February 25, 2009 –
by Brendon
To be at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for Notre Dame’s 103-84 dismantling of Providence on Saturday afternoon was — at least for me — to turn the page on this group of Friars seniors. Providence, the only college basketball team with five 1,000-point scorers, had a team long on experience and short on notable performances, and it seemed they had run out of time to achieve something — like an NCAA Tournament appearance — out of their basketball-playing time on Smith Hill.
The defense was never there. The smart decision-making was never there. The clutch play down the stretch was never there. And so the big wins were never there either. But then Tuesday night arrived, and everything came together at once. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big East, Cincinnati, DeJuan Blair, DePaul, Geoff McDermott, Jamie Dixon, Jonathan Kale, Keno Davis, Levance Fields, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Randall Hanke, Rutgers, Sam Young, Sharaud Curry, St. John's, USF
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January 23, 2009 –
by Brendon
There’s nothing quite like heading to New Jersey on a January Thursday night. The good news is that there have been far frostier nights recent weeks than greeted me after stepping off the PATH in Newark to watch Seton Hall host Providence at the nearly new Prudential Center. The matchup was featured in BaselineStats.com’s Games to Watch, so I heeded my own advice and watched, in person. It was a good choice — Providence’s 98-93 overtime win was worth the trip. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big East, Bobby Gonzalez, Eugene Harvey, Geoff McDermott, Jeff Xavier, Jeremy Hazell, John Garcia, Jonathan Kale, Jordan Theodore, Keno Davis, Marshon Brooks, Matt Cajuste, Paul Gause, Providence, Randall Hanke, Robert Mitchell, Seton Hall, Sharaud Curry, Weyinmi Efejuku
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January 22, 2009 –
by Brendon
Fatigued after a long night of basketball-watching and writing, I’ll try to keep tonight’s edition of “The Nights in Hoops” brief despite a full slate of action.
The biggest story of the night was the fall of the last of the unbeatens. Virginia Tech went to Winston-Salem and knocked off Wake Forest, 78-71, built primarily around good 2-point shooting (19-for-29, 65 percent) and 37 free-throw attempts. Despite making just 22 of those freebies, the Hokies were able to come away with the victory. The 2-point performance was especially notable against Demon Deacons team that entered the game 10th in the nation at 2-point defense (40.4 percent). Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews
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Tagged A.J. Price, ACC, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Atlantic-10, Auburn, Baylor, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Blake Griffin, Brigham Young, Butler, Clemson, Colonial, Connecticut, Danny Green, Darrin Horne, Deon Thompson, Duquesne, Florida, Florida State, Frank Haith, George Mason, Georgetown, Horizon, Illinois State, Iowa, James Harden, Jarvis Varnado, Jeff Pendergraph, Jodie Meeks, Jonathan Kale, Kansas State, Keno Davis, Kentucky, LaceDarius Dunn, Louisville, LSU, Marcus Thornton, Matt Janning, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Missouri Valley, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northeastern, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oliver Purnell, Pac-10, Providence, Randall Hanke, Rhode Island, Richmond, Russ Pennell, Rutgers, Saint Joseph's, SEC, Seth Greenberg, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Southern Cal, Tasmin Mitchell, Terrence Williams, Travis Ford, Trent Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, UNLV, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Wayne Ellington, West Virginia, Wichita State, Wink Adams, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Zam Frederick
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January 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
Marquette at Providence (9 p.m.): The Big East fan gets about an hour break between games No. 3 and 4 of this quadruple-header before the nightcap in Providence. This matchup may not have the cachet of the previous three, but Marquette comes in at 4-0 in conference, and the Friars are 3-1 after a close loss at Georgetown last weekend. Both teams feature offensive that can explode from the perimeter, and a small lineup that prefers to run. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Buzz Williams, David Cubillan, Dominic James, Geoff McDermott, Jerel McNeal, Jonathan Kale, Keno Davis, Lazar Hayward, Marquette, Maurice Acker, Ousmane Barro, Providence, Randall Hanke, Sharaud Curry, Wesley Matthews, Weyinmi Efejuku
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