Another wild day from the Big East tournament is in the books. We didn’t have quite the dramatics of day 1, but there was a hell of a lot that went down. Let’s get into the fun.
(9) Connecticut 79 (8) Georgetown 62
The Huskies added to the late season misery for Georgetown by turning an 11-10 deficit to a 35-22 lead. The Huskies got a trio of 3s to push the lead to that margin, and the game was never in doubt. UConn had the lead by as much as 16 in the second half. Chris Wright is expected back a week from now, which the Hoyas desperately need. If they don’t get him back, I don’t think they are within single digits in their tournament game. Kemba Walker had 28 and 6 boards to pace UConn. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and Jeremy Lamb hit double digits. Georgetown got nearly all their points from Jason Clark, 23-8, and Austin Freeman 20.
(5) St John’s 65 (13) Rutgers 63
James Beatty had 15 for Rutgers, and Dwight Hardy 17 for St John’s. The game was overshadowed by this. Here’s my take.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOWkNBxlTo&w=640&h=390](7) Cincinnati 87 (15) South Florida 61
More on this game later.
(11) Marquette 67 (6) West Virginia 61
This was a game of runs. After being close early, Marquette pulled up 4, only to see WV storm back and close the half up 7. The lead got up to 10, but the Golden Eagles chipped away, and with 10:17 to go, the Eagles took the lead on a Jae Crowder 3. With the game tied, Darius Johnson-Odom hit a couple of 3s to put Marquette up 6. West Virginia got the lead back to 3, but Junior Cadougan iced it after WV turned the ball over after a steal. Junior Cadougan was everywhere for the Golden Eagles, and scored a team high 15 points with 5 assists. DJO had 11 as well. Kevin Jones had 11 for the Mountaineers, while John Flowers had 11.
Day 3 Preview
(9) Connecticut v. (1) Pittsburgh
The Huskies third game in three days is a tough one. UConn has had an easy road to this game, so I don’t think they will be that fatigued. The Panthers crushed UConn earlier in the season, but that was in January. This game should be a lot closer. UConn has a lot of confidence going. The Panthers should be able to match their intensity. I think the Panthers are going to win the game. But not without a fight. Kemba has been on fire the past two days, and if he’s got it going, UConn is hard to beat.
Pittsburgh 77 UConn 75
(5) St John’s v. (4) Syracuse
The Garden should be rocking for this one. The crowd was very full for the afternoon tilt yesterday. The game against Rutgers could be a ‘teaching experience’ for the Johnnies. They played like they had never seen a zone defense before. They tried to lose the game, but won under shady conditions. Hey, all you have to do is survive and advance. The Orange can play like one of the best teams in the nation. They can also be beatable. With the raucous crowd that should be expected, this should be a big time game. I’m leaning towards the Orange on this one.
Syracuse 68 St John’s 61
(7) Cincinnati v. (2) Notre Dame
Preview coming.
(11) Marquette v. (3) Louisville
These teams seem to always play dramatic games. The styles seem to match up very well. Both can guard. Both can get up and down the floor. They can both make shots. If the pace gets fast, I favor the Cardinals because they can defend a lot better than the Eagles. Marquette probably needs the game to be wide open if they are going to have a great shot at winning. The Cardinals are looking for redemption after ending the regular season by blowing the West Virginia game. The Cards haven’t played well outside of the Yum Center, so I think it will be worth monitoring how Rick Pitino’s club shows up. I think they win though.
Louisville 75 Marquette 68
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