The 2012-13 season is in the books, and what a great season it was. There were many great games, and the national championship game was certainly one of them.
For the fifth season in a row, I covered over 100 games in 2012-13. This time around, I passed the mark of 118 a year earlier, so it was a busy year to say the least. In addition, I got to see a lot of teams along the way, even though there were plenty of repeats as would be expected. There were also a lot of great games among them, so picking a top ten list was a little more challenging for a good reason. Of the 120 games I covered, 11 went to overtime, with two going to double overtime.
To pull this off, there’s a little bit of good fortune that has to happen. There’s winter weather, conflicting schedules influenced more and more by television and a host of other things that can be thrown out way. There were a couple of examples of how well things worked out this year even amidst the curve balls that were thrown.
One is that before the calendar turned over to 2013, I had covered at least one game of all 21 Division I programs in New England. By December 7, I had seen all except Dartmouth. As such, I had a feel for every program in the region before long. It was an interesting year to say the least – as a whole, the region was a little down, but there were plenty of good stories and reason to believe better times are ahead for many of them. In addition, schedules worked out well enough that on two Saturdays, I covered three games. Getting one day where that happens is rare, but two in the same season might never happen.
With all of that out of the way, here’s a look back the games I covered in the 2012-13 season, followed by the top ten games I covered.
November 9, 2012
(1) Northeastern 65, Boston University 64
As was the case last year, a dramatic finish between two cross-town rivals begins the season as Demetrius Pollard’s three-pointer from the top of the key with less than a second to go made him an unlikely hero. Northeastern showed some good things amidst the concerning things, while a confident Boston University team needed to rebound from a tough loss.
November 10, 2012 (Connecticut 6 Classic)
(2) Quinnipiac 65, Hartford 61
Hartford did just about all they could to win this game, limiting Quinnipiac’s chances inside and holding their own on the glass for a while. The young Hawks were sure to have some growing pains this season, while the Bobcats followed a formula for victory but had some concerns offensively.
(3) Sacred Heart 85, Yale 82 (OT)
A devastating loss for Yale as the Bulldogs had a 24-point lead in the second half and lost in overtime. It made clear what Yale would have to do to succeed this season.
(4) Fairfield 64, Central Connecticut 63 (OT)
An overtime battle between two teams having to replace stars who graduated was won by Fairfield, who would go as far as their freshmen would take them. Central Connecticut had a team full of players with new roles and acquitted themselves well in light of that and this being the season opener.
November 11, 2012
(5) Boston College 84, Florida International 70
The Eagles were still young but looked like a team that was primed to make a leap, especially sophomore Ryan Anderson as he had a huge game with 29 points and 17 rebounds. Florida International left Boston with concerns about depth and rebounding but also a show of potential.
November 12, 2012
(6) Providence 81, Bryant 49
The Friars were short-handed but matched up well with Bryant, and thus were able to blitz the Bulldogs. Bryant was heading into a part of the schedule that had some winnable games, so how they responded was going to be a barometer for their season.
November 14, 2012
(7) Holy Cross 57, Maine 54
The host Crusaders managed to hang on as Maine struggled to make shots, especially super sophomore Justin Edwards. The Black Bears were optimistic that the early offensive struggles wouldn’t persist.
November 16, 2012 (Charleston Classic)
(8) Colorado 60, Baylor 58
A big win in the early going for the Buffaloes as they continue to grow as a program under Tad Boyle. This was a quality win that also advanced them into the championship game.
(9) Dayton 87, Boston College 71
In the second half, Dayton showed great trust in one another and put on a clinic at the offensive end, while playing some good defense as well for a convincing win. They bounced back from a loss a day earlier.
(10) Murray State 72, St. John’s 67
This matchup was a contrast of teams from an experience standpoint, as the Racers were an experienced bunch that had to overcome some adversity, while the Red Storm were a very young group.
(11) Auburn 55, College of Charleston 51
Auburn senior Frankie Sullivan played despite suffering a nasty gash in his shooting arm a day earlier and had 24 points on 9-18 shooting, showing no ill effects. Meanwhile, College of Charleston showed that offense was an area of concern, especially without a key player in the lineup.
November 17, 2012 (Coaches vs. Cancer Classic)
(12) Notre Dame 78, Brigham Young 68
Big man Jack Cooley continued his hot start with another double-double to carry Notre Dame until their guards could get untracked later.
(13) Florida State 73, Saint Joseph’s 66
In taking home the championship, Florida State showed that they had a high ceiling, especially since head coach Leonard Hamilton felt his team wasn’t really in sync offensively. Saint Joseph’s didn’t have enough late in the game, which was surprising for a veteran team.
November 18, 2012 (Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament)
(14) UMKC 63, Norfolk State 57
In a game with two teams needing to bounce back, UMKC rebounded just enough to pull out a win over a Norfolk State team that looked to have a lot of potential but had to deal with newness and some early injuries.
(15) Loyola (Md.) 67, Albany 64
This game had an unexpectedly dramatic ending, as Loyola dominated early, then lost the lead in the final seconds before getting a three-point play with 1.5 seconds left to knock off an Albany team that was surely happy to go home after a brutal opening stretch.
(16) Ohio State 77, Washington 66
Ohio State won the National bracket championship with this win behind 31 points from Deshaun Thomas. Washington played well but didn’t run the offense quite well enough and only forced seven turnovers.
(17) Seton Hall 60, Rhode Island 55
Rhode Island led for a lot of the evening, but Seton Hall was better down the stretch to knock off the Rams for third place.
November 21, 2012
(18) Boston College 50, Auburn 49
After going 0-3 in the Charleston Classic, the Eagles came home to get a much-needed win over another team that competed in the event. In fact, head coach Steve Donahue joked that this was the fourth game of the event.
November 23, 2012 (NIT Season Tip-Off)
(19) Pittsburgh 85, Delaware 59
This blowout, following the tough loss in the semifinals, was tough for the Blue Hens. They left New York thankful for the opportunity it provided and with some concerns.
(20) Michigan 71, Kansas State 57
Michigan completed a dominating run in this tournament, while Kansas State showed that the practice time they had coming up was just what the doctor ordered after they had a tough time in their biggest test of the young season.
November 24, 2012
(21) Holy Cross 60, New Hampshire 50
This was similar to some earlier games for New Hampshire, as the Wildcats were trying to make it through a challenging stretch to start the season and keep the confidence up in the meantime.
November 25, 2012
(22) Bryant 56, Boston College 54
After having to persevere through so many things that went against them, Bryant finally had something work out with some late plays in this big victory for the program.
November 27, 2012
(23) Vermont 85, Harvard 78
Vermont rode a big first half offensively to this victory, continuing their recent road success that might puzzle some people. But look closer and you can see that it all makes sense.
November 28, 2012
(24) George Mason 55, Rhode Island 52
Like many teams, George Mason was trying to establish some consistency early on, and it showed in this one. They ran out to a good lead and couldn’t play at quite the pace they wanted, and while they were 5-2 they weren’t winning the way they wanted to.
November 29, 2012
(25) Brown 69, Sacred Heart 56
With this win over the short-handed Pioneers, Brown improved to 3-3 and showed what they might be capable of. They now appeared to have an identity, and that was a big development after they lacked one a year earlier.
December 1, 2012
(26) Providence 73, Mississippi State 63
While Providence’s good start while short-handed continued, what was more easily noticed was the difficult job new Mississippi State head coach Rick Ray had in front of him. He had a young team that was also hampered by injuries, and it was clear this year wasn’t going to be pretty.
(27) Bryant 70, Army 59
With a nice crowd on hand, Bryant rewarded the fans by not only beating the visitors but also a virus that hit several players on the team.
December 4, 2012
(28) UMass 72, Northeastern 66
UMass headed into a ten-day break for final exams with their first win of the season that didn’t require a buzzer-beater. The feeling was that they weren’t playing quite the way Derek Kellogg wanted them to, but the hope was that would change after exams were over.
December 5, 2012
(29) Yale 64, Bryant 62
Yale started a big road stretch with a buzzer-beating win at Bryant, one they needed. History almost repeated itself as they again blew a second-half lead, but this time they pulled it out with the help of a talented freshman, Justin Sears.
December 6, 2012
(30) Providence 72, Rhode Island 57
Providence continued to defy logic by improving to 7-2 in a way probably no one expected. Turnovers became a new issue for Rhode Island after they had not been a problem up to this point.
December 7, 2012
(31) Connecticut 57, Harvard 49
Sophomore forward Deandre Daniels had the big game, a breakout game he’s long been capable of. But it’s the Connecticut guards that were going to carry this team as far as they would go.
December 8, 2012
(32) Boston College 72, St. Francis Brooklyn 64
Boston College continued to grow with this win over a St. Francis Brooklyn team that entered the season with expectations of contention in the Northeast Conference, which was relatively new.
(33) La Salle 66, Northeastern 64
In pulling out this big road win right before final exams, La Salle showed that they were worthy of being in the conversation among the top Atlantic 10 teams.
December 11, 2012
(34) Harvard 65, Boston University 64
This was another tough loss in the final seconds for Boston University, as they again couldn’t get a defensive stop they needed late. That was part of a larger problem, which is that this team didn’t look like the Terrier teams of recent years at that end of the floor.
December 15, 2012
(35) Rhode Island 72, SMU 50
This was the clearest evidence that SMU’s 8-1 start heading into this game was deceiving since it came against a weak schedule. The 2-7 Rams simply took them apart in a win that wasn’t as shocking as the records might suggest.
December 16, 2012
(36) Boston University 69, Quinnipiac 62 (OT)
As Quinnipiac fell to 3-6 after this tough loss on the road, their non-conference time was running out. Their offensive confidence seemed shaken, and this team badly needed a win to start moving that in the right direction.
December 18, 2012
(37) Providence 79, Colgate 54
At just the right time, Providence got more bodies as Kris Dunn and transfer Sidiki Johnson made their debuts in this game. Dunn made an instant impact with 13 assists to overshadow his 3-13 shooting, while Johnson had eight rebounds in 16 minutes.
December 19, 2012
(38) UMass 85, Ohio University 76
A quality win for UMass coming out of final exams over a veteran Ohio team that had a lot of potential, especially if they could shore up their defense.
December 21, 2012
(39) Northeastern 83, Central Connecticut 62
Northeastern broke a five-game losing streak with an impressive outing in Jonathan Lee’s second game back from a broken foot. It came at a good time, as CAA play was not far away.
December 22, 2012
(40) Boston University 70, Cornell 57
As Boston University continued to come to life following a rough start, Cornell continued to look for some consistency. Some of their flaws were becoming a little more noticeable this late in non-league play.
December 28, 2012
(41) Brown 69, Providence 68
This was a big win for the Bears and a dramatic one at that, in a game that surely had many wondering why Providence played it at Brown in the first place. The Friars’ issues were clear in this one, while the game was a high point after a year with none of them for Brown’s Tucker Halpern.
December 29, 2012
(42) Boston College 70, Holy Cross 60
Holy Cross didn’t bring their “A” game on this day, especially for a key stretch of the game, and it helped show how much they need some production from the wing.
December 31, 2012
(43) Boston College 79, Dartmouth 58
For young Dartmouth, growing pains were abundant up to this point, as they looked like a team with potential but also a lot of youth. Meanwhile, Boston College was about to enter ACC play in a much better place than a year ago.
January 2, 2013
(44) Vermont 64, New Hampshire 51
This wasn’t the way New Hampshire wanted to begin America East play, losing at home in a concerning fashion.
January 4, 2013
(45) Rhode Island 59, Brown 47
This was an ugly game for most of the 40 minutes, with Rhode Island leading 21-14 at halftime. The Rams’ defense was their calling card, as it had been most of the season, and it carried them until the offense woke up.
January 5, 2013
(46) Northeastern 68, UNCW 64
A close game throughout was one where the Seahawks had their chances, but couldn’t break through due to familiar foes like turnovers and inconsistency.
(47) North Carolina State 78, Boston College 73
Give Boston College credit for giving the ACC preseason favorites all they could handle. But the Wolfpack also didn’t exactly look like favorites, not putting BC away until late.
(48) DePaul 83, Providence 73
DePaul rebounded from a tough home loss a few nights earlier, although the Blue Demons also didn’t finish well after having a comfortable lead.
January 6, 2013
(49) Florida 79, Yale 58
Due to injury, Erik Murphy was unable to play in a game as close to a homecoming as Florida got. The Gators took care of business and closed out non-conference play in just the way they needed to.
January 8, 2013
(50) Brown 75, Niagara 74 (OT)
Niagara built up a 36-17 lead in the first half, but blew the lead and then lost in overtime. They had a chance to get a road win, but showed that they still had room for growth to go with their 3-1 MAAC start.
January 9, 2013
(51) Syracuse 72, Providence 66
As they did at times this season, Syracuse had some offensive struggles. Offensive rebounding was the big difference in this unusual win for the Orange, and in hindsight it might be a game that woke up Providence since the Friars improved on the glass later in the season.
January 10, 2013
(52) Bryant 103, Quinnipiac 95
This was a wild game in which Quinnipiac stormed back late, just when it seemed like Bryant had the game well in hand, to the point where Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea had to put his starters back in late. It was another record-setting night for the Bulldogs, while the Bobcats lost in part because of their offense even on a night when they scored 95 points.
January 12, 2013
(53) Charlotte 58, Rhode Island 50
This wasn’t a pretty game, but the 49ers improved to 2-0 in early Atlantic 10 play with this road win largely behind balance and defense.
January 14, 2013
(54) Louisville 73, Connecticut 58
With Peyton Siva in foul trouble in the first half, Louisville’s offense struggled. When he was back in the second half, they were much better, showing how important he is to this team.
January 16, 2013
(55) Miami 60, Boston College 59
Boston College had a chance to tie in the final second, but a missed free throw prevented overtime and allowed the Hurricanes to hang on for another win without big man Reggie Johnson.
January 17, 2013
(56) Bryant 79, Mount St. Mary’s 78 (OT)
A great ballgame that would be a harbinger of things to come between these two. Bryant had a surprise hero in overtime, while Mount St. Mary’s showed pretty much everything on the evening.
January 19, 2013
(57) Providence 69, Villanova 66
In a long slugfest of a game (over two and a half hours), Villanova couldn’t pull one out despite having plenty of chances. Turnovers were a problem, as they gave the ball away 25 times, and symbolic of the end of the floor that was most problematic for the Wildcats.
(58) Brown 65, Yale 51
Offensive issues were again a culprit in a loss for Yale, with a dubious stat included: they did not have an assist until about seven minutes into the second half.
January 22 2013
(59) Pittsburgh 68, Providence 64
As Pittsburgh again pulled one out against Providence, one could see how their consistent identity is a key to their success. Providence lost their seventh in nine games and continued to have some growing pains now that they had their full roster available.
January 23, 2013
(60) Northeastern 95, William & Mary 91 (2 OT)
For a while, it looked like Northeastern was in control and would cruise to a 7-0 start in the CAA. But William & Mary rallied to force extra basketball with some inspired play that they hoped to carry over.
January 24, 2013
(61) Hartford 51, New Hampshire 40
Neither team played well in the first half, but Hartford woke up first behind the stellar play of Mark Nwakamma. New Hampshire was, simply put, not in a good place after this one.
January 26, 2013
(62) Bucknell 65, Holy Cross 58
After a tough home loss to Lehigh a few nights earlier, Bucknell rebounded the way one would expect a seasoned contending team to.
January 27, 2013
(63) UMass 70, Richmond 65
A tough loss for Richmond in a game where they could have used a win, especially with the momentum they seemed to have coming into the game. UMass showed how they were adjusting to life without key shooter Jesse Morgan.
(64) Northeastern 71, George Mason 51
In the latter part of the second half, Northeastern broke away from George Mason by putting on a clinic. In moving to 8-0 and sweeping the Patriots, the Huskies were clearly in the driver’s seat in the CAA at a very early juncture.
January 29, 2013
(65) North Carolina 82, Boston College 70
A better defensive effort in the second half helped North Carolina pull this one out. They needed a road win and showed a little improvement in some areas in which they needed some.
January 30, 2013
(66) VCU 70, Rhode Island 64
VCU snapped a two-game losing streak in this one thanks largely to more success putting the ball in the basket. Shooting 48.1 percent from the field helped them overcome 19 turnovers.
January 31, 2013
(67) Connecticut 82, Providence 79 (OT)
Another incredible game on the stat sheet as Providence out-rebounded Connecticut 55-24, tying a Big East record for rebounding margin in a conference game, yet still lost. A string of missed opportunities was the legacy of this game.
February 1, 2013
(68) Harvard 67, Yale 64
Harvard’s offense continued to shine in this one behind its two young guards, which was the case often this season even as they had forged an identity as a defensive team in recent years.
February 2, 2013
(69) Boston College 75, Clemson 68
The Eagles had a good lead for a while before needing to hang on in the end to break a losing streak, while Clemson never appeared to wake up for this noon tip, something one might expect from a young team.
(70) Northeastern 59, Drexel 52
As Northeastern continued to roll in CAA play by beating the preseason favorites, Drexel remained mired in mediocrity with a 5-5 CAA record. The Dragons had to beat more than just their regular opponents, and it may have been catching up to them.
February 5, 2013
(71) Boston University 79, Maine 72
The Terriers looked to have an old-fashioned blowout in this one until they didn’t finish it well, allowing Maine to get within single digits late.
February 6, 2013
(72) Providence 54, Cincinnati 50
This was perhaps Providence’s best defensive effort of the season to this point, as they limited Cincinnati all night long to pull out the win. The Bearcats were fine defensively, but as happened often, offense was the first problem when they lost.
February 7, 2013
(73) Bryant 84, St. Francis Brooklyn 77
The Bulldogs continued to win with offense, improving to 13-2 when scoring at least 70 points.
February 9, 2013
(74) Lehigh 68, Holy Cross 61
The start of this game was pushed back to 7 p.m. as the result of a blizzard that hit much of New England a day earlier into the morning of the game. Lehigh had a lot to battle in this game where momentum swung often, but as has been the case before they overcame the adversity they faced.
February 12, 2013
(75) Holy Cross 66, Navy 57
What was once a battle of Patriot League powers was instead a battle of two teams near the bottom of the league and with losing streaks. Holy Cross ended theirs at five games and hoped it was the start of some better play.
February 13, 2013
(76) Delaware 76, Northeastern 74 (OT)
A big road win for the Blue Hens was a contrast to what happened when they came to Matthews Arena a year earlier. It also gave them hope of finishing the regular season in a similar fashion to how they finished last season.
February 15, 2013
(77) Harvard 73, Penn 54
Harvard started the big weekend by knocking off struggling Penn, who fell to 5-18 overall with this loss. Jerome Allen was trying to guide the Quakers through the tough times.
February 16, 2013
(78) Providence 71, Notre Dame 54
Providence continued to play well of late in picking up a convincing win over a good Notre Dame team. For the Fighting Irish, this game was an aberration.
(79) Harvard 69, Princeton 57
Host Harvard took home the first showdown of expected Ivy League contenders behind a big second half. The Crimson knew this was only the first of two against the Tigers.
February 17, 2013
(80) Boston University 68, New Hampshire 56
A very motivated Terrier squad won their seventh time in eight games, hoping to close out their America East tenure on a good note.
February 19, 2013
(81) Boston College 69, Maryland 58
Fresh off an upset of Duke that got them back in the NCAA Tournament conversation, Maryland couldn’t turn it into a momentum booster as they lost at Boston College. For their part, the Eagles appeared to be growing up right before our eyes.
February 20, 2013
(82) Xavier 55, Rhode Island 42
A challenging stretch run for Xavier was ahead after this road win, which was made better by the fact that several key games coming up were at home.
February 21, 2013
(83) Bryant 88, Central Connecticut 67
While the Blue Devils were up against an offensive powerhouse, this wasn’t the first game this season where defense was an area of struggle for them.
February 22, 2013
(84) Harvard 65, Brown 47
It’s not surprising that Harvard won, but Brown put forth a rare bad effort that had head coach Mike Martin rightly called “unacceptable” all the way around.
February 23, 2013
(85) UMass 76, Dayton 66
With Cady Lalanne posting a big game (22 points, 14 rebounds) and looking like a missing link, UMass put Dayton into a danger zone in terms of making the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
(86) Harvard 72, Yale 66
In a very hostile environment, young Harvard battled to pull one out and set up another big battle between the Crimson and Princeton less than a week later.
February 24, 2013
(87) La Salle 72, Rhode Island 65
A better second half by the Explorers allowed them to come back and ultimately claim a victory, moving them a little closer to the NCAA Tournament.
February 27, 2013
(88) Georgetown 79, Connecticut 78 (2 OT)
This was a thriller, especially since Connecticut really had no business even getting this game to overtime, let alone being in the driver’s seat to win at one point in the second overtime. Otto Porter Jr. came up big in a different way for Georgetown this time.
February 28, 2013
(89) Robert Morris 77, Bryant 75
In a game with much on the line, Robert Morris came through in the second half behind a couple of players to pick up the win and clinch a hard-earned Northeast Conference regular season title.
March 2, 2013
(90) Old Dominion 81, Northeastern 74
Old Dominion had a rough final season in the CAA, but they came to Boston and beat the regular season champions on their Senior Day to get some semblance of a silver lining to close it out.
(91) Bryant 85, St. Francis (Pa.) 60
After losing a big game two nights earlier, Bryant had to avoid a letdown against the last-place team so they could secure a home game in the conference tournament. They did just that.
(92) Providence 62, St. John’s 59
In a matchup of two very similar teams, as St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin noted, Providence managed to pull one out. The Red Storm played their first game without suspended leading scorer D’Angelo Harrison and didn’t look very different.
March 3, 2013
(93) Boston College 53, Virginia 52
This was an emotional game for Boston College as longtime assistant media relations director Dick Kelley was honored before the game with the USBWA’s Most Courageous Award, and the Eagles won one for him. Virginia, meanwhile, couldn’t turn a win over Duke in the last game into a momentum builder.
March 5, 2013
(94) Providence 76, Seton Hall 66
Providence got above .500 in Big East play for the first time all season, and suddenly looked like they could become an NCAA Tournament bubble team if they kept it up.
March 6, 2013 (Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals)
(95) Mount St. Mary’s 75, Bryant 69
The Mount ended the regular season as arguably the hottest team in the Northeast Conference, and they continued that run by resetting after a tough first half. It was a tough and unexpected end to the regular season for Bryant.
March 7, 2013
(96) Butler 73, UMass 62
Fresh off a blowout loss that got a lot of attention, Butler looked more like themselves with a solid all-around showing in this game.
March 8, 2013 (MAAC Tournament First Round)
(97) Siena 70, Marist 64
This win did not come easily for Siena at all, as a team that struggled to win games all season needed to show some mental toughness to pull this one out.
(98) Fairfield 54, St. Peter’s 47
This wasn’t a game where you would send a copy of the video to the Hall of Fame, but Derek Needham and Fairfield lived another day and St. Peter’s head coach John Dunne was sad to see the season end.
March 9, 2013 (MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals)
(99) Niagara 74, Siena 62
Turnovers hurt Siena once more as their season came to an end at the hands of the regular season champions. It was a costly win, though, as point guard Tahjere McCall was injured early.
(100) Iona 89, Canisius 85
Iona pulled out an entertaining game that was as good as expected. Jim Baron wasted little time getting results at Canisius, but right after this tough loss that didn’t mean very much.
(101) Fairfield 43, Rider 42
Derek Needham & Co. lived another day by shutting down Rider to advance to the semifinals. Rider just never got untracked and Fairfield scored just enough.
(102) Manhattan 55, Loyola (Md.) 52
Manhattan completed a day full of upsets by knocking off Loyola (Md.), which got us a late post-game press conference from the always entertaining Jimmy Patsos.
March 10, 2013 (MAAC Tournament Semifinals)
(103) Iona 79, Niagara 73
Although a top seed going down is often news, this wasn’t a big surprise because Niagara was still young and Iona had a veteran team that wasn’t far behind the Purple Eagles.
(104) Manhattan 60, Fairfield 42
Fairfield couldn’t hang around one more night as Manhattan scored a convincing win to advance to the championship game.
March 11, 2013 (MAAC Championship)
(105) Iona 60, Manhattan 57
In a well-played game, Iona had just enough to take home the championship for their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. This time, there would be no doubt about it after they had to sweat out Selection Sunday.
March 12, 2013 (Big East Tournament First Round)
(106) Seton Hall 46, South Florida 42 (OT)
At this point, surviving and advancing is what matters, and Seton Hall did just that in a very ugly game. The Pirates tied a Big East Tournament record for the fewest points by a winning team.
(107) Rutgers 76, DePaul 57
Rutgers pulled away in the second half to move on and finish a disappointing season for DePaul. The Blue Demons ended the season not looking like next year could be a good step forward for them unless some things change in the off-season.
March 13, 2013 (Big East Tournament Second Round)
(108) Cincinnati 61, Providence 44
Cincinnati took Providence out of everything they wanted to do right from the outset en route to a convincing win, showing that the Friars still need to grow more to win in New York as they lost their fifth straight Big East Tournament game and tenth in 11 tries.
(109) Syracuse 75, Seton Hall 63
Seton Hall scored more points this time around, but didn’t play well enough defensively to stop Syracuse. Michael Carter-Williams tied a Big East Tournament record with 14 assists while turning the ball over just once.
(110) Villanova 66, St. John’s 53
Villanova was able to grind out St. John’s, who often struggled in a halfcourt game. The Wildcats got a big game at a good time from big man Mouphtaou Yarou, as the Red Storm focused more on the guards.
(111) Notre Dame 69, Rutgers 61
As Notre Dame advanced to the quarterfinals, Rutgers’ season came to an end. One had to wonder how bright their future looked after this season, when it once looked very bright – and we would later see things take a turn for the worse.
March 14, 2013 (Big East Tournament Quarterfinals)
(112) Georgetown 62, Cincinnati 43
Georgetown did to Cincinnati what the Bearcats basically did to Providence 24 hours earlier. It was another piece of evidence that offense was going to be the key for Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament.
(113) Syracuse 62, Pittsburgh 59
In a matchup of two teams headed to the ACC next year, Syracuse held off Pittsburgh to give us one more installment in the context of the Big East of Georgetown vs. Syracuse.
(114) Louisville 74, Villanova 55
Early in the day, news broke that legendary basketball coach Jack Curran died. One of his many disciples, Russ Smith, played a big game in his honor to lead the Cardinals into the semifinals. Villanova was left to hope they could continue to grow in the NCAA Tournament.
(115) Notre Dame 73, Marquette 65
Notre Dame won the turnover battle big to send Marquette home early and advance to the semifinals for the fourth straight year. A big night from Pat Connaughton helped, as he hit six three-pointers.
March 15, 2013 (Big East Tournament Semifinals)
(116) Syracuse 58, Georgetown 55 (OT)
It was only fitting that this last installment of Syracuse-Georgetown in the context of the Big East occurred in the last Big East Tournament as we know it. It almost went to a second overtime, but Syracuse held on after going 1-6 from the free throw line in the extra session.
(117) Louisville 69, Notre Dame 57
Notre Dame made a nice run, but couldn’t keep it going against Louisville. The Fighting Irish felt like they gained something in the Big East Tournament that would help them going forward, while Louisville’s win gave us one more gift in the championship matchup.
March 16, 2013 (Big East Championship)
(118) Louisville 78, Syracuse 61
For a while, it looked like Syracuse’s offensive renaissance would continue right through the championship game. Instead, Louisville turned the game around and won going away, and did so with an unexpected hero in Montrezl Harrell, showing part of why this team was a legitimate national title contender.
March 20, 2013 (NIT First Round)
(119) Providence 75, Charlotte 66
Charlotte was happy to be in the NIT, even though they wanted more, and despite the loss they felt like they accomplished something that will help them next season.
March 25, 2013 (NIT Second Round)
(120) Providence 77, Robert Morris 68
Fresh off a big win over Kentucky the week prior, Robert Morris shot well from long range but couldn’t pull this one out. As the Friars played their last home game of the season, one gets the feeling that Ed Cooley’s rebuilding job is starting to bear some fruit.
Top Ten Games of 2012-13
1. February 27, 2013 – Georgetown 79, Connecticut 78 (2 OT): This game provided big twists and turns and looked like it might be decided differently twice before it was finally over.
2. March 15, 2013 – Syracuse 58, Georgetown 55 (OT): What more can you say? The last installment of Syracuse-Georgetown in the context of the Big East was a classic.
3. March 6, 2013 – Mount St. Mary’s 75, Bryant 69: This was as good a quarterfinal as you could expect a 4-5 matchup to be, well-played and with a great atmosphere.
4. February 28, 2013 – Robert Morris 77, Bryant 75: A thriller with the Northeast Conference regular season title on the line and with a packed house. It was all anyone had hoped for.
5. January 23, 2013 – Northeastern 95, William & Mary 91 (2 OT): So much for Northeastern cruising to another win. William & Mary mounted a great comeback and took the Huskies to the limit.
6. March 11, 2013 – Iona 60, Manhattan 57: A well-played game between two local rivals that came right down to the end, with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line.
7. February 13, 2013 – Delaware 76, Northeastern 74 (OT): A year ago, Delaware gave one away at Matthews Arena. This time, they won in dramatic fashion on a deep three-pointer with the shot clock running down.
8. January 17, 2013 – Bryant 79, Mount St. Mary’s 78 (OT): It was easy to forget that these two gave us a great game earlier in the season in Smithfield.
9. November 9, 2013 – Northeastern 65, Boston University 64: An opening night thriller between two arch-rivals decided on a three-pointer with less than a second to go.
10. March 9, 2013 – Iona 89, Canisius 85: One had the feeling this 4-5 matchup in the MAAC Tournament would be an entertaining and high-scoring game, and it certainly was.
