There Used To Be Clocks Here

TV Review: Requiem for the Big East

I feel the same way.
The folks at ESPN sent me a screener of the new 30 For 30 documentary Requiem for the Big East. I poured over it a couple of times now. And while it is incomplete, it is fantastic. Some thoughts on the documentary below.
  • 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.
Overall, you'll like what you see, especially as a Syracuse fan. It is definitely the incomplete story of all things Big East, but it gives you a good dose of history and the personalities, both players and coaches, that built the league into what it was. If I were grading it like one of our Football report cards, I'd give it a solid B. Requiem for the Big East premiers this Sunday at 9:00pm Eastern on ESPN. You should definitely tune in or set the DVR. It should be appointment viewing for all college basketball or Syracuse fans.

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6OTs remembered 5 years later

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.

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BET Recap: Syracuse - Louisville

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.
If you're like me, you weren't in the best of moods around 11pm Saturday night. But why, since this game was gravy? Syracuse beat Georgetown on Friday, that's what we wanted! Well, you put that behind yourself, and face what you have that day; and Saturday, Syracuse faced Louisville. It's a game that Syracuse could have won. Hell, I picked Syracuse to win by 15! And I was looking like an MF-ing genius at halftime! So we all rode the emotional roller coaster of Syracuse could win this game, to Syracuse should win this game, to WTF IS HAPPENING TO SYRACUSE?!? It's certainly the disappointment after halftime that led to the disappointment on the final result, not necessarily the final result itself.

You can blame it on playing a fourth game in four days (including an overtime the night before), you can blame it on complacency, and you can blame it on the fact that Louisville is just really good. At least we have the satisfaction of knowing that Louisville went on to be the #1 overall seed in this year's NCAA bracket. They're certainly a force to be reckoned with, whoever faces them.

And so we say goodbye to the Big East, goodbye to arguably the best annual conference tournament basketball ever sees, goodbye to postseason games in Madison Square Garden, and goodbye to a wonderful era in the annals of Syracuse Basketball history. We all have wonderful Big East memories, and will look forward to making many great, new memories in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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Syracuse - Louisville BET Championship Preview

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 Highlighters Fighting Irish, so we essentially get an ACC title game. As you'll recall, Syracuse went to Louisville earlier this season when the Cardinals were the country's #1 squad, and beat them. But two weeks ago, Louisville visited the Carrier Dome and kicked us while we were down. So this is the rubber match, fittingly on a neutral court. Or, as neutral as Madison Square Garden can be. It'll be a very pro-Syracuse crowd, but I imagine fans of other Big East schools who weren't smart enough to sell their tickets on the street for hundreds of dollars will probably cheer against Syracuse, just because. As for what to expect, the answer is a lot of zone. Rick Pitino learned from the best, but he's playing against the best tonight. The Cardinals zone is long, it's active, and it's physical. If Syracuse can find a good balance between shooting well and penetrating, Syracuse wins. If Syracuse can't shoot, Syracuse loses. For as good as the Syracuse defense can be, you know Louisville is going to put up points. They'll have to limit their mistakes, especially the costly turnovers like the one in the Yum Center than cost them a victory against the Orange. I got Brian's pick last night: he likes Syracuse in this one. I do too, and bear in mind I'm stone cold sober as I type this: Syracuse wins the final Big East game ever by 15 points. 15! You can watch all the action live at 8:30pm EDT on ESPN, ESPN3, or the WatchESPN app with the lovely banter of Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery.

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BET Recap: Syracuse - Georgetown

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.

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Syracuse - Georgetown BET Preview

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
I could go on, but we try to keep within a word limit on these previews. At any rate, this is an important game for both teams. If Georgetown wins, they advance to the title game and could play themselves into a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Plus, they'd always have those Big East bragging rights to say they beat Syracuse three times to send them out to the ACC. For Syracuse, a win saves some face from those two prior losses, and rejuvenates a team and a fan base that up until this week was trying to dig out of the trenches with no success. It would be a resume win for the Orange, one that would likely save it from the dreaded 5-12 game in the NCAAs. In the prior two contests, Syracuse shot poorly: 34% in the game at the Carrier Dome, 31.9% at the Verizon Center. However, in the two games in the BET, Syracuse is shooting 51.2% and 46.8%. Sure, they weren't against a Georgetown defense, but it's fair to say that with Southerland and Triche stepping up, and Fair being Fair, that Syracuse is hitting its stride at the right time. The Hoyas defense against this Syracuse team won't be quite as dominant as in the prior two games. The key here is whether the Orange of BET week shows up, or the Orange of the last few weeks. In what some may see as a shocker, I'm going with Syracuse by six in two overtimes. This game can be seen on ESPN, ESPN3, the WatchESPN app, or virtually any watering hole with glass, a vacuum tube, and rabbit ears, live and in stunning high definition at 7:00pm EDT. You won't want to miss it!

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BET Recap: Syracuse - Pittsburgh

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.
Bring on Georgetown. That's what this win earns Syracuse: a berth in the Big East Tournament semifinals against top-ranked Georgetown. I'll save all my comments for the preview, but suffice to say Syracuse fans shouldn't let emotion about the Hoyas get in the way. Too much, anyway. And for Pitt? See you on the other side, brothers! (ACC).

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Syracuse - Pittsburgh BET Preview

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.

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BET Recap: Seton Hall - Syracuse

James found his shot!
You know those horrible stats in the box score we've been talking about lately? Forget about them. Jim Boeheim's squad decided it was going to play the Syracuse basketball we've been wanting to see for a while: the type we had grown accustomed to the past few seasons, and saw for much of this season. You know, that great zone defense, good ball movement on offense, knocking down shots and driving the ball inside. While Seton Hall grabbed an early lead with a couple three-pointers, it at first appeared we would see the same Syracuse team that lost to Marquette, Lousiville, and twice to Georgetown in the last three weeks. Mistakes on both ends of the floor, and not much of an offensive game. That is, except for James Southerland. He found his shot, and while Syracuse never led in the first half, he certainly kept them in it and helped the Orange to a 34-34 tie at halftime. In the second half, it truly became a team effort and Syracuse was able to really play the way we've been wanting them to play. They dominated that second half and eventually built a lead the Pirates were unable to overcome. Syracuse wins 75-63.

  • 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.
Yeah, it was Seton Hall, but this was a great win for Syracuse. This was an example of how Syracuse could snap out of its slump, shoot the ball well, and just play a great game. Falling into a first half hole like they did today won't bode well against better opponents, but this should be a great confidence builder overall for the Orange. Up next is a date with our ACC-bound brethren Pittsburgh. Check back here tomorrow morning for the Orange::44 preview on that one.

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Seton Hall - Syracuse BET Preview

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.

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Syracuse students agree: Playing on Saturday is better than just Thursday & Friday.
The Big East gods decided to prevent the ultimate road for Syracuse fans to the Finals in playing both UConn and then Georgetown. Instead, we get Cincinnati after beating the Hoyas in double overtime last night. That's the way tournaments go. So that means Syracuse takes on Cincinnati, a team that Syracuse beat during the three game absence of Fab Melo.
Syracuse, while the winners of the first match this season, had a bit of a scare early as Cincy hit several early three balls. Cincy finished hitting 8/25 (32%). While hitting eight shots was key, the fact they took 25 was not great. Also interesting, is that even without Melo in the lineup, Syracuse outrebounded Cincinnati. This game will probably go the same way. Cincinnati may get an early lead due to their outside shooting, and both Yancy Gates and Sean Kilpatrick are good players that can score. However, Syracuse now has Fab Melo back in the lineup and should have an even bigger rebounding edge. I look for Kris Joseph, the leading scorer against Cincy the first time, to lead the way and bounce back from his bad offensive performance last night. Additionally, I see Triche stepping up big in this one. I'm picking the Orange by nine.
This game is again on ESPN at 7:00pm this evening. Also available online. The winner of this game plays the winner of the late game between Notre Dame and Louisville. It's a fun night int he Big East. Enjoy the show.

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Syracuse students agree: If you've been, there's nothing else like it.
The regular season is finished. The first two rounds of the Big East Tournament are set. Syracuse faces an old foe in Connecticut. What more could you want? The best matchup the past several years happened again.
Syracuse takes on Connecticut after having beat them a couple of weeks ago in Storrs for the first time ever. While Syracuse has been resting up and relaxing, Connecticut has beaten DePaul (predictably), and then West Virginia in overtime. First off, let me say two things. The notion that it's tough to beat a team three times in a season is bunk. You just didn't do your job the third time if you couldn't do it. Second, the notion that players get fatigued playing several games in several days is bunk. UConn disproved that last year. Syracuse disproved that in 2006. Now that that business is out of the way, why would you ever pick against the team that's already won twice against a team. It's illogical. While UConn is playing better together, and Jeremy Lamb is filthy, Syracuse provides a bigger defensive challenge than West Virginia did to Connecticut. In both meetings this season, Syracuse outrebounded Connecticut. That should be the case tomorrow. The only X Factor in the game is what impact Jim Calhoun will have on his team. He is admittedly a better coach than George Blaney, but the players on the court playing the game are still the same ones available in the other two. Syracuse simply causes turnovers against Connecticut and it allows for run outs. Additionally, Syracuse has shot well against Connecticut in both games and in their games in MSG this season, including NIT games and the one meeting against St. John's. This game may be close for the first half. But then I see Syracuse pulling away and maintaining a six to 12 point lead throughout the second half. Syracuse will hit a patented run and should put themselves in a good position to advance. The statistics, the team history this season, and the talent levels all tell me to pick Syracuse as I have in the previous two games. I am doing just that. I'm picking the Orange again. by 12.
This game is of course being played in front of a national television audience scamming views during work on ESPN at 12:00pm. Syracuse does it at noon. Both John and I are enjoying respective liquid lunches, so let the fun commence. The Big East Tournament is a blast in person or on television. Enjoy the ride folks. This is merely an appetizer to the main course that is the NCAA, but it is amazing and I'll be sad when Syracuse is no longer a part of it. Savor it this year my friends. Whether you're rooting for Syracuse, Connecticut, or just some great basketball.

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Big East Tourney Brackets


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:

And here's the official JBren bracket:


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You know all you guys have stunk in the Big East this year right?
Well you knew Connecticut was going to be hard to stop. And honestly, Syracuse did the best at it, forcing an overtime period before the Huskies finally retired the Orange. It was another classic match, and of course it had to go into overtime (to which John Brennan correctly called would happen). Unfortunately the Huskies were destined to pull off the "upset" as they win in overtime 76 to 71.
The game started even. Connecticut and Syracuse went back and forth as Syracuse humped out to a slight lead early. The teams were very close at the half as Syracuse was just able to take the lead back from the Huskies 26 to 25. Then it was more back and forth until UConn was able to amass a slight lead. With a six point lead, Scoop managed to nail a three with 20 seconds left. Then Shabazz Napier missed a free throw. Sure enough Scoop Jardine nailed another three point jumper to tie the game with less than five seconds left. Then overtime. The overtime was almost all UConn, as Scoop Jardine's luck just ran out as he missed two three point basket near the end of overtime to seal the game for Connecticut.
  • 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.
Syracuse now waits for their fate from the selection committee on seed, destination, and opponent in the NCAA Tournament. I think SU is a 3 seed lock, but anything can happen. Selection Sunday is 6:00pm tonight on CBS. Tune in and check it out. We'll have full bracket analysis from John and I here at Orange::44 Monday evening. Congratulations to UConn, your 2011 Big East Tournament winners. I just threw up a little in my mouth.

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Connecticut - Syracuse Preview: BET Edition

Syracuse students agree: We meet again Connecticut.
Syracuse has won four games in a row against Connecticut in the Big East Tournament, including 2006's overtime game when Connecticut was ranked #1 in the country, and the last being the famous six overtime game. Syracuse also won in their one meeting during the regular season in Hartford in the XL Center. But none of that matters. Nor does the fact that Syracuse is ranked higher in this game in both rankings and seeding. Rest assured, this game will be another nail biter and go down to the wire. Kemba Walker, despite not being voted the league's best player, is like player 1a. And he has been sensational in the Big East Tournament, averaging 26ppg. Not to mention he was an assassin on the last shot against Pittsburgh. Earlier in the year he had his worst game against Syracuse, only gaining eight points shooting 3-14 from the floor. He will do better in this game, but historically he has not played that well against Syracuse in his career. Regardless, he has been on his game and UConn will be taking shots from behind the arc. Syracuse righted their season by beating UConn in Hartford. Since then, Syracuse's defense has been much better and more active. Additionally, Scoop Jardine has broken out of his funk. While St. John's caused a lot of turnovers against Syracuse, that is the nature of their defense. It pressures and harasses. UConn does not pressure as much, therefore turnovers should not be as much of a factor for Syracuse. SU only had nine turnovers in Hartford. The key to this game will be rebounding for Syracuse, and keeping Kemba Walker from getting easy shots in the lane. The zone will help that somewhat, as it will force UConn to pass into the lane and then pass out. Syracuse also needs to try and limit the Connecticut transition game. Limiting easy baskets and trying to contest every shot is very key in the Big East Tournament. As for Syracuse, Triche's second half yesterday put most minds at ease after a horrific first half. Scoop Jardine staying out of foul trouble early and being on the floor with Triche is clearly a good combination. And finally, staying active and in motion on the offensive end to continue scoring is a must. Fab Melo had a career high 12 points against St. John's. I'm not banking on that tonight, but it would be a bonus. Roscoe Smith, injured and received eight stitches from an elbow to the face versus Pittsburgh, should be playing tonight for the record. Syracuse focused so much on Walker in their last meeting Jeremy Lamb, a freshman, had a ridiculous 22 points. Watch and see if Syracuse covers him extra tight allowing Walker to get some more open looks. This game is a coin flip essentially and anything can happen in MSG, including multiple overtimes. This game is practically impossible to predict. I don't buy that Walker or UConn will be flat or tired because this is their fourth game in four days. That argument should be void these days. But, because Syracuse won earlier in the year, and because they are playing so well right now, I'll just go with the fact UConn's luck may be out for this BET and say Syracuse will win this one by five.

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A fabulous day in NYC for Melo.
Syracuse was the only team that managed to beat St. John's in Madison Square Garden this season. Not even Pittsburgh could manage that. So again they were tested in the quarterfinal round of the BET. And once again Syracuse managed to come up victorious. Sadly DJ Kennedy was a casualty of the war. We at Orange::44 wish him a speedy recovery. But we are also glad the Orange survive and advance, beating St. John's 79 to 73.
This game was back and forth the entire time. Syracuse actually had a nine point lead early in the first half, their largest lead of the game. But St. John's roared back and took the lead and kept it for the last nine minutes of the first, taking a five point lead to the locker room at the half. It only took two minutes for Syracuse to take the lead back, thanks to Brandon Triche playing lights out when he returned to the floor. Syracuse never relinquished the lead. The game was tied with 2:25 to go, and Syracuse made play after play and finally sealed the game.
  • 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.
Syracuse now moves on to play Connecticut in the first semifinal game at 7:00pm Friday night. This is the first time Syracuse and Connecticut will play in the BET since their 6 OT game in 2009. Connecticut has won three games in three days. This is their fourth. It has all the makings for another classic Big East Tournament game. Look for our usual preview later today around 1:00pm.

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St. John's - Syracuse Preview: BET Edition

Syracuse students agree: It's nice to survive and advance.
St. John's entered the Big East Tournament as the 5 seed, having faced Rutgers yesterday in game that ended up going down to the wire. Well, that would be if the game was actually completed. It actually ended with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. If you're a basketball fan you know what happened and you know who's fault it is. Either way, St. John's is now facing 4 seed Syracuse, the only Big East team to beat St. John's on the floor of the Garden. The season has progressed, but the scene of the crime stays the same. While the morning sessions are usually the clear undercard to the night caps, this time it is probably the opposite. First #9 Connecticut faces #1 Pittsburgh, and then St. John's will play Syracuse for bragging rights in the Empire State. It's the MSG match that everyone wanted to see. And it should deliver. Syracuse beat St. John's on January 12th 76-59. This game should be closer. It is the BET after all. Syracuse held St. John's to just 36.8% from the floor. The failure of having outside shooting truly killed the Johnnies in the game. They were 3-10 against Rutgers yesterday. Defense will again be the key in this game. Both teams will score, but the ability to stop shots, including blocks from Rick Jackson, and rebounding will be the way either team wins. Both teams are firing on all cylinders. However, St. John's was also sloppy with the ball yesterday, having nine first half turnovers. Mistakes like that can't be made in a tournament setting. Syracuse has the statistical edge in this game. If Syracuse can stop Dwight Hardy in the lane, Syracuse should dominate in this game. I like the Orange to advance to Friday in this game. The Orange over the Red Storm for continued Garden supremacy by nine.

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2011 Big East Tournament Preview

Time for another magical week from the City.
Another great season of Big East basketball is in the books, maybe the toughest of all time. The bracket is set for another huge and amazing tournament of top talent converging on the Mecca of Basketball. New York City is ready. Are you?

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.

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Big East Tourney Preview: Wives Edition

Because I didn't want to do real analysis
I'm sure Brian, the real brains behind the good stuff on this blog, will have a real Big East Tournament preview on its way shortly. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to fill out my BET bracket with the wives of the head coaches. How is the winner selected for each matchup? Mostly the superficial, not gonna lie. Sometimes something completely out of left field might influence my pick. At any rate, have fun, leave comments, and be clean.
First Round
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#9 Connecticut vs. #16 DePaul - Pat Calhoun vs. Vicky Purnell: This is an intriguing matchup. We all know how bad DePaul is, but we all also know UConn's recent BET history of showing up only to lose their first game. Vicky looks like she has her act together here, so I'm going to keep the streak alive. DePaul pulls the upset over UConn and advances to the Second Round.

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#12 Seton Hall vs. #13 Rutgers - Julie Willard vs. Kerry Rice: I scoured the web and couldn't find a picture of Kerry Rice. I'm sure she's a fine lady. That said, the best picture I could find of Julie Willard also has her holding her son. Much like the actual matchup we'll see on the hardwood of MSG, this one is a toss-up. The slight edge goes to Seton Hall and Julie Willard.

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#10 Villanova vs. #15 South Florida - Patricia Wright vs. Ramona Webb-Heath: Guess where I fund Ramona's picture? Twitter. This is her Twitter avatar. Part of me wants to give her props for actually being on Twitter, but this is a pretty crappy avatar. Way to sell yourself! Patty Wright just seems wholesome, but not nearly as well-dressed as her husband. Since Wright is clearly at a game in this picture, and Webb-Heath is seemingly in a hotel room, this one goes to Villanova.

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#11 Marquette vs. #14 Providence - Corey Williams vs. Krista Davis: Let me say this: there are a lot of Corey Williams' on the internet, and I'm pretty sure none of them are married to Buzz. My guess is that the one married to buzz has never been photographed because she's been too busy getting the sweat stains out of Buzz's wardrobe. Krista Davis sort of has a Kirsten Gillibrand thing going on in this picture. Definitely could be a politician, or a politician's wife. The Friars pull the upset and move on to day two.

Second Round

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#16 DePaul vs. #8 Georgetown - Vicky Purnell vs. Monica Thompson: Could it be? Could I really pull the trigger and bring a 16-seed into the Quarterfinals? I think it's the glasses and the graying hair, but Vicky Purnell is really impressing me. Monica's dress is just too busy, and it looks like she adopted the eating habits of her husband. Plus she went to Princeton too. DePaul, you should have just been happy to be here, and now you've pulled two upsets!

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#12 Seton Hall vs. #5 St. John's - Julie Willard vs. Mary Ann Jarou: I'm sure Julie is a great wife, a great mom, and a great person. But this is no time for a 12-5 upset. Mary Ann is an actress. She's attractive. You may have seen her on How I Met Your Mother. Steve Lavin can coach, and he can also marry above his pay grade. Seems fitting that we advance St. John's to face Syracuse in the next round.

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#10 Villanova vs. #7 Cincinnati - Patricia Wright vs. Darlene Wright-Cronin: I don't make it a habit to follow the marital exploits of Big East coaches. However, my googling seemed to uncover a not-so-amicable divorce between Mick Cronin and Darlene a couple years ago. I don't believe he's remarried, so we'll stick with Darlene for sake of argument. That argument goes like this: Darlene shouldn't be pictured here; likewise, Cincy shouldn't be a 7-seed. Nova should be higher if they hadn't had that late-season collapse. This one goes to Nova.

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#14 Providence vs. #6 West Virginia - Krista Davis vs. June Huggins: Gosh, this might just be a bad picture, but goes it look like June is trying to walk the straight line for a field sobriety test? Thing is, she hasn't had a drop of alcohol. All she did was kiss Bobby before the game for good luck. I'm still liking Krista, even though this is the only picture I found of her and maybe she just looks good from this view. Providence pulls the big time upset and moves on to the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals

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#16 DePaul vs. #1 Pittsburgh - Vicky Purnell vs. Jacqueline Dixon: I've been hot on Vicky for a couple rounds now. Cinderella's feet are getting sore from too much dancing. In walks the fresh feet of the 1-seed, and Jackie immediately starts charming us with that smile and that haircut and those painted-on eye-brows. In other words, nothing too special here. But it definitely seems that she belongs with Jamie. I'm advancing Pitt in this one, not because I pick Jackie over Vicky, but because I want this thing to have some legitimacy: I can't have a 16 beating a 1! Even Ochocinco's bracket had the #1 winning.

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#5 St. John's vs. #4 Syracuse - Mary Ann Jarou vs. Juli Boeheim: Sometimes your Championship matchup comes in an earlier round. I'd go so far as to say that's what we have here. Mary Ann is the New Kid on the Block, while Juli has been on the scene for a while. It's also no mistake that each of the ladies have on low-cut dresses in their pictures. This is really a toss-up, and should be just as exciting as the real game will be on Thursday. But the edge here goes to Juli: she's a dedicated wife and mother, and has a philanthropic streak second to none.

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#10 Villanova vs. #2 Notre Dame - Jackie Wright vs. Tish Brey: The double-bye has treated Tish well in this tourney. She's had time to go get herself a Justin Bieber haircut and try to perfect that head-tilt and wink. So if you're into that kind of thing, head on out to South Bend. Meanwhile, after slumping in the final weeks of the season, Jackie has come on strong here in the Tourney. However, playing a third game in three days has taken its toll, and the fresh legs of Tish are paying off. Tish 2.0 is taking her talents to the Semi's tomorrow night.

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#14 Providence vs. #3 Louisville - Krista Davis vs. Joanne Pitino: Supposedly Rick Pitino is credited with setting up Jim & Juli Boeheim. Evidently Jim didn't return the favor. I'll give Joanne credit for wearing that outfit as if she's 30. But she's not. But you have to give me credit for not putting his mistress's picture up there. I mean, I do have to have some sense of decency! The on-fire legs of Krista still seem to be getting the job done. Onto the Semi's she goes!

Semifinals

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#1 Pittsburgh vs. #4 Syracuse - Jackie Dixon vs. Juli Boeheim: Two words. Come on! Juli wants an auto-bid for dancing, and we all know she knows how to dance. Jackie, we're pretty sure, just knows how to hold her wrist. Send Juli onto the finals!

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#2 Notre Dame vs. #14 Providence - Tish Brey vs. Krista Davis: This is about as intriguing a 2-14 matchup as you could imagine. Providence is just riding on Cloud Nine at this point, while Notre Dame has just gotten her feet wet. Tish has that boyish charm, while Krista has that air of mystery. This one goes into overtime, and although she's clearly getting winded, Krista holds on for the late victory to send her to the finals.

Finals

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#4 Syracuse vs. #14 Providence - Juli Boeheim vs. Krista Davis: First let's break down each team's flaws. What could make Juli look better? If I hadn't cropped Jimmy out of her picture. You may notice him trying to flash the shocker. What could have made Krista better? The other side of her face, maybe more of her body. As I said above, a lot of mystery about her. Juli is no mystery. No enigma. What you see is what you get. And it's all good. Krista at this point simply ran out of steam. She may have had a fighting change had she not gone to overtime against Tish last night. The Big East Tournament crown goes to Juli Boeheim and Syracuse!


Thanks for joining us for this fun little piece. Obviously this was done as a fun thing, and should not be construed as a personal attack on any coach or their wives. The wives help make the coach, and to be a Big East coach, you must have done something right in your life. So, kudos, Big East wives! You're all winners in my book. Juli especially.

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