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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Holiday tournament basketball tipped off on Thursday, one of the many things we can give thanks for over the upcoming holiday. Though perhaps not too much thanks. The proliferation of large, eight-team in-season tourneys has been a boon for teams looking to get in an extra three games over their NCAA schedule limit each season, but it also has played a part in watering down the importance of such tournaments as a whole.
A year after little was known about the new American Athletic Conference, it’s clear the conference has a lot going for it on the hardwood.
The first round of the Big East Tournament saw a close overtime game and a blowout, with the former seeing a tournament record tied. We take a look back at the opening night in New York.
The Big East Tournament opened up with an overtime game, and one that was worthy of a look inside the numbers since a tournament record was tied. Seton Hall came back to pull out the win.
Although South Florida controlled the pace, but Seton Hall took home a victory behind good defense. A little rest leading up to the game didn’t hurt, either.
The Big East entered Nov. 15 as one of four conferences with no blemishes in the loss column. Of course, Kent State changed that against West Virginia by noon.
South Florida doesn’t lack talent, but the Bulls need to play cohesively and consistently to avoid slipping back toward the bottom of the Big East standings.
A year ago around this time, the University of South Florida looked to be on the verge of a breakout. However, the expected progress doesn’t seem to be there now as wins have been hard to come by both at home and on the road in 2010-11.
South Florida is in relatively new waters but enjoying the voyage. The Bulls defeated DePaul 58-49 in the Big East first round opener at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
South Florida pulled out an improbable win in Providence on Saturday night. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that it could be just the beginning of an upswing for the Bulls.
