Big East Tournament Semifinal Notes
by Ray Floriani
NEW YORK – Friday night in New York. You couldn’t ask for a greater setting for excitement. The Big East Conference semifinals provided that special drama and aura worthy of this setting, a Friday evening at the “world’s most famous arena”.
Georgetown edged Notre Dame 84-82 in one of those true Madison Square Garden classics, one of great performances, teams and individuals rising to the occasion and electricity in the air. Early onm it was a game of numbers, as Notre Dame’s three-point shooting raced them out to a 10-point lead at the 10-minute mark. That edge increased to fourteen with just under seven minutes remaining in the half. Colin Falls (14 points on the night) and Russell Carter (21) were the primary marksmen in the Irish attack.
“This conference has some great shooters,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. ‘If you give them some room they will knock it down. We didn’t defend as well early.”
The conference has its shooters. Georgetown has the Player of the Year in Jeff Green. The 6’9″ forward, along with Patrick Ewing Jr., sparked a late first-half run that brought the deficit to 46-44 at intermission.
The second half was closely contested with several lead changes. About five minutes remained and the Hoyas appeared in the driver’s seat with a seven-point lead. At that point, ND freshman guard Tory Jackson took over with several penetrations that rallied the Irish.
The game was tied in the waning seconds as Green took a pass in the paint, turned and buried a jumper with 13 seconds left. He was fouled and missed the free throw. Notre Dame came down and Carter had a great look beyond the arc at the top of the key. It rimmed out and the loose ball worked its way back to the foul line area. A Georgetown player got a hand on it, and having the presence of mind to know about 1.5 seconds remained, simply threw it airborne as the buzzer sounded.
In the nightcap, Pitt stopped Louisville 65-59. The first half didn’t have the drama of the opener, but the final twenty minutes, especially the stretch, saw the Garden rock. Louisville built an 11-point lead at the break. Pitt’s Aaron Gray picked up two quick fouls and Jamie Dixon sat seven-foot center down for the remainder of the half after playing just four minutes. With Gray out, the lane was accessible for penetration and inside opportunities. 6’6″ guard Terrence Williams had a game-high 11 points by halftime with 6’11” David Padgett adding eight.
A minute and a half following halftime, Gray picked up foul number three. Dixon opted to stay with him and the move paid off. In the first four minutes of the half, we were reminded that Louisville, for all their talent and success this season, is a young team. Pitt went on a 17-2 run the first four minutes of the second half to regain the lead. The Cardinals rushed shots, made questionable decisions and were guilty of several turnovers.
The game stayed close after that Panther run. With four minutes to play Pitt led 52-51. Antonio Graves (game-high 23 points) hit a big three-pointer late. Louisville answered with a few treys of their own to stay within one possession. In the final minute Gray hit a pair of free throws that were crucial in maintaining the narrow edge, one that sent them to their sixth Big East final in seven years.
Notes
- Williams led Louisville with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. The Cards enjoyed a 44-32 rebounding edge largely due to Gray’s prolonged absence. Gray scored eight points with no boards in just 13 minutes. His presence was significant in the stretch.
- Thompson did not push the panic button even with Georgetown trailing by double digits late the first half and ND raining threes. “We tell the team there are no ten-point plays,” Thompson said. “When you are down, you get back methodically. Get a stop, score, get another stop and so on.”
- Louisville’s quarterfinal double-overtime win over West Virginia was the program’s first in MSG in twenty three years.
- Notre Dame lost a heartbreaker, but coach Mike Brey feels the Big East experience will only help in the NCAA. “Yesterday down 9, and tonight down 7. I think that’s all stuff we can build on in the NCAA tournament.”
- The growth and development of Tory Jackson has been pleasing for Brey to watch and beneficial to the program. “We were riding him,” Brey said of Jackson during the stretch. “There’s a toughness factor there that he has brought to our basketball team.”
- Talk around MSG was West Virginia was a bubble team. With some of the upsets in conference tournaments, WVU might get in, but they would be resting easier had they pulled out that quarterfinal game against Louisville. Still, it’s been a great season for a team some prognosticators felt might not make the tournament – the Big East Tournament, that is.
- Spotted in the crowd: John Thompson, former Hoya coach, and Patrick Ewing. Also Dennis Gregory, Rutgers’ Director of Basketball Operations; Bloomfield Tech (NJ) head coach Nick Mariniello, Manhattan mentor Barry Rohrssen and DePaul assistant Gary Decesare.
On the Baseline
- Notre Dame’s cheerleaders cheered extra hard. If the Irish lost they had a 6 A.M. departure set the following morning.
- Pitt cheerleaders spent the day on Broadway and visiting Rockerfeller Center. When they asked about other possible stops, I mentioned, what else, the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue. What they were also happy to hear is nearby is Tiffany’s.
