- It was great seeing it put down on video and told from some of the people that were there the origins of the conference and how it was Gavitt's ideas and hard work that got the whole thing going.
- If you're a Syracuse, Georgetown, St. John's, or Villanova fan, you'll probably really enjoy seeing the various highlights and attention to those teams paid in the film. They book end the movie with shots from the Syracuse/Georgetown 2013 BET game, and they give a good chunk of time to Georgetown's early dominance, Villanova's surprise National Championship over Georgetown, lots of Lou Carnesecca old and current, and Chris Mullins.
- Lou Carnesecca looks old as all hell. But he's clearly sharp and still with it. It broke my heart when he said he wasn't that hurt about teams leaving the Big East except for Syracuse.
- A few talking heads, specifically Michael Wilbon, contradicts the main point in the documentary that football, capitalism, and the league's own success is what broke up the Big East. Wilbon, over a shot of Nancy Cantor, says it was greedy and weak minded school presidents. Judge for yourself.
- The documentary does a really great job of highlighting the important, as it turned out, of the league denying an invitation to Penn State to join. It was probably the first domino falling in terms of the conference breaking up. It just took a while for it to matter.
- It does a great job of showing all the big personalities that dominated the coaching ranks of the early days of the Big East.
- Sorry, no 6 OT talk. No real mention of UConn either to be fair. Despite the fact they won a few National Championships as a member. Jim Calhoun has a few talking head moments, but that's all from UConn. Same for Rick Pitino.
- They talk about the BET but they only talk about some from the early 80's. Obviously there have been some pretty good ones since then.
- There was one moment that really got me. They talk about the death of Dave Gavitt and how the day Mike Tranghese found out about Syracuse and Pittsburgh leaving was the day that he found out Gavitt had passed away. They then cut to Jim Boeheim talking about that and about how it's been his whole life. He clearly fights back a tear. The room I viewed the movie may have been very dusty that day.
- No real talk about Notre Dame, or Tranghese, or especially John Marinatto being competent enough to stop any of the expansion/raiding of the league. No one deserves a ton of blame but Marinatto was totally inept and Tranghese could have taken some other steps.
Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East memories, Big East Tournament, Farewell Big East, Goodbye Old Friend, Preview
![]() |
Maybe the best part of this picture is Donna & Mike's faces |
It started March 12, 2009. It ended March 13, 2009. It spawned Marathon Men t-shirts, a website, and brought the rivalry of Syracuse and Connecticut to a new level. The 2009 Big East Tournament quarterfinal between Syracuse and UConn was a six overtime epic battle that will forever be etched into the memories of all who experienced it: whether in person, on TV, or on twitter.
March 2009 was around the time twitter was taking off. I finally bowed to the pressure on March 11, 2009, of course not knowing that my decision to register @jbren would so greatly enhance my 6OT experience. My first tweet was so i just joined twitter. i wonder if i'll actually use this thing. I can't remember how many people I started following, or who, or even who was following me. But I had my twitter all ready to use the next night.
March 12, a coworker was turning 50, so we went out that night for drinks. I was in Simon's in Horseheads, where there are no TVs. Luckily, the 7pm game ran late, so the SU-UConn game wouldn't start till approx 9:45pm. I ducked out of the celebration to head across the street to Hanover's Grille -- I knew they had TVs. I got a prime seat at the bar, ordered a drink, and got through the first half. UConn had a 37-34 lead at the half, and I decided I wanted to watch the rest of the game back at my apartment, so I left. In retrospect, great call.
Once home, I poured myself a drink. I'm sure it was either Jameson or Vanilla Vodka. For whatever reason, I didn't tweet at all during regulation. I think I was still trying to get the hang of it. I didn't have an app for my phone (a Blackberry Storm at the time) so I was literally using the mobile twitter website. The score was tied with mere seconds left in regulation, and Syracuse was to inbound the ball.
holy shit eric
That was my first tweet of the game. We all thought he had hit a three at the buzzer. He jumped on the media table and punched his chest as if to say he was king of the world. And then, that amazing midcourt floor camera from ESPN had caught the shot -- with the basket and clock -- from the perfect angle to show that the ball was still sitting on Eric's fingertips when time reached 0.0. So onto overtime we go.
this is what BET is all about!
I must've tweeted that at the end of the first overtime. I had gotten at least one more drink in since the first. I was thoroughly enjoying the game at this point.
do i have enough alcohol for this?
A tweet probably around the end of the second overtime. Things were happening fast and furious, and I was worried that I'd run dry before the game ended.
great guts shown if that means anything
That may have been a comment I picked up on from Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, or Bill Raftery. Or it may have been some nonsense gibberish fueled by booze. Or maybe both.
this may be the best game ive ever seen
Easy to say this around the end of three overtimes. Plus some booze. You can tell I didn't much appreciate punctuation at that point.
5 overtimes? i want money or something
Well, the good news is this tweet actually mentions an event, so I can place this at the end of four OTs. If my memory serves me correctly, I think I had made a bet with myself that this game would go five overtimes. I won that bet, but I don't know if I ever paid myself.
6 is my lucky number. don't even know what to say at this point.
Obviously at this point, the game was tied at the end of five overtimes, and so onto the sixth we go. It is true that six is and always has been my lucky number, so I guess I felt pretty good about Syracuse's chances at this point.
And that would actually be my final tweet of the game, and of the night. By the time Syracuse had outlasted Connecticut 127-117, I think I was so exhausted that I didn't want to deal with that weird "SurePress" touchscreen on my Storm. I do remember at some point during one of the overtime periods, I decided to stand up. Right there. In my apartment living room. By myself. I think it was early -- may have even been at the end of regulation when Eric almost got that shot off in time.
Going to bed after that game was interesting. On the one hand, it's late, and I had been drinking, so you'd think falling asleep would be easy. But on the other hand, that was like 3+ hours of adrenaline pumping through my veins. Suffice to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.
But I still had to get up and go to work in the morning. Luckily when I had found out Syracuse would have the late Thursday game, I had blocked off my Friday morning as "KEEP OPEN FOR DESK TIME," because I didn't already have any court appearances scheduled. And it's a good thing I didn't have anything going on that morning. I was worthless. I was tired, and quite frankly, I was still shaking from the night before -- the adrenaline I think was still pumping through me.
Syracuse won the next night in the semifinals. A found a few tweets from that one:
anyone else having a hard time getting excited over this game?
OT? we've played this game before.
shut up jay bilas
But at any rate, 6OT is something I'll never forget. It was one of those experiences that, as a Syracuse fan, you remember exactly where you were and how things went down. You can close your eyes and immediately bring yourself back. You can maybe even smell the same smells. As we are now about to watch our beloved team embark on a new conference tournament, the ACC Tournament, we can only hope that someday that will provide us with another great memory.
Labels: 6 OTs, ACC Tournament, Big East, Big East Tournament, Syracuse Basketball, UConn USuck
![]() |
Farewell MSG & Big East Tournament. We'll always have the memories... |
Gravy. That's all this game was supposed to be, after Friday night's overtime win over Georgetown. But for Syracuse, gravy quickly became caviar after jumping out to a huge lead against the Louisville Cardinals in the Big East Tournament Championship game on Saturday night. Syracuse shot 45% in the first half, including 6-12 from three, and carried a commanding 35-22 lead into the locker room. Louisville, who shot 26% and a mere 2-8 from three, it seemed just didn't have what it would take to mount a comeback, even if they regrouped. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. The Cardinals remembered how to play basketball, shot 53% in the second half, and totally shut down any attempt at Syracuse running an offense. Outscoring Syracuse 56-26 in the second half, Louisville becomes the Big East Tournament Champions, winning 78-61.
- CJ Fair was the player of the game for the Orange, and its leading scorer, with 21 points on 7-10 shooting, 4-5 from three, and seven rebounds. He also added a block and two steals in 38 minutes of play.
- Michael Carter-Williams was an assist short of a double double, with eleven points and nine assists, and also grabbed five rebounds. However, on the negative side, MCW turned over the ball four times, and was a disappointing 2-9 from the free throw line. Many of these free throw attempts were in the second half as the Syracuse offense was stagnant and Louisville was on a ridiculous run. Missing the front end of 1-and-1s just doesn't bode well in making a comeback.
- Brandon Triche rounds out the double digit scoring for Syracuse, with 10 points on a poor 3-12 shooting. Brandon committed seven turnovers and had gone back to the Brandon we were seeing at the end of the regular season.
- Rakeem Christmas and Baye Moussa Keita again shared time, with the lion share going to BMK. Ten points, nine rebounds, and five blocks between the two of them.
- Due to poor guard play and James Southerland getting in foul trouble, Trevor Cooney and Jerami Grant saw more playing time than they had been used to seeing lately. Unfortunately their 26 combined minutes only translated to one rebound, one steal, and zero points. These two guys were asked to step up when their teammates couldn't play, and just didn't get the job done.
- A few notable stats: Louisville had the advantage in points off turnovers 32-11; in second chance points 22-14; and in bench points, 41-8.
- It was easily the worst second-half collapse in recent memory for Syracuse, possibly in the 14 years I've actively been following the team.
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament, Farewell Big East Basketball
![]() |
Syracuse students agree: we need to leave the Big East Conference with a championship! |
When I was pouting at Clyde's last week after seeing Syracuse only put up 39 points against Georgetown, if you had told me Syracuse would be playing in the Big East Tournament championship game tonight, I would have told you you were crazy. But the Orange team we've seen this week is a lot different than that mess we saw in DC. So the stage is set for tonight: Louisville won its semifinal game against the Notre Dame
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament, Last Big East Game Ever, Madison Square Garden, Preview
![]() |
We all did this at some point |
Syracuse beat Georgetown (in overtime)!! It really happened! We all watched it, so I'm not even going to recap it. If you're a geek like me and like stats, check out the official box score here.
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament, Georgetown Still Sucks, Hoya Hate
![]() |
Syracuse students agree: Georgetown wants to just throw us a bone. |
While not rare, it's certainly not a common occurrence to play an opponent three times in a season. But in the Big East Swan Song, it just had to be that Syracuse would see Georgetown thrice. The first of the Big East Tournament semifinals Friday night will feature the Orange versus the Hoyas. With Georgetown already having two victories over Syracuse this season, a look at this game brings up a number of possible topics, the following of which I have rejected:
- Third time's a charm
- It's difficult to beat a team three times in a season
- Beware the Ides of March
- This is basically a home game for Syracuse
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament, Preview
![]() |
Jimmy didn't like the officiating. Nobody liked the officiating. |
Before Syracuse and Pittsburgh tipped off in Thursday's second quarterfinal, Georgetown beat Cincinnati. And so, it was decided: the winner of Syracuse/Pitt would face the Hoyas in Friday night's semifinal. With that backdrop, Thursday's game took on more meaning. Well, probably just for us fans; the team knew they had a big job to do first: Beat Pitt. What Syracuse lacked in the first half against Seton Hall (i.e. a lead), it had no problem securing and maintaining against Pitt. Led by, guess who, James Southerland, the Orange came out swinging and grew a 13-point lead at halftime, 40-27. Ball movement was good, shots were falling, and the defense was active and created scoring opportunities for the Syracuse offense. The second half wasn't quite so friendly; the Panthers started hitting their shots, attacking the zone, and crashing the boards. Meanwhile the Syracuse offense was slow out of the gate in the second half. The 13-point lead many times became ten, or seven, or five. But each time, Syracuse was able to hit a clutch three or string together a couple scores to keep the Panthers at bay. Though it got real dicey at the end, Syracuse was aided by a clutch steal by Michael Carter-Williams and a bunch of points from him, to earn a win over the Panthers 62-59.
- James Southerland. He's a senior and he's giving it everything he's got out there in New York. Another amazing scoring performance to follow yesterday's gem, James scored 20 on 7-10 shooting, including a perfect 6-6 on threes. Some sort of BET record for two games. Add to that six rebounds, two steals, and an assist, and James is really earning his starting position and 36 minutes to go along with it.
- CJ Fair had another CJ Fair game. As expected, I could pretty much copy & paste my comments from most previous recaps on him, but here's his official line: 5-16 shooting for 13 points, including three threes, seven rebounds, a couple blocks and a couple assists.
- Brandon Triche had another pretty solid offensive game, limiting his shots to the more makeable ones: 5-11 for 12 points, with two threes made.
- MCW was a bit of a non-issue in the points category until the final stretch, when he basically single-handedly kept Syracuse in the lead. His final line was 11 points on only 2-4 shooting, but 6-8 from the line. Seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals were great, but his six turnovers were not so great. They made you worry early on, but luckily Syracuse was able to not let the TOs hurt them too much.
- Rakeem Christmas and Baye Moussa Keita again split time as the big man, with the clock today favoring Keita. Christmas fouled out. The two combined for four points and two rebounds. Essentially a non-factor at both ends of the court. It's clear Boeheim must be of the opinion that DaJuan Coleman would be a liability out there at this point.
- A few key statistical categories won by Syracuse: field goal percentage, 46-37; 3-point percentage 63-31; assists 14-11.
- Oddly enough, Syracuse was out-rebounded by Pitt 40-28, but the disparity was on the offensive boards, where Pitt held the advantage 20-8.
- The officials were horrible, both ways. Neither team had an advantage because of it, but it's aggravating as a college basketball fan to see such experienced officials flat out miss or get wrong so many calls.
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament
![]() |
Syracuse students agree: playing Pitt on a neutral court is way better than at the Pete. |
With its win in the Second Round of the Big East Tournament over Seton Hall, Syracuse earned a right to move onto the quarterfinals to play Pittsburgh. The Panthers, who with the #4 seed get the double bye to Thursday, have been off since Saturday. They carry a four-game winning streak into this game, along with the confidence of already having beaten Syracuse once this season. But that was a home game at the Peterson Events Center back on February 2. This will not be another Groundhog's Day -- especially because all of us in the Northeast know how dead ass wrong that groundhog was this year. Pitt's player to watch is Tray Woodall, who leads the team with 11.7 points per game and 5.3 assists per game and pretty much owned Syracuse earlier this season. In meaningless historical stats, Pitt has won 14 of the last 18 games against Syracuse, while Pitt has lost the last three times they have had the double bye in the Big East Tournament. For Syracuse, James Southerland needs to keep the hot hand, with the help from CJ Fair and a rejuvenated Brandon Triche. A Syracuse team that can score is a Syracuse team that can win. I actually see this as one of the most evenly matched games of Championship Week, and it'll come down to who has the ability to make the bigger plays down the stretch. The winner of this game earns a spot in the semifinals against the winner of Thursday's noon game between Georgetown and Cincinnati. Pitt-Syracuse follows that, in the neighborhood of 2:30pm on ESPN, ESPN3, and the WatchESPN app if it's not being crappy again. In a tight one that could potentially go into overtime, Syracuse wins by four points.
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament
![]() |
James found his shot! |
- Player of the Game honors go to, of course, James Southerland. James was 7-11 (including 6-9 from three) for 20 points, starting the game and playing all 40 minutes. As noted above, he was the constant scoring threat for Syracuse, and just played a real smart game.
- Welcome back, Brandon Triche! He had several great looks in this game, but unlike recent memory, was actually able to hit those shots. Brandon was 6-9 for 17 points, five assists, and a couple of steals.
- CJ Fair continued his consistency. 16 points on 6-10 shooting, and eight rebounds.
- Michael Carter-Williams tied a Big East Tourney record with 14 assists; along with six points and five rebounds, that was a solid effort. When the three guys listed above are making their shots the way they did today, I don't mind that MCW only had six points; he had a hand in 14 baskets, and that's just fantastic. And he only turned the ball over once!
- Rakeem Christmas and Baye Moussa Keita equally shared time at the five, and combined for 14 points and eight rebounds. That's decent production there in a rotation, and that will be key for Syracuse to play well as tournaments move on.
- There weren't many substitutions on Boeheim's part, mainly because what was on the floor was working.
- Overall Syracuse shot 27-48 (56.3%), 9-15 (60%) from three, 29 rebounds and 21 assists.
- Seton Hall really struggled on the boards, particularly on their end, only grabbing four offensive rebounds (18 overall).
- The Pirate bench scored zero points. But to be fair, there were only 18 total bench minutes.
- Aaron Cosby was the Seton Hall (and game) leading scorer with 22.
- While not stuck in Court, I was in my office flipping between this game and the Sistine Chapel camera. Syracuse played much better once we had a new pope. Coincidence?
- Yeah, probably.
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament
![]() |
Syracuse Students Agree: one last run through the Big East Tournament would really turn things around |
The Big East, as everyone knows it, will essentially cease to exist after the title game on Saturday night. Yeah, spring sports are still going, but Big East means basketball. And Big East basketball is defined by its annual tournament in Madison Square Garden. Today at "2:00pm" (really 2:20 or 2:30 depending on the end time of the noon game) #5 seed Syracuse will battle #13 seed Seton Hall. For anyone who watched Seton Hall beat South Florida in overtime last night in the BET opening round, you know Seton Hall did not look good. This should be a welcomed sight for Syracuse fans, as we know our beloved Orange hasn't really looked good in quite some time. Last night, the Pirates shot 40.9% from the field, and 22.2% from three. The key for Syracuse (other than solving its own offensive woes) will be to contain Pirate center Eugene Teague. Especially down the stretch last night, Teague grabbed some key rebounds to allow Seton Hall to even the score and eventually win in the extra period. Teague had a double double with 14 points and ten rebounds. If Seton Hall's poor outside shooting continues against the strong Syracuse zone, the Pirates should have a hard time scoring points. This could be another low scoring, painful game to watch, if Syracuse can't snap out of its funk. But I think they can. Everything is different in New York come championship week, and Jim Boeheim won't let this team roll over when it counts like this. Brian picks Syracuse to win by 13, while I'll go with a more conservative nine point win. The winner faces #4 seed Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon. Today's game can be seen on ESPN, ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app, so whether you're at work or supposed to be at work, there should be a way for you to watch. Mute's probably the way to go anyway, what with Len Elmore & Mike Patrick on the call.
Labels: Basketball, Big East Tournament
Cincinnati - Syracuse 2012 Big East Tournament Semifinals Preview
0 Comments Published on 3.09.2012 by Brian Harrison

Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament, Preview
Connecticut - Syracuse 2012 Big East Tournament Quarterfinals Preview
0 Comments Published on 3.08.2012 by Brian Harrison

Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament, Preview, UConn, UConn USuck
The Big East Tournament kicks off today at noon from Madison Square Garden. The dreaded Tuesday games. It means your season was a disappointment. Unless you make up for it, like UConn did last year. The Huskies find themselves in a similar situation this year. Though most consider them a lock for the NCAA tournament, a good showing in New York would go a long way. Same with many of the others playing Tuesday and Wednesday games.
In the spirit of competition, and just because we like to wildly guess about things with a little bit of knowledge behind our guesses, Brian and I have filled out Big East Tournament Brackets for your viewing pleasure. I was pleased to see that we didn't pick the exact same bracket, which would, of course, have been wildly embarrassing. We do, however, have similar picks. It is what it is. Enjoy!
Here's Brian's bracket:
Labels: Big East Tournament, Bracket Challenge
Connecticut - Syracuse BET Postgame Reactions OR Alright UConn, You Can Have One
0 Comments Published on 3.13.2011 by Brian Harrison


- Both Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine had 20 points in the game. Joseph went 7-19, 4-9 and Scoop went 7-22, 4-8 from three. Joseph had nine rebounds as well.
- Scoop could have become a little legendary in tying the game to send it to overtime and then winning, but he rushed a shot from way back in the overtime essentially ending SU's chances. Scoop giveith and Scoop takeith away.
- Rick Jackson had 12 points going 6-10 and eight rebounds. He even added two assists, steals, and blocks. A nice night for Rick, who should have been passed the ball more to see what he could do. On occasion he seemed unstoppable when left defended by one person.
- Baye Moussa Keita and Brandon Triche as starters combined for six points in pretty forgettable nights. Keita had two key rebounds and a nice bucket, but Triche had a dreadful shooting night from start to finish. He went 2-9, 0-4 from the floor. Boeheim when asked if there was a reason Triche sat so much in the second half responded "yes". This was why.
- CJ Fair and Fab Melo were also pretty unnoticeable on offense. Melo failed to score after a career outing the day before. Fair added only five points. However, Fair did add eight rebounds, which kept Syracuse in the game late.
- Dion Waiters did better coming in. While he racked up three fouls he did have eight points hitting 2-3 from long range. He was 3-9 on the day. He is still in need of more maturing but he will be a solid player in the future.
- Syracuse failed to stop Kemba Walker as much in this game as his first game against Syracuse when he had a season low eight points. In had 33 in this game against Syracuse.
- SU shot just worse than UConn from the floor. They finished shooting 37.9% (25-66) to Syracuse's 36.8% (28-76). Surprisingly SU did way better from behind the arc making 10-24 (41.7%) to UConn's 4-17 (23.5%).
- SU lost the battle of the boards trailing UConn's rebounding 45 to 37. SU led in assists 15 to ten. UConn had 8 steals to SU's 6. Both teams had seven blocks and 12 turnovers.
- Overall Syracuse played a good game, but poor defense in the second half (Syracuse never could seem to get a stop), and absolutely horrific shot selection in the first half really doomed the Orange in this game.
Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament, Rivalries, UConn

Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament, Preview
St. John's - Syracuse BET Postgame Reactions OR SU Still Owns NYC
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison


- Brandon Triche finished as Syracuse' leading scorer. He finished with 22 points on 5-13, 4-10 shooting. He was also a perfect 8-8, giving him the all time consecutive free throw record for Syracuse with 37 and counting. The old record was 34. He also had six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Unfortunately he had three turnovers in the first half and looked awful. He was night and day better in the second half, when most of his points came.
- Kris Joseph was next in line with 12 points. he shot 4-9, 0-2 from the floor with 6-10 on free throws. He had a spectacular missed dunk, followed by a easy, two handed flush at one point. He also had a critical finger roll down the stretch to help seal the game. However, he did not play well the majority of this game.
- Fab Melo had 12 points off the bench, shooting 5-5 from the floor and making 2-4 free throws. This was a career high. He also had four rebounds and two blocks. He played excellent offense, and both passed and defended well. Hopefully with the confidence boost and continued practice and playing time, he will continue to get even better as the year winds down.
- Rick Jackson was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with ten points. He also finished with four assists, three steals, and four blocks. Scoop Jardine also added ten points, shooting 4-11, 2-6 from the floor. He was out most of the first half with two fouls, having picked them up before the under 16 time out. He played without a brain for the first half essentially, having one turnover in which he simply just threw the ball over Triche's head. He recovered in the second half however, making assists, moving the ball, and hitting threes.
- Dion Waiters played well in 12 minutes on the floor, hitting 3-5, 1-1 and earning eight points. CJ Fair also saw some good minutes, only scoring three points, but managing seven rebounds, all of them on the offensive end.
- St. John's shot just better than Syracuse on the day. The Johnnies hit 47.4% from the floor, while Syracuse made 44.1% (44... drink!)
- St. John's performed about as well from behind the arc as they usually do, making 4-14 (28.6%). Syracuse did better with 7-19 (36.8%). While they made several in the second half, the first half was a lot of chucking shots up unnecessarily.
- Syracuse was also better on free throws, making 20-29 (69%) to St. John's 15-24 (62.5%).
- Both teams had 34 rebounds. Syracuse led in assists, steals, and blocks. 18-13, 13-4, and 10-1 respectively. You can see how active the Syracuse defense was, earning 13 steals and 10 blocks. St. John's did not even come close to those numbers.
- While Syracuse had a turnover fest in the first half, Syracuse actually ended up with less total than St. John's. They had 19 while Syracuse had 15.
- Syracuse really had a bad first half. Nobody moved around on the floor without the ball and SU committed nine turnovers. That allowed St. John's to take the lead into the half. Syracuse came out of the gate shooting well, moving around on the floor, and limiting mistakes. They were night and day sharper on the floor in the second half.
- Dwight Hardy is a very good player. He finished with 22 points as well.
- This was Syracuse's 46 Big East Tournament win. That is second only to Georgetown who has 49.
Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament

Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament, Preview
First Round - Tuesday March 8th
Game 1: #9 Connecticut v. #16 DePaul 12:00pm EST (ESPN 2)
Game 2: #12 Seton Hall v. #13 Rutgers 2:00pm EST (ESPN 2)
Game 3: #10 Villanova v. #15 South Florida 7:00pm EST (ESPN U)
Game 4: #11 Marquette v. #14 Providence 9:00pm EST (ESPN U)
Second Round - Wednesday March 9th
Game 5: Winner of Connecticut/DePaul v. #8 Georgetown 12:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 6: Winner of Seton Hall/Rutgers v. #5 St. John’s 2:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 7: Winner of Villanova/South Florida v. #7 Cincinnati 7:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 8: Winner of Marquette/Providence v. #6 West Virginia 9:00pm EST (ESPN)
Quarterfinals - Thursday March 10th
Game 9: Winner of Game 5 v. #1 Pittsburgh12:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 10: Winner of Game 6 v. #4 Syracuse 2:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 v. #2 Notre Dame 7:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 v. #3 Louisville 9:00pm (ESPN)
Semifinals - Friday March 11th
Game 13: Winner of Game 9 v. Winner of Game 10 7:00pm EST (ESPN)
Game 14: Winner of Game 11 v. Winner of Game 12 9:00pm EST (ESPN)
Championship - Saturday March 12th
Championship: Winner of Game 13 v. Winner of Game 14 9:00pm EST (ESPN)
Analysis
Best First Round Matchup: #12 Seton Hall v. #13 Rutgers
The “biggest rivalry in the Big East”, the battle for New Jersey is renewed in the first round of the BET. Winner takes on St. John’s and then Syracuse in the bracket that is the battle of the greater New York area. But Seton Hall and Rutgers are pretty even on paper and both are trying to come back from the dregs of the league to a modicum of respectability. Seton Hall is on a nice little win streak, winning against St. John’s and Marquette to finish the year. But Rutgers and the Hall split their games this season, so this is the decider, and the Hall has something to play for, as a few wins in New York could send this team to the NCAA or NIT.
Best Potential Second Round Matchup: #12 Seton Hall v. #5 St. John’s OR #10 Villanova v. #7 Cincinnati
Seton Hall beat St. John’s in the second to last game of the year to knock the Johnnies out of a double bye in the BET. St. John’s would love some payback on their own home court. For the Hall, a win over the Red Storm would go a long way in helping them get a postseason bid somewhere. Peaking at the right time in March does wonders for your resume.
Villanova will look familiar to Syracuse fans. SU had a four game skid in the middle of the season. Villanova is having it at the end. Having lost four in a row, starting with then #20 Syracuse in Philadelphia, Villanova has lost to the last four teams they have faced, all of whom are ranked. Cincinnati is in a different direction, having been 5-1 in their last six including wins over Louisville and two wins over Georgetown. Both teams want to advance. Villanova has more talent but is not playing well. Cincinnati is playing well but without much talent. Something has to give.
Best Potential Quarterfinal Matches: #5 St. John’s v. #4 Syracuse
It’s no secret that Syracuse has owned St. John’s in the last decade, including in Madison Square Garden, Syracuse’s other home court. That includes earlier this season. However, St. John’s has played very well at home, only losing to Syracuse and Cincinnati at home. Syracuse was the only ranked team they lost to in the Garden. St. John’s is yearning to regain home court advantage over Syracuse, while Syracuse wants to continue their dominance over the Red Storm, and get back their reputation as unbeatable in New York.
Best Potential Semifinial Matchup: #1 Pittsburgh v. #4 Syracuse
While Louisville versus Notre Dame would be a great game, Pittsburgh versus Syracuse has a little more luster, especially in New York. Pittsburgh and Syracuse area always dangerous to advance in New York. In their one meeting this season Pittsburgh won a eight point loss in Pittsburgh, while Syracuse’s Kris Joseph was sidelined with a head injury. Despite jumping to a huge lead, Syracuse came back and the game was tied in the second half. And these teams always have epic games in the Garden.
Best Potential Championship Matchup: #1 Pittsburgh v. #2 Notre Dame
Pittsburgh has been the best team in the league all season. Notre Dame has been the second best, but Notre Dame beat Pittsburgh in the Pete in their one meeting. These teams have big stars as Ben Hansborough versus Ashton Gibbs will again be wildly entertaining. These two teams are definitely in the NCAA Tournament, but winning the Conference comes with a lot of prestige and a lot of momentum heading into the Big Dance.
Players To Watch For:
#1 Pittsburgh – Ashton Gibbs
He is a shooter and has greatly improved every year to leading the beat team in the conference with 16.4ppg and hitting 46.6% from long range. The best player on the best team has quietly put together a great season and he will lead the Panthers into another BET run, where this team is always dangerous.
#2 Notre Dame – Ben Hansborough
My vote for league player of the year, he has helped Notre Dame become one of the top teams in the conference. He is a deadly outside shooter, hitting 45.1% from behind the arc, and can drive and slash when he needs to. He’s also an excellent passer and can create opportunities for his teammates.
#3 Louisville – Preston Knowles
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Knowles is the leading scorer for the very dangerous Cardinals. They have managed to consistently win in a very tough league, and Knowles leads scorers on that team. He can shoot well and can find the open man for an easier shot.
#4 Syracuse – Rick Jackson
The Big East defensive player of the year leads the conference in rebounding, field goal percentage, and blocks. He also averages 10.7ppg and is the best center in the Big East. He will be tough to battle down low and gives the Orange a distinct advantage in the low post.
#5 St. John’s – Dwight Hardy
The biggest surprise on the most surprising team, Hardy is a crafty player who is the guy to take the last shot on this team full of seniors. A leader among seniors is a tough thing to do and Hardy does it well, averaging 17.9ppg. He will do some damage on his home court.
#6 West Virginia – Kevin Jones
A key player for WVU a year ago, Jones is second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding for the Mountaineers. A nice post player, Jones is crafty and can find various ways to score. He is a scrappy player and could make the tournament team if WVU gets far enough.
#7 Cincinnati – Yancy Gates
Gates leads the Bearcats in both scoring and rebounding. He has gotten Cincinnati into a position to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and his low post play is some of the best in the league. He can body up on players and get some tough buckets for his squad.
#8 Georgetown – Austin Freeman
Chris Wright is out until further notice, which means even more responsibility is on Freeman to score. And he is plenty capable from inside and outside the arc. He is the leading scorer for Georgetown with 17.8ppg, and can create opportunities for himself and his teammates.
#9 Connecticut – Kemba Walker
At one time the best player in the league if not the nation. Now, he may not be the best, but he is still pretty damn good. After the rigors of the Big East slate got him down he is still a very good player in the league and can win a BET game or two just on his own.
Predictions:
I think Pittsburgh will probably win the Big East Tournament as they have been the best team in the league all season. They also have a good track record in NYC. But they are certainly not unbeatable. Notre Dame has a chance to steal the title, but I’m not convinced they will last in the pressure packed environment that is the Big East Tournament. St. John’s or Louisville cannot be counted out either. And yes, Syracuse has another chance to make a good run in the city with a team that is peaking at the right time of the season. Again, Pittsburgh is clearly the favorite, and I think it will probably shake out that way. But Syracuse should at least make it to Friday. Sorry St. John’s (most likely).
So there you have it, your complete guide and preview to the Big East Tournament. Stay tuned everyday right here at Orange::44 for total coverage of every game in the Garden. The Big East has a good chance of getting a record 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament this year, and there will probably be a few upsets along the way, so it should be pretty exciting Be sure you check out John’s preview of the BET via Coaches’ wives right here. And congratulations to Connecticut for facing DePaul. Maybe that means they will finally win one game in New York.
Labels: Basketball, Big East, Big East Tournament, Expert Analysis





























Labels: Big East Tournament, Satire, WAGs