by Wally

I just read a very thoughtful and provocative top-to-bottom analysis of the ND basketball program.   Also sheds quite a bit of light on the Big East.   The author did quite a bit of research and his very reasonable recommendations are built on that homework.    And maybe I’ve been a little too tough on Mike Brey, given some of the things  I’ve learned.   Anyway, if you follow ND hoops, this is a great read.   And in the hours before what I’m afraid I’ll see at Villanova tonight, at least I better understand why ND hoops “is what it is”.   Here’s the link from NDNation.com:

http://www.ndnation.com/blog/2010/01/situational-analysis.html

By Doug Potter

The purpose of college for High School teens post graduation is intended to prepare them for the grind and rigors of everyday life. Some are still searching for their niche, while others have a good idea what they want to do and college will help them get there. For a lot of NBA-bound basketball players all college does is serve as a nuisance and prolong their arrival to “The League.” For some, however, college is a stepping stone to become a member of the most important lottery in basketball; the “NBA Draft Lottery.” Former Syracuse Orange point guard, Jonny Flynn, is a prime example of why young athletes should go to college.

BACKGROUND: Flynn is used to being the “Big Man on Campus.” He was on Junior Varsity as a seventh grader, Varsity as a Freshman, and was the team’s starting point guard as a Sophomore. That year he led his team to a 28-1 record, a state championship, and a federation championship, and a number one ranking in a couple of polls by year’s end. That team had seven future D-1 players and was one that Flynn will never forget. “That was the best year of high school basketball in Niagara Falls history,” Flynn said. “Nobody can take that away and it was just so much fun.” With all those playmakers and offensive firepower, Flynn was more of a distributor and really improved his passing game. Syracuse teammate, Paul Harris, was the talk of the team and supposed to be the next “Phenom” to come out of Western New York. His set of skills and athleticism dominated the High School level like nobody had seen in quite some time. He decided to attend Syracuse University and play for coach Jim Boeheim. Jonny followed him there two years later after Harris spent a year in prep school to get his grades straight. They both enjoyed a good career at Syracuse, but Flynn did more with his opportunity to play for one of the greats at the college level in Coach Boeheim.

CURRENTLY: Jonny Flynn was ranked as the fourth best PG in his class coming into his college career, and the 23rd best overall player. Oh, how times change! Now, Mr. Flynn is projected to be drafted as high as fourth overall to the Sacramento Kings. Yeah, I would say he has improved his “stock” as we like to call it. They have made it very clear that their number one need is to get a tough point guard with some offensive talent and the ability to push the ball in transition. I know, that is the definition of Flynn. Tough? Check (Who can forget when he played 13245243 minutes in four games in the Big East Tournament this year?) Offensive firepower? Check (Is fourth on the all-time freshman scoring list at Syracuse with 548 points scored and averaged 17.1 PPG for the Orange last season). His athleticism and offensive repertoire is not going to be the problem at the next level. The problems will come at the other end of the floor in the trenches, where no, okay some, NBA players enjoy playing; Defense.

After a workout with the Kings last week, a scout asked Flynn how playing at Syracuse prepared him for the NBA and having to defend tough point guards night in and night out. “It doesn’t prepare you at all,” Flynn said with a laugh. “You sit in a zone all day.” This does not mean that laziness is encouraged by the Orange coaching staff, but a 2-3 zone, run by coach Boeheim, can be considered less strenuous than a Bob Huggins-run man-to-man defense. That, however, did not stop Flynn from earning the respect from his teammates. They know how quick and strong Jonny is on the defensive end. “I don’t really get it when people say Jonny can’t play D,” former Syracuse forward Paul Harris says. “He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s strong, he’s smart. In my opinion, he’s capable of guarding anybody. But people watch us play zone at Syracuse so much, they question our defense.”

PREDICTION: Jonny would be a great fit for the Kings at #4, but I believe he is not the fourth best player in this year’s draft. He will be drafted that high based solely on need. The Kings NEED a point guard (I know what you’re thinking, they need EVERYTHING, but bear with me) and Flynn would be a great start for a franchise looking to rebuild after being in the dumps the last few seasons.

I compare Flynn’s past two seasons to the one season spent at Syracuse by Carmelo Anthony. Anthony did win a National Championship, but coming into Syracuse, he was just a highly recruited swingman from Oak Hill who had offensive ability. That was Flynn, just a highly talented point guard with a lot of potential and offensive ability, but a lot of improvement to do. He has made those improvements (outside shot, free throws, turnovers) and on Thursday it will all come together for Jonny.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

by Doug Potter

Big, manly, giant, defensive monster, shot-blocking machine, human eraser. Those are some of the adjectives many people choose to describe the seven-foot-three 263 pound center for the University of Connecticut Huskies, and rightfully so. Let’s take a look, however, at Hasheem Thabeet Manka on a deeper level.

The 22 year old deep-voiced Tazmanian was born in Dar Es Salaam, Tarzania and didn’t even think about the sport of basketball until he was 15 years old when he would watch the pickup games in the local parks in Tarzania. It was during this time that Hasheem lost his father due to complications from diabetes. When his father passed, Thabeet lost his last name of “Manka” and took his middle name as his last because “once my dad passed, then I’ve got to make a new person,” Thabeet said.

Thank God he chose basketball, because this “new person” had been looking ever so desperately for a job and money to help support his family. So desperately that it led him to become a model at the tender age of 14 bringing in $300 a night and take on the role of a bouncer at a local club to “look scary,” which came easily.

Then there was basketball. Hasheem was not oblivious to his height (6-foot by the age of 10) and knew he had to explore the world of American basketball. He proceeded to purchase 4 hours of internet time in his town library and used that time wisely. Long story short, thank you internet for bringing the Muslim manchild to the states and convert him into a force on the basketball court all in just five years time.

As a freshman at UConn, Thabeet averaged just 24 minutes, 6 PPG and 6 RPG. Being only his fourth year even handling a basketball, I guess you could say he was a little raw. His Sophomore numbers were a little more similar to what a seven-footer should be accustomed to (10.5 PPG, nearly 8 RPG and 5 BPG).

This past season he finally put it all together; defense, offensive efficiency (65% from the field), rebounding (10.9 RPG), shot-blocking (4.3 BPG), and a much improved offensive repertoire (13.5 PPG). His vast improvements earned him the honors of Defensive Player of the Year and Co-Player of the Year in the Big East. The fast-growing game of Thabeet could possibly find its way into the NBA this season as he’s a lottery pick in waiting. His gaudy wingspan and ability to stay on his feet to block shots has NBA scouts drooling. The scouts are also intrigued by how much improvement is still left to be done for “Hash” as his head coach, Jim Calhoun, calls him.

So that brings us to the present. Our boy Hash is right in the middle of one of the greatest sporting events in the world: The Final Four. Not only is he involved, but he is in prime position to lead his team to its third National Championship title in school history (1999 and 2004). First up, he will take on Goran Suton and the Michigan State Spartans in the national semi-final. A victory could set up a very intriguing matchup with First-Team All-American big man, Tyler Hansbrough in the National Championship. So with most of your brackets already in the trash, there’s only one thing left to do: sit back and watch the magic of the Final Four. Enjoy.

by Doug Potter

After seven overtimes, several upsets, buzzer-beaters and questionable officiating gave us a Big East Tournament for the ages, we now turn out attention to the main attraction; the REAL tournament. Last week allowed us to recall why we take off work, call in sick, and often refer to this upcoming weekend as “The best weekend in sports.” The madness is one of the most hyped sporting events year in and year out and somehow never disappoints. When it comes to our brackets, however, we treat them like our own children. We take pride in their success and stand behind them when they fail us. The toughest thing about this time of year is that we know the madness is coming, we just don’t know who it’s coming from. Sunday jump-started it all, as Selection Sunday was well worth the wait.

Another great thing about Selection Sunday is that we no longer have to see the infamous “Last Four In” and “Last Four Out” by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. This man has the best job in America. He works for one month out of the year and tells everyone who he THINKS the committee will place in the NCAA Tournament. After seeing these rankings for the 100th time, I’m excited to actually look forward to basketball instead of speculation of who’s in and who’s out. Now all that’s left to do is get Dickie V to shut up about St. Mary’s not making the tourney over Arizona. Give it up Dick!

Despite becoming the first conference in tournament history with three #1 seeds and sparking conversation near the end of the season that it was the strongest year in conference history, the Big East only got seven teams into the dance (as did the ACC and Big Ten). Some teams didn’t help their cause during the Big East Tournament (Cincinnati, Providence and Notre Dame), while others improved their resume and earned a higher seeding (Louisville, Syracuse, and West Virginia). Here’s a look at the seven teams in the tournament and what we should expect out of them in the upcoming weeks:

Louisville (#1 Seed in Midwest Region): The overall top seed in the tournament and rightfully so. The Cardinals can say that not only were they the regular season champs of the best conference in college basketball, but they won the conference tournament as well. They’ve won 10 in a row and 20 of 22 so I guess you could say they’re hot. Not quite a Final Four lock, but anything less will be a major disappointment.
Pittsburgh (#1 Seed in East Region): There will be one question surrounding the Panthers; Will getting knocked out of the Big East tournament rather early be beneficial to them? I think so. They are now 100% healthy and in prime position for another deep run into the tourney. My Final Four pick out of the East Region.
UConn (#1 Seed in West Region): The loss of Jerome Dyson will be very apparent in the NCAA tournament due to the inexperience of Kemba Walker. The Huskies are in the West Region, which is where they won the title in 2004, but don’t sleep on the BYU Cougars in the second round. They are a smart veteran team who will force Thabeet to guard out on the perimeter, which he is not accustomed to doing. Look for BYU to put up the best fight against a #1 seed the first weekend.
Villanova (#3 Seed in East Region): The Wildcats have a VERY easy section in their bracket. The only dangerous team in the bottom half of the East bracket is Duke. UCLA is by far the worst #6 seed and will lose to VCU. Nova is also helped by playing their first two games in Philadelphia, PA. Hmmmm…? Look for the Cats to advance to the sweet 16 and taking on Duke in a very entertaining game.
Syracuse (#3 Seed in South Region): Here we go again… The Cuse are hot and on a streak, they can’t be stopped, Final Four here we come!… Not so fast. I hate this time of year for Syracuse. Knowing the makeup of this team, I wouldn’t be surprised if they got complacent and lost in one of the first two rounds. Then again, they are a three seed (2003 National Championship = three seed).
Marquette (#6 Seed in West Region): Talk about scuffling, the Eagles have lost five of six and are very inconsistent offensively without their leader Dominic James. I think they will survive a tough Utah State team, but Missouri’s Louisville-like full court pressure will be too much for Marquette to handle.
West Virginia (#6 Seed in Midwest Region): The Mountaineers are a couple wins away from being a top 4 seed (Louisville and Syracuse), but nevertheless, Bob Huggins will have his crew ready to go. One interesting fact, the last three times the Mountaineers were a 6 or 7 seed (’05, ’06, and ’08) they advanced to the sweet 16 all three times. Look out Kansas, here come the sweet tunes of Country Roads!

by Doug Potter

If you turn on your TV and flip to your favorite show, you could watch a thriller, a sad depressing episode, a surprising bone-chiller, or an ugly display of skill on any given night. The same can be said for any Big East game this year. The conference is like a TV station and has a potpourri of effects on its audience. We can try to analyze what we see, but analyzing and attempting to make sense of it all can only confuse us even more. This past week was a very exciting week in the world of the Big East. With Selection Sunday only ten days away, the Big East has the potential to get nine or ten teams into the big dance, but that’s just a measly little word; potential. We do, however, learn many things from watching the competition in this top-of-the-notch conference. Here is a list of things that we did learn this past week in the Big East:

No Idea: At this point in the season, typically a “leader in the clubhouse” so to speak has emerged and we can easily identify the best team in a conference. Not the case this year. There are three teams in the Big East who are in the top ten in RPI (Louisville, Pitt, and UConn). The Cardinals and Huskies are tied for first in the conference (15-2) while many people can make the argument that the Panthers (14-3) have the best team. Any way you look at it, there’s no way we can truly identify the conferences’ best team at this time. Oh what a wonderful time the Big East Tournament will be.

Maybe Three: Selection Sunday is right around the corner, we all know this. Like always at this time of year, there are a great deal of questions we want answered. Enter: Joe Lunardi (who I swear works four weeks out of the year). As discussed above, the Big East has three powerful teams with very impressive resumes. Here’s a crazy possibility: the Big East could have three teams as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Don’t think so? Tell me why the struggling Oklahoma team who has lost three of four deserves a top seed. Tell me why the Memphis team who has a SOS of 51 will get one, or why Michigan State, who just beat Indiana, yes Indiana, by just 5 is worthy of the honor. I will painfully admit (very painfully) that a possible four-some as the number 1 seeds are UNC, two of the Big East teams, and Duke. Don’t look now but the Blue Devils are 25-5 with the 4th toughest schedule and the top RPI. With a victory over UNC on Sunday and/or an impressive performance in the ACC tourney, they should have a #1 seed locked up. I believe it’s a five team race for four spots as a number one seed. Let the games begin.

Five Crazy Nights: Okay, we already knew this, but the Big East Tournament is going to be five nights of crazy fun. We will have sixteen teams, all with different identities and backgrounds, but the same goal: an automatic-bid. The top eight teams will advance to the second round with the top four advancing to the quarterfinals. Madison Square Garden will be the site of this glorious event and ESPN will be the messenger to the world. This time of year brings out the best in everyone. It causes work rates to diminish, focus levels to go out the window, and high school kids to bring in their mini-televisions and watch discreetly during class (I swear have a little experience in the field). What a wonderful time of year.

by Doug Potter

The Big East, much like the rest of college basketball, certainly has its share of head-scratching games, game-changing performances, and wonderful coaching.  No matter what the conference always gives us topics to talk about.  Whether it’s a big upcoming game, utterly disappointing teams, or how solid it is from one through ten (sorry Georgetown, you’re just not NCAA Tourney material coughNITcough), we always find something intriguing about this now all of a sudden top-heavy conference.  With the Oscars taking place this past Sunday, we’re all in the spirit of giving out awards.  Here are my Oscar awards for the Big East this season:

Best Motion Picture:  This has to go to Georgetown @ Syracuse on Feb 14^th.  The Orange escaped with a 98-94 OT win, but blew a 13 point lead with under seven minutes left.  This game saw little to no defense.  Don’t believe me?  The two teams combined for 101 points in the second half alone.  Jonny Flynn had a good game for the Orange as he dropped 25 and was an impressive 15 of 16 from the FT line.  Chris Wright had 25 of his own for Georgetown, who was just 13-10 at the time after starting the season 10-1.  Listen to this stat: Yes Georgetown is young and inexperienced, but it’s almost March and the Hoyas have won just four (4) games in ’09!  Come on!

Best Actor in a Lead Role:  I firmly believe that Luke Harangody is the best player in the conference. Period.  But as Stephen A. Smith would say; However!  We live in an era where MVP’s and in this case “Best Lead Actors” come from teams who have had a lot of success.  That being said, this award goes to DeJuan Blair.  The 6 foot 7 forward, yes I know he plays much bigger than that, is simply a man-child down low and is hands down the best offensive rebounder in the nation (5.9 off RPG).  The main reason for my selection is the Panthers record of 25-3 despite a disappointing loss to Providence this week.  Interestingly enough, two if their three losses are when they were No. 1 in the nation (2-2).  Keep them at number 2 for gosh sakes!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:  This award is more of a prediction of things to come.  With everyone talking about the monster Hasheem Thabeet and now the injury to Jerome Dyson, people are forgetting the solid guard play of A.J. Price.  The time to shine is now for Price, who is only averaging 12.3 PPG this year, but his scoring has gone up as his team has counted on him more (17.2 PPG last 12 games) and has scored in double-digits in eleven of his last twelve games.  Last night in their big showdown at Marquette he had a career high 36 points and although Dominic James suffered a broken bone in his foot, Jerel McNeal nearly had a similar fate as he took a seat when he faced a Price crossover followed by a clutch jumper.  If Connecticut is to make it deep into their postseason tournaments, they will lean heavily on Mr. Price’s shoulders.

Best Director:  Rick Pitino has led his Louisville Cardinals to become one of the nation’s hottest teams.  They have won 13 out of 15 after starting a woeful 8-3.  Just to give you some perspective, compared to Georgetown’s 4 wins in ’09, Louisville has 14 wins this year!  They don’t do it by offense alone as they have the third toughest defense to score on in the Big East (61.6 PPG).  After losing David Padgett, their lack of leadership showed early in the year, but Pitino regrouped his players and now has his team playing at an elite level and a legitimate final four contender.

by Doug Potter

Mr. Kincaid’s insightful article on the Big Ten has inspired me to do the same type of rundown on the Big East. The conference is full of bubble teams who need a couple signature wins down the stretch here in February. The bubble seems to get bigger and bigger each year with this season being no different. The “locks” in the conference are as follows: UConn, Pitt, Marquette, Villanova, Louisville, and Syracuse. Syracuse is in and will get in, but I’m very concerned with their lack of effort on the defensive end (given up 94+ pts three of last five games). As I see it, there are three levels to the bubble. Here are the teams in the Big East who still have hopes of “dancing” but still have work to do, some more than others.

Safely on the Bubble: West Virginia (18-8, 7-6 Big East)
RPI: 16
SOS: 5
Key Wins: @ Ohio State, @ Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, Notre Dame
Key Losses: Davidson, Kentucky
Forecast: The Mountaineers don’t really have any bad losses, but they also don’t have any marquee wins either. A couple quality wins will help them come selection time but they must land a big win to improve their stock. One thing to look at is that they are done with their grueling Big East schedule. They have 5 more conference games (@ Rutgers, @ Cincy, @ USF, DePaul, Louisville). That’s a relatively easy schedule compared to what this league is capable of. Important date: March 7th, ESPN College Gameday is coming to Morgantown to host Louisville and West Virginia. The Coliseum will be rockin! West Virginia will be in. An 8-10 seed is most likely where they will end up.

On the Bubble: Providence (16-10, 8-6 Big East)
RPI: 67
SOS: 52
Key Wins: Cincy (twice), Syracuse
Key Losses: @ Georgetown, Baylor, @ West Virginia
Forecast: Much like the Mountaineers, The Friars have relatively no big wins, but have beaten most of the teams that they “should’ve beaten.” They started out 6-2 in conference, but have dropped four of six and still have the tough tasks of Notre Dame, Villanova, and Pitt left of their final four games of the season. Providence will finish with nine or ten wins in conference and will need to win a few games in the Big East Tournament to be dancing in March. I say they get in barely and wrap up an 11 seed.

Cincinnati (17-9, 7-6 Big East)
RPI: 48
SOS: 25
Key Wins: Georgetown (twice), Notre Dame
Key Losses: Providence (twice), Florida State
Forecast: The Bearcats have won seven of their last ten but the next three games could make or break their season. Louisville and West Virginia come to town, then they travel to Syracuse before finishing with South Florida and Seton Hall. I feel they MUST win three of their last five games and win a game in the Big East Tourney to get in. I don’t think they will do it and Cincinnati will not make the tourney. A normal team with not enough quality wins.

Barely on the Bubble: Notre Dame (14-11, 5-8 Big East)
RPI: 75
SOS: 43
Key Wins: Texas, Georgetown, Louisville
Key Losses: St. John’s, Concy, West Virginia
Forecast: Many people look at the fact that the Irish lost seven straight during mid-season and say “wow they’re struggling!” But looking deeper, six of their seven losses were against teams that WILL make the tournament (Louisville, Syracuse, UConn, Marquette, Pitt, and UCLA) and the other loss was against a tourney hopeful team in Cincinnati. That being said, they couldn’t win ONE of those games?! They arguably have the best inside presence in 25 and 13 a night Luke Harangody, but with the inconsistent shooting of McAlarney, they can lose to anyone, or beat anyone. Barring a deep run into the Big East tourney, the Irish will miss out on the NCAA tourney.

Georgetown (14-10, 5-8 Big East)
RPI: 39
SOS: 1
Key Wins: Memphis, @ UConn, Providence
Key Losses: @ Notre Dame, West Virginia, @ Seton Hall, Cincy (twice)
Forecast: Georgetown has the best two wins of any bubble team (Memphis, @ UConn) but getting swept by Cincinnati doesn’t help. Their schedule has been the toughest in the nation and it appears to be wearing and tearing on the Hoyas. It doesn’t get any easier as they play Marquette, Louisville, and Villanova their next three games. They must win two of those games to have a shot at dancing. I believe somehow, someway, the 5-8 Georgetown Hoyas will find their way into the NCAA Tournament.

WVU warming up for No. 12 Villanova. Nova came into Friday winning six straight and having three straight games with 90+ pts.

Freshman Devin Ebanks at the free-throw line. The Mountaineers shot 22-28 from the charity stripe.

West Virginia playing defense. A defense which is second in the Big East in scoring (61.4 PPG).

"Mountaineer Maniacs" showing their team spirit.

West Virginia Dance team with some halftime entertainment. WVU was up 52-34 at halftime.

Former West Virginia great and current Milwaukee bucks forward Joe Alexander enjoys his All-Star weekend in Morgantown.

Beautiful sight

by Doug Potter

A fairly frustrating season thus far in the Big East as far as all analysts are concerned is less than a month from coming to a close. A season of ups and downs were expected, but not to this magnitude. I mean come on, who could predict that in mid-February that Notre Dame and Georgetown would be a combined 7-14 in the conference? Even after their hot start, we all knew the Hoyas would slip at least somewhat, but not to the tune of losing eight of their last eleven! There have been disappointing teams (Georgetown and Notre Dame) as well as the surprising teams (Providence and Cincinnati) but anything can happen in the 16-team Big East Tournament, which is now only 26 days away.

As of right now, I feel confident in saying that the best team right now is UConn. They have arguably the best defensive presence in Hasheem Thabeet (4+Blocks PG) and a pure man-child in Jeff Adrien, who is averaging a double-double (14.1 PPG and 10.1 RPG). They haven’t lost since December and are one of three teams with only one loss (Oklahoma and Utah State). UConn’s only loss? You guessed it, the 13-9 Georgetown Hoyas. Twelve wins in a row for the Huskies and after a trip to Seton Hall this Saturday they will face their toughest match as they will host 20-2 Pitt on Monday.

Sticking with the surprising theme, here are some stats that I found very surprising to say the least about the rugged Big East this season:

When we talk about MIP in the Big East this year, Dante Cunningham has to come to mind, but take a look at the strides Seton Hall guard Jeremy Hazell has made since last year. The Sophomore has increased this year in Minutes, Rebounds, Steals, FG%, FT% and 3P%, but most importantly his 23.1 PPG has him second in the Big East and ninth in the nation in scoring.

I’m sorry I can’t resist talking the struggles of Notre Dame and Georgetown, but get this: since January 14th, these two teams, who many people (including myself) picked to finish in the top 5 in the conference, have combined to lose 12 of their last 13 conference games! The only win was Georgetown’s February 3rd win over a lowly Rutgers team who is a pitiful 1-10 in conference.

Free Throw Shooting?: I talked at length about how important free-throw shooting would be this season. I claimed that this would be the key to success and that teams who failed to shoot well from the charity stripe would struggle this year. Not so much. The top 5 teams in FT% (Villanova, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Rutgers) are respectively 5th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 15th in the Big East standings. I’m sure you’re thinking “Yeah, but the two best teams in UConn and Pitt shoot well from the stripe. Nope. UConn is 7th and Pitt is 12th.

I leave you with one final number: Five. After all the talk about the Big East possibly getting nine, maybe even ten teams in the Big Dance, the number of teams in the Top 25 polls will most likely be just five next week after #22 Syracuse continues its free-fall with a loss yesterday. The Big East has beaten up on each other so much that they’re all starting to become closer and closer to the mediocre level. A large amount of the teams in the conference still have considerable work to do down the stretch if they wish to be dancing come March.

by Doug Potter

Does anyone know what takes place less than six weeks from now in the world of the Big East conference? Anyone? Bueller… Bueller… The Big East Tournament! On Tuesday March 10^th, 2009, sixteen, yes sixteen teams will begin their journey towards earning an automatic bid into “The Dance,” the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Teams finishing 9-16 will play in the first round while teams 5-8 get a bye to the second round. Teams 1-4?… They already have their tickets punched for the quarterfinals.

Now coming back to the present, anyone who foresaw the Georgetown Hoyas and Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish having the 10 and 11 spots locked up in the conference respectively at the near end of January speak now (Chirp… Chirp). These highly disappointing teams, believe it or not, still possess the potential to do some damage come March. To many athletes (myself included), that word makes them cringe, makes their hair stand up on their backs because all it really means that they are an underachieving team who has yet to peak, yet to gain the respect from those who matter, and yet to play like expected; potential.

Speaking of team performances and surprises in the Big East, can anyone guess who is currently 6-2 and has the fourth best record in the conference? Meet the Providence Friars: Record (14-6, 6,2), Seven (7) players are averaging 9 PPG or better. Seven. Their leading scorer can be listed in the dictionary under “Tongue Twister”; Weyinmi Efejuku, and no, I did not misspell his name. Yes, they have not had the toughest schedule thus far, but a solid win tonight in a 100-94 shootout with Syracuse shows the Friars are for real. Don’t forget, they also had Marquette on the ropes (tied with 2 min left) in an earlier meeting with the first place Golden Eagles on January 17^th. Are they here to stay? We shall find out as they make trips to Hartford, CT and Morgantown, WV while hosting the hot Villanova Wildcats within the next week and a half.

This year the Big East has seen its share of head-scratching performances, but let’s take a look at Wednesday alone:

#21 Villanova 67 – #3 Pittsburgh 57 : The wildcats are only 4-3 in conference play, but this big win over the Panthers prove that going into ‘Nova will be a tough chore for anyone. If the guards continue to play well, paired with one of the most improved players in the nation in Dante Cunningham, look for the Wildcats to make a run at the Big East Title.

Providence 100 – #15 Syracuse 94 : A classic shootout saw Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn score a career-high 35 and the troublesome Eric Devendorf drop 27… In a LOSING cause! An even more disturbing set of statistics is that Syracuse shot 80% from the FT line, made 12 three’s (48%) and shot 53% from the field, but it wasn’t enough. The 21 turnovers didn’t help much (Devendorf, who in my opinion is the most selfish player in college basketball, had nine of them). The Orange found out first hand what team basketball can do for you: Friars had a 2:1 Assist: TO ratio and assisted on 22 of their 36 FG’s.

Cincinnati 65 – #23 Georgetown 57 : The seemingly invincible Hoyas earlier in the year (who were once ranked as high as #8) have lost four in a row and six of their last eight, they’re sittin at 12-7 on the season. This young team better pick it up if they wish to play deep into March. They will certainly have numerous opportunities to do so because after all, this is the Big East.