This is The Rants daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 10th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 12-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 11-2
Louisville Cardinals 10-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 10-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-4
Providence Friars 8-5
Syracuse Orange 7-6
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 6-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 5-7
Seton Hall Pirates 5-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-8
South Florida Bulls 3-9
St. John’s Red Storm 3-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-11
DePaul Blue Demons 0-13
YESTERDAY:
Pitt Panthers 76
UCONN Huskies 68
Pitt took game one of the series between the two heavyweights of the Big East. The two teams with by far the most wins this decade battled in Hartford last night with the road team coming out on top. This gives Pitt a huge advantage down the final stretch of their schedule knowing that they are currently in a virtual tie for first place and have their two most difficult games at home. UCONN on the other hand only have four games remaining in conference play, but three of them look like they will be a challenge to the undermanned Huskies. UCONN still has Notre Dame at home (UCONN won by 8 @ ND, but Luke Harrangody went for 24 and 15 dominating Thabeet) and they travel to Marquette before finishing the season in Pittsburgh.
TODAY:
Seton Hall Pirates @ Marquette Golden Eagles
8:00 pm Regional TV
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
Saturday:
Marquette @ Georgetown ESPN
Sunday:
Villanova @ Syracuse CBS
Monday:
Louisville @ Georgetown ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 – Notre Dame
Vs
15 – Rutgers
9:00
11 – Seton Hall
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY
March 11th:
NOON
8 – Cincinnati
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
BETology 2-16
This is The Rants daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 10th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 12-1
Louisville Cardinals 10-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 10-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 10-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-4
Providence Friars 8-5
Syracuse Orange 7-6
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 6-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 5-7
Seton Hall Pirates 5-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-8
South Florida Bulls 3-9
St. John’s Red Storm 3-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-11
DePaul Blue Demons 0-13
THIS WEEKEND:
SATURDAY
Syracuse Orange 98
Georgetown Hoyas 94
This game ends up being an important win for Syracuse, putting them back over .500 in conference play with Villanova next up at home. However, this game could be the game the Hoyas look back on as the on that got away and knocked them out of the NCAA’s. Georgetown was down as many as 16 late in the second half, and battled back to tie and have a chance to win in regulation, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer just didn’t fall. Now the Hoyas see themselves at 4-8 in the conference and in 12th place. Georgetown will need to win at least 4 of their last 6 and maybe one or two in New York.
UCONN Huskies 62
Seton Hall Pirates 54
UCONN passed their final test before this weeks match-up with Pitt. The Huskies seemed to have control from the start in this one. Seton Hall made a little run to start the second half and get within 5, but UCONN quickly showed its dominance by rattling off 3 quick baskets to get the lead back into double figures. It stayed there pretty much the rest of the way. UCONN now has a 1½ game lead over the clump in 2nd place in conference play. The Huskies still have Pitt twice, Marquette and Notre Dame on the schedule. Seton Hall continued its pretty predictable run thus far in the Big East. The Pirates have beaten everyone below them in the standings and nobody above them.
Pitt Panthers 85
Cincinnati Bearcats 69
Pitt also took care of business before they travel to Storrs, CT for their showdown with #1 UCONN. Pitt jumped out to a big first half lead and seemed to sleep walk the rest of the way to a victory. A win against UCONN would give Pitt a nice start to a very winnable 3 game stretch against Seton Hall, Providence and DePaul. Cincinnati is now on the verge of missing out from the Wednesday bye in New York sitting at the 8 spot in the standings. After Pitt the Bearcats have Louisville, WVU and Syracuse coming up. The WVU and Syracuse games will go a long way in seeding for the BET as they are all currently within ½ game of each other.
Providence Friars 78
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 68
Providence continues its surprising run in the Big East this season. The same Providence team that went 8-4 in non-conference play including a loss to Northeastern to kick off the season finds itself in the 6 spot right now in the Big East standings. The Friars will be tested as the season ends with three of their last five coming against teams ahead of them in the standings (Louisville, Pitt, and Villanova). Rutgers also continues its way as it has most of the season, losing. Rutgers has a young team that just is not on par with the rest of this very talented and experienced Big East conference. Things do look positive for Rutgers in the future though, of their last five losses, all have been by 10 points or fewer. This team is competing and getting better. These beating will help as this grows in the future.
Marquette Golden Eagles 73
St. John’s Red Storm 59
Marquette had the perfect prescription for a two game losing streak, St. John’s. The win allows Marquette to keep pace with Louisville and Pitt in a 3-team tie for 2nd place. The loss for St. John’s drops them to 14th in the standings, ½ game behind South Florida. Marquette has a must win game on Tuesday when Seton Hall travels to Wisconsin, before the Eagles start their brutal five game, season ending stretch. As for St. John’s the schedule lightens up a little as they get a non-conference game this week. The struggling Duke Blue Devils come to MSG on Thursday.
SUNDAY
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 67
South Florida Bulls 57
Notre Dame followed up its rout of Louisville on Thursday with another win, possibly righting the ship a little, as they head down the home stretch. The Irish cannot sit back and celebrate though, they need to keep winning to get a good spot in NYC and work their way back into NCAA Tournament talk, as of now, they are heading to the NIT. South Florida has followed up its upset win over Marquette with two bad losses against teams that they can certainly compete. The Bulls are guaranteed a spot in NYC for the first time only since the Big East is inviting all 16 teams this season, it doesn’t look like USF is in a position to make it a long stay in the Big Apple though.
Louisville Cardinals 99
DePaul Blue Demons 54
DePaul is just terrible, enough said about them. As for Louisville, you think that 33 point beat down by Notre Dame lit a fire under them today? The Cardinals are in a very good position at this point. They are sitting at 10-2 in the conference and have six winnable games remaining. They do play Marquette still, but that is at home. And they play at Georgetown and WVU, but Louisville is a good enough team to win both of those game on the road.
TODAY:
Pitt Panthers @ UCONN Huskies
7:00 pm ESPN
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
Saturday:
Marquette @ Georgetown ESPN
Sunday:
Villanova @ Syracuse CBS
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 – Notre Dame
Vs
15 – Rutgers
9:00
11 – Seton Hall
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Cincinnati
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 12-1
Louisville Cardinals 10-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 10-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 10-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-4
Providence Friars 8-5
Syracuse Orange 7-6
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 6-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 5-7
Seton Hall Pirates 5-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-8
South Florida Bulls 3-9
St. John’s Red Storm 3-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-11
DePaul Blue Demons 0-13
THIS WEEKEND:
SATURDAY
Syracuse Orange 98
Georgetown Hoyas 94
This game ends up being an important win for Syracuse, putting them back over .500 in conference play with Villanova next up at home. However, this game could be the game the Hoyas look back on as the on that got away and knocked them out of the NCAA’s. Georgetown was down as many as 16 late in the second half, and battled back to tie and have a chance to win in regulation, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer just didn’t fall. Now the Hoyas see themselves at 4-8 in the conference and in 12th place. Georgetown will need to win at least 4 of their last 6 and maybe one or two in New York.
UCONN Huskies 62
Seton Hall Pirates 54
UCONN passed their final test before this weeks match-up with Pitt. The Huskies seemed to have control from the start in this one. Seton Hall made a little run to start the second half and get within 5, but UCONN quickly showed its dominance by rattling off 3 quick baskets to get the lead back into double figures. It stayed there pretty much the rest of the way. UCONN now has a 1½ game lead over the clump in 2nd place in conference play. The Huskies still have Pitt twice, Marquette and Notre Dame on the schedule. Seton Hall continued its pretty predictable run thus far in the Big East. The Pirates have beaten everyone below them in the standings and nobody above them.
Pitt Panthers 85
Cincinnati Bearcats 69
Pitt also took care of business before they travel to Storrs, CT for their showdown with #1 UCONN. Pitt jumped out to a big first half lead and seemed to sleep walk the rest of the way to a victory. A win against UCONN would give Pitt a nice start to a very winnable 3 game stretch against Seton Hall, Providence and DePaul. Cincinnati is now on the verge of missing out from the Wednesday bye in New York sitting at the 8 spot in the standings. After Pitt the Bearcats have Louisville, WVU and Syracuse coming up. The WVU and Syracuse games will go a long way in seeding for the BET as they are all currently within ½ game of each other.
Providence Friars 78
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 68
Providence continues its surprising run in the Big East this season. The same Providence team that went 8-4 in non-conference play including a loss to Northeastern to kick off the season finds itself in the 6 spot right now in the Big East standings. The Friars will be tested as the season ends with three of their last five coming against teams ahead of them in the standings (Louisville, Pitt, and Villanova). Rutgers also continues its way as it has most of the season, losing. Rutgers has a young team that just is not on par with the rest of this very talented and experienced Big East conference. Things do look positive for Rutgers in the future though, of their last five losses, all have been by 10 points or fewer. This team is competing and getting better. These beating will help as this grows in the future.
Marquette Golden Eagles 73
St. John’s Red Storm 59
Marquette had the perfect prescription for a two game losing streak, St. John’s. The win allows Marquette to keep pace with Louisville and Pitt in a 3-team tie for 2nd place. The loss for St. John’s drops them to 14th in the standings, ½ game behind South Florida. Marquette has a must win game on Tuesday when Seton Hall travels to Wisconsin, before the Eagles start their brutal five game, season ending stretch. As for St. John’s the schedule lightens up a little as they get a non-conference game this week. The struggling Duke Blue Devils come to MSG on Thursday.
SUNDAY
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 67
South Florida Bulls 57
Notre Dame followed up its rout of Louisville on Thursday with another win, possibly righting the ship a little, as they head down the home stretch. The Irish cannot sit back and celebrate though, they need to keep winning to get a good spot in NYC and work their way back into NCAA Tournament talk, as of now, they are heading to the NIT. South Florida has followed up its upset win over Marquette with two bad losses against teams that they can certainly compete. The Bulls are guaranteed a spot in NYC for the first time only since the Big East is inviting all 16 teams this season, it doesn’t look like USF is in a position to make it a long stay in the Big Apple though.
Louisville Cardinals 99
DePaul Blue Demons 54
DePaul is just terrible, enough said about them. As for Louisville, you think that 33 point beat down by Notre Dame lit a fire under them today? The Cardinals are in a very good position at this point. They are sitting at 10-2 in the conference and have six winnable games remaining. They do play Marquette still, but that is at home. And they play at Georgetown and WVU, but Louisville is a good enough team to win both of those game on the road.
TODAY:
Pitt Panthers @ UCONN Huskies
7:00 pm ESPN
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
Saturday:
Marquette @ Georgetown ESPN
Sunday:
Villanova @ Syracuse CBS
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 – Notre Dame
Vs
15 – Rutgers
9:00
11 – Seton Hall
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Cincinnati
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Villanova
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Syracuse
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
BETology 2-14
This is The Rants daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 10th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 11-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-4
Providence Friars 7-5
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5
Syracuse Orange 6-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 6-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
South Florida Bulls 3-8
St. John’s Red Storm 3-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
West Virginia Mountaineers 93
Villanova Wildcats 72
Two straight nights the Big East has shown its depth and strength to the national audiences on ESPN. West Virginia becomes the second straight team that is under .500 in league play to dominate a ranked team at home in as many nights. Da’Sean Butler led the way with a career high 43 points for WVU, this after he was held to just four points and zero rebounds against Pitt on Monday. Butler’s 43 were the most points scored in a Big East game since Marcus Hatten scored 44 for St. John’s in March of 2003. Neither teams seeding if immediately affected by last night’s outcome, however Villanova falls a full 1½ games behind a 3-way pack for the final 2-day bye in New York. West Virginia moves into a tie with Syracuse and one game behind Providence and Cincinnati in a battle for a first day bye in New York.
TODAY:
Georgetown Hoyas @ Syracuse Orange
12:00 pm ESPN
UCONN Huskies @ Seton Hall Pirates
12:00 pm Big East Game of the Week Regional TV
Cincinnati Bearcats @ Pitt Panthers
4:00 pm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Providence Friars
7:00 pm Big East Regional TV
St. John’s Red Storm @ Marquette Golden Eagles
9:00 pm Big East Regional TV
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
Vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 – Notre Dame
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 11-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-4
Providence Friars 7-5
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5
Syracuse Orange 6-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 6-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
South Florida Bulls 3-8
St. John’s Red Storm 3-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
West Virginia Mountaineers 93
Villanova Wildcats 72
Two straight nights the Big East has shown its depth and strength to the national audiences on ESPN. West Virginia becomes the second straight team that is under .500 in league play to dominate a ranked team at home in as many nights. Da’Sean Butler led the way with a career high 43 points for WVU, this after he was held to just four points and zero rebounds against Pitt on Monday. Butler’s 43 were the most points scored in a Big East game since Marcus Hatten scored 44 for St. John’s in March of 2003. Neither teams seeding if immediately affected by last night’s outcome, however Villanova falls a full 1½ games behind a 3-way pack for the final 2-day bye in New York. West Virginia moves into a tie with Syracuse and one game behind Providence and Cincinnati in a battle for a first day bye in New York.
TODAY:
Georgetown Hoyas @ Syracuse Orange
12:00 pm ESPN
UCONN Huskies @ Seton Hall Pirates
12:00 pm Big East Game of the Week Regional TV
Cincinnati Bearcats @ Pitt Panthers
4:00 pm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Providence Friars
7:00 pm Big East Regional TV
St. John’s Red Storm @ Marquette Golden Eagles
9:00 pm Big East Regional TV
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
Vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 – Notre Dame
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Friday, February 13, 2009
T3R College Hoops Style Week 4
Although the ranks were posted on Friday this week, they were completed Thursday but I was unable to post them until today. Keep in mind that these were finished before the Louisville and UCLA losses and the Gonzaga and Arizona State wins.
1. UCONN Huskies (23-1, 11-1)
40 votes (2 first place votes)
Last week: W vs Michigan 69-61, W vs Syracuse 63-49
This week: Saturday @ Seton Hall, Monday vs #3 Pitt
UCONN has yet to see a big physical team challenge their defense this season. Hasheem Thabeet has been able to dominate the inside on defense, scaring teams into taking bad shots and allowing the Huskies to stay out of foul trouble almost all season. Pitt will attack UCONN and be physical with the Huskies on Monday. It will be a fun one to watch. Also, UCONN has lost its 2nd leading scorer, Jerome Dyson, for the season. It will be interesting to see how Calhoun adjusts his line-up to replace him.
2. Oklahoma Sooners (24-1, 10-0)
38 votes
Last week: W vs Colorado 77-72, W Baylor 78-63
This week: Saturday vs Texas TechThis team is a lot like the St. Joe’s team from 2004. Both teams had one huge star (Blake Griffin of OU, Jameer Nelson for St.J) and some role players that would almost always step up if needed. The problem that OU has is the same that St. Joe’s had, their conference is very weak. I know that the Big XII is better than the A-10, but the Big XII is WAY down this year and it is tough to tell how good OU will be come March.
3. Pitt Panthers (22-2, 7-2)
36 votes
Last week: W @ DePaul 92-69, W vs West Virginia 70-59
This week: Saturday vs Cincinnati, Monday @ #1 UCONN
Pitt is the only team in the country that only have losses to Top 10 teams. No other team can claim that they have no bad losses. However, Pitt also needs to add a marquee win to their resume. UCONN on Monday night would be a great way to boost that resume as the Panthers shoot for their first 1-seed in school history.
4. North Carolina Tarheels (22-2, 8-2)
34 votes
Last week: W vs Virginia 76-61, W @ #15 Duke 101-87
This week: Sunday @ Miami, Wednesday vs North Carolina State
A very impressive win at Duke Wednesday night. Ty Lawson is the glue to this team. They will go as far as he takes them. Regardless of all the hype about Tyler Hansbrough, Lawson is the best player on the team. His sub-par performances against both BC & Wake Forest resulted in losses for the Heels. Hansbrough has sub-par games against Clemson and Duke yet UNC wins. Why? Lawson!
5. Louisville Cardinals (18-4, 9-1)
32 votes
Last week: W @ St. John’s 60-47
This week: Thursday, L @ Notre Dame 90-57, Sunday vs DePaul, Wednesday vs Providence
This has been a long road this season for Louisville. They started the season in the top 3, then after losses to Minnesota and UNLV almost fell out of the rankings altogether. Now they are back in the top 5. The big glaring weakness for this team is leadership. David Padgett had been that guy for the past 8 or 9 years at Louisville, but the NCAA finally cut off his eligibility and the team is lost without him. If someone finally steps up as the leader of this team they will be a tough out in March.
6. Memphis Tigers (21-3, 9-0)
30 votes
Last week: W @ #13 Gonzaga 68-50, W vs Tulsa 63-37
This week: Saturday @ Southern Miss, Wednesday @ Southern Methodist
Let’s take a closer look at who Memphis has on tap this week. SMU and USM, life in Conference USA must be nice. Keep this in mind; Memphis is 1-2 in Big East play this year. They beat Seton Hall and lost to both Syracuse and Georgetown. That Syracuse loss was at home; the only other wins Syracuse has on the road this year are Rutgers and South Florida. Let that sink in a little.
7. Villanova Wildcats (20-4, 8-3)
28 votes
Last week: W vs Syracuse 102-85, W @ #11 Marquette 102-84
This week: Friday @ West Virginia
Nova has won six straight and has only one loss in the past month, and that loss was in Storrs vs the #1 team in the country in a game they were winning in the second half. Their defense has been suspect during this stretch, but it hasn’t mattered much because the offense has been on fire. The Wildcats have averaged 99.3 over their past three games and haven’t shot worse than 54% in either of their last two.
8. UCLA Bruins (19-4, 8-2)
24 votes
Last week: W vs Notre Dame 89-63
This week: Thursday, L @ #16 Arizona State, Saturday @ Arizona
UCLA destroyed Notre Dame last week and get back to conference play with rather difficult stretch. The Bruins have Arizona State, Arizona and Washington all coming up. UW and ASU already beat UCLA once each this season and if the Bruins have any hopes of winning the Pac-10 and maybe squeaking into a 1 or 2 seed they can’t let it happen again.
9. Michigan State Spartans (20-4, 10-2)
22 votes
Last week: W vs Indiana 75-47, W @ Michigan 54-42
This week: Tuesday @ Purdue
I normally have a rule that states, “IF YOU LOSE TO PENN STATE IN BASKETBALL YOU CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RANKED AGAIN THAT SEASON.” Michigan State is the first team to break that rule. Although I still think it is entirely inexcusable that they lost at home to Penn State, they have bounced back very nicely and are clearly the class of the Big Ten this season (if that means anything).
9. Clemson Tigers (20-3, 6-3)
22 votes
Last week: L vs Florida State 65-61, W vs @ Boston College 87-77
This week: Sunday @ Virginia, Tuesday vs Maryland
For once Clemson is actually hanging around the top ten AFTER conference play starts. Losing at home to Florida State after that big Duke win is a little disappointing, but the Seminoles are not a bad team. Clemson only has three losses, UNC, Wake and FSU, not a shabby group of teams there.
11. Butler Bulldogs (21-2, 12-1)
15 votes
Last week: W @ Detroit 66-61, W @ Wright State 69-51
This week: Friday vs Illinois-Chicago, Sunday vs Loyola (IL)
Butler is clearly the class of the Horizon League even after they tripped up against UW-GB. Maybe Butler just gets bored with those teams. They did go out of conference and beat Xavier earlier in the year, but I can’t wait for the match-up with Davidson on Feb 21st.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles (20-4, 9-2)
15 votes
Last week: L @ South Florida 57-56, L @ #7 Villanova 102-84
This week: Saturday vs St. John’s, Tuesday vs Seton Hall
Last week we asked, “How far can 3 guards take you?” and this week we found out the answer is until the first week in February. Losing to Villanova, okay I see that, but South Florida? The Golden Eagles have 2 gimmes before a brutal 5-game stretch to finish the year of @ G’Town, UCONN, @ L’ville, @ Pitt and they finish home vs Syracuse. They better take care of business this week or Marquette may be the first team in history to follow a nine game winning streak with nine straight L’s.
13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-4, 5-4)
14 votes
Last week: W vs Boston College 93-76, L @ NC State 82-76
This week: Saturday vs Florida State, Wednesday vs Georgia Tech
This team has to be the biggest question mark of anyone in the rankings. The same team that has lost to, arguably, the two worst teams in the ACC (Georgia Tech and NC State) has also beaten UNC, Clemson and Duke. Go figure.
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (17-5, 8-0)
14 votes
Last week: W @ Portland 93-78, L vs #6 Memphis 68-50
This week: Thursday, W @ St. Mary’s 72-70, Saturday @ San Francisco
Saturday, against Memphis, Gonzaga showed that they either are no where close to the team that have been in the past or when they have off nights they are really off. I’m going with they off night theory.
15. Duke Blue Devils (20-4, 7-3)
12 votes
Last week: W vs Miami 78-75, L vs #4 North Carolina 101-87
This week: Sunday @ Boston College
Duke is in a major rut right now. The Blue Devils are doing just enough to win games or being completely blown out of the gym. UNC nearly blew Duke out early on Wednesday, but Duke showed a lot of heart in battling back to make it a game. It was only a matter of time before UNC and their superior athletes overwhelmed Duke.
16. Arizona State Sun Devils (18-5, 8-3)
10 votes
Last week: W @ Oregon 66-57, W @ Oregon State 49-38
This week: Thursday, W vs #8 UCLA, Sunday vs USC
No, that is not a typo, Arizona State scored just 49 points in a win last week. So maybe their offense lacks a little punch, but imagine how great their defense must be. The Sun Devils are right in the middle of the wide open Pac-10 race.
Others receiving votes:Missouri 8, Washington 3, Florida State 3, Illinois 2, Xavier 2, Dayton 1
1. UCONN Huskies (23-1, 11-1)
40 votes (2 first place votes)
Last week: W vs Michigan 69-61, W vs Syracuse 63-49
This week: Saturday @ Seton Hall, Monday vs #3 Pitt
UCONN has yet to see a big physical team challenge their defense this season. Hasheem Thabeet has been able to dominate the inside on defense, scaring teams into taking bad shots and allowing the Huskies to stay out of foul trouble almost all season. Pitt will attack UCONN and be physical with the Huskies on Monday. It will be a fun one to watch. Also, UCONN has lost its 2nd leading scorer, Jerome Dyson, for the season. It will be interesting to see how Calhoun adjusts his line-up to replace him.
2. Oklahoma Sooners (24-1, 10-0)
38 votes
Last week: W vs Colorado 77-72, W Baylor 78-63
This week: Saturday vs Texas TechThis team is a lot like the St. Joe’s team from 2004. Both teams had one huge star (Blake Griffin of OU, Jameer Nelson for St.J) and some role players that would almost always step up if needed. The problem that OU has is the same that St. Joe’s had, their conference is very weak. I know that the Big XII is better than the A-10, but the Big XII is WAY down this year and it is tough to tell how good OU will be come March.
3. Pitt Panthers (22-2, 7-2)
36 votes
Last week: W @ DePaul 92-69, W vs West Virginia 70-59
This week: Saturday vs Cincinnati, Monday @ #1 UCONN
Pitt is the only team in the country that only have losses to Top 10 teams. No other team can claim that they have no bad losses. However, Pitt also needs to add a marquee win to their resume. UCONN on Monday night would be a great way to boost that resume as the Panthers shoot for their first 1-seed in school history.
4. North Carolina Tarheels (22-2, 8-2)
34 votes
Last week: W vs Virginia 76-61, W @ #15 Duke 101-87
This week: Sunday @ Miami, Wednesday vs North Carolina State
A very impressive win at Duke Wednesday night. Ty Lawson is the glue to this team. They will go as far as he takes them. Regardless of all the hype about Tyler Hansbrough, Lawson is the best player on the team. His sub-par performances against both BC & Wake Forest resulted in losses for the Heels. Hansbrough has sub-par games against Clemson and Duke yet UNC wins. Why? Lawson!
5. Louisville Cardinals (18-4, 9-1)
32 votes
Last week: W @ St. John’s 60-47
This week: Thursday, L @ Notre Dame 90-57, Sunday vs DePaul, Wednesday vs Providence
This has been a long road this season for Louisville. They started the season in the top 3, then after losses to Minnesota and UNLV almost fell out of the rankings altogether. Now they are back in the top 5. The big glaring weakness for this team is leadership. David Padgett had been that guy for the past 8 or 9 years at Louisville, but the NCAA finally cut off his eligibility and the team is lost without him. If someone finally steps up as the leader of this team they will be a tough out in March.
6. Memphis Tigers (21-3, 9-0)
30 votes
Last week: W @ #13 Gonzaga 68-50, W vs Tulsa 63-37
This week: Saturday @ Southern Miss, Wednesday @ Southern Methodist
Let’s take a closer look at who Memphis has on tap this week. SMU and USM, life in Conference USA must be nice. Keep this in mind; Memphis is 1-2 in Big East play this year. They beat Seton Hall and lost to both Syracuse and Georgetown. That Syracuse loss was at home; the only other wins Syracuse has on the road this year are Rutgers and South Florida. Let that sink in a little.
7. Villanova Wildcats (20-4, 8-3)
28 votes
Last week: W vs Syracuse 102-85, W @ #11 Marquette 102-84
This week: Friday @ West Virginia
Nova has won six straight and has only one loss in the past month, and that loss was in Storrs vs the #1 team in the country in a game they were winning in the second half. Their defense has been suspect during this stretch, but it hasn’t mattered much because the offense has been on fire. The Wildcats have averaged 99.3 over their past three games and haven’t shot worse than 54% in either of their last two.
8. UCLA Bruins (19-4, 8-2)
24 votes
Last week: W vs Notre Dame 89-63
This week: Thursday, L @ #16 Arizona State, Saturday @ Arizona
UCLA destroyed Notre Dame last week and get back to conference play with rather difficult stretch. The Bruins have Arizona State, Arizona and Washington all coming up. UW and ASU already beat UCLA once each this season and if the Bruins have any hopes of winning the Pac-10 and maybe squeaking into a 1 or 2 seed they can’t let it happen again.
9. Michigan State Spartans (20-4, 10-2)
22 votes
Last week: W vs Indiana 75-47, W @ Michigan 54-42
This week: Tuesday @ Purdue
I normally have a rule that states, “IF YOU LOSE TO PENN STATE IN BASKETBALL YOU CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RANKED AGAIN THAT SEASON.” Michigan State is the first team to break that rule. Although I still think it is entirely inexcusable that they lost at home to Penn State, they have bounced back very nicely and are clearly the class of the Big Ten this season (if that means anything).
9. Clemson Tigers (20-3, 6-3)
22 votes
Last week: L vs Florida State 65-61, W vs @ Boston College 87-77
This week: Sunday @ Virginia, Tuesday vs Maryland
For once Clemson is actually hanging around the top ten AFTER conference play starts. Losing at home to Florida State after that big Duke win is a little disappointing, but the Seminoles are not a bad team. Clemson only has three losses, UNC, Wake and FSU, not a shabby group of teams there.
11. Butler Bulldogs (21-2, 12-1)
15 votes
Last week: W @ Detroit 66-61, W @ Wright State 69-51
This week: Friday vs Illinois-Chicago, Sunday vs Loyola (IL)
Butler is clearly the class of the Horizon League even after they tripped up against UW-GB. Maybe Butler just gets bored with those teams. They did go out of conference and beat Xavier earlier in the year, but I can’t wait for the match-up with Davidson on Feb 21st.
11. Marquette Golden Eagles (20-4, 9-2)
15 votes
Last week: L @ South Florida 57-56, L @ #7 Villanova 102-84
This week: Saturday vs St. John’s, Tuesday vs Seton Hall
Last week we asked, “How far can 3 guards take you?” and this week we found out the answer is until the first week in February. Losing to Villanova, okay I see that, but South Florida? The Golden Eagles have 2 gimmes before a brutal 5-game stretch to finish the year of @ G’Town, UCONN, @ L’ville, @ Pitt and they finish home vs Syracuse. They better take care of business this week or Marquette may be the first team in history to follow a nine game winning streak with nine straight L’s.
13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-4, 5-4)
14 votes
Last week: W vs Boston College 93-76, L @ NC State 82-76
This week: Saturday vs Florida State, Wednesday vs Georgia Tech
This team has to be the biggest question mark of anyone in the rankings. The same team that has lost to, arguably, the two worst teams in the ACC (Georgia Tech and NC State) has also beaten UNC, Clemson and Duke. Go figure.
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (17-5, 8-0)
14 votes
Last week: W @ Portland 93-78, L vs #6 Memphis 68-50
This week: Thursday, W @ St. Mary’s 72-70, Saturday @ San Francisco
Saturday, against Memphis, Gonzaga showed that they either are no where close to the team that have been in the past or when they have off nights they are really off. I’m going with they off night theory.
15. Duke Blue Devils (20-4, 7-3)
12 votes
Last week: W vs Miami 78-75, L vs #4 North Carolina 101-87
This week: Sunday @ Boston College
Duke is in a major rut right now. The Blue Devils are doing just enough to win games or being completely blown out of the gym. UNC nearly blew Duke out early on Wednesday, but Duke showed a lot of heart in battling back to make it a game. It was only a matter of time before UNC and their superior athletes overwhelmed Duke.
16. Arizona State Sun Devils (18-5, 8-3)
10 votes
Last week: W @ Oregon 66-57, W @ Oregon State 49-38
This week: Thursday, W vs #8 UCLA, Sunday vs USC
No, that is not a typo, Arizona State scored just 49 points in a win last week. So maybe their offense lacks a little punch, but imagine how great their defense must be. The Sun Devils are right in the middle of the wide open Pac-10 race.
Others receiving votes:Missouri 8, Washington 3, Florida State 3, Illinois 2, Xavier 2, Dayton 1
BETology 2-13
This is The Rants daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City which begins March 10th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 11-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-3
Providence Friars 7-5
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5
Syracuse Orange 6-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 5-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
South Florida Bulls 3-8
St. John’s Red Storm 3-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 90
Louisville Cardinals 57
The Irish showed up to play for the first time in over a month as they dismantled Rick Pitino’s Louisville squad. The 33-point loss is the worst for Louisville under Pitino. Notre Dame had not won a game since January 10th and desperately needed a win to help their chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Last night, they got a marquee win for their resume and one that may get the ball rolling for a relatively easy stretch in their schedule which features upcoming games with USF, WVU, Providence and Rutgers.
TONIGHT:
Villanova Wildcats @ West Virginia Mountaineers
9:00 pm ESPN
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse ESPN
Cincinnati @ Pitt ESPN
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
Vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 – Notre Dame
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 11-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-3
Providence Friars 7-5
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5
Syracuse Orange 6-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 5-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-7
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
South Florida Bulls 3-8
St. John’s Red Storm 3-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 90
Louisville Cardinals 57
The Irish showed up to play for the first time in over a month as they dismantled Rick Pitino’s Louisville squad. The 33-point loss is the worst for Louisville under Pitino. Notre Dame had not won a game since January 10th and desperately needed a win to help their chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Last night, they got a marquee win for their resume and one that may get the ball rolling for a relatively easy stretch in their schedule which features upcoming games with USF, WVU, Providence and Rutgers.
TONIGHT:
Villanova Wildcats @ West Virginia Mountaineers
9:00 pm ESPN
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse ESPN
Cincinnati @ Pitt ESPN
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
Thursday:
Duke Blue Devils @ St. John’s Red Storm ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Villanova Wildcats ESPN2
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
Vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Georgetown
Vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
Vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 – Notre Dame
Vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Marquette
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
BETology 2-12
This is The Rants daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City which begins March 10th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 11-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-1
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-3
Providence Friars 7-5
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5
Syracuse Orange 6-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 5-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
Notre Dame Irish (they haven't been fighting all year) 3-7
South Florida Bulls 3-8
St. John’s Red Storm 3-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
UCONN Huskies 63
Syracuse Orange 49
UCONN dominated this game on the defensive end holding Syracuse to a season low 49 points. Connecticut has a game at Seton Hall Saturday before their showdown with Pitt in Storrs on Monday night. Syracuse, who has lost 5 of 6, gets to go back home to the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome for their next two games versus Georgetown and Villanova. The Cuse aren’t on the road again until Feb 24th, at St. John’s
Cincinnati Bearcats 71
St. John’s Red Storm 61
After a sluggish start in conference play the Bearcats are getting back to were most people thought they would be to begin the season. Cincinnati right now is in position for the 7-seed in the BET and a first day bye. However there next two games will be a test, they have Pitt and Louisville on the schedule coming up. St. John’s seems to just fall short against the better teams this year. They played tough with Louisville last week but lost late, they did the same yesterday. The Red Storm are almost assured of playing on Tuesday in the BET with their current record and some more difficult games ahead.
TONIGHT:
Louisville Cardinals @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7:00 pm ESPN
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Friday:
Villanova @ West Virginia ESPN
Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse ESPN
Cincinnati @ Pitt ESPN
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Notre Dame
vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 - Georgetown
vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 11-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-1
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-3
Providence Friars 7-5
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-5
Syracuse Orange 6-6
West Virginia Mountaineers 5-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
Notre Dame Irish (they haven't been fighting all year) 3-7
South Florida Bulls 3-8
St. John’s Red Storm 3-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
UCONN Huskies 63
Syracuse Orange 49
UCONN dominated this game on the defensive end holding Syracuse to a season low 49 points. Connecticut has a game at Seton Hall Saturday before their showdown with Pitt in Storrs on Monday night. Syracuse, who has lost 5 of 6, gets to go back home to the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome for their next two games versus Georgetown and Villanova. The Cuse aren’t on the road again until Feb 24th, at St. John’s
Cincinnati Bearcats 71
St. John’s Red Storm 61
After a sluggish start in conference play the Bearcats are getting back to were most people thought they would be to begin the season. Cincinnati right now is in position for the 7-seed in the BET and a first day bye. However there next two games will be a test, they have Pitt and Louisville on the schedule coming up. St. John’s seems to just fall short against the better teams this year. They played tough with Louisville last week but lost late, they did the same yesterday. The Red Storm are almost assured of playing on Tuesday in the BET with their current record and some more difficult games ahead.
TONIGHT:
Louisville Cardinals @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7:00 pm ESPN
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Friday:
Villanova @ West Virginia ESPN
Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse ESPN
Cincinnati @ Pitt ESPN
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
Wednesday:
Providence @ Louisville ESPN2
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Notre Dame
vs
13 – South Florida
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 - Georgetown
vs
14 – St. John’s
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
BETology
As we all know the Big East basketball conference is far superior than any other in the nation (forget about what Coach K said before struggling to beat the 11th place Georgetown Hoyas in Cameron Indoor Stadium). So with the Big East Tournament just under one month away I am going to start a daily Big East update. These updates will feature the up to the minute standings, upcoming schedule, featured games in the conference, televised games, and even an updated daily version of BETology (the seedings, match-ups and pairings for the upcoming tournament at Madison Square Garden.
STANDINGS:
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
Connecticut Huskies 10-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-1
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-3
Providence Friars 7-4
Cincinnati Bearcats 6-5
Syracuse Orange 6-5
West Virginia Mountaineers 5-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
Notre Dame Irish (they haven't been fighting all season) 3-7
St. John’s Red Storm 3-8
South Florida Bulls 3-8
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
Providence Friars 77
South Florida Bulls 62
Providence continues to beat the teams they should as they quietly stay in the top half of the Big East standings. Their next three games are against Rutgers, at Louisville and home versus Notre Dame. If they take care of Rutgers and Notre Dame, the Friars should be in a good position for a first day bye in New York. South Florida followed up a big upset win against then unbeaten Marquette with a dud against Providence. This was a game that the Bulls could win and maybe get on a little bit of a roll. Instead, they remain in the bottom four of the Big East with a loss.
Marquette Golden Eagles 84
Villanova Wildcats 102
Marquette is coming back down to reality after a very impressive start of the Big East season. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 9-0 start in conference play, taking advantage of a relatively soft schedule to start. Things were bound to get tougher, but nobody expected the first loss to come from USF. Marquette needed a win to bounce back and get on the winning track before the very challenging end of the season stretch they have ahead of them. Marquette has 2 very winnable games still before finishing with UCONN, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse. Villanova might be the hottest team in the league at this point. Nova has a six game win streak right now and a very manageable schedule down the stretch. If they play better on the defensive end, they could be the team to beat going in the tournament. In their last three games, they are averaging 99.3 ppg.
Seton Hall Pirates 72
DePaul Blue Demons 49
Talk about a snoozer?! Did 7,582 people really have nothing better to do in Chicago last night than attend this game? DePaul is the same story every year, good athletes, but no guidance and terrible coaching. How Jerry Wainwright has kept his job this long amazes me, almost as much as the AD coming out saying that he is the right guy to lead this team in the future. Are you serious? DePaul has won 20 conference games in the 3+ years since joining the Big East; they have lost 42. Seton Hall has now won five straight in conference play, winning all five games versus team below them in the standings. They have UCONN and Marquette up next.
TONIGHT:
Syracuse Orange @ UCONN Huskies
7:00 pm ESPN
St. John’s Red Storm @ Cincinnati Bearcats
7:30 pm ESPN360.com
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Thursday:
Louisville @ Notre Dame ESPN
Friday:
Villanova @ West Virginia ESPN
Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse ESPN
Cincinnati @ Pitt ESPN
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Notre Dame
vs
13 - St. John’s
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 - Georgetown
vs
14 - South Florida
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Connecticut Huskies 10-1
Louisville Cardinals 9-1
Pittsburgh Panthers 9-2
Marquette Golden Eagles 9-2
Villanova Wildcats 8-3
Providence Friars 7-4
Cincinnati Bearcats 6-5
Syracuse Orange 6-5
West Virginia Mountaineers 5-6
Seton Hall Pirates 5-6
Georgetown Hoyas 4-7
Notre Dame Irish (they haven't been fighting all season) 3-7
St. John’s Red Storm 3-8
South Florida Bulls 3-8
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1-10
DePaul Blue Demons 0-12
LAST NIGHT:
Providence Friars 77
South Florida Bulls 62
Providence continues to beat the teams they should as they quietly stay in the top half of the Big East standings. Their next three games are against Rutgers, at Louisville and home versus Notre Dame. If they take care of Rutgers and Notre Dame, the Friars should be in a good position for a first day bye in New York. South Florida followed up a big upset win against then unbeaten Marquette with a dud against Providence. This was a game that the Bulls could win and maybe get on a little bit of a roll. Instead, they remain in the bottom four of the Big East with a loss.
Marquette Golden Eagles 84
Villanova Wildcats 102
Marquette is coming back down to reality after a very impressive start of the Big East season. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 9-0 start in conference play, taking advantage of a relatively soft schedule to start. Things were bound to get tougher, but nobody expected the first loss to come from USF. Marquette needed a win to bounce back and get on the winning track before the very challenging end of the season stretch they have ahead of them. Marquette has 2 very winnable games still before finishing with UCONN, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse. Villanova might be the hottest team in the league at this point. Nova has a six game win streak right now and a very manageable schedule down the stretch. If they play better on the defensive end, they could be the team to beat going in the tournament. In their last three games, they are averaging 99.3 ppg.
Seton Hall Pirates 72
DePaul Blue Demons 49
Talk about a snoozer?! Did 7,582 people really have nothing better to do in Chicago last night than attend this game? DePaul is the same story every year, good athletes, but no guidance and terrible coaching. How Jerry Wainwright has kept his job this long amazes me, almost as much as the AD coming out saying that he is the right guy to lead this team in the future. Are you serious? DePaul has won 20 conference games in the 3+ years since joining the Big East; they have lost 42. Seton Hall has now won five straight in conference play, winning all five games versus team below them in the standings. They have UCONN and Marquette up next.
TONIGHT:
Syracuse Orange @ UCONN Huskies
7:00 pm ESPN
St. John’s Red Storm @ Cincinnati Bearcats
7:30 pm ESPN360.com
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
Thursday:
Louisville @ Notre Dame ESPN
Friday:
Villanova @ West Virginia ESPN
Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse ESPN
Cincinnati @ Pitt ESPN
Sunday:
DePaul @ Louisville ESPNU
Monday:
Pitt @ UCONN ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY March 10th:
NOON
9 - West Virginia
vs
16 - DePaul
2:00
12 - Notre Dame
vs
13 - St. John’s
7:00
10 - Seton Hall
vs
15 - Rutgers
9:00
11 - Georgetown
vs
14 - South Florida
WEDNESDAY March 11th:
NOON
8 – Syracuse
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 – Providence
vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY March 12th:
NOON
1 – UCONN
vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Marquette
vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Louisville
vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)