Big East Conference Notebook
by Jesse Ullmann and Zach Van Hart
If the Big East Conference was perhaps looking for one word to define what makes its lineup the best from top to bottom, the word might be “consistent.” Or maybe it would be “resilient.” In any case, the critics calling the Big East the Big Least have been silenced. Yes, Georgetown has just solidified a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, Pittsburgh might be a little overrated (remember pollsters tapped out Pitt at No. 9). And yes, West Virginia might be the most underrated team in the country. Connecticut is now No. 1 and Syracuse stocks have dropped. With that, Hoopville runs down the latest news and notes from the country’s number-one conference.
Uncertainty about Orr hurts the Hall
Malcom Grant, a highly prized recruit out of Robeson High (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has gone back on his verbal commitment to Seton Hall and has decided to reopen his options for next season. Grant, 6-foot, 170 pounds, has not been given a vote of confidence that coach Louis Orr will be back in New Jersey next season. The senior guard said Orr is the reason he wanted to play for the Pirates. If Grant turns away from SHU then SHU officially does not have a single commitment for next season.
Meanwhile, the interesting twist here is that, according to various reports, Norm Roberts and St. John’s have taken an interest and have gotten into the mix with Grant. If Norm Roberts gets a commitment from Grant, the Red Storm immediately fills its void left by Doug Wiggins. At his position, Grant is ranked 24th in his class compared to Wiggins (same height, same size), who is ranked ninth. Grant played AAU ball with Corey Fisher, who recently committed to Villanova.
1. West Virginia Mountaineers (14-3, 5-0)
Up Next: Wednesday vs. Marshall at 8 p.m.
With Pittsburgh, Duke and Florida losing Saturday, the Mountaineers suddenly have the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games. They got there by traveling on the road to another non-conference, tournament-bound team, UCLA, and posting a 60-56 win. With Kevin Pittsnogle struggling – he finished with eight points – Mike Gansey picked up the slack and scored 24. West Virginia nearly blew a 17-point halftime lead and UCLA even had two chances to tie the game in final minute, but the Bruins missed a 3-pointer and turned the ball over. Earlier in the week, WVU cruised past Providence 64-48 to remain perfect in Big East play. And the Mountaineers retained the title “Team Nobody Wants to Play in the Tournament” for another week.
2. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-1, 16-1)
Up Next: Saturday vs. Marquette at noon
Former BE member Boston College had a similar undefeated start to their season last year. The question now becomes do the Panthers taper off like last year’s Eagles? It doesn’t appear likely; however, the 55-50 loss at Madison Square Garden to the Johnnies was a step backwards. Pittsburgh was out-rebounded and Carl Krauser had just 10 points to go along with 4 turnovers versus a slow guard whom he has at least three inches on in Eugene Lawrence. Once again, Aaron Gray fouled out, leading to Pitt being outrebounded by one of the smallest teams in the league.
3. Connecticut Huskies (4-1, 16-1)
Up Next: Saturday at Providence at 2 p.m.
The Huskies’ win over Louisville should not be a surprise but believe this: Louisville vs. UConn is a major rivalry in the making. If the league is divided (and inevitably we lose fun games such as St. John’s/UConn and Villanova/Georgetown), you better believe the headline becomes UConn versus Louisville. The return of Marcus Williams has clearly altered the Huskies’ look in that Williams looks sensational. Jay Bilas, Seth Davis and WFAN’s Mike Francessa have all picked Connecticut to take home the crystal in April. February’s schedule is insanity with Villanova twice, Syracuse, then at Indiana and West Virginia.
3. Villanova Wildcats (4-1, 13-2)
Up Next: Saturday at Notre Dame at 6 p.m.
Villanova won by double figures against Syracuse and Seton Hall. Allan Ray grabbed 8 rebounds and also broke out of a scoring drought by dropping in a game-high 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the floor. Villanova led Syracuse by as many as 19 points (39-20). Nova had four players score in double figures, including 20 points from guard Randy Foye. On Monday, the Wildcats moved from No. 7 to No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Foye is currently second in conference scoring averaging 20.3 points per game.
5. Marquette Golden Eagles (4-2, 14-5)
Up Next: Wednesday vs. DePaul at 8 p.m.
It’s official: Steve Novak is the heart and soul of this year’s Marquette team. And he’s quickly becoming a hero in Milwaukee. The 6-foot-10 senior forward hit a fallaway 19-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds left to lift Marquette past Notre Dame 67-65 on Saturday. His 28 points, including those huge final two, kept an unlikely strong season going for the Golden Eagles. Novak scored 24 points earlier in the week as Marquette jumped to a 19-point halftime lead at DePaul, allowed the Blue Demons to cut the lead to two then hung on for an 82-79 win. Freshman Dominic James scored 29 against DePaul and hit the bucket that tied the score at 65 against the Irish.
6. Georgetown Hoyas (3-2, 12-4)
Up Next: Tuesday at Notre Dame at 7 p.m.
So, how do you jump into the Top 25 for the first time since 2001? Beating the undefeated, No. 1 team in the country is a good start. The Hoyas knocked off Duke on Saturday 87-84 and vaulted to No. 25 in this week’s Associated Press rankings. While the win likely shocked many around the country, it should not come as a too big of a surprise. The Hoyas’ two conference losses came on the road at West Virginia and Connecticut, arguably two of the best teams in the country, by seven points in both games. They also won easily at St. John’s, a victory that looks even more impressive after the Red Storm defeated Louisville and Pittsburgh last week. Analysts harped on the play of forward Jeff Green against the Blue Devils, but the truth is Georgetown is a very balanced squad filled with leadership. This team is legit.
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-2, 14-5)
Up Next: Wednesday at Louisville at 7:30 p.m.
The Bearcats picked up a much needed win Sunday, beating Rutgers 71-66 at home. It was the team’s first win since forward Armein Kirkland went down for the season with a torn ACL. Chadd Moore, a player that will need to step up without Kirkland, made a big 3-pointer and steal in the game’s final moments to seal the win. Earlier in the week, Cincinnati lost 73-71 in overtime to crosstown rival Xavier in another classic. Jihad Muhammad hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to force overtime, but James White’s offbalance jumper at the overtime buzzer missed. After Wednesday’s game at Louisville, the Bearcats travel to suddenly noteworthy Georgetown.
6. St. John’s Red Storm (3-2, 10-6)
Up Next: Sunday vs. West Virginia at 2:30 p.m.
Taking care of business this past week, the Johnnies knocked off a pair of ranked opponents in Louisville and then Pittsburgh, both games inside the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. Eugene Lawrence, the 6-foot sophomore point man (Lincoln, N.Y.) tallied 18 points and 4 assists in 31 minutes in a 68-56 defeat of the Cardinals on Tuesday night. SJU honored some alumni, including one of the greatest college shooters of all time in Chris Mullin and one of the classiest men to ever grace the college game in Lou Carnesecca. Lawrence was one of two Johnnies to score in double figures against Pittsburgh and is slowly quieting skeptics who say the only reason he was given a scholarship was because he played alongside Sebastian Telfair in grade school.
9. Syracuse Orange (3-3, 15-5)
Up Next: Sunday vs. Seton Hall at 4:30 p.m.
An anticipated featured matchup in the Big East this year was Gerry McNamara, Lou McCroskey and freshman sensation Eric Devendorf against the likes of Mike Nardi, Allan Ray and Randy Foye of Villanova. Instead of sparring, Syracuse clearly was outplayed in an 80-65 loss where the ‘Cuse trailed by as many as 19 (39-20). G-Mac took just 8 shots (made one) to finish with 4 points in 37 minutes.
Is it outrageous to actually think Syracuse will not dance? Probably, but let’s take a quick look. A quality loss to Florida (75-70) and just one good win so far in conference (77-58 at Cincinnati) might not be enough evidence to overlook this: five-point wins over Manhattan and Cornell, a loss to Bucknell, plus wins over Colgate, Towson and Siena? Maybe it isn’t all that outrageous. They must beat a tier-one team in the Big East.
10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-2, 12-5)
Up Next: Saturday vs. Louisville at 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Quincy Douby continues to lead the league in scoring with an impressive average of 23.5 ppg, which ties for eighth-best overall in the country with East Tennessee State’s Tim Smith. Douby dropped in a game-best 27 points in a 76-68 loss at the RAC to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Rutgers is at .500 right now in the league. The sky’s the limit for freshman J.R. Inman, who is averaging 25.5 minutes per game, fourth-best on the team. Inman is one of the most athletic players for Rutgers and has a very bright future under Gary Waters, who gets all of the credit for recruiting this kid.
11. Seton Hall Pirates (2-3, 10-6)
Up Next: Wednesday at NC State at 7 p.m. (ESPN Classic)
In no way, shape, or form did Seton Hall deserve to win this game. South Florida was on the verge of its first conference win and the Pirates were offering it up on a silver platter. James Holmes’ 3-pointer left the Hall down by 11 and led to an eventual 15-2 Bulls’ run and a 64-51 deficit for the Pirates. It was when Solomon Jones and starting guard Collin Dennis fouled out that USF just imploded. Kelly Whitney looked horrible against the smallest team in the Big East. Once again, Paul Gause becomes the only bright spot with 18 points off the bench and some impressive defensive stances.
Brian Laing has been demanding more playing time and now he’ll get it. The team’s best defender, Stan Gains, is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery Monday with multiple facial fractures after being elbowed during the Villanova game.
12. Louisville Cardinals (1-4, 13-5)
Up Next: Wednesday vs. Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m.
If Georgetown and St. John’s are the biggest pleasant surprises, Louisville is easily the biggest disappointment thus far in Big East play. The Cardinals dropped two conference games last week, including falling to 0-3 at home after their 71-58 loss to Connecticut. Granted, these losses are coming as Taquan Dean remains a non-factor with an ankle injury, but losing three straight conference games at home spells doom in any league, let alone the Big East. If Louisville cannot win Wednesday in Freedom Hall against common foe Cincinnati, it is huge trouble. The Cardinals’ next games are on the road at Rutgers, always a tough place to win, and Villanova. It’s unknown if Dean will be in action Wednesday.
12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-4, 10-6)
Up Next: Tuesday vs. Georgetown at 7 p.m.
Of all their close losses this season, this one stung the most. The Irish allowed a layup with 40 seconds left to tie the game, than Steve Novak hit a near impossible jumper with a tick left to seal their 67-65 loss, dropping Notre Dame’s conference record to 1-4. Notre Dame is not playing poorly, but it’s not making the big plays at the crucial moments and at times Chris Quinn is not eager to not look for his shot. The news goes from bad to worse for the Irish; here’s their schedule for the next two weeks: Georgetown, Villanova, at West Virginia, at Louisville. Sounds like N-I-T, if that.
12. Providence Friars (1-4, 8-8)
Up Next: Wednesday at Rutgers at 7 p.m.
Randall Hanke led five Friars in double figures scoring in a quality 76-75 win over DePaul on Saturday. Seventeen of his 19 points came in the second half but the 6-foot-11 sophomore center continues to lead his teammates in scoring (15.1) and has scored team-highs in 50 percent of PC’s games thus far through the season. Hanke has also been impressive defensively posting the second highest rebound average. Looking for just their second win in the league, playing on the road against Rutgers in front of a hostile crowd is good experience for this very young team. Geoff McDermott has been a nice compliment to coach Tim Welsh’s’ starting lineup. The freshman out of New Rochelle, N.Y., is one of five PC players averaging more than 9 ppg. The Friars have a bevy of weapons; however, the bench has been completely depleted with the departure of several players throughout the season.
15. DePaul Blue Demons (1-5, 8-9)
Up Next: Wednesday at Marquette at 8 p.m.
The Blue Demons are a team in turmoil. Their narrow, 76-75 loss to Providence was their fourth straight defeat. On top of that, Sammy Meija, Draelon Burns and Jabari Currie each were benched for the start of the game to due to missing academic commitments, said DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright. Tied in the final minute against the Friars, DePaul allowed a jumper with 40 seconds left, then committed an offensive foul as it worked for the last shot. Providence hit two free throws to seal the win, as Meija hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer. Earlier in the week, the Blue Demons nearly rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit to Marquette, only to lose 82-79.
16. South Florida Bulls (0-5, 6-12)
Up Next: Tuesday vs. Villanova at 7 p.m.
The Bulls were so close to winning their first Big East game, twice, last week. And both times, they came away empty handed. First, South Florida lost by three at Georgetown (the same difference in Duke’s loss to the Hoyas later in the week), then it fell in overtime at Seton Hall 94-89. The Bulls shot at a tie against Georgetown clanged off the rim, and James Holmes’ 35 points against the Pirates was not enough. The Bulls have lost seven straight.
