Conference Notes

Pitt-Stopped

DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh’s sophomore strongman, took the ball to the tin early, often and with efficiency. Levance Fields made two clutch three-pointers. Together, they along with Sam Young helped Pittsburgh knock off Connecticut in Hartford.

Boston College Finally Beats Duke

It was fitting that Jared Dudley was in the house. Fitting, because the last time fans rushed the court at Conte Forum – nearly four years ago to the day, as it was February 19, 2005 – Dudley was a sophomore and the Eagles beat Syracuse. This time, Dudley witnessed the Eagles showing once again that they are the epitome of the wacky season of college basketball this has been, knocking off Duke 80-74 on Sunday.

Bucknell Perseveres Through Tough Season

It’s an oft-repeated cliché that when arch-rivals meet, the records get thrown out and all the statistics in the world don’t matter. The Bison proved that once again on Saturday as they came away with a 72-66 win over Holy Cross, which had been in a tie atop the Patriot League.

Penn Quakers Bounce Back

It wasn’t a pretty scene last weekend. For the first time since 1968, Penn got swept at home in an Ivy League weekend. While the Quakers have, along with Princeton, dominated the Ivy League for a long time, one thing they didn’t do was drop both games at home in an Ivy League weekend. But after Columbia and Cornell came to the Palestra and knocked off the Quakers on consecutive nights, it happened. The aftermath wasn’t pretty.

Drexel Battles To Colonial Contention

Bruiser Flint’s teams at Drexel will guard you. That much is a given, and always will be as long as he’s there. What isn’t a given is the offense, but when it is there, the Dragons can be very good and win games. Thus far, it’s been good enough, as the Dragons stand 9-5 in CAA play and are certainly one of the pleasant surprises of the conference this season.

Clemson Now A Consistent ACC Winner

In a world where instant gratification rules, especially in sports, the Clemson basketball program serves as a fine example of why patience is a virtue. Instant results on the bottom line are demanded at every level of sports nowadays, but the reality is that they aren’t always possible unless one wants to do quick fixes that oftentimes hurt in the long run.

February Quick Hitters: Albany Lacking Sense of Urgency

The most elusive thing for Albany has been a consistent sense of urgency, according to head coach Will Brown. The Great Danes have shown it at times, and when they have, they have been good. But Thursday night’s 77-67 loss at Boston University was a microcosm of the season, as the Great Danes played poorly in the first half and didn’t play intelligent basketball, but rallied to get within three at one point in the second half.