BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/17/2008)

January 17, 2008

Hope you had a chance this week to check out last Zag’s Big East Recruiting Round-up from the Super Six event from last weekend. Adam Zagoria takes a look at several uncommitted Big East targets from the event. Also, last night we posted more game analysis from Ray Floriani and Adam Zagoria from Madison Square Garden with the Nike Super Six Recaps. Great stuff!

Last night, Syracuse beat up on hapless Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights did not look very interested in even being on the Carrier Dome floor. In other action last night, Villanova was able to complete the comeback against DePaul this time and avenge their conference opening loss to the Blue Demons.

Earlier today we posted game previews on the four Big East contests taking place tonight and you can find those links to the team report pages here: Thursday Big East Game Previews. We link local media previews and the NBE Blogger gives his prediction. In Big East games this season, the NBE Blogger is 24-7 in picking winners outright and 19-11-1 against the posted spreads.

One of the top players in the country in the class of 2009 has spurned several Big East offers to pledge with Florida. Adam Zagoria updates several isses in recruiting around SJU and SHU as well as Mike Glover’s status at Seton Hall. Another Cincinnati freshman has stepped up.

Tonight, we will have a feature article on Syracuse 2008 commitment Kris Joseph, having a big senior season as well as Brian Crownover’s latest entry on the Philly High School Beat.

Thanks for continuing to visit our site!

Click on ‘Read More’ below to view the rest of the article.

Syracuse 81 Rutgers 59
It’s Easy Going for the Orange (Courier News) as Syracuse Bounces Back to Stop Rutgers (Rochester D&C), 81-59 at the Carrier Dome.

Offense was a struggle once again for the Scarlet Knights as Rutgers Can’t Find the Mark and Syracuse Capitalizes (Star-Ledger) with a plethora of easy baskets. Freshman Jonny Flynn was the benefeciary often, scoring 24 points for the Orange. Donte’ Greene and Paul Harris chipped in with 19 and 18 points, respectively, as Syracuse improved to 13-5, 3-2 in Big East play.

Corey Chandler led Rutgers (8-10, 0-5) with 16 points, his best performance since returning from a right foot injury on Jan. 5 against Georgetown. Mike Coburn continued his steady play with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in just 24 minutes.

After suffering back to back road losses to Cincinnati and West Virginia, lowly Rutgers was a welcome sight for the Orange as the Knights Save SU (Syracuse Post-Standard) from any chance of a prolonged slump and the result and productive play made sure Jonny Flynn is Smiling Again (Post-Standard) after a couple tough outings last week.
———————————————-

Villanova 76 DePaul 69
It wasn’t pretty throughout much of the game, but Jay Wright will not worry as much about that because Villanova Gets What it Needs (Philadelphia Daily News), a WIN, 76-69, as the Blue Demons Can’t Close the Deal (Chicago Tribune).

Draelon Burns had made it a one-possession game with a three-point play, but the Wildcats’ Scottie Reynolds nailed two free throws at the other end to put any hope of a two-game sweep by DePaul out of reach. DePaul led by as many as 16 points in the contest, but the ‘Cats Claw Back for the Win (phillyburbs.com) with a spirited rebounding effort. Villanova, one of the smaller teams in the league, outrebounded DePaul 42-20 and thier Big Second Half Pushes Villanova Past DePaul (Philadelhia Inquirer) in Big East play.

Reynolds, who apparently injured his back after crashing into a photographer along the baseline following a layup with 14 minutes, 22 seconds to play, played the rest of the game in pain and led the Wildcats (12-3 overall, 2-2 Big East) with 21 points, including five clutch points in the final 30 seconds.

Antonio Pena, a freshman moved into the starting lineup for the first time by coach Jay Wright, tied a career high with 17 points, eight of them coming in a 15-0 second-half run that enabled the Wildcats to take their first lead and keep it the rest of the way. Villanova outrebounded DePaul 23-7 in the second half.

Trailing by 57-50, the Wildcats took control by holding DePaul scoreless for 5:36 and scoring 15 straight points. The second of two dunked follow-up shots by Pena gave Villanova its first lead, 58-57, with 6:22 remaining.

Draelon Burns led DePaul with 27 points.
————————————————

In other News…

The Bleacher Report has a story on how Mick Cronin Has Cincinnati Playing Good Basketball and the writer, Brandon Sosna, expects it to continue.
————————————————-

Several Big East schools were involved, with Marquette and UConn considered finalists, but Erik Murphy Picks Florida (Grassrootsballin.com). Murphy is Billy Donovan’s first 2009 commitment for the Gators. Murphy’s father, Jay, was a Big East player for Boston College in the 80’s.
————————————————-

A few hot topics in the NYC/NJ area include the status of Mike Glover with Seton Hall, the situation surrounding devin Ebanks absense from St. Thomas More Prep School and the recruitments of Gary Flowers and Sean Kilpatrick. leave it to Adam Zagoria to cover all four topics on ZAGSBLOG with an Update on Glover, Ebanks, Flowers and Kilpatrick. Here are some of Big East related notes of interest:

Mike Glover is back on campus at Seton Hall and taking classes in the spring semester. The 6-6 Glover is not on scholarship and not involved with the team, but the fact that he is at Seton Hall holds out the possibility that the former American Christian star could suit up at some point in the future.

In an effort to improve his team, Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez went to check in on Chipola (Fla.) College PF Gary Flowers Monday and hopes to get a verbal commitment from the former Oklahoma State commit, though a source close to the program says he has yet to receive said commitment.

6-5 White Plains senior star Sean Kilpatrick is expected to visit Seton Hall Thursday and then take in the South Florida game at The Rock. Kilpatrick reportedly holds offers from St. John’s, Kansas State, UMass, Oregon State, George Washington and Auburn and is receiving strong interest from Seton Hall, UConn, Maryland, Manhattan, DePaul, Virginia and N.C. State.
———————————————————–

Kenny Belton was the latest UC Bearcats freshman to make an impact in a game. Against Louisville, it was center Anthony McClain with nine rebounds. Against Villanova, forward Alvin Mitchell posted a career-high 12 points and made the first two 3-pointers of his career after 15 straight misses.

And on Tuesday night, in UC’s 91-74 loss at Notre Dame, it was forward Kenny Belton with career highs of eight points and four rebounds. UC’s Belton Shines in Loss (Cincinnati Enquirer) and now, with the exception of forward Rashad Bishop, who has become a fixture in the starting lineup, the freshmen need to be consistently productive.
————————————————————–

THURSDAY BIG EAST GAME PREVIEWS (1/17/2008)

January 17, 2008

The NBE Blogger was 2-0 outright last night in his predictions and 1-1 against the spread. Tonight, follow the team links below for links to the local media previews, our brief preview on the games and a prediction from the NBE Blogger on tonight’s action.

Enjoy the games:

Providence @ Connecticut

Marquette @ Louisville

St. John’s @ West Virginia

South Florida @ Seton Hall

Our daily News and Notes post is coming up early this afternoon.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ SETON HALL

January 18, 2008

South Florida was looking poised for improvement this season in the Big East, but after a conference opening win over hapless Rutgers, the Bulls have dropped three straght, all by double digits.

It is tough to judge Seton Hall yet as they have lost their three conference contests to teams most-likely to finish among the top handful in the conference and two of them were on the road. This game, especially since it is at home, is a MUST for SHU.

Here are the local media previews on tonight’s game:

Bulls Hope to End Conference Futility on the Road (Tampa Tribune)
Men’s Hoops: SHU Up Next (St. Petersburg Times)
All at the Hall Glad Laing Decided to Stay (Star-Ledger)
Scouting Seton Hall and South Florida (Courier News)

If South Florida ever wants to make the Big East Tournament before the conference opens the doors to all 16 teams in the 2008-2009 season, they better find a way to win on the road in conference play. The Bulls are 0-18 in their 2+ seasons in the Big East away from home. Tonight, they get a chance to end that streak when they travel up to Newark (NJ) to meet the Seton Hall Pirates.

First year coach Stan Heath will try to take advantage of his biggest weapon, Kentrell Gransberry, against a small SHU line-up. The Pirates will try to counter Gransberry by rotating John Garcia, Mike Davis and Augustin Okosun in the post. The revolving door of fresh bodies, led to the burly Garcia, will hopefully wear down Gransberry along with the frantic style Seton Hall hopes to impose on the game.

The Pirates quest for a frantic game has been limited of late with the injury to Paul Gause. The junior defensive dynamo has a broken bone in his non-shooting hand and he is still out of action. With Gause out of the mix, the SHU perimeter defense suffers quite a bit. The Pirate backcourt is still strong, but their line-up of four guards can take a toll in conference play. Using Brian Laing, who is closer to 6′4, as their biggest forward is definitely taking a toll as opposing forwards continue to have good games against SHU. Eugene Harvey is an offensive threat at the point, attacking the basket off the dribble and getting to the line often. Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell provide a pair of deep threats, but their inconsistency will be a fact of life for coach Bobby Gonzalez. Larry Davis is a versatile guard off the bench that does a little bit of everything, but nothing outstanding to make him stand above the rest.

South Florida is also weak at the power forward position and have been victimized by Sam Young, Geoff McDermott and Dante Greene in their last three games. Orane Chin is a tad over his head at this point in a starting role in the Big East, but the SHU line-up could allow Stan Heath to go small as well and use Aaron Holmes, Ade Saaka and Solomon Bozeman more often as Jesus Verdejo and Dominique Jones have pretty good size for wings in the league. Jones is a dynamic offensive threat, but life on the road for a Big East freshman is tough.

I look for Seton Hall, a 5-pt favorite, to collect the first win for New Jersey in Big East action tonight, riding a big game from Brian Laing to hold off the Bulls.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Seton Hall 75 South Florida 72

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN’S @ WEST VIRGNIA

January 17, 2008

St. John’s kicks off a stretch of games with West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Georgetown tonight with a trip to Morgantown. The Redstorm are 1-3 in Big East play and their young squad will really begin to learn about life in the Big East the next couple of weeks.

West Virginia loves to play in the Coliseum and they are home tonight, fresh off an 81-61 win over Syracuse last Sunday. The Mountaineers average just 55 PPG on the road (0-2) in conference play, but at home it is a different story as they average 80 PPG (2-0) with wins over SU and Marquette.

Here are the local media previews on tonight’s game:

WVU Win Streak on Line vs. St. John’s (Times West Virginian)
Streaks at Stake as WVU Welcomes St. John’s (Journal Gazette)
WVU’s Butler Has to Play Smarter (Daily Mail)

This one looks to be a big mismatch. West Virginia is an experienced and deep group that excels on their home court. St. John’s does play up to 11 players, however, seven of them are freshmen and life away from home has been difficult.

St. John’s will scrap and compete, especially on the defensive end. They have some length and athleticism, but their youth can cause breakdowns and WVU will make you pay for breakdowns with lay-ups and 3-pt shots.

The Redstorm will look to get points in the middle, the soft spot of West Virginia. Freshman Justin Burrell could have a big game with points and rebounds, but they will need someone else to step up offensively and keep pace with West Virginia. Anthony Mason Jr is certainly capable, but he will likely be the one guy Bob Huggins game plans against, forcing someone else to step up, with the Redstorm, I am not sure if there is anyone else at this point.

West Virginia will likely have four or five offensive weapons on the floor at all times, led by 3-pt marksman Alex Ruoff and the athletic Joe Alexander. Darris Nichols will run the effecient offense and WVU should cruise, again, on their home floor as 16-pt favorites.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 78 St. John’s 59

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN’S @ WEST VIRGINIA

January 17, 2008

St. John’s kicks off a stretch of games with West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Georgetown tonight with a trip to Morgantown. The Redstorm are 1-3 in Big East play and their young squad will really begin to learn about life in the Big East the next couple of weeks.

West Virginia loves to play in the Coliseum and they are home tonight, fresh off an 81-61 win over Syracuse last Sunday. The Mountaineers average just 55 PPG on the road (0-2) in conference play, but at home it is a different story as they average 80 PPG (2-0) with wins over SU and Marquette.

Here are the local media previews on tonight’s game:

WVU Win Streak on Line vs. St. John’s (Times West Virginian)
Streaks at Stake as WVU Welcomes St. John’s (Journal Gazette)
WVU’s Butler Has to Play Smarter (Daily Mail)

This one looks to be a big mismatch. West Virginia is an experienced and deep group that excels on their home court. St. John’s does play up to 11 players, however, seven of them are freshmen and life away from home has been difficult.

St. John’s will scrap and compete, especially on the defensive end. They have some length and athleticism, but their youth can cause breakdowns and WVU will make you pay for breakdowns with lay-ups and 3-pt shots.

The Redstorm will look to get points in the middle, the soft spot of West Virginia. Freshman Justin Burrell could have a big game with points and rebounds, but they will need someone else to step up offensively and keep pace with West Virginia. Anthony Mason Jr is certainly capable, but he will likely be the one guy Bob Huggins game plans against, forcing someone else to step up, with the Redstorm, I am not sure if there is anyone else at this point.

West Virginia will likely have four or five offensive weapons on the floor at all times, led by 3-pt marksman Alex Ruoff and the athletic Joe Alexander. Darris Nichols will run the effecient offense and WVU should cruise, again, on their home floor as 16-pt favorites.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 78 St. John’s 59

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ LOUISVILLE

January 17, 2008

The highlight of tonight’s schedule brings together two former rivals from Conference USA as Marquette travels to Freedom Hall to take on the Louisville Cardinals.

After dropping their conference opener at home against Cincinnati, Louisville has won their last two Big East games, beating West Virginia at home and getting the win at Rutgers last weekend.

Marquette is one of the many tied atop the conference at 3-1 and looks to make their break from the pack. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 92-66 thumping of Notre Dame and also owns home wins over Seton Hall and Providence. Their lone conference defeat came at West Virginia.

Here are the local media previews of tonight’s game:

Marquette Will Try to Steal One (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Marquette Men’s Basketball Preview (post-Crescent)
Eagles Can Make Move in Big East (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Looking at louisville (Journal-Sentinel)
cards Eyeing ‘Big-Time’ Win Over Marquette (Kentucky.com)

We are waiting for someone to make a statement in the Big East and show they are serious about winning this conference. Marquette has just that opportunity tonight when they travel to face Louisville in a Big East conference game.

For the Cards, if they hope to compete for the conference crown, these are they games they must win, on their home floor against other good teams. We are still waiting for Louisville to show us how good they are, but with David Padgett and Juan Palacios back in the line-up, the Cards could be hitting their stride soon.

The strength of the Marquette squad is obviously in their guards. With Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews the Marquette guard trio is among the best in the country. It doesn’t stop there, Maurice Acker and David Cubillan are very capable back-ups each adding a distinct role to the rotation.

At the forward spot, Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald are far from proto-type Big East power forwards. However, they each create match-up problems for most opponents with their inside-out talents. That probably will not be as much of an advantage against a team like Louisville who also has a pair of versatile big forwards in Juan Palacios and Earl Clark to match-up with Hayward and Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are still trying to sort out their rotation with the talent they possess, so they have not been as consistent as they should since the return of Palacios and David Padgett from injuries. Padgett teams up with Derrick Caracter in the post for coach Rick Pitino and Marquette counters with their two-headed center tandem of Dwight Burke and Ousmane Barro. On paper, Louisville should be able to take full advantage in the paint with their depth and talent.

That leaves the Louiville guards. The trio of Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee will have their hands full with Marquette. Terrence Williams should do well against Wesley Mathews and find his opportunities to shine, but coach Pitino will need his guards to be at their best in terms of decision making and shot selection. Louisville has some clear advantages in the game and it will be up to their guards to take take advantage of the opportunities.

I expect the Cards to learn from other teams that have played Marquette and use several different defenses, but mostly find themselves in a zone. The zone will cut down on the MU dribble penetration and force them to make perimeter shots on the road, a tough task.

This promises to be a very good game. Marquette will try to steal this one with pressure on the ball from their guards, but Louisville, a 2.5-pt home favorite, knows the importance of winning at home in the conference, especially after letting the game with Cincinnati get away.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 66 Marquette 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ LOUISVILLE

January 17, 2008

The highlight of tonight’s schedule brings together two former rivals from Conference USA as Marquette travels to Freedom Hall to take on the Louisville Cardinals.

After dropping their conference opener at home against Cincinnati, Louisville has won their last two Big East games, beating West Virginia at home and getting the win at Rutgers last weekend.

Marquette is one of the many tied atop the conference at 3-1 and looks to make their break from the pack. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 92-66 thumping of Notre Dame and also owns home wins over Seton Hall and Providence. Their lone conference defeat came at West Virginia.

Here are the local media previews of tonight’s game:

Marquette Will Try to Steal One (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Marquette Men’s Basketball Preview (post-Crescent)
Eagles Can Make Move in Big East (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Looking at louisville (Journal-Sentinel)
cards Eyeing ‘Big-Time’ Win Over Marquette (Kentucky.com)

We are waiting for someone to make a statement in the Big East and show they are serious about winning this conference. Marquette has just that opportunity tonight when they travel to face Louisville in a Big East conference game.

For the Cards, if they hope to compete for the conference crown, these are they games they must win, on their home floor against other good teams. We are still waiting for Louisville to show us how good they are, but with David Padgett and Juan Palacios back in the line-up, the Cards could be hitting their stride soon.

The strength of the Marquette squad is obviously in their guards. With Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews the Marquette guard trio is among the best in the country. It doesn’t stop there, Maurice Acker and David Cubillan are very capable back-ups each adding a distinct role to the rotation.

At the forward spot, Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald are far from proto-type Big East power forwards. However, they each create match-up problems for most opponents with their inside-out talents. That probably will not be as much of an advantage against a team like Louisville who also has a pair of versatile big forwards in Juan Palacios and Earl Clark to match-up with Hayward and Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are still trying to sort out their rotation with the talent they possess, so they have not been as consistent as they should since the return of Palacios and David Padgett from injuries. Padgett teams up with Derrick Caracter in the post for coach Rick Pitino and Marquette counters with their two-headed center tandem of Dwight Burke and Ousmane Barro. On paper, Louisville should be able to take full advantage in the paint with their depth and talent.

That leaves the Louiville guards. The trio of Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee will have their hands full with Marquette. Terrence Williams should do well against Wesley Mathews and find his opportunities to shine, but coach Pitino will need his guards to be at their best in terms of decision making and shot selection. Louisville has some clear advantages in the game and it will be up to their guards to take take advantage of the opportunities.

I expect the Cards to learn from other teams that have played Marquette and use several different defenses, but mostly find themselves in a zone. The zone will cut down on the MU dribble penetration and force them to make perimeter shots on the road, a tough task.

This promises to be a very good game. Marquette will try to steal this one with pressure on the ball from their guards, but Louisville, a 2.5-pt home favorite, knows the importance of winning at home in the conference, especially after letting the game with Cincinnati get away.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 66 Marquette 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PROVIDENCE @ CONNECTICUT

January 17, 2008

The Big East’s version of the battle of New England pits two original conference members against one another at the Hatford Civic Center. Each team comes in with identical Big East records of 2-2 and the Huskies will look to end a series streak of the road team winning these match-ups.

Here are the local media previews found on the internet this morning:

UConn Eager to Put Providence Loss in Past (Connecticut Post)
Friars Another Measuring Stick for UConn Men (Waterbury Rep-Am)
Friars, Huskies Expect Usual Barn-Burner (Providence Journal)
Game Preview: PC @ UConn (Providence Journal)
Calhoun Back With Huskies (Hartford Courant)

We are just 22% into the Big East schedule, but this is a very important game for both teams. The Providence Friars always bring one of their better efforts to the table when they play Connecticut, and this trip to hartford should be no different. The Friars are 2-0 at home in conference play (beating RU, USF) and 0-2 on the road (losing to Marquette, DePaul). The Friars hit a rough patch with Sharaud Curry and Dwain Williams out, their lone point guards, and started conference play 0-2. Williams is back and gives the offense some more direction and allows a talented perimeter group including Weyinmi Efejuku, Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier freedom to produce points.

Where Providence can struggle is along the front line. Randall Hanke is effecient on offense when he gets the ball in position to score, but he can struggle mightily with bigger, stronger player. That is exactly what he will see tonight when matched up against Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien in the post. Geoff McDermott will battle from tip to horn, but the lack of confidence the Friars have in their post play will likely push them to play smaller and press. Unfortunately, UConn loves to see the tempo revved up and this could play into their hands as well.

The Huskies are 2-2 in Big East play. They have played three of their four games in conference play on the road, winning at Seton Hall and dropping tough games at Notre Dame, where a huge second half rally was thwarted by the Irish, and Georgetown, where Roy Hibbert hit a game-winning three-pointer in the waning seconds. Their lone home contest in league play resulted in an easy win over St. John’s.

The Huskies are led offensively by the much improved AJ Price and the strong two-guard Jerome Dyson. Inside, Jeff Adrien can still bull his way to a double-double nearly every night, but improvements on offense by Hasheem Thabeet has complimented his game. They are still waiting for Stanley Robinson to use his tremendous talents to become a consistent threat offensively. Like most Husky squads under Jim Calhoun, this rendition is athletic, tall and loves to push the tempo. They can still hit some rough patches, but this year, led by Price, they do not have droughts for as long of periods of time on offense as the execution has improves. Defensively, the effort is improving each time out and the team keeps improving.

Connecticut still lacks a ‘big win’ on the season, and a home game against Providence would hardly qualify as such at season’s end, but the Huskies need to win all of their games like this. The Friars are in need of a big win and road wins in general for them to make an argument for inclusion in the Field of 65 this March.

This seems like a game that Connecticut will try to make a statement in. After the sting of a disappointing loss at Georgetown and with the return from illness of Jim Calhoun, look for the Huskies, as 9-pt favorites, to put things together tonight and flex some muscles.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 82 Providence 69

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PROVIDENCE @ CONNECTICUT

January 17, 2008

The Big East’s version of the battle of New England pits two original conference members against one another at the Hatford Civic Center. Each team comes in with identical Big East records of 2-2 and the Huskies will look to end a series streak of the road team winning these match-ups.

Here are the local media previews found on the internet this morning:

UConn Eager to Put Providence Loss in Past (Connecticut Post)
Friars Another Measuring Stick for UConn Men (Waterbury Rep-Am)
Friars, Huskies Expect Usual Barn-Burner (Providence Journal)
Game Preview: PC @ UConn (Providence Journal)
Calhoun Back With Huskies (Hartford Courant)

We are just 22% into the Big East schedule, but this is a very important game for both teams. The Providence Friars always bring one of their better efforts to the table when they play Connecticut, and this trip to hartford should be no different. The Friars are 2-0 at home in conference play (beating RU, USF) and 0-2 on the road (losing to Marquette, DePaul). The Friars hit a rough patch with Sharaud Curry and Dwain Williams out, their lone point guards, and started conference play 0-2. Williams is back and gives the offense some more direction and allows a talented perimeter group including Weyinmi Efejuku, Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier freedom to produce points.

Where Providence can struggle is along the front line. Randall Hanke is effecient on offense when he gets the ball in position to score, but he can struggle mightily with bigger, stronger player. That is exactly what he will see tonight when matched up against Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien in the post. Geoff McDermott will battle from tip to horn, but the lack of confidence the Friars have in their post play will likely push them to play smaller and press. Unfortunately, UConn loves to see the tempo revved up and this could play into their hands as well.

The Huskies are 2-2 in Big East play. They have played three of their four games in conference play on the road, winning at Seton Hall and dropping tough games at Notre Dame, where a huge second half rally was thwarted by the Irish, and Georgetown, where Roy Hibbert hit a game-winning three-pointer in the waning seconds. Their lone home contest in league play resulted in an easy win over St. John’s.

The Huskies are led offensively by the much improved AJ Price and the strong two-guard Jerome Dyson. Inside, Jeff Adrien can still bull his way to a double-double nearly every night, but improvements on offense by Hasheem Thabeet has complimented his game. They are still waiting for Stanley Robinson to use his tremendous talents to become a consistent threat offensively. Like most Husky squads under Jim Calhoun, this rendition is athletic, tall and loves to push the tempo. They can still hit some rough patches, but this year, led by Price, they do not have droughts for as long of periods of time on offense as the execution has improves. Defensively, the effort is improving each time out and the team keeps improving.

Connecticut still lacks a ‘big win’ on the season, and a home game against Providence would hardly qualify as such at season’s end, but the Huskies need to win all of their games like this. The Friars are in need of a big win and road wins in general for them to make an argument for inclusion in the Field of 65 this March.

This seems like a game that Connecticut will try to make a statement in. After the sting of a disappointing loss at Georgetown and with the return from illness of Jim Calhoun, look for the Huskies, as 9-pt favorites, to put things together tonight and flex some muscles.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 82 Providence 69

NIKE SUPER SIX RECAPS

January 17, 2008

On Sunday afternoon, six of the top teams in the NYC/NJ region convened at Madison Square Garden for the Nike Super Six event. Ray Floriani and Adam Zagoria took in the action from the event as Mount Vernon staged a furious late rally to edge Paterson Catholic, St. Benedict’s edged Rice and St. Patrick got by St. Raymond’s.

Five players headed to the Big East next year played in the Nike Super Six Invitational. The group included Paterson (N.J.) Catholic point guard Jordan Theodore(Seton Hall), Rice (NY) point guard Kemba Walker (UConn), St. Raymond (N.Y.) point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant (West Virginia), Mount Vernon (N.Y.) forward Kevin Jones (West Virginia) and St. Benedict’s (N.J.) power forward Samardo Samuels (Louisville).

Earlier this week we had a Zag’s Recruiting Round-up from the Nike Super Six as Adam Zagoria took a look at some of the top potential Big East prospects from the action. Today, we take a look at the notes from Ray and Adam on the action and, especially, on the players headed to the Big East next year.

Click on ‘Read More’ below to view the rest of the article.

Mount Vernon 66 Paterson Catholic 60

by Ray Floriani

New York City – For just over three quarters Paterson Catholic did what was needed. The Cougars were running the break, penetrating and taking care of the defensive end. Then, the final six minutes it all came unglued. Mount Vernon rallied down the stretch to post a 66-60 victory.

Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino was hesitant to trap or press the quick, athletic Paterson Catholic. Down double digits with just over 5 minutes to play he had no choice. It worked as the young PC squad suddenly came unglued and Mount Vernon rallied for the 66-60 win.

West Virginia will benefit from the services of a major addition in Kevin Jones next season. The Mount Vernon big man earned game MVP honors with a 25 point 19 rebound effort. Thing I liked most about Jones was when PC’s defense collapsed on him and limited the touches , Jones never stopped working. Some marquee players don’t see the ball and they stop working , or worse, sulk. Jones just kept active on both ends and in the fourt quarter he was dominant. One sequence late in the game saw him sprint down court while PC was in transition and eventually block a shot on the wing. Bob Huggins has the real deal headed to Morgantown next year.

“We couldn’t match their (Mount Vernon) intensity the last three or four minutes,”Paterson Catholic coach Damon Wright lamented during post game interviews. “We just couldn’t close it out. We are young and their (Mount Vernon) maturity just paid off especially the last quarter.”

Notes:
• Cimmino used a little ploy to get Sherrod Wright going.” He’s (Wright) a North Carolina native and wants to play for UNC,”Cimmino said. “At the start of the fourth quarter I pointed out to Sherrod who was in the stands.” None other than North Carolina coach Roy Williams who saw the junior swingman score 13 of his 20 points the final quarter and play a huge role in the Mount Vernon comeback.

• Impressed with Lance Brown who led PC with 16 point 8 rebounds. A junior forward, Brown did a nice job getting in the lane and finishing.

• Seton Hall got a really nice lead guard in Jordan Theodore. The PC senior runs the break well and gets in the lane. Whether in transition or breaking down defenses Theodore finds teammates with beautiful fingertip pinpoint passes. He scored 12 points whit 5 assists and 5 steals. Spoke to a PC assistant who feels Theodore will get appreciable minutes at the Hall either spelling Eugene Harvey or teaming up with him in stretches. “The thing about Justin,”the coach added, “is he also plays outstanding defense.”

• There was absolutely no need to motivate players on this date. “At Madison Square Garden, a top notch opponent, the kids are in a ‘ candy store’ ,” said Cimmino.

• There was no shot clock used in the games. New York state employs one while New Jersey doesn’t. Cimmino was asked the effect of having no shot clock to which he replied in jest, “you mean we didn’t have one today.” Simply, none was necessary.

St. Benedict’s 55 Rice 52

by Adam Zagoria

New York – Louisville commit 6′9 Samardo Samuels came off the bench to score 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbed 13 boards in St. Benedict’s 55-52 victory over Kemba Walker and Rice.

Samuels earned MVP honors despite being benched to start the game by head coach Danny Hurley, who was less than impressed with Samuels’ behavior during and after the team’s loss last week to Academy of the New Church(Pa.).

St. Benedict’s, currently ranked No. 2 in the Prepnation.com national poll, had been No. 1 and undefeated prior to that loss.

“Sometimes you look at these kids, he’s 6-9, he’s 245,” Hurley said of Samuels. “He’s built like a man, and sometimes it’s hard to realize that they’re teenagers and that they make mistakes.

“Some other coaches would maybe have looked at what happened this week and said, ‘No big deal.’ I got from my old man (St. Anthony head coach Bob Hurley) and other coaches, small things are a big deal with me.”

Walker, a UConn commit, scored a game-high 18 points but also made eight turnovers in a losing effort for Rice. The Raiders were coming off a thrilling 81-74 overtime victory over St. Raymond the night before. Walker poured in agame-high 29 in that game and exerted his will down the stretch.

A Few More Notes From Ray Floriani:

Dexter Strickland of St.Pat’s announced after the St.Raymond’s game that he would attend North Carolina. Strickland originally was heavily involved with Michigan State.

Among the college coaches in attendance was UCONN assistant Patrick Sellers. When he took his seat Sellers took friendly condolences from fellow assistant Orlando Antigua of Pitt. Sellers was still replaying the action of a day ago when Georgetown knocked off the Huskies on a Roy Hibbert trey. “That’s a shot myself, coach Calhoun, our whole team would give anytime,” Sellers said, “and he (Hibbert) goes and hits it.”

Thought St.Pat’s was not too fluid and a little rough around the edges. Still, Kevin Boyle’s club earned a 64-56 win over a good St.Raymond’s club. Kansas bound Quintrell Thomas was a force (25 points) inside and a big difference maker.

St.Pat’s and St.Anthony’s are headed on a collision course in the New Jersey Parochial B section of the state tournament. And that’s one many of us can hardly wait for.

Even with 6 outstanding programs, the Super Six drew just about 4,000.

A Few More Notes from Adam Zagoria:

Walker and WVU commit Darryl ‘Truck’ Bryant may have been a little tired after their thriller Saturday night. Bryant scored 17 points on 5 of 19 shooting in a game the Ravens lost to St. Patrick, 64-56. St. Raymond had been undefeated coming into the weekend before losing back-to-back games to Rice and St. Patrick.

Another WVU commit, 6′8 Kevin Jones was a monster on the boards, finishing with 25 points and 19 rebounds to earn MVP honors. He made 11 of 28 shots, but was just 1 of 10 from beyond the arc.

All these teams will jump back into action in showcase games next weekend. St. Benedict’s and Paterson Catholic will face off Saturday in the Dan Finn Classic at the Jersey City Armory. Rice and St. Patrick would meet in the McDonald’s Classic in Erie, Pa., assuming both teams win their first-round games.