THE BIG EAST - My Votes/Picks

       I just want to start this out by saying this has been one of the most enjoyable years to watch the Big East.  There is no doubt this is the best and deepest conference in the NCAA, and I agree that setting a record of possibly having 11 teams as locks to get into the NCAA Tournament has been earned at this point.  Marquette is most likely the 11th team to get that spot in the tournament, but they deserve it with huge wins against SU, West Virginia, Notre Dame, and a monster win against UConn on the road last week.  Marquette plays everybody tough and even the best of teams in the Big East know they're in for a battle every time they match up with Darius Johnson-Odom and my favorite, Jimmy Butler.  Even West Virginia with their total lack of scoring, has been able to get solid conference W's with their hard nosed tough team defense.  How can you keep Bobby Huggins out of the NCAA Tournament with wins over Georgetown, Purdue, Cincy, and Notre Dame by 14.

       It's been said a lot this year, but it's true, as the Big East has gotten stronger and impossible to predict each night, the rest of the conferences have gotten weaker.  The PAC10, ACC, and SEC are typically solid major conferences, however, this year these 3 all don't have much to show for themselves.....here's a question for you to think about....how would DUKE do if they were in the Big East this year???  One game doesn't provide any guarantees, but they did get blown out by 15 against an unranked St. Johns team.
  Syracuse has been a roller coaster this year, but sitting at 12th in the AP and winners of 6 of their last 8 you can't complain.  Brandon Triche should get the award for Most Improved Player in the conference this year, as he's gone from a quiet role player to a flat out scorer in crunch time, almost 90% from the free throw line as well.  With opposing defenses focusing on Joseph and Jackson, Scoop and Triche have recently kept me from pulling my hair out....it's definitely a love-hate relationship with Scoop...I love ya right now pards. 

My Big East Picks:

Player of the Year: Kemba Walker  (Besides a small stretch that he struggled, he's put up big numbers throughout the year, sorry Hardy fans)  

Most Improved: Brandon Triche

Coach of the Year:  Steve Lavin no doubt (The Johnnies simply haven't been an important piece of the Big East in almost a decade, so Coaches do matter)

Sleeper in the Big East Tournament:  Cincinnati (athletic, well coached, hit 3's, and rebound with 

Who will win the Big East Tournament: St. Johns (they're ripping it up their last 10 games and flat out blowing people off the court...solid teams too.  Playing at home doesn't hurt either in the tournament)

Biggest Collapse since midseason:  What has happened to NOVA...wow, blown out last night vs. Notre Dame.


The double-double award:  BIG RICK JACKSON (One of SU's most improved players over the course of his career, right there with Demetrius Nichols and Kris Joseph)

Cockiest player who didn't do ANYTHING until this year:  Ben Hansbrough.....do you shave yet son?


Big East High Game Scorer in Big East play *Record:  Marshon Brooks with 52 points....I would say pass the ball, your team blows, but I don't know any other player on your team....keep shooting.


Don't let me shoot 3's in your face award:  Tie between Tim Abromaitis (he must use Proactive) and Ashton Gibbs (I love my set shots)


Your Season Could Be In Serious Jeopardy Award:  Georgetown (Losing Chris Wright for a couple weeks and the uncertainty of his play once he returns should scare any G-Town fan, he's their floor general and 2nd leading scorer)


Current Big East Standings:

BIG EAST	Pct	Overall	Pct
^Pittsburgh	13 - 3	.813	25 - 4	.862
^Notre Dame	13 - 4	.765	24 - 5	.828
Louisville	11 - 5	.688	22 - 7	.759
St. John's	11 - 5	.688	19 - 9	.679
Syracuse	11 - 6	.647	24 - 6	.800
Georgetown	10 - 7	.588	21 - 8	.724
Cincinnati	9 - 7	.563	22 - 7	.759
Connecticut	9 - 7	.563	21 - 7	.750
West Virginia	9 - 7	.563	18 - 10	.643
Marquette	9 - 7	.563	18 - 11	.621
Villanova	9 - 8	.529	21 - 9	.700
Seton Hall	5 - 11	.313	11 - 17	.393
Rutgers	4 - 12	.250	13 - 15	.464
Providence	3 - 13	.188	14 - 15	.483
USF	3 - 13	.188	9 - 21	.300
DePaul	1 - 15	.063	7 - 22	.241

 

Cuse Blow up with Fab Melo / Week 13 Huge Implications!!

Syracuse Blasts Villanova out of the Dome (Video Blog)

Syracuse to become new Number 1 team in the country on Monday due to the upsets against Kentucky and Kansas today.
            
7 Villanova 36 41Total = 77


4 Syracuse 46 49 Total = 95


UP NEXT: Senior Night at the Dome against St. Johns Tuesday at 7pm

Syracuse Orange Oust Providence Friars on the Road (Video Blog)

NEXT UP:  SYRACUSE VS. VILLANOVA SATURDAY NIGHT AT 9PM

The Orange Destroy the Hoyas at Home

   The now No.4 ranked Syracuse Orange improved to 7-1 in the Big East and 20-1 overall, as they picked up another solid victory by beating their arch rival No.7 Georgetown Hoyas(15-4) 73 to 56.  This was the tale of two games, as the Hoyas silenced the crowd immediately as they opened the game with a 14 to 0 lead over the hometown Orange.  The 26,508 in the seats must have been extremely surprised to see Georgetown open the game shooting 5 of 6 from the field, as Georgetown Guard Austin Freemen was putting on a show, as he drained 3 shots from beyond the arc in the first 3 minutes of play.  However, this game was just getting started, as The Orange then began to play and were led by their bench in order to fight their way back into the game.  Once again, The Cuse bench was led by Kris Joseph and Scooooop Jardine, as both players shot a combined 9 of 11 from the floor for the game, and put up 24 points.  Joseph and Jardine have continued to impress all year, however, Joseph has really shown how he's becoming a Big East threat in every game.  Joseph's nose for the bucket, strong ball handling, and driving ability is what helped SU cut into the 14 point early Hoyas lead.  Jardine went 4 of 4 from the field, most of which was on fast breaks, as he pushed the ball down the floor and put pressure on the slower Hoyas defense to get back on D and make plays.  The momentum rather quickly began to turn in the Orange's favor, as the fans got into the game and the Orange players were feeding off of the emotion built from the comeback.

          So what allowed for such a turnaround after the first 3 minutes of the game....DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE!  Fifth year Senior Guard and leader Andy Rautins was huge in this game for The Cuse, as he played incredible defense and even had 6 steals to help create fast break opportunities for SU.  Defense has been a staple for The Orange all year and has led them to where they are in the Big East and National standings.  How's this for some defense, Wesley Johnson had 4 blocks and 3 steals, Kris Joseph had a block and 3 steals, Rautins had 6 steals, and Rick Jackson had 3 blocks and even gobbled up a steal.  Another huge factor was the fact that SU completely took Georgetown Sophomore Forward Greg Monroe out of the game, as foul trouble wasn't an issue for the rest of the Hoyas, but Monroe continued to pick up the ticky tack fouls that always go unnoticed.  However, with much of the game left in the second half, Monroe fouled out with an unnecessary screen foul at the top of the arc on Andy Rautins.  It was a nice acting job by Rautins, but still a foul.  Rautins came up with big plays all game, and needed to, as they showed his Dad Leo Rautins in the stands almost as much as they showed Andy.  After not recording a point against Marquette, Rautins scored 15 against the Hoyas and shot 9 of 10 from the free throw line.  This was an incredibly balanced scoring attack from The Cuse tonight, and was no coincidence that SU pulled out a W because of it.  Georgetown simply had no bench and no spark after the first 3 minutes of play.  Georgetown's lack of balance and no clear leader never allowed them to truly scare The Orange, as once the tide started to turn, the Hoyas simply couldn't keep up.

The Cuse Roll to Victory over South Florida

      In front of 18,703 fans at the Carrier Dome Sunday, the Syracuse Orange(15-1) once again showed why they're a top 10 team in the country as they beat the South Florida Bulls(10-5) 82 to 65.  This was SU's third Big East game so far, as they improved to 2-1 in Big East play.  The Cuse were in control throughout the entire game, as the inside game for SU was simply too strong for the undersized and undermanned Bulls.  Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson each put up big numbers on offense, as Onuaku threw down 12 points while Jackson's left hand was responsible for 15 hard earned SU points.  SU's major presence down low also led to further offensive opportunities due to offensive rebounds, as Wesley Johnson took advantage to once again put together a huge game for the Orange.  Johnson ended up with 19 points in 37 minutes of play, as it's become clear that as Johnson goes so does the Orange. 
      The lone bright spot for the South Florida Bulls was Dominique Jones, as he was the only South Florida player that could stay with the Cuse.  Jones put up 30 points in 38 minutes, was 3 of 6 from long range, and even was 13 of 17 from the charity strike....are you kidding me?  How about a box and 1 coach?  It didn't make a difference with the overall outcome, but Jones play showed that SU's defense can get broken down to quick passing in the middle and is susceptible to players like Jones that can pierce the lane with a jump stop dribble or a quick drive to the bucket. 

      Brandon Triche also played a more balanced game in this one, as he was 5 of 10 from the field and had 10 points.  Triche's aggressive play led to better opportunities for The Cuse on offense, and further exposed the holes in the Bulls defense, however, Triche went 0 for 3 for behind the arc and also missed all three of his free throws.  Assists also played a role in this one, as Andy Rautins showed how he's become a great passer with phenomenal vision with his 7 assists today.  The Orange were simply too strong, quick, and large for the South Florida Bulls at home today, but it will be interesting to see how The Cuse play on the road over their next three games against Rutgers, West Virginia, and Notre Dame.

**Enjoy the video on Wesley Johnson, hopefully they'll be many more highlights in the remaining games this year.