February 25, 2010 –
by Brendon
The Big East Player of the Year race is one of the most interesting I can remember. I decided to put a more analytical spin to the race, and you can find my conclusions herein.
After crunching some numbers to determine which players have had the biggest impact on their teams, I narrowed down my list to eight players whom I think deserve serious consideration. Here are some of the interesting players I eliminated when paring the list to eight: Jamine Peterson (Providence), Samardo Samuels (Louisville), Jimmy Butler (Marquette), Corey Fisher (Villanova), Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame), Jerome Dyson (Connecticut), D.J. Kennedy (St. John’s), Brad Wanamaker (Pittsburgh), and there were others.
I used full-season data for my evaluations, although I would like to put together some conference-only data once the season is over. Here are my eight finalists in tabular form: Read More »
Posted in Big East
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Tagged Big East, Da'Sean Butler, Dominique Jones, Georgetown, Greg Monroe, Jeremy Hazell, Lazar Hayward, Luke Harangody, Marquette, Notre Dame, Scottie Reynolds, Seton Hall, South Florida, Syracuse, Villanova, Wesley Johnson, West Virginia
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February 14, 2010 –
by Brendon
After two years in which the best Pac-10 players were also the best players in the nation, everyone knows the struggles the league has suffered this season. There’s no reason to post the litany of embarrassments the Pac-10 has suffered this season, as the conference has become a national punchline. Lost, though, in all of the giggles and putdowns are the California Bears.
Mike Montgomery’s team completed a home sweep of the Washington schools with a 16-point win over Washington State on Saturday. Two nights earlier, the Bears were even more impressive, never allowing UW in the game in a 12-point victory featured on ESPN’s “Duke plays UNC for the first time” Week. That win avenged a 15-point loss in Seattle, a Jan. 16 game that wasn’t even that close.
Now 9-4 in conference and 17-8 overall, the Bears are on their way to a Pac-10 regular-season title and a 20-win season despite playing one of the dozen toughest schedules in the nation. Cal’s problem in getting into the NCAA Tournament is partly its own fault. The Bears have yet to beat a likely NCAA Tournament team, going 0-4 against Syracuse, Ohio State, New Mexico and Kansas outside of conference. And, since the Pac-10 is down this season, Cal’s nine wins against eight different league members may fail to sway the Selection Committee. Read More »
Posted in Pac-10
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Tagged Arizona, Arizona State, California, Demetri McCamey, Duke, Evan Turner, Illinois, Jacob Pullen, Jamal Boykin, Jerome Randle, Kalin Lucas, Kansas, Kansas State, Lorenzo Romar, Markhuri Sanders-Frison, Max Zhang, Michigan State, Mike Montgomery, New Mexico, Ohio State, Omondi Amoke, Oregon State, Pac-10, Patrick Christopher, Scottie Reynolds, Syracuse, UCLA, UNC, USC, Villanova, Washington, Washington State
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January 27, 2010 –
by Brendon
A 2-6 stretch from mid-December to mid-January took Seton Hall off many NCAA Tournament radars, but the Pirates are proving that they are good enough to compete for a berth. With two straight wins, SHU is back to 3-4 in conference, and the schedule lightens up — a little — from here on out. In my preseason projections, I picked Seton Hall to make the NCAA Tournament, and there’s no reason to back off that now, even if it might be as the eighth or ninth Big East team in the field.
Right now, the Pirates are just on the outside looking in — fifth out based on my at-large prediction model, but here are some reasons why Seton Hall is good enough to hear its name called on March 14.
Depth: Coach Bobby Gonzalez always had kids who could play and play hard, he just never had enough of them. This season, he has 10 guys whom he’s comfortable playing at various times, and a solid eight-man rotation that could change depending on the opponent. The addition of three transfers — Herb Pope, Jeff Robinson and Keon Lawrence — and two freshmen — Jamel Jackson and Ferrakohn Hall — has allowed Gonzalez to keep his best players healthy and rested. That has helped Seton Hall down the stretch of games and should help down the stretch of this season. Read More »
Posted in Big East
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Tagged Bobby Gonzalez, Brandon Walters, Dominique Jones, Evan Turner, Ferrakohn Hall, Georgetown, Herb Pope, Jamel Jackson, Jeff Robinson, Jeremy Hazell, John Garcia, Jon Leuer, Keon Lawrence, Louisville, Mike Davis, Pittsburgh, Providence, Quincy Pondexter, Scottie Reynolds, Seth Davis, Seton Hall, South Florida, Villanova, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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January 12, 2010 –
by Brendon
Those viewers who slogged through Monday night’s two-hour, 40-minute game between Villanova and Louisville are owed a debt of gratitude by both teams and the three officials. It was not a propitious start to the first true Big Monday of the season.
Villanova defeated the Cardinals at Freedom Hall, 92-84, in what was an intensely competitive game, but no one will wish to see it in full again. Forty-four turnovers, 67 fouls (plus a technical on Jay Wright), 94 free-throw attempts — this game had all the flow of a Los Angeles freeway interchange. Highlights only, please.
| Team |
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Villanova |
80 |
1.15 |
0.582 |
0.276 |
0.441 |
0.714 |
| Louisville |
80 |
1.05 |
0.375 |
0.276 |
0.523 |
0.650 |
It’s impossible to get a full grasp of how the game was played from the final score — or even the Four Factors above — but the one thing that is easy to see is that this game was foul-marred. Ten players on each team played at least five minutes, and all but one — Louisville’s Reginald Delk — committed at least two fouls. Nine players committed at least four fouls. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big East, Connecticut, Corey Fisher, Edgar Sosa, Georgetown, Jay Wright, Jerry Smith, John Cahill, Karl Hess, Ken Pomeroy, Louisville, Maalik Wayns, Michael Stephens, Mike Marra, Pittsburgh, Preston Knowles, Reginald Delk, Samardo Samuels, Scottie Reynolds, Seton Hall, Taylor King, Villanova
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November 23, 2009 –
by Brendon
Sunday
Sunday’s slate featured a pair of tournament championships, but the SEC teams lost in both. The better chance for a win was probably in Charleston where South Carolina took on the Miami Hurricanes. Despite committing 14 more turnovers than South Carolina, Frank Haith’s team shot the lights out to win.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Miami |
80 |
1.06 |
0.607 |
0.298 |
0.424 |
0.304 |
| South Carolina |
80 |
0.87 |
0.414 |
0.124 |
0.218 |
0.092 |
The big difference was in 2-point shooting where the shorter Gamecocks struggled to keep Miami away from the rim. Miami outshot South Carolina on 2-pointers, 61.5 percent to 32.4, and outscored South Carolina by 14 points on twos and 10 free throws. These are the problems a team can run into with a 6-foot-7 center.
The final in Puerto Rico was very sloppy — it seems like most games there are. Mississippi and Villanova combined for 45 turnovers, and neither shot even 45 percent eFG. The difference in this game came inside where the Wildcats had the advantage. Villanova turned five more offensive boards into 16 more second-chance points and outscored the Rebels by 18 points in the paint. Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Corey Stokes, Dayton, Frank Haith, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Mouphtaou Yarou, Rutgers, Scottie Reynolds, SEC, South Carolina, Vermont, Villanova
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April 3, 2009 –
by Brendon
The last time North Carolina won the national championship, the Tar Heels defeated two teams from the same conference at the Final Four in St. Louis in 2005. Starting Saturday in Detroit, UNC may have the chance to it again. Villanova is the first opponent for Roy Williams team in the national semifinal with another Big East team, Connecticut, favored to win the first semifinal. Just like with the Michigan State-Connecticut semifinal, I’m going to analyze Villanova-UNC based on team matchups.
No. 3 Villanova vs. No. 1 North Carolina (8:47 p.m. ET)
Where Villanova can hurt North Carolina: On the offensive glass. Villanova is a balanced team, one that doesn’t excel at any one thing — except perhaps free-throw shooting — and isn’t awful at anything, though the Cats do send their opponents to the line a bit too much. Therefore, pinpointing a distinct Nova stylistic edge isn’t simple, but it may surprise you that it’s on the offensive glass where the Cats should be able to do some damage to North Carolina. Read More »
Posted in ACC, Big East, National Perspective, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged ACC, Antonio Pena, Big East, Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Danny Green, Dante Cunnigham, Deon Thompson, Duke, Dwayne Anderson, Ed Davis, Final Four, Jay Wright, North Carolina, Reggie Redding, Roy Williams, Scottie Reynolds, Shane Clark, Tyler Hansbrough, Tywon Lawson, Villanova, Wayne Ellington
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March 14, 2009 –
by Brendon
NEW YORK — Fans and members of the media like to construct a basketball team’s character around its ability to play defense. Good defensive teams “try harder,” have “more heart” and “want it more” than their opponents. That may be true in hackneyed leads and on messageboard threads, but, on a basketball floor, defense is built on talent and coaching just as much if not more than offense is.
There isn’t a team more talented or coached better defensively than Louisville, and the Cards proved it again in a 69-55 win over Villanova in Friday’s first Big East Tournament semifinal at Madison Square Garden. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Andre McGee, Big East, Big East Tournament, Corey Fisher, Dante Cunningham, Earl Clark, Jay Wright, Jerry Smith, Louisville, Preston Knowles, Rick Pitino, Scottie Reynolds, Terrence Jennings, Terrence Williams, Villanova
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March 3, 2009 –
by Brendon
While fawning over how well Notre Dame had been playing entering Monday’s game with Villanova and making excuses for the Irish’s poor record, national college basketball pundits have been avoiding one salient fact — they’re not very good. That under-developed point should have been driven home once again as Villanova dominated the second half and knocked ND out of any realistic at-large hopes in a 77-60 victory.
It may not be in good form to toot my own horn, but I’ve been writing this all year — there are too many types of teams that give the Irish trouble for them to ever have been considered elite. Teams with tall frontlines can neutralize the shorter Luke Harangody. Teams with explosive, penetrating guards give the slower Notre Dame defenders fits, and teams with strong defensive guards help to stymie a player like Kyle McAlarney. Even if a team has just one of these elements, it can hang with the Irish. If it has more than one — see Washington State, Villanova, Marquette, Connecticut — then Notre Dame is in big trouble. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big East, Connecticut, Dante Cunningham, General Custer, Jonathan Peoples, Kyle McAlarney, Luke Harangody, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rob Kurz, Ryan Ayers, Scottie Reynolds, Tory Jackson, Tyrone Nash, Villanova, Washington State, Zach Hillesland
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