2-18 BETology

Due to the fact that I am in Florida on vacation and the fact that both DePaul and Providence stink, I did not update after that game Thursday night, and hopefully none of you were stuck watching it either. Here is a look back at the last 2 nights in the best conference in basketball.

THURSDAY’S RECAP:
DEPAUL BLUE DEMONS 79
Providence Friars 76
This is a game that would give ESPN 2nd thoughts about agreeing to broadcasts rights for the Big East Conference. In the conference’s contract agreements with ESPN they state that each team must be on ESPN/ESPN2 a certain number of times. ESPN sucked it up and put them on together to killed 2 birds with 1 stone. Can’t say that I disagree with that strategy actually. Anyway, DePaul wins their first game in 25 attempts in Big East play. Providence drops to 3-10 in conference play and makes themselves a solid 14 seed.

FRIDAY’S RECAP:
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS 71
Connecticut Huskies 58
The complete opposite of scheduling for ESPN on this one. ESPN normally has the NBA on Friday nights, but with this being NBA All-Star Weekend, they had a void in their schedule and put on a elite caliber match-up from the best conference in the country. Another smart move by ESPN scheduling. This game matched up the 4 and 7 seeds in the conference coming in, both with identical records of 8-5. Louisville kind of gets a little breathing room from that large clump behind them with the win last night. The Cards are now tied with Georgetown in the 3-4 spot, both would secure a double bye as of right now. Louisville is sitting pretty at holding on to that spot too, as they have a fairly favorable schedule the rest of the way out. Still on the schedule for Louisville is road games at Rutgers and WVU as well as home games versus Providence and Pitt. The loss hurts UCONN because they are now behind a group of 4 fighting for that double bye. They are also with another group of 4 within one half game of dropping all the way to the 10 seed, which plays on the opening day. UCONN also has a little tougher schedule to close, their final 4 games are road games at Cincinnati and WVU, and home games versus Marquette and Notre Dame. Notre Dame is obviously ahead of the Huskies in the standings and both Cincy and WVU sit just one half game behind. Marquette isn’t out of the running for a bye either, just one and a half games behind UCONN.

STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Pitt Panthers 12-1
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ St. John’s
2/24 vs West Virginia
2/27 @ Louisville
3/2 @ South Florida
3/5 vs Villanova
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-3
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ West Virginia
2/23 @ Providence
2/26 vs Seton Hall
2/28 vs Villanova
3/5 @ Connecticut
Georgetown Hoyas 9-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ South Florida
2/23 vs Cincinnati
2/26 vs Syracuse
3/5 @ Cincinnati
Louisville Cardinals 9-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/22 @ Rutgers
2/27 vs Pitt
3/2 vs Providence
3/5 @ West Virginia
St. John’s Red Storm 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Pitt
2/23 vs DePaul
2/26 @ Villanova
3/2 @ Seton Hall
3/5 vs South Florida
Villanova Wildcats 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ DePaul
2/21 vs Syracuse
2/26 vs St. John’s
2/28 @ Notre Dame
3/5 @ Pitt
Syracuse Orange 8-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Rutgers
2/21 @ Villanova
2/26 @ Georgetown
3/5 vs DePaul
UCONN Huskies 8-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/24 vs Marquette
2/27@ Cincinnati
3/2 @ West Virginia
3/5 vs Notre Dame
West Virginia Mountaineers 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Notre Dame
2/24 @ Pitt
2/27 @ Rutgers
3/2 vs Connecticut
3/5 vs Louisville
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Providence
2/23 @ Georgetown
2/27 vs Connecticut
3/2 @ Marquette
3/5 vs Georgetown
Marquette Golden Eagles 6-7
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Seton Hall
2/24 @ Connecticut
2/27 vs Providence
3/2 vs Cincinnati
3/5 @ Seton Hall
Seton Hall Pirates 5-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Marquette
2/26 @ Notre Dame
3/3 vs St. John’s
3/5 vs Marquette
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Syracuse
2/22 vs Louisville
2/27 vs West Virginia
3/2 @ DePaul
3/5 @ Providence
Providence Friars 3-10
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Cincinnati
2/23 vs Notre Dame
2/27 @ Marquette
3/2 @ Louisville
3/5 vs Rutgers
South Florida Bulls 2-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Georgetown
2/26 @ DePaul
3/2 vs Pitt
3/5 @ St. John’s
DePaul Blue Demons 1-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Villanova
2/23 @ St. John’s
2/26 vs South Florida
3/2 vs Rutgers
3/5 @ Syracuse

TODAY:
Villanova @ DePaul NOON, Regional TV
Pitt @ St. John’s NOON, ESPN
Notre Dame @ WVU 1:00 pm, CBS
Rutgers @ Syracuse 4:00 pm, Regional TV
Georgetown @ South Florida 7:00 pm, Regional TV
Cincinnati @ Providence 7:00 pm, ESPNU
Seton Hall @ Marquette 9:00 pm, Regional TV

BETology:
TUESDAY
March 8th:
NOON
9 – West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – South Florida
9:00
11 – Marquette
Vs
14 – Providence

WEDNESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
8 – Connecticut
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 - St. John’s
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner

THURSDAY
March 10th:
NOON
1 - Pitt
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Notre Dame
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Georgetown
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner

Check back tomorrow for another update!

2-17 BETology

Just when you think that things are starting to sort themselves out in the Big East we have a day like yesterday that shakes things up again. I’m not sure you can call UCONN winning at home against Georgetown an upset, but Louisville losing to Cincinnati certainly is an upset. Let’s take a better look at what happened last night.

WEDNESDAY’S RECAP:
CONNECTICUT HUSKIES 68
Georgetown Hoyas 60
Kemba Walker picked a great time to end his shooting struggles. Walker had been shooting just over 30% from the field since mid-January, but went off for 31 points last night, he also added 10 assists to get his teammates involved. The Huskies entered this game the 7 seed in the conference against the red hot Hoyas, who have won 8 straight and came in in 3rd place. UCONN has now won 2 straight and 3 of 4 in the conference and this win brings them into a 4-way tie for the 4th and final double bye spot in the BET. Georgetown, despite this loss, remains in 3rd place in the conference, but now have little room for mistake. The Hoyas hold a half game lead over that group of 4 in 4th place. Georgetown has only 4 games remaining, all of which are very winnable. They still play Cincinnati twice, as well as a road game in South Florida and hosting Syracuse. Connecticut has a much tougher schedule down the stretch, as they still have 5 games, 3 of which are on the road.

CINCINNATI BEARCATS 63
Louisville Cardinals 54
The Bearcats needed this win big time. Having lost 3 of 4 games before last nights victory Cincinnati was heading the wrong direction at the wrong time. Beating rival Louisville maybe be just what they needed to get them kick started down this closing stretch. With 5 games remaining, Cincy has 3 on the road and only the game at Providence would be one they might be favored to win. The others should be 4 battles, that I would think the Bearcats need to win 3 of 4 if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. As for the Big East Tournament, Cincy is one of 7 teams all within 1 game of each other ranging from 4th place to 10th place. For Louisville this loss drops them into that group as well. The Cardinals had been playing as well as any team in the conference and worked their way up to the 4th spot in the standings. Now they share that 4th spot with 3 other teams. Louisville has a very manageable schedule in their last 5 games. Their toughest 2 games remaining are home games, against UCONN and Pitt.

PITT PANTHERS 67
South Florida Bulls 55
This is the only game from the schedule that went as many expected last night, and that isn’t even entirely true. Yes Pitt won, but many would have thought they would have won more convincingly being that they were back at home. Then again, the Panthers were playing their 3rd straight game without leading scorer Ashton Gibbs and this game kind of set up as a trap game being the lone home game in a tough 4 game stretch. Pitt now holds a 2 game lead over the rest of the conference at this point, with just 5 games remaining. South Florida has now lost 5 straight and have all but wrapped up a date in The Garden on opening day of the tournament. The Bulls do have some winnable games remaining and could change their seeding, but most likely won’t be able to do enough to avoid that Tuesday game. USF plays Georgetown and Pitt, but both at home as well as road games against DePaul and St. John’s.

STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Pitt Panthers 12-1
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ St. John’s
2/24 vs West Virginia
2/27 @ Louisville
3/2 @ South Florida
3/5 vs Villanova
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-3
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ West Virginia
2/23 @ Providence
2/26 vs Seton Hall
2/28 vs Villanova
3/5 @ Connecticut
Georgetown Hoyas 9-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ South Florida
2/23 vs Cincinnati
2/26 vs Syracuse
3/5 @ Cincinnati
Louisville Cardinals 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/18 vs Connecticut
2/22 @ Rutgers
2/27 vs Pitt
3/2 vs Providence
3/5 @ West Virginia
St. John’s Red Storm 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Pitt
2/23 vs DePaul
2/26 @ Villanova
3/2 @ Seton Hall
3/5 vs South Florida
Villanova Wildcats 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ DePaul
2/21 vs Syracuse
2/26 vs St. John’s
2/28 @ Notre Dame
3/5 @ Pitt
UCONN Huskies 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/18 @ Louisville
2/24 vs Marquette
2/27@ Cincinnati
3/2 @ West Virginia
3/5 vs Notre Dame
Syracuse Orange 8-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Rutgers
2/21 @ Villanova
2/26 @ Georgetown
3/5 vs DePaul
West Virginia Mountaineers 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Notre Dame
2/24 @ Pitt
2/27 @ Rutgers
3/2 vs Connecticut
3/5 vs Louisville
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Providence
2/23 @ Georgetown
2/27 vs Connecticut
3/2 @ Marquette
3/5 vs Georgetown
Marquette Golden Eagles 6-7
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Seton Hall
2/24 @ Connecticut
2/27 vs Providence
3/2 vs Cincinnati
3/5 @ Seton Hall
Seton Hall Pirates 5-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Marquette
2/26 @ Notre Dame
3/3 vs St. John’s
3/5 vs Marquette
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Syracuse
2/22 vs Louisville
2/27 vs West Virginia
3/2 @ DePaul
3/5 @ Providence
Providence Friars 3-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 vs DePaul
2/19 vs Cincinnati
2/23 vs Notre Dame
2/27 @ Marquette
3/2 @ Louisville
3/5 vs Rutgers
South Florida Bulls 2-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Pitt
2/19 vs Georgetown
2/26 @ DePaul
3/2 vs Pitt
3/5 @ St. John’s
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 @ Providence
2/19 vs Villanova
2/23 @ St. John’s
2/26 vs South Florida
3/2 vs Rutgers
3/5 @ Syracuse

TODAY:
DePaul @ Providence 9:00 pm, ESPN2

THIS WEEKS GAMES ON TV:
Friday - Connecticut @ Louisville 9:00 pm, ESPN
Saturday - Pitt @ St. John’s NOON, ESPN
Saturday - Notre Dame @ WVU 1:00 pm, CBS

BETology:
TUESDAY
March 8th:
NOON
9 – West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – South Florida
9:00
11 – Marquette
Vs
14 – Providence

WEDNESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 - St. John’s
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Connecticut
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner

THURSDAY
March 10th:
NOON
1 - Pitt
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Notre Dame
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Georgetown
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner

Check back tomorrow for another update!

2-16 BETology

And they just keep winning. I think everyone knew that St. John’s could be a dangerous team this year, with so many veterans back from last year, but I doubt anyone expected this. Steve Lavin should be the runaway winner for Big East Coach of the Year. His team is playing as well as any team in the conference and the 9 seniors help the young guys in tough moments. This team will be fun to watch in March.

TUESDAY’S RECAP:
ST. JOHN’S RED STORM 80
Marquette Golden Eagles 68
Four the 4th straight conference game St. John’s once again comes out on top. The Red Storm, who started conference play at 4-5, have used a win against Duke as a momentum builder to not only make the NCAA Tournament, but to climb up the ranks of the nations toughest conference. The win last night moves them into 5th place in the Big East. During the middle part of the 2nd half St. John’s outscored Marquette by 19 turning a 7 point deficit into a 12 point lead. St. John’s next hosts 1st place Pitt at MSG, but afterwards close with games against DePaul, Seton Hall and South Florida as 3 of their last 4 contests. Marquette however has been doing the exact opposite as St. John’s having lost 2 straight and 5 of 7 in the conference. At 6-7 in the conference and 15-11 overall they are in danger of misses the NCAA unless they get their act together fast. They close with 5 winnable games, but they must actually do that. They have 2 against Seton Hall, a road game against UCONN and homes contests versus Providence and Cincinnati, none of those games would be considered un-winnable Actually they should probably be the favorite in most or all of them.

VILLANOVA WILDCATS 60
Seton Hall Pirates 57
Nova playing without guard Corey Stokes used seldom used Jason Bell to carry them to victory last night. Bell, who averages just over 7 minutes a game, and had score a total of 31 points all season, played 29 minutes, going 4-6 from 3 point range and scoring 21 points for the Wildcats. The Wildcats needed every one of those points too, as the rest of the team combined to go 2-7 from 3 point land and score just 39 points. The win let Nova keep pace with St. John’s for the 5th spot in the conference, just one half game back of Louisville for 4th place and the final double bye spot in the conference tournament. Villanova has a brutal stretch to finish the season. After playing DePaul on Saturday, the Wildcats close with games against Syracuse, St. John’s, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, the last two of those on the road. Seton Hall is the opposite of St. John’s. Both teams have good returning talent. Both teams have new head coaches, but only one is having success. The Pirates are pretty much assured of playing in the opening day of the BET, as they are 3 games behind the 8-spot with just 4 games remaining on their schedule. The Hall finished with Marquette still on the schedule twice, as well as a road game in South Bend and a home game versus St. John’s.

STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Pitt Panthers 11-1
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs South Florida
2/19 @ St. John’s
2/24 vs West Virginia
2/27 @ Louisville
3/2 @ South Florida
3/5 vs Villanova
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-3
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ West Virginia
2/23 @ Providence
2/26 vs Seton Hall
2/28 vs Villanova
3/5 @ Connecticut
Georgetown Hoyas 9-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Connecticut
2/19 @ South Florida
2/23 vs Cincinnati
2/26 vs Syracuse
3/5 @ Cincinnati
Louisville Cardinals 8-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Cincinnati
2/18 vs Connecticut
2/22 @ Rutgers
2/27 vs Pitt
3/2 vs Providence
3/5 @ West Virginia
St. John’s Red Storm 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Pitt
2/23 vs DePaul
2/26 @ Villanova
3/2 @ Seton Hall
3/5 vs South Florida
Villanova Wildcats 8-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ DePaul
2/21 vs Syracuse
2/26 vs St. John’s
2/28 @ Notre Dame
3/5 @ Pitt
UCONN Huskies 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs Georgetown
2/18 @ Louisville
2/24 vs Marquette
2/27@ Cincinnati
3/2 @ West Virginia
3/5 vs Notre Dame
Syracuse Orange 8-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Rutgers
2/21 @ Villanova
2/26 @ Georgetown
3/5 vs DePaul
West Virginia Mountaineers 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Notre Dame
2/24 @ Pitt
2/27 @ Rutgers
3/2 vs Connecticut
3/5 vs Louisville
Cincinnati Bearcats 6-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs Louisville
2/19 @ Providence
2/23 @ Georgetown
2/27 vs Connecticut
3/2 @ Marquette
3/5 vs Georgetown
Marquette Golden Eagles 6-7
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Seton Hall
2/24 @ Connecticut
2/27 vs Providence
3/2 vs Cincinnati
3/5 @ Seton Hall
Seton Hall Pirates 5-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Marquette
2/26 @ Notre Dame
3/3 vs St. John’s
3/5 vs Marquette
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Syracuse
2/22 vs Louisville
2/27 vs West Virginia
3/2 @ DePaul
3/5 @ Providence
Providence Friars 3-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 vs DePaul
2/19 vs Cincinnati
2/23 vs Notre Dame
2/27 @ Marquette
3/2 @ Louisville
3/5 vs Rutgers
South Florida Bulls 2-11
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Pitt
2/19 vs Georgetown
2/26 @ DePaul
3/2 vs Pitt
3/5 @ St. John’s
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 @ Providence
2/19 vs Villanova
2/23 @ St. John’s
2/26 vs South Florida
3/2 vs Rutgers
3/5 @ Syracuse

TODAY:
Louisville @ Cincinnati 7:00 pm, ESPN
Georgetown @ Connecticut 7:00 pm, Regional TV
South Florida @ Pitt 7:00 pm, Regional TV

THIS WEEKS GAMES ON TV:
Thursday - DePaul @ Providence 9:00 pm, ESPN2
Friday - Connecticut @ Louisville 9:00 pm, ESPN
Saturday - Pitt @ St. John’s NOON, ESPN
Saturday - Notre Dame @ WVU 1:00 pm, CBS

BETology:
TUESDAY
March 8th:
NOON
9 – West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – South Florida
9:00
11 – Marquette
Vs
14 – Providence

WEDNESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 - St. John’s
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Connecticut
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner

THURSDAY
March 10th:
NOON
1 - Pitt
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Notre Dame
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Georgetown
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner

Check back tomorrow for another update!

2-15 BETology

We are just 3 weeks away from tipping off the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. We only had 1 Big East game yesterday, the Big Monday game between West Virginia and Syracuse in New York.

MONDAY’S RECAP:
SYRACUSE ORANGE 63
West Virginia Mountaineers 52
This was a match-up between two teams that desperately needed a win to get back on the right track. Syracuse entered the game losing 6 of their last 8 games and West Virginia had lost 2 of their last 3. The Mountaineers lead by 6 in this one and had a 4 point lead going into the break, but Syracuse came out and went on a 12-0 run in the early part of the second half. West Virginia was once again held back by their in-ability to put the ball in the hoop. During the Big East season the Mountaineers have score 70+ in just 4 games, still losing two of those. Last night WVU made a total of 6 2-point shots. They went 6 of 25 from inside the arc. WVU has 5 games remaining and 4 of them are against teams ranked in the top 20. Syracuse is now 8-6 in conference play after starting 5-0. The Cuse are currently sitting in the 8 spot in the standings and there is no reason that the Orange can’t go at least 2-2 the rest of the way out. Wins at home against Rutgers and DePaul would give them 10 conference wins, which should be enough to earn a bye in the BET. Road games on the road against Villanova and Georgetown would just be bonuses wins if they can take care of their home court.

STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Pitt Panthers 11-1
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs South Florida
2/19 @ St. John’s
2/24 vs West Virginia
2/27 @ Louisville
3/2 @ South Florida
3/5 vs Villanova
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-3
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ West Virginia
2/23 @ Providence
2/26 vs Seton Hall
2/28 vs Villanova
3/5 @ Connecticut
Georgetown Hoyas 9-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Connecticut
2/19 @ South Florida
2/23 vs Cincinnati
2/26 vs Syracuse
3/5 @ Cincinnati
Louisville Cardinals 8-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Cincinnati
2/18 vs Connecticut
2/22 @ Rutgers
2/27 vs Pitt
3/2 vs Providence
3/5 @ West Virginia
St. John’s Red Storm 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 @ Marquette
2/19 vs Pitt
2/23 vs DePaul
2/26 @ Villanova
3/2 @ Seton Hall
3/5 vs South Florida
UCONN Huskies 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs Georgetown
2/18 @ Louisville
2/24 vs Marquette
2/27@ Cincinnati
3/2 @ West Virginia
3/5 vs Notre Dame
Villanova Wildcats 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 @ Seton Hall
2/19 @ DePaul
2/21 vs Syracuse
2/26 vs St. John’s
2/28 @ Notre Dame
3/5 @ Pitt
Syracuse Orange 8-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Rutgers
2/21 @ Villanova
2/26 @ Georgetown
3/5 vs DePaul
West Virginia Mountaineers 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 vs Notre Dame
2/24 @ Pitt
2/27 @ Rutgers
3/2 vs Connecticut
3/5 vs Louisville
Marquette Golden Eagles 6-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 vs St. John’s
2/19 vs Seton Hall
2/24 @ Connecticut
2/27 vs Providence
3/2 vs Cincinnati
3/5 @ Seton Hall
Cincinnati Bearcats 6-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs Louisville
2/19 @ Providence
2/23 @ Georgetown
2/27 vs Connecticut
3/2 @ Marquette
3/5 vs Georgetown
Seton Hall Pirates 5-8
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 vs Villanova
2/19 @ Marquette
2/26 @ Notre Dame
3/3 vs St. John’s
3/5 vs Marquette
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Syracuse
2/22 vs Louisville
2/27 vs West Virginia
3/2 @ DePaul
3/5 @ Providence
Providence Friars 3-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 vs DePaul
2/19 vs Cincinnati
2/23 vs Notre Dame
2/27 @ Marquette
3/2 @ Louisville
3/5 vs Rutgers
South Florida Bulls 2-11
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Pitt
2/19 vs Georgetown
2/26 @ DePaul
3/2 vs Pitt
3/5 @ St. John’s
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 @ Providence
2/19 vs Villanova
2/23 @ St. John’s
2/26 vs South Florida
3/2 vs Rutgers
3/5 @ Syracuse

TODAY:
Villanova @ Seton Hall 8:00 pm, Regional TV
St. John’s @ Marquette 9:00 pm, ESPNU

THIS WEEKS GAMES ON TV:
Wednesday - Louisville @ Cincinnati 7:00 pm, ESPN
Thursday - DePaul @ Providence 9:00 pm, ESPN2
Friday - Connecticut @ Louisville 9:00 pm, ESPN
Saturday - Pitt @ St. John’s NOON, ESPN
Saturday - Notre Dame @ WVU 1:00 pm, CBS

BETology:
TUESDAY
March 8th:
NOON
9 – West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Marquette
Vs
15 – South Florida
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Providence

WEDNESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 - St. John’s
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Connecticut
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner

THURSDAY
March 10th:
NOON
1 - Pitt
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Notre Dame
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Georgetown
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner

Check back tomorrow for another update!

2-14 BETology

We have three weeks remaining in the Big East regular season and as of right now we know only when one team is playing. DePaul will be playing on Tuesday, yeah stunning I know! Pitt has a game and a half lead overall in the conference and we have 8 teams within 2 games of each other battling it out for the bye and double bye spots. So with out further ado lets check out what is on tap for this week. But first there were 3 games played yesterday, here is the review of those.

SUNDAY’S RECAP:
ST. JOHN’S RED STORM 59
Cincinnati Bearcats 57
Entering the game both teams had a 6-5 record and held the final two bye spots for the BET, Cincinnati in 7th place and St. John’s 8th place. Cincinnati won the first game on the road against the Johnnies and St. John’s got its revenge in this one in Cincinnati. St. John’s is starting to play well at the right time, winning their 3rd straight conference game. The Red Storm could solidify that first day bye if they take care of business the rest of the way out. Of their 6 remaining games, only Pitt is ahead of them in the standings. As for Cincinnati, this lose hurts because their schedule gets very difficult over the final 3 weeks. After going 13-0 in the non-conference their were high expectations for the Bearcats, however they have not been able to get a quality win all season. Their best win, other than the St. John’s one earlier, is probably Xavier. They will however certainly get their chance in the upcoming weeks. The Bearcats have Louisville, UCONN and Georgetown twice still on the schedule.

GEORGETOWN HOYAS 69
Marquette Golden Eagles 60
The Hoyas overcame a four point halftime deficit and an injury to its start player Austin Freeman and won their 8th straight game in conference play. The win put Georgetown alone in 3rd place ahead of Louisville and just one game behind Notre Dame for 2nd place. The Hoyas go on the road twice this week, first against Connecticut Wednesday, then to South Florida Saturday. Marquette has now lost 6 straight road games to ranked teams. Luckily for them, they only go on the road two more time this season against the four home games remaining on the schedule. Sitting at 6-6 in the conference one would think that Marquette would need to win at least 3, but more likely 4 if they hope to get a day off in New York before they start play. Looking at their schedule this is very realistic, and actually winning 5 of their last 6 looks doable.

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES 75
Providence Friars 57
Connecticut oddly had lost 4 of the last five times the Friars visited the Huskies, but could not afford to trip up in this one. The Huskies entered the game losers of 3 of their last 4 and sitting at 6-5 in the conference. The win puts them in a tie for 5th place just a game out of a double bye spot. This week could be a make or break for the Huskies, they play the two teams directly ahead of them in the standings, home versus Georgetown and then on the road in Louisville. Providence was in this game for most of the first half but let it slip away like most of their games this season. The Friars are now 3-9, with 5 of those losses coming by 10 points or less. Providence sits in 14th place and looks to be a shoe-in for Tuesday action in NYC. The Friars do play better at home and have 4 of 6 games to close out the season in the Dunkin Donut Center, so they could change their seeding, but probably not their start day.


STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Pitt Panthers 11-1
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs South Florida
2/19 @ St. John’s
2/24 vs West Virginia
2/27 @ Louisville
3/2 @ South Florida
3/5 vs Villanova
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-3
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ West Virginia
2/23 @ Providence
2/26 vs Seton Hall
2/28 vs Villanova
3/5 @ Connecticut
Georgetown Hoyas 9-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Connecticut
2/19 @ South Florida
2/23 vs Cincinnati
2/26 vs Syracuse
3/5 @ Cincinnati
Louisville Cardinals 8-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Cincinnati
2/18 vs Connecticut
2/22 @ Rutgers
2/27 vs Pitt
3/2 vs Providence
3/5 @ West Virginia
St. John’s Red Storm 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 @ Marquette
2/19 vs Pitt
2/23 vs DePaul
2/26 @ Villanova
3/2 @ Seton Hall
3/5 vs South Florida
UCONN Huskies 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs Georgetown
2/18 @ Louisville
2/24 vs Marquette
2/27@ Cincinnati
3/2 @ West Virginia
3/5 vs Notre Dame
Villanova Wildcats 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 @ Seton Hall
2/19 @ DePaul
2/21 vs Syracuse
2/26 vs St. John’s
2/28 @ Notre Dame
3/5 @ Pitt
West Virginia Mountaineers 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/14 @ Syracuse
2/19 vs Notre Dame
2/24 @ Pitt
2/27 @ Rutgers
3/2 vs Connecticut
3/5 vs Louisville
Syracuse Orange 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/14 vs West Virginia
2/19 vs Rutgers
2/21 @ Villanova
2/26 @ Georgetown
3/5 vs DePaul
Marquette Golden Eagles 6-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 vs St. John’s
2/19 vs Seton Hall
2/24 @ Connecticut
2/27 vs Providence
3/2 vs Cincinnati
3/5 @ Seton Hall
Cincinnati Bearcats 6-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs Louisville
2/19 @ Providence
2/23 @ Georgetown
2/27 vs Connecticut
3/2 @ Marquette
3/5 vs Georgetown
Seton Hall Pirates 5-8
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 vs Villanova
2/19 @ Marquette
2/26 @ Notre Dame
3/3 vs St. John’s
3/5 vs Marquette
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Syracuse
2/22 vs Louisville
2/27 vs West Virginia
3/2 @ DePaul
3/5 @ Providence
Providence Friars 3-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 vs DePaul
2/19 vs Cincinnati
2/23 vs Notre Dame
2/27 @ Marquette
3/2 @ Louisville
3/5 vs Rutgers
South Florida Bulls 2-11
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Pitt
2/19 vs Georgetown
2/26 @ DePaul
3/2 vs Pitt
3/5 @ St. John’s
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 @ Providence
2/19 vs Villanova
2/23 @ St. John’s
2/26 vs South Florida
3/2 vs Rutgers
3/5 @ Syracuse

TODAY:
West Virginia @ Syracuse 7:00 pm, ESPN

THIS WEEKS GAMES ON TV:
Tuesday - St. John’s @ Marquette 9:00 pm, ESPNU
Wednesday - Louisville @ Cincinnati 7:00 pm, ESPN
Thursday - DePaul @ Providence 9:00 pm, ESPN2
Friday - Connecticut @ Louisville 9:00 pm, ESPN
Saturday - Pitt @ St. John’s NOON, ESPN
Saturday - Notre Dame @ WVU 1:00 pm, CBS

BETology:
TUESDAY
March 8th:
NOON
9 – Syracuse
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Marquette
Vs
15 – South Florida
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Providence

WEDNESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
8 – West Virginia
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 - St. John’s
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Connecticut
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner

THURSDAY
March 10th:
NOON
1 - Pitt
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Notre Dame
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Georgetown
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner

Check back tomorrow for another update!

2-13 BETology

A fairly big day of action to recap from yesterday, so lets get right to the action.

SATURDAY’S RECAP:
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH 78
South Florida Bulls 55
Notre Dame is now winners of 7 straight games and has gotten a little separation between themselves and the big group behind them. Notre Dame also has a game in-hand against most of the teams in the conference, with just 5 remaining as opposed to the 6 the majority of the conference has. The Irish still have 2 more road games in this 3 game road stretch, next up is a trip to Morgantown next Saturday. South Florida has now lost 4 straight and have all but locked up a date to play on Tuesday in Manhattan. The Bulls, like Notre Dame, only have 5 conference games remaining, two of which are against first place Pitt.

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS 73
Syracuse Orange 69
This game had more ups and downs than a roller coaster. The Cuse were up 7 in the first half before Louisville went on a tear and took a 10 point lead into halftime. They built that lead up to 20 before nearly giving it all back. Syracuse cut it to 3, but with the help of good foul shooting and shaky officiating, Louisville held on. This is the 6th lose in the past 8 for Syracuse and the team that started 18-0 is suddenly just 7-6 in the conference and sitting in 11th place. Louisville seems to be gelling at just the right time, like Pitino teams almost always do. The Cardinals toughest two games remaining are Connecticut and Pitt, both of which have to travel to Louisville. If the season ended today Pitino and Co. would be the 4th seed getting a double bye.

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS 82
DePaul Blue Demons 71
A win is a win in the Big East and I’m sure that WVU was thrilled to snap their mini losing streak, but it was not very impressive at all. DePaul is a team that you hope to get down and then put them away, West Virginia never did that. They built a 9 point lead in the first half, but never really added much to it. Kind of just cruising to that 11 point win. WVU is now sitting in 6th place, but only a half a game out of 10th. West Virginia has a brutal schedule to close. The Mountaineers still have 5 of their final 6 games against teams either within a game of them or ahead of them in the standings. As for DePaul, well, they really stink. We still have 3 full weeks remaining in the regular season and DePaul is the first team to clinch a start date for the tournament. Sure we all figure that South Florida and Providence will be playing Tuesday, maybe Seton Hall, Rutgers and St. John’s will join them, but DePaul has clinched that.

SETON HALL PIRATES 69
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 64
I’m sure this is not the way that Rutgers would have like to follow up their big win against Villanova, splitting with their hated state rival Seton Hall, each team winning on the road. Both teams were tied coming into this one at 4-8, so the Hall has the upper hand right now in the standings, but both teams currently look destined to be playing on Tuesday once the tournament starts. Seton Hall closes the season with a slightly more difficult schedule including games with Villanova and Notre Dame as well as a pair still with Marquette. Rutgers has it’s toughest 2 games remaining at home, which they have proved to make tough place to play. The Scarlet Knights end the season with games on the road at Providence and DePaul, which has to be the easiest of any team. That could give them some nice momentum going into the BET.

PITT PANTHERS 57
Villanova Wildcats 54
Philly boys Brad Wanamaker and Nasir Robinson showed off in front of their friends and family combining for 36 of the Panthers 57 points in the win. Pitt built up a 10 point lead in the second half before holding off a late rally. Villanova shouldn’t be hitting the panic button just yet, but they might want to locate it and have it within reach. This is now the Wildcats 4th loss in their last 6 games after starting 5-1 in the conference. Nova is still sitting in a nice position, but just not where many fans thought they would be at this point. Losses on the road to Providence and Rutgers has Nova sitting in 5th place, 1 game out of the double bye spot. The good news is that Nova has Seton Hall and DePaul the next two games. The bad news is that 4 of their last 6 are on the road. Pitt on the other hand is sitting pretty with a game and a half lead on the rest of the conference with 6 games to go. Pitt, with help. could actually clinch a first day bye as early as Wednesday when they host South Florida.


STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Pitt Panthers 11-1
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 vs South Florida
2/19 @ St. John’s
2/24 vs West Virginia
2/27 @ Louisville
3/2 @ South Florida
3/5 vs Villanova
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-3
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ West Virginia
2/23 @ Providence
2/26 vs Seton Hall
2/28 vs Villanova
3/5 @ Connecticut
Georgetown Hoyas 8-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/13 vs Marquette
2/16 @ Connecticut
2/19 @ South Florida
2/23 vs Cincinnati
2/26 vs Syracuse
3/5 @ Cincinnati
Louisville Cardinals 8-4
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Cincinnati
2/18 vs Connecticut
2/22 @ Rutgers
2/27 vs Pitt
3/2 vs Providence
3/5 @ West Virginia
Villanova Wildcats 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 @ Seton Hall
2/19 @ DePaul
2/21 vs Syracuse
2/26 vs St. John’s
2/28 @ Notre Dame
3/5 @ Pitt
West Virginia Mountaineers 7-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/14 @ Syracuse
2/19 vs Notre Dame
2/24 @ Pitt
2/27 @ Rutgers
3/2 vs Connecticut
3/5 vs Louisville
Cincinnati Bearcats 6-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/13 vs St. John’s
2/16 vs Louisville
2/19 @ Providence
2/23 @ Georgetown
2/27 vs Connecticut
3/2 @ Marquette
3/5 vs Georgetown
St. John’s Red Storm 6-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/13 @ Cincinnati
2/15 @ Marquette
2/19 vs Pitt
2/23 vs DePaul
2/26 @ Villanova
3/2 @ Seton Hall
3/5 vs South Florida
UCONN Huskies 6-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/13 vs Providence
2/16 vs Georgetown
2/18 @ Louisville
2/24 vs Marquette
2/27@ Cincinnati
3/2 @ West Virginia
3/5 vs Notre Dame
Marquette Golden Eagles 6-5
Remaining Schedule:
2/13 @ Georgetown
2/15 vs St. John’s
2/19 vs Seton Hall
2/24 @ Connecticut
2/27 vs Providence
3/2 vs Cincinnati
3/5 @ Seton Hall
Syracuse Orange 7-6
Remaining Schedule:
2/14 vs West Virginia
2/19 vs Rutgers
2/21 @ Villanova
2/26 @ Georgetown
3/5 vs DePaul
Seton Hall Pirates 5-8
Remaining Schedule:
2/15 vs Villanova
2/19 @ Marquette
2/26 @ Notre Dame
3/3 vs St. John’s
3/5 vs Marquette
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 4-9
Remaining Schedule:
2/19 @ Syracuse
2/22 vs Louisville
2/27 vs West Virginia
3/2 @ DePaul
3/5 @ Providence
Providence Friars 3-8
Remaining Schedule:
2/13 @ Connecticut
2/17 vs DePaul
2/19 vs Cincinnati
2/23 vs Notre Dame
2/27 @ Marquette
3/2 @ Louisville
3/5 vs Rutgers
South Florida Bulls 2-11
Remaining Schedule:
2/16 @ Pitt
2/19 vs Georgetown
2/26 @ DePaul
3/2 vs Pitt
3/5 @ St. John’s
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
Remaining Schedule:
2/17 @ Providence
2/19 vs Villanova
2/23 @ St. John’s
2/26 vs South Florida
3/2 vs Rutgers
3/5 @ Syracuse

TODAY:
St. John’s @ Cincinnati NOON, Regional TV
Marquette @ Georgetown 1:00 PM, ESPN
Providence @ Connecticut 7:00 PM, Regional TV

BETology:
TUESDAY
March 8th:
NOON
9 – Connecticut
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Marquette
Vs
15 – South Florida
9:00
11 – Syracuse
Vs
14 – Providence

WEDNESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
8 – St. John’s
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 - Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Cincinnati
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – West Virginia
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner

THURSDAY
March 10th:
NOON
1 - Pitt
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Notre Dame
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Georgetown
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner

Check back tomorrow for another update!