Big East Conference Notebook
BC in the Dog House
Usually the Big East will embrace the team with the best record in conference play. Do not expect Boston College to receive such treatment. Even before the season had begun coaches and several other authority figures attacked Boston College for their decision to jump to the ACC next season, following in the path of Miami and Virginia Tech. Several people have accused Big East officials of quietly expressing their frustration with Boston College. BC, at 18-0, is one of two teams left in the country flaunting an undefeated record. Illinois of the Big Ten is 21-0.
Panthers’ Demetris, Milligan Out
Senior starting guard Yuri Demetris has been suspended indefinitely from the Pittsburgh Panthers. The 6’4″, 220-pound Demetris was arrested and has been charged with three felony counts including one count of burglary and one count of assault on an ex-girlfriend. Levon Kendall and Mark McCarroll have started in his place. Meanwhile Dante Milligan has decided to transfer. The 6’8″ redshirt freshman has played a total of just 23 minutes this season while battling minor injuries.
Player of the Week
Allan Ray, Villanova Wildcats
When Julius Hodge teamed with Allan Ray at St. Raymond’s High School in the Bronx, he knew what kind of scoring potential Ray had. It all came together for Ray this past week as the 6’2″ junior guard averaged 22 points per game and shot 69 percent from three-point range in wins over Notre Dame and at Rutgers. Ray had 21 points connecting on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range in a 94-61 rout at Rutgers. Hosting Notre Dame, Villanova won a tightly contested match in large part due to a game-high 23 points from the shooting guard.
Rookie of the Week
Jeff Green, Georgetown Hoyas
Jeff Green went up against BC’s front line of Craig Smith, Jared Dudley and the 7-footer Nate Doornekamp. He managed to draw fouls and draw attention away from teammate Brandon Bowman so Bowman could get the open looks. Green came off looking like a polished veteran. Even though he finished with only five points, the 6’8″ forward from Maryland added seven assists and five rebounds in 34 minutes. Green scored a game-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds (eight of them offensive) in a 66-57 win against St. John’s. Green is averaging 13.3 ppg and 7.3 rebounds per game so far on the season.
1. Boston College Eagles (7-0, 18-0)
Next Up: Tuesday vs. West Virginia at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m.
“The Eagles are going to get destroyed”, says a Patriots fan in a story referring to this Sunday’s Super Bowl in Jacksonville. While the Eagles of Philadelphia are being dissected in New England, the Eagles of Boston College are harboring some of the national attention. In 1968, with Bob Cousy as coach, BC won 19 games in a row and a win over West Virginia on Tuesday will match that. BC had wins over Georgetown and at Providence last week to earn an AP No. 5 ranking Monday, the highest ranking in school history.
2. Syracuse Orange (7-1, 20-2)
Next Up: Saturday vs. Notre Dame at 9 p.m. (ESPN)
The Orange suffered its first conference loss and saw a 13-game win streak snapped Saturday night at Pittsburgh when they lost 76-69. Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara amassed a 17-point, 22-5 lead early, but their supporting cast, or lack thereof, allowed Pittsburgh to make a game of it. Syracuse saw just 18 points from the rest of the team. The Orange dropped from No. 4 to No. 8.
3. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-2, 15-3)
Next Up: Saturday at West Virginia at 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
After shaking off slow starts against UConn and Syracuse, Pittsburgh rallied from multiple 17-point deficits against the top two programs in the Big East. In consecutive Saturday night games, the Panthers, led by Chevy Troutman and Carl Krauser, managed to claw their way back to victory on both occasions. Against the Orange, Krauser scored 19 points, all in the second half, while Troutman finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in a 76-69 victory.
4. Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish (5-3, 13-5)
Next Up: Saturday at Syracuse at 9 p.m. (ESPN)
“Bubble” is not the word one wants to hear on the campus of South Bend. Last year, the reality of it was the Irish were a bubble team. They fell just short of an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Jump ahead to the present. Coming off a three-game road swing, now No. 4 in conference play with Syracuse, BC and Pitt looming, the Irish picked up a critical, much-needed win beating Connecticut by 78-74. Arizona transfer Dennis Latimore and Wooden Award nominee Torin Francis have both been excellent. Colin Falls and the backcourt tandem of Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn are putting up 24 shots from three-point range per game, the reason Notre Dame leads the Big East in three-point field goal percentage (.392).
5. Georgetown Hoyas (5-3, 13-6)
Next Up: Wednesday vs. Seton Hall at 8 p.m. (ESPN Classic), Saturday at Rutgers at 7 p.m.
The end of a scoring drought of more than 15 minutes led to a sarcastic cheer from the BC crowd of 8,606. Brandon Bowman managed a jump shot and the Hoyas went into halftime with just 12 points. Bowman was the only Hoya in double figures with 16 points in the 64-49 loss. Earlier in the week, Jeff Green scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds (eight offensive) as Georgetown defeated St. John’s 66-57. John Thompson III is continuing to make his case for Big East Coach of the Year. Picked to finish 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll, Georgetown is fifth in Big East play with UConn and Notre Dame the only two monsters left on the schedule.
6. Villanova Wildcats (4-3, 12-4)
Next Up: Wednesday at UConn at 7 p.m., Saturday vs. Providence at 7:30 p.m.
Villanova lost dramatically at Boston College by 67-66 and then gave Kansas a beating they will remember for quite a while. Sure enough, this caught the attention of the pollsters. An impressive win over Notre Dame followed by a 34-point drubbing over Rutgers was enough to crack the national rankings, and Villanova entered this week’s poll at No. 25. Head Coach Jay Wright has his Wildcats back in the Top 25 for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Against Notre Dame, only seven Wildcats saw playing time. The win over Rutgers featured the return of Jason Fraser, who is back from a hand injury. Fraser played 13 minutes scoring four points to go along with seven rebounds.
7. Connecticut Huskies (4-3, 12-5)
Next Up: Wednesday vs. Villanova at 7:30 p.m., Saturday vs. St. John’s at Noon
Towards the end of the Huskies’ non-conference schedule Denham Brown had been replaced in the starting lineup by Big East preseason freshman of the year Rudy Gay. Now Brown is back, this time starting in place of an inconsistent Rashad Anderson. Brown scored a game-high 20 points for UConn Sunday against Notre Dame but it was not enough. Josh Boone, who appears to have taken a dramatic turn for the worse, combined with Charlie Villanueva for just 12 points and eight rebounds losing on the road by 78-74 in South Bend. Freshman Marcus Williams, supposed to be a backup guard this year behind A.J. Price, tied a career high with 16 assists and added 10 crucial points. But Williams failed to convert on a game-tying lay-up with 15 seconds left, sending the Huskies home losers.
8. Seton Hall Pirates (2-4, 10-7)
Next Up: Wednesday at Georgetown at 8 p.m. (ESPN Classic), Saturday vs. BC at 7:30 p.m.
For years, “6th Man” T-shirts have become commonplace in the student section at Continental Arena. Referring to the crowd as the “6th man”, the phrase this season can be interpreted in two ways. One is obvious; the other is the student’s support for Andre Sweet. The 6’6″ senior forward from Rice High seems to be adjusting quite nicely to coming off the bench for the Pirates. Sweet scored 15 points in 33 minutes off the bench in a 62-55 road win Saturday at St. John’s and is averaging 17 points in the last three games as the sixth man in.
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-5, 12-6)
Next Up: Tuesday at BC at 7:30 p.m., Saturday vs. Pittsburgh at 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Mike Gansey scored 19 points including 3-of-4 from three-point range as the Mountaineers escaped Providence with an 82-78 victory. West Virginia captured its second conference win despite 23 turnovers. Coach Beilein’s son Pat came off the bench to score 14 points and record his third straight game scoring in double figures.
10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-6, 7-10)
Next Up: Wednesday at St. John’s at 7 p.m., Saturday vs. Georgetown at 7 p.m.
Head coach Gary Waters is no doubt worrying about job security. In his third year after leaving behind Kent State, Waters is coming off a 7-9 record in the Big East last season and it seems the Scarlet Knights are climbing mountains and hurdles and whatever else you can dream up just to get two conference wins. The Scarlet Knights lost by 94-61 to Villanova on Saturday, the school’s largest margin of defeat since joining the Big East. The 6’7″ Freshman Ollie Bailey has been a bright spot but with Ricky Shields in his final season and an inconsistent player in Quincy Douby, the Scarlet Knights do not seem to have direction. Rutgers Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy calling the Villanova loss “an embarrassment” does not help Waters either.
11. St. John’s Red Storm (1-6, 7-10)
Next Up: Wednesday vs. Rutgers at 7 p.m., Saturday at Connecticut at Noon
Daryll Hill, the Big East’s leading scorer, had his worst outing of the season scoring just six points on 3-of-15 shooting in a 62-55 loss to Hudson River rival Seton Hall. Hill never seemed to get into his usual Showtime rhythm and while the other four starters each scored double figures, foul trouble plagued the Red Storm and 18 turnovers did not help the cause. Earlier in the week before Hill’s poor shooting performance, Showtime scored 20 points but had nine turnovers in a 66-57 loss at Georgetown on Tuesday night.
12. Providence Friars (0-7, 9-11)
Next Up: Saturday at Villanova at 7:30 p.m.
One thing is for sure up north in Rhode Island: Providence has had a dismal start to Big East play. Still searching for that first elusive conference win, the Friars lost last week to West Virginia and Boston College. Ryan Gomes’ NBA stock is declining, according to an NBA scout with an East Coast team. Gomes had just four first-half points in an 82-78 loss to West Virginia and 13 points total versus Boston College.
