the only league lock for the NCAA Tournament right now besides Pittsburgh. They are well on their way to an NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Kyle Mcalarney has now missed four games serving an indefinite suspension imposed by head coach Mike Brey.
5. Syracuse Orange (2-1, 13-4)
Up Next: Saturday vs. Villanova at 1 P.M. (CBS)
The Orange got a much-needed victory at Marquette on Sunday night, improving its Big East record to .500. After an eight-point loss to Pitt at the Carrier Dome, SU was looking to avoid its first 0-2 start in the Big East since the 1998-99 season. Thanks to resurgent sophomore guard Eric Devendorf’s 20 points, the Orange got its first truly impressive win of the season, even though it was ugly as both teams combined for 43 turnovers. While the Orange is having trouble handling the ball, the return of Devendorf should help. The sophomore is still coming off the bench, but is playing at a much higher level than one month ago, when he was dealing with personal issues and sickness. He is averaging 17.5 points in his last four games off the bench. Devendorf is integral to the team, which is thin because of injuries and the transfer of freshman swingman Mike Jones. Jones left the team because of a lack of playing time and homesickness from South Carolina, according to coach Jim Boeheim. The Orange is also without two frontcourt players, Matt Gorman and Arinze Onuaku, because of injuries.
As a result, Boeheim has gone to a seven-player rotation. While the team is not deep, it is talented. Senior Demetris Nichols, despite struggling in the past two games, is second in the Big East in scoring at 19.1ppg. Senior center Darryl Watkins has also played outstanding of late, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks against Marquette. If the Orange can improve its half court offense, take care of the ball and get healthy, it may be able to overcome its slow start.
6. Seton Hall Pirates (2-1, 10-5)
Up Next: Sunday @ Notre Dame at 2 P.M., Wednesday vs. Providence at 7:30 P.M.
The annual battle between the Pirates and St. John’s tilted in favor of the Hall yet again. Bouncing back after a disappointing 91-69 loss at Providence, Bobby Gonzalez and his crew won convincingly on Thursday by a 79-63 margin at Continental Arena. Freshman guard Eugene Harvey (Brooklyn, NY/St. Benedicts Prep) looked brilliant with 16 points, 7 assists and a career-high 8 rebounds. The reigning Big East Rookie of the Week winner showed St. John’s just exactly what it is they’re missing as he dominated Eugene Lawrence and Daryll Hill. Harvey was one of four Pirates scoring in double figures. Brian Laing had a team-high 18 points and continues to emerge this season for the Pirates. If Harvey is Batman, then his classmate Larry Davis is Robin. Davis finished with 17 points, as did Jamar Nutter. The Hall now moves forward to take on the hottest team in the league right now, Notre Dame.
7. Georgetown Hoyas (1-1, 11-4)
Up Next: Saturday at Pitt at 9 P.M. (ESPN), Wednesday at Rutgers at 7:30 P.M.
Georgetown had rattled off seven straight wins, including a 66-48 romp of then-No. 22 Notre Dame this past Saturday, before Villanova beat the Hoyas 56-52 on Monday. The win against ND, in which the Hoyas led by as much as 29 points in the second half, snapped the Fighting Irish’s 12-game win streak. The team’s play during the victory over ND showcased a squad that looked as if it were the top 10 team observers believed the Hoyas to be in the preseason. Junior center Roy Hibbert poured in 18 points in a balanced offensive effort, with junior Jeff Green tallying 15, junior Jonathan Wallace netting 13 and sophomore Jessie Sapp with 10. But on Monday, the hyped Hibbert and Green were nowhere to be found, combining for nine points and seven rebounds. The Hoyas will go as Hibbert and Green go. John Thompson III will need those two to perform and needs continued help from Sapp and Wallace for the Hoyas to stay at the top of the conference.
8. Louisville Cardinals (1-1, 11-5)
Up Next: Saturday vs. Providence at noon
After dropping their only challenging games of the season thus far to Arizona, Kentucky and Dayton, the Cardinals are searching for a significant win. Last week Louisville fell to Notre Dame 78-62. The Cardinals are struggling without a consistent scoring threat. Overall, the team is shooting barely over 40 percent from the field. Against the Fighting Irish, the only Cardinal in double digits was sophomore Terrence Williams with 18 points. Freshman guards Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith were held to five points each. Junior swingman Juan Palacios has underachieved so far, averaging only 9.8 points per game. Without junior David Padgett at 100 percent (he is averaging only 22 minutes per game), the Cardinals need more leadership and points from Palacios. Hyped freshman Derrick Caracter has not been a factor for Louisville, averaging 5.6 points per game. Caracter has just returned from a leave of absence, and the Cardinals will need improved play from him if they want to succeed in the conference.
9. Marquette Golden Eagles (1-2, 14-4)
Up Next: Saturday vs. West Virginia at 11 a.m. (ESPN), Monday @ Louisville at 6 P.M. (ESPN)
Despite a wealth of talent, Marquette finds itself sitting at 0-2 as Big East play is underway. In the past two games against Providence and Syracuse the Golden Eagles have struggled shooting the ball – they are 8 of 44 from three point range in that span. Sophomore point guard Dominic James has also struggled, scoring 12 and 6 points in the last two contests. The Golden Eagles boast one of the conferences’ peskiest defenses, forcing 20 Syracuse turnovers. Sophomore Jerel McNeal also averages 3.5 steals per game, tied for tops in the Big East. As evidenced by the past two games, it appears that the talented Golden Eagles will go as far as their outside shooting takes them. With a lack of inside play, and 42.5 of their averaged 72.2 points per game coming from their three starting guards, Marquette cannot afford to have James, McNeal and sophomore Wesley Matthews struggle. The current four-game stretch that started with Wednesday’s win at UConn will likely dictate the Golden Eagles’ season, as the team faces off against West Virginia, Louisville and Pitt to complete the stretch.
10. Connecticut Huskies (1-2, 12-3)
Up Next: Saturday @ St. John’s at 9 P.M., Tuesday @ Pittsburgh at 7 P.M. (ESPN2)
Youth has been served.
Now that the conference schedule is well underway and the mold and shape of the big picture Big East comes into view, for UConn, it’s transparency in the aggregate. From the get-go everyone knew the Huskies would be vulnerable this season and now, with a death trap right around the bend at MSG versus St. John’s, Connecticut’s being picked apart by the Big East, the latest beneficiary being Marquette in what Jim Calhoun basically called an excruciating 40 minutes of hoops for his Huskies. Marquette won going away 73-69. The score was a little deceiving because it was not that close of a game. The Huskies have now lost two in a row with a loss to LSU on ESPN’s College GameDay this past Saturday.
One thought here: Connecticut constantly gets criticized (sometimes deservedly) for scheduling non-league cupcakes. But the Huskies face LSU, Indiana and Georgia Tech (who just beat Duke by double digits) this season. For a measuring stick Michigan State also faces only three tough non-conference foes this season in Texas, Boston College and Maryland. The difference is Izzo schedules those games to be played in November and December whereas Connecticut plays every one of theirs after January. Why does Calhoun do that? What is the untold truth here? The truth has to be television.
With the NFL over and done with and March Madness on the horizon CBS wants late-season heroics and they’ll get it (or so they think) in Connecticut-Indiana and Connecticut-Georgia Tech matinee games.
11. DePaul Blue Demons (1-2, 10-7)
Up Next: Saturday @ Rutgers at 3 P.M., Tuesday vs. St. John’s at 7:30 P.M.
DePaul is coming off a big 73-65 victory at Villanova on Saturday, the sixth win in the Blue Demons’ last seven games. Senior Sammy Mejia, who scored 23 points against Villanova, and super sophomore Wilson Chandler lead the pesky Blue Demons with 16.1 and 15.8 points per game respectively. While the Blue Demons are not regarded among the best in the Big East, they are very talented and can be troublesome for an opponent on any given night. The Demons lost at Kentucky by only six points, beat then No. 5 Kansas in early December, conquered Wake Forest and California and won tough road games at Rhode Island and Villanova. Big East play will likely wear down on the Blue Demons, but with two stars like Mejia and Chandler, one can’t overlook DePaul. Unfortunately for Jerry Wainwright’s squad, there isn’t much depth after the top two – no other players average double digit-points or log more than 23 minutes.
12. Villanova Wildcats (1-2, 11-4)
Up Next: Saturday at Syracuse at Noon (CBS), Wednesday vs. Notre Dame at 7 P.M.
The Wildcats beat Georgetown 56-52 on Monday after facing their first two-game losing streak since January 2005. With one more loss, they will reach their loss total from last year. Although the team has the Big East’s leading scorer in Curtis Sumpter at 19.5 per game and the top free throw shooting team in the league, it has struggled to find an identity. The Wildcats have not had an extremely challenging schedule, but succeeded against Georgetown with another strong performance from Scottie Reynolds. In his last five games, the freshman is averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 assists, including a 25-point effort in a loss to DePaul, and a 16-point outburst against the Hoyas. ‘Nova will learn a lot about themselves in their next couple of games against Syracuse and Notre Dame. Sumpter and senior guard Mike Nardi lead the team but need the role players to step up in order to right the ship in the Big East.
13. St. John’s Red Storm (1-2, 10-6)
Up Next: Saturday vs. Connecticut at 9 P.M., Tuesday @ DePaul at 8:30 P.M.
Two games removed from a very impressive win over DePaul, the lack of confidence was exposed Thursday night. The Red Storm, competitive for a solid 25 minutes, let the game get away from them in the second half in losing on the road to Seton Hall 79-63. Also exposed was the Johnnies’ lack of size. It did not happen last night but in the future, if Lamont Hamilton ever gets in foul trouble, forget about it. One of the few bright spots turned out to be Anthony Mason, Jr., who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in a losing cause. Norm Roberts watched Eugene Harvey, a city kid lured to New Jersey by Bobby G., nearly drop in a triple-double with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
If St. John’s is thinking at all of making the 12-team Big East Tournament and avoiding its second-straight non-invite, Seton Hall is a must-win.
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-2, 8-8)
Up Next: Saturday vs. DePaul at 4 P.M., Wednesday vs. Georgetown at 7:30 P.M.
There are certain secrets that have been well-kept in the Big East. For instance, if you so choose you can gamble against the Syracuse 2-3 zone by shooting a ton and, if you’re cold, keep shooting and hope to get hot. The traditional approach, however (one taken by the likes of Brey, Tim Welsh and Calhoun), is to abandon that game plan and start attacking the basket. Fred Hill and Rutgers’ fatal error of not hitting shots against the Orange 2-3 zone proved costly in a 68-58 loss in Piscataway. The Knights hit just nine of their 32 first-half field goals and finished the game shooting just 5-of-24 from behind the arc, an anemic 20.8 percent. Rutgers also looked sluggish with zero fast-break points and at times, as has been the case so far throughout the season, seemed despondent. Trailing by three at halftime, the Knights were in this one and let the game get away from them. Syracuse, with the injury bug, played just seven men. An added bonus for Rutgers was freshman Courtney Nelson contributing 14 points in 30 minutes off the bench.
The starting center from last season, 6’9″ senior Byron Joynes, is expected to make an announcement by Sunday as to whether or not he will redshirt due to a lingering foot problem.
15. Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1, 9-6)
Up Next: Sunday @ South Florida at 2 P.M., Wednesday @ Syracuse at 7 P.M.
The struggling Bearcats are just one of a handful of Big East programs in a rut right now. The Cats have dropped three in a row, the latest loss coming at home versus Rutgers, 54-42. Marcus Sikes shot 7-of-9 with three three-pointers for 17 points in the loss. If Cincinnati has any thought of making the 12-member Big East Tournament, Sunday is a must-win. No need to panic yet, but Bearcat junior guard Jamuel Warren had some disturbing comments following the Rutgers game. Quoted in a local paper, Warren complained about his teammates and coaches losing focus.
When it rains, it pours: the NCAA has taken a scholarship away from the program because of their APR.
16. South Florida Bulls (0-3, 9-8)
Up Next: Sunday vs. Cincinnati at 2 P.M., Wednesday @ West Virginia at 7 P.M.
After what was hoped to be a turning-point victory over Wake Forest, the Bulls have found themselves in the same exact place they were this time last year. With their first league win still eluding them, the Bulls so far are 0-for-3, the latest loss an 81-55 beating by Louisville, a game in which the Cardinals nailed 13 three pointers. Despite the fact that the Cardinals were playing without two of their premier talents in Juan Palacios and Derrick Caracter, South Florida was not able to take advantage. Melvin Buckley had another impressive game for USF, connecting on five three-pointers in the losing cause. The Bulls are trying to avoid a repeat of an atrocious inaugural season in the Big East, but they are not helping their own cause. They have lost by 18, 21, and 26 to Connecticut, Pittsburgh and now Louisville.
Redshirt freshman Chris Howard played in his first game back after a year and a half of being away with knee problems. Howard logged 20 minutes against Louisville.
