SB Nation - Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Long Beach St. 49ers @ Kentucky Wildcats: Pre-game

Truzenzuzex — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:29:38 -0000

Will we see more of Liggins great "d" today?

Today at the unusual time of 1:00 PM, the Long Beach St. 49ers of the Big West conference make the long trek from Long Beach, California to the Bluegrass to take on the Kentucky Wildcats.

Here are the particulars of the 49ers season so far:

Rank and Records	LBSU	UK
RPI	#47	#12
Strength of Schedule	#21	#156
Overall	6-5	12-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	3-0	7-0
Away	2-3	1-0
Neutral	1-2	4-0
Top 25	0-3	2-0
RPI Top 50	1-3	2-0

The 49ers' notable games so far have been defeats at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the West Virgina Mountaineers, the Clemson Tigers, and the Texas Longhorns. Long Beach St. does have one significant win, over the UCLA Bruins on a neutral floor.

The 49ers have won three of their last five games, and come into Rupp Arena off a loss at the Loyola Marymount Lions. The 'Cats are giving up about 20 points in this game, for those who care about such things.

The Long Beach St. Roster

Long Beach St. 49ers Basketball Roster

	#	Pos.	Comments	W	H	College
Larry Anderson	21	G	Starter/Major contributor	200	6-5	sophomore
Lin Chang	11	F	-	235	6-9	sophomore
Andrew Fleming	50	C	-	290	7-0	senior
Stephan Gilling	33	G	Starter/Role Player	205	6-2	senior
Jerramy King	20	G	-	170	5-11	freshman
Arturas Lazdauskas	10	F	-	239	6-7	senior
Jules Montgomery	1	F	-	195	6-9	freshman
Brandon Nevens	5	G	-	210	6-3	senior
Eugene Phelps	2	F	Starter/Role Player	213	6-6	sophomore
Greg Plater	3	G	Role player	165	6-1	junior
Kyle Richardson	34	F	Role player	222	6-7	freshman
T.J. Robinson	15	F	Starter/Significant contributor	210	6-8	sophomore
Sean Starkey	23	G	-	185	6-4	junior
Mike Vantrimpont	14	C	-	220	7-0	freshman
Casper Ware	22	G	Starter/ Major contributor	175	5-10	sophomore
Tristan Wilson	32	G	-	203	6-5	junior
Jesse Woodard	24	G	Role player	193	6-1	sophomore

Long Beach St. Team Statistics

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
T.J. Robinson	11	33.6	6.2	10.6	58.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.6	7.6	60.7	2.7	8.0	10.7	0.6	2.7	0.6	0.2	2.1	17.0
Larry Anderson	11	32.5	4.1	9.5	42.9	0.6	2.3	28.0	4.0	6.0	66.7	1.8	2.0	3.8	3.9	3.5	2.4	0.5	1.5	12.8
Stephan Gilling	11	29.4	4.5	10.4	43.0	3.5	7.8	45.3	0.4	0.7	50.0	0.5	1.0	1.5	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.1	2.3	12.8
Casper Ware	11	32.0	3.8	9.6	39.6	1.2	2.6	44.8	3.4	4.8	69.8	0.5	2.3	2.8	5.6	3.6	1.9	0.0	2.5	12.2
Eugene Phelps	11	28.5	3.6	6.1	59.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	2.9	56.3	3.4	3.6	7.0	1.0	1.8	0.8	0.5	3.3	8.9
Greg Plater	11	20.7	3.3	7.7	42.4	1.8	5.4	33.9	0.5	0.6	71.4	0.4	1.8	2.2	1.5	1.2	0.8	0.3	1.4	8.8
Jesse Woodard	7	9.1	0.6	2.1	26.7	0.1	1.0	14.3	0.7	0.9	83.3	0.0	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.9	0.0	0.1	1.1	2.0
Arturas Lazdauskas	6	10.2	0.8	1.3	62.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.8	1.2	2.0	0.7	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.2	2.0
Kyle Richardson	9	6.2	0.4	1.0	44.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	1.0	55.6	0.6	0.3	0.9	0.2	0.6	0.2	0.0	0.7	1.4
Mike Vantrimpont	4	2.5	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.5
Andrew Fleming	9	4.7	0.1	0.4	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.4	0.9	0.2
Lin Chang	7	4.6	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.7	1.1	0.1	0.3	0.0	0.1	1.1	0.0
Jerramy King	5	3.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.6	0.0	0.2	0.0

Four Factors Analysis (from Kenpom.com)

	Kentucky		Long Beach St.
Category	Offense	Defense	Offense	Defense	D-I Avg
Adj. Efficiency:	116.4 [15]	91.1 [48]	107.6 [77]	95.4 [98]	100.0
Adj. Tempo:	69.0 [160]	68.6	71.1 [77]	68.6
*Four Factors*
Effective FG%:	55.5 [21]	44.3 [51]	50.8 [111]	52.4 [274]	48.9
Turnover %:	23.3 [276]	20.5 [188]	21.3 [186]	19.1 [264]	21.0
Off. Reb. %:	45.9 [1]	30.4 [86]	30.8 [241]	34.3 [220]	33.0
FTA/FGA:	40.7 [100]	27.3 [28]	42.2 [79]	27.4 [29]	37.4
*Miscellaneous Components*
3P%:	42.1 [14]	35.4 [214]	36.3 [115]	30.5 [59]	34.2
2P%:	52.9 [46]	39.3 [9]	49.1 [127]	55.3 [322]	47.7
FT%:	69.9 [128]	67.3 [140]	65.6 [247]	67.9 [153]	68.4
Block%:	7.9 [108]	20.7 [3]	8.3 [128]	5.3 [303]	9.2
Steal%:	11.0 [252]	10.3 [139]	9.8 [168]	9.6 [181]	10.0
*Style Components*
3PA/FGA:	26.0 [294]	36.2 [272]	31.4 [196]	30.5 [116]	32.6
A/FGM:	55.1 [147]	53.3 [165]	52.6 [192]	54.4 [198]	53.8
Defensive Fingerprint:	Inconclusive		Inconclusive
*Point Distribution (% of total points)*
3-Pointers:	23.5 [248]	35.9 [18]	26.4 [179]	22.6 [294]	27.2
2-Pointers:	56.1 [88]	46.9 [307]	52.2 [177]	62.3 [8]	52.1
Free Throws:	20.4 [179]	17.2 [296]	21.4 [138]	15.1 [328]	20.7
*Strength of Schedule*
Components:	99.7 [212]	100.8 [208]	112.3 [2]	95.5 [19]	100.0
Overall:	0.4700 [216]	.5000	0.8658 [2]	.5000
Non-conference:	0.4700 [227]	.5000	0.8658 [3]	.5000
*Personnel*
Bench Minutes:	27.3% [279]	32.1%	21.6% [336]	32.1%
Experience:	0.92 yrs [332]	1.69	1.47 yrs [245]	1.69
Effective Height:	+2.5 [31]	0.0	-1.3 [259]	0.0
Average Height:	78.7" [8]	76.6"	75.6" [295]	76.6"

Analysis

The 49ers have played a very tough schedule, and have given a good account of themselves in most of them. Ken Pomeroy's site has the 49ers ranked at #80, which is by far the best team Kentucky has played since UConn.

Long Beach St. takes good care of the basketball, and they get to the line a lot. As with most teams that UK has played this year, they are much smaller than Kentucky. Like Kentucky, they are a young team, starting only one senior and four sophomores.

Like Kentucky, Long Beach St. likes to get up and down the floor, although their pace numbers are slightly lower than that of the Wildcats. They shoot the three-point shot adequately, but they defend it remarkably well, holding opponents to around 30% from the arc. The 49ers take more shots from the arc than UK does, which is as you would expect for a team like this.

Overall, Kentucky's size and skill should be too much for them, but don't look for the Wildcats to run over the 49ers like they did the Drexel Dragons. This team can play, and they are capable of pulling the upset.

Projected score: UK 80, Long Beach St. 64.

Does Ben Howland's Current Rotation Give UCLA Best Chance To Win?

Nestor — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:51:32 -0000

bruinponcho wrote in our Notre Dame post game thread:

The main thing holding this team back is 1) solid offensive play, and 2) rebounding.

The wonderful thing is that the solution for both is the same: start TH in place of JA. ML goes for 29, MR goes for 19, and what does JA have, 1 point on 0-2 (including an airball by five feet) and 1-2 free throws. Hmm, which one doesn’t belong. Conversely, TH is a prototypical small forward who is a great rebounder. Remember, he played center in high school which shows with his craftiness around the rim. TH is also the perfect compliment to RN in that as much of a workhorse RN is, he is undersized. But with TH playing in the frontcourt alongside RN and ND, we suddenly become much longer and athletic. Plus, this will help out MR so he won’t be guarding someone much larger than him.

The other major issue is that our weakside rotations are awful. Sure MR is going to get beat off the dribble, but everyone does. The problem is that the rotations after someone penetrates are either too slow or non-existent leading to easy layups. This was the one thing that JK did bring to the table and without him there it is very noticeable. RN is getting better at this and got screwed on a couple of charge/block calls today.

I just want to zero in on point number 1 for now. I really think Coach Ben Howland owes more than a standard coachspeak explanation to the UCLA basketball community about his inexplicable but predictable rotation at this point of the season.

Right now from what I see (and I think majority here will agree with me on this point) we have 2 potential NBA talents on our roster. No, they are nowhere ready to play at the next level but if they do live up to their athletic potential Malcolm Lee and Tyler Honeycutt have a very good chance to join other Ben Ball warriors representing the four letters in the NBA. So, wouldn't it make more sense if Coach Howland shaped his rotation that optimized their minutes on the court? Instead, during the Notre Dame game on Saturday, we saw Honeycutt's minutes go down from his previous outing earlier in the week (TH logged 18 mins against Irish while putting on a show during 22 mins against the Aggies).

Despite the due criticisms we have directed towards Dragovic (who did shoot us out of the game early in the second half against Notre Dame), it's our point guard position currently handicapping our offense and not doing much to jump start our defense. Jerime Anderson might turn out to be a serviceable Pac-10 point guard some day but he is not getting it done. Wouldn't it make sense for our team if Howland has Malcolm Lee running our point, move Roll to the SG spot and slide Honeycutt to the 3? Wouldn't it make sense if that change is done during next couple of games so that the team is ready with that rotation by the time Pac-10 games started?

We have seen over the years how Coach Howland doesn't waste much time to take out his freshmen if they make any little mistakes on either end of the court. I don't understand how he doesn't treat his more experienced players the same way when they are making the same glaring, careless mistakes over and over again. I think it might make sense for Howland to cut down Anderson's mins to 15-20 mins a game and have him come off the bench to see what is going on and how Howland wants the game to be played. Yet, we are seeing in numerous occassion Howland keep calling on Anderson, who is committing the same mistakes over and over again.

So what gives? Is what Howland doing with his current rotation the best chance to win? Does having Jerime Anderson for almost 29 minutes on basketball court give UCLA basketball to best chance to win and build towards a foundation building season from here on out? I realize the title of this post is somewhat provocative. I do think Coach Ben Howland is always playing to win. I will not doubt his intentions. However, the current rotation is still not making any sense.

GO BRUINS.

Ben Ball Gameday Roundup: Brunch With The Irish

Nestor — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:20:35 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Can Drago and Bobo show up on the defensive end this afternoon?

Browse more photos »

In about couple of hours Bruins will take on the Fighting Irish in a nationally televised game (CBS) at Joyce Center. I am sure we will hear the usual nostalgic memories around this game during the pre-game teaser but the game will essentially be a chance for both teams to make one last ditch impression before the conference season.

While we have all discussed the early struggle of our basketball team last few weeks, Notre Dame without a marquee win during their 9-2 start will be equally desperate for a win. The Chicago Tribune has a piece on how the Irish who have already lost this season to Northwestern and to LMU, are hungry for a victory:

"If we're fortunate enough to beat (UCLA), it's a quality win," Brey said. "I think they can win double digits in the Pac-10. They still have really good players there -- they're just still trying to get a feel for the whole thing."

It is another dress rehearsal for surviving to Selection Sunday with a chance at an invite. For that, the ability to recover from gut-wrenching defeat is mandatory.

"You still can be in the mix for one of the bids out of our league if you handle that the right way," Brey said.

The conventional wisdom has the game going the Irish's way this afternoon:

The Irish are averaging a healthy 82.2 ppg on the campaign and Luke Harangody is the centerpiece of this team. The 6-8, 246-pound Harangody is one of the most dominant players in the nation and he is currently averaging an impressive double-double of 24.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Tim Abromaitis, a 49.2 percent three-point shooter, is another weapon for ND at 15.7 ppg, and Ben Hansbrough can also be effective with 12.5 ppg and 5.0 apg to his credit. In the team's last game, Harangody notched his fifth double-double of the campaign with 24 points and 11 rebounds, but it still wasn't enough in a shocking 87-85 loss to LMU. Abromaitis poured in 23 points to complement to the big man, but was whistled for a costly five-second violation in the final moments. Tory Jackson had a chance to force overtime, but his jumper in the last seconds was off the mark.

ND appeared to be a team destined for a big campaign after a fast start and a national ranking earlier in the season. However, the team's last loss was quite puzzling and could possibly be a sign of things to come. With that said, the Irish are still better than UCLA and they should prevail on their home floor today.

Well I am not sure if I can disagree with that prediction, but I do believe the Bruins might have a shot today. I think our guys will have a chance to pull the upset if they can replicate the defensive intensity and effort from earlier this week, which was indicative of the kind of heart and determination they showed against Kansas. More after the jump.

Ramon Shelburne from the Daily News earlier this week had a really great piece on how our team is finding room to breathe and gradually chip away amidst all the frustration of this early season:

"You have to be patient, especially with young kids who are learning everything for the first time," Howland said. "This is early in the season. Everybody acts like we're writing things off here. It's still very early."

That's not to say this group will turn into a Final Four team by the end of the season. It's not even to suggest that an NCAA Tournament bid is back on the table.

Just to say that UCLA has room to grow, and finally, some room to breathe after the weight of past expectations has been lifted off of them.

With his scrappy style, Nelson can be the second-coming of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson can lead the team in scoring.

Honeycutt has the potential to be one of the best slashers in the Pac-10.

But there's about 300 hours of film study, practice and hard knocks to go through before we can remove the word "can" from any of those sentences.

"We watch a lot of film," Lee said. "We watched all of that film of us against Mississippi State. Every little thing that we did wrong. Then we worked on it in practice (Monday)."

It's not glamorous. It's not what's been happening around UCLA since Howland took over. But it also does happen.

It also sounds like Jerime Anderson and his team-mates are getting the message:

Mounting losses have caused players to openly doubt themselves. At the same time, some underclassmen have struggled with Howland's style of basketball.

His offense requires patience and ball movement while his defense asks players to constantly adapt, pressuring the ball, double-teaming and looking to help.

"That's been a problem with a couple of the players and definitely myself," Anderson said. "I'm out there on the floor and I'm thinking a little bit more than I should. I should just play."

Well Anderson definitely showed some signs of improvement with perhaps his best game of the season against New Mexico State. Yes, it was against a cupcake team, but we didn't see that from Jerime against other cupcakes earlier in the season. I am hoping Jerime will use the confidence gained from that outing with another solid effort grounded in fundamentals and defense this afternoon at Joyce Center. Hope we can see JA and his team-mates take another step forward with just two more games left in this out of conference season.

GO BRUINS.

Ben Ball Roundup: Early Notre Dame Notes

Nestor — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:11:39 -0000

More photos » by Joe Raymond - AP

How do we stop the Beast? 6-foot-8, 246-pound Luke Harangody is averaging 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds

Browse more photos »

Our friends over at Rakes Of Mallow are still too euphoric about their hiring of new football coach. So, can't blame them for not thinking too much about the 9-2 Fighting Irish's upcoming (gulp) nationally televised non conference game against our 3-6 Bruins. May be they will get fired up about it before Saturday but they are not yet.

We can expect the Irish hoops team to be fired up on Saturday because they are going to want revenge for what we did them to Pauley last year drubbing them by a score of 89-63. They have a record of 9-2 but they are coming into this game following a 2 point loss against LMU (may be they were already looking ahead to UCLA?). Their other loss this season came against in a 15 point defeat against North Western. The best team the Irish has beaten this year is St. Louis in the third-place game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

Obviously the center of attention on Saturday will be Luke Harangody. It will be interesting to see how the Bruins can defend him at Joyce Center. Perhaps they can use the same formula that allowed Nelson to contain Aldrich at Pauley. Then again, may be it's too much to ask our freshmen to show the kind of poise and maturity needed to get a win in a fired up, hostile, roald enviroment. Besdes Harangody, 5-11 guard Tory Jackson is the other dependable option returining from last season. Currently their rotation looks like this:

Usual Starters -- F Luke Harangody, F Tyrone Nash, G Jonathan Peoples, G Ben Hansbrough, G Tory Jackson. Key Subs -- F Tim Abromaitis, F Carleton Scott.

Ben Hansbrough, was hobbled a bit early in the season by a sprained right ankle, but he is rounding into form. He has been in double figures from the scoring line last 5 games and almost shooting 50 percent from the 3 point line.

Meanwhile, junior forward Tim Abromaitis, who played rarely as a freshman and missed the entire 2007-08 season, has emerged as the second leading scorer in the team as he begin this year with seven straight game in double figures. So, in other words, with injury to Keefe, Coach Howland is going to have his hands full dealing with the Irish front court. More on that after the jump.

Well here is the latest on Keefe. He is out at least 2-3 weeks with a dislocated shouler. It was the same shoulder that kept him out with a huge chunk of the season two years ago with a torn labrium. Thankfully though per Jon Gold the xrays this time were negative. I have to say again Keefe was an absolute warrior on Saturday. He got off to such a great start on the defensive end. When he got hurt it was pretty amazing to see how composed he was in dealing with the pain (when it was clear on camera (and to those who were at Pauley) what was happening to him). If there is a kid who deserves a happy ending at UCLA, who has done everything Coach Howland has asked him to do over the years without complaining one bit, it's James Keefe. I hope he can get fully healthy and can make a return to make some meaningful contributions before he is done.

Now without Keefe Bruins are going to be short handed against Harangody and Abromaitis in the front court. It will be all about playing team defense:

The 6-foot-8, 246-pound Harangody is averaging 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds.

"He's a beast," UCLA guard Michael Roll said. "It's going to be a team defense."

That means double-teams, help-side defense and players scrambling to box out.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland plans to throw a bench-full of players at Harangody, including Nikola Dragovic, Reeves Nelson, J'mison Morgan and perhaps Brendan Lane.

"Obviously losing James is really, really a tough deal for us," Howland said.

Well perhaps one guy who might be ready to step a little more will be freshman point-forward Honeycutt. Tyler is feeling pretty good after his effortless performance on Saturday. As poncho fanshotted this is what TH had to say about starting off 3-6:

"It's been real hard. I didn't expect this at all when I came here. I knew we had a tough schedule, but I thought it'd be competitive, close games. It's kind of helped us actually, kind of set us in our place. Let us know we're not all that and still have room to improve."

I was even more encouraged by this:

"I'm still getting back into it. Obviously I've only had about three practices. Eventually it will come along. I can improve on a lot. Defense, on-ball defense. I'm not used to turning the ball over that much.

Having him talk about the need to cut down on TOs and improving his "on-ball defense" is music to my ears. Honeycutt is not the only underclassmen excited about building on Tuesday's confidence gaining blowout win:

"A win against anybody right now makes a difference," point guard Jerime Anderson said. "It helps our confidence a little bit. It helps us feel better about ourselves.

"We've been working hard. That's one thing you can't take away from us. It just hasn't been transferring into games. The main thing for us was to really work hard, and it finally transferred to a game. I think we should try and build from that win."

All of the comments from this week has been encouraging. However, right now for me the key is for these guys to maintain their composure when they are on the road this Saturday. I still can't take too much from the blowout win against a cupcake team on Tuesday night. I think that effort will win something if they can replicate it again on national TV by slugging it out with what I expect to be a hungry and angry Irish team on both ends of the court.

It means the Bruins will have to come into that game with a defensive mindset. They will have to think about getting their points by generating suffocating defensive pressure, going after lose balls and then playing smart ball on the offensive end. It will mean not jacking up hurried three pointers (and you know who I am especially thinking about here) and looking for that extra pass down low to find the team-mate with easiest shot. If the Bruins can come out and give another all out effort with intensity and passion, it might just might set them up to finish rest of the non-conference season in a positive note.

GO BRUINS.

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Evan Pfaff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

View full size photo »

Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that they are exploring the possibility of expanding.

Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released. With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.

And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.

Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).

Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.

The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.

Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.

MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10.

Why is this good for the Big 10? By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12^th team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:

Big 10 East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State

Big 10 West: Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact

Why is this good for Mizzou? The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.

Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.

But what about... Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe Iowa Hawkeyes. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII

Why is this good for the Big 12? The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4^th largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.

The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for

Big 12 "North": Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big 12 "South": Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Colorado

The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.

Why is this good for Houston? Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.

But what about... TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the BIG 12. Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the "Big" in Big 12.

BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10

Why is this good for the Pac-10? By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.

The division would be as follows

Pac-10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah

Pac-10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Why is this good for BYU and Utah? Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.

But what about... geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo, UT.

ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Why is this good for the Mountain West? As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.

There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as "rivals" to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.

Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:

MWC North: UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

MWC South: San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU

Why is this good for the 5 programs? The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.

But what about... the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.

ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS

Why is this good for the BCS? Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.

Why is this good for the MWC? Why isn't it good for the MWC?

But what about... the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.

MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC

Why is this good for the two conferences? Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.

But what about... regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss

Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.

But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.

One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.

RPI WATCH: 12/10/09

BracketCat — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:00:16 -0000

WTF, Mizzou?

Other than that clunker, our other opponents performed pretty much as expected Wednesday night — which mostly was positive for us, as evidenced by our eye-popping, single-digit numbers.

Hit the jump to see how they all did.

Current Kansas State Record = 8-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 8

Current Kansas State SOS = 9

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30
Western Illinois (4-5, 0-2) | RPI = 307: Win over Culver-Stockton (73-36)
Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156
Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18
Dayton (6-2) | RPI = 36
IUPUI (7-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60: Loss at Notre Dame (93-70)
FHSU (7-1): Win over Northwest Missouri State (78-66)
Washington State (7-2) | RPI = 151: Win over Idaho (76-64)
Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68
No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12
Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273
Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (5-3) | RPI = 99: Loss at Oral Roberts (60-59)
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-1) | RPI = 21
Colorado (6-3) | RPI = 249
No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (8-0) | RPI = 45: Win over Radford (99-64)
Nebraska (5-2) | RPI = 112
Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187
Oklahoma (6-3) | RPI = 210: Win over Centenary (86-62)
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

Nitt Picks And The Fiesta Grew Up Together

Kevin HD — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:00:20 -0000

I'll take those odds. We really are looking at a coin flip for the Fiesta. Rittenberg has some good quotes from those who run things:

"We've got a long and storied history with Penn State," Alba said. "They've been here six times and are 6-0. We kind of grew up together, in a lot of ways. They were very instrumental in our growth and our development. ... On the other hand, you look at Iowa, and we've never had them. We have no history with them, but they have been on our wish list for many, many years. We've always tried to get them, and for whatever reason, it just never was able to work out. "You look at both universities, and there's appeal on both sides for different reasons."

It all seems very interesting but isn't, and the theme is that Alba is totally uncommitted to anything and wants people to know it. Iowa isn't taking this quietly (TFJ: BHGP):

As far as our football team, I'm not here to pit us against anyone else, but I think a couple things really stand out. If you look at our team, the way they've competed on the field, the head to head results that we've had, we did beat six Bowl eligible teams. Two of them were non conference games. So we're proud of that certainly. And I thought our guys did a great job taking a very challenging road schedule, and they embraced that with four victories and an overtime defeat at a very, very tough opponent's home field.

So they're sticking with the head-to-head thing, although I'm not sure the Fiesta Bowl people actually care about that. It at least sets up for a nice "we've been robbed" moment if Iowa is passed on.

And of course all of this is a wash if Nebraska can somehow do the impossible this weekend against Texas. A Husker win puts the Big Ten decision with the Orange Bowl, ~~in which case I really like our chances~~ or maybe it's all a wash in the OB taking Texas.

Blame games are for losers. WWAHT launched a strangely timed attack on the Big Ten for not standing up and taking some of the blame that has sent the conference's reputation off a cliff.

His main purpose is refuting this: Ohio State's twin title beatdowns are the sole source of the conference's current woes vis-a-vis national reputation.

But the entire fallout started during the 2006-2007 bowl season. That was ground zero for this stuff. And the reason for the quickly launched backlash has a lot to do with the self-importance Ohio State and Michigan displayed during the whole rematch debate.

And you know what else happened that year, the same year Big Ten Hate 1.0 was launched? Wisconsin and Penn State both won their bowls against SEC schools. It seems practical to blame everyone for the reputation, and everyone is in fact losing OOC games, but the reality is that reputations are built at the very top, and 2006-2007 is a good example of that.

The OMG CCG, coming Fall 2030. So Notre Dame is in a tough spot right now, with the whole Weis thing and the realization that the school's football coaching job seems to be more of a nightmare than a dream job. That discussion led to a lot of talk about a Fighting Irish decline, which will eventually lead to a 12-team Big Ten conference.

And then, championship game! Just think of the money! Wait, what's that Salty Because I Have To Play In The Cold Jim Leavitt?

"How many were [in Tampa for the ACC Championship] last year? Was there a reason it left the Gator Bowl? They lost millions of dollars. How many millions have we lost on it here?"

Leavitt is the last guy I'd want quoting me dollar figures, but it brings up an interesting point: where would the Big Ten play the CCG? The logical answer is either Chicago or Indianapolis, depending on dome preference, but I'm not sure that's an awesome deal for Penn State. Every Big Ten school sends thousands of people to Chicago after graduation as the only true metropolis in the region. Penn State is no Midwest school and therefore does not do this.

(TFJ: DocSat)

In Scores of Other Games. Thomas thinks, when push comes to shove, the Fiesta has to take Penn State...Orson gets real with the Bowden thing...JayPa picks up his pen as well...and if all this mid-major lobby money serves its purpose, the BCS would just add a seventh AQ rather than give the boot to a current conference...

Kentucky vs. Morehead State -- Pre-game Analysis

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:57:33 -0000

by Ed Reinke - AP

Expect to see a lot of Eric Bledsoe taking the ball to the hole tonight.

View full size photo »

Tonight, Kentucky takes on the Eagles of Morehead State, a Kentucky college. Like most Kentucky colleges, the Eagles have had some success in the basketball arena over the years, and last year made it to the NCAA tournament where they nearly knocked off the #1 seeded Louisville Cardinals. This is the season opener for the Wildcats, and as such is a very significant game.

Kentucky has had shocking failures early in the season in recent history. Last year, UK lost to Virginia Military Institute 111-103 in its season opener. The year before that, UK won the season opener only to lose its second game to Gardner-Webb (then affectionately known as "Gardener-Who?") 88-64 in a contest that wasn't even that close.

But Tubby Smith had a few tough years with early games, too. In 2001-02, Kentucky narrowly defeated exhibition opponent Athletes in Action, 88-83, in overtime, then went on to lose its season opener to Western Kentucky, 64-52. In 2000-01, Kentucky lost it's first two games of the season versus St. Johns and UCLA in the Coaches Vs. Cancer tournament.

As you can see, slow starts are not unknown to the Wildcats in the new millennium.

But tonight marks a new era in Kentucky basketball, and despite some trepidation about facing a team that made the NCAA tournament last year and who boasts one of the best rebounders in college basketball in Kenneth Faried, Kentucky comes into this game loaded with size, speed, talent, and an aggressive new offense and defense. This is Kentucky as it has not been since the late Pitino years.

A look at the Morehead State Eagles

Here is the roster for Morehead State:

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Year	Hometown	High School	Notes
1	Maze Stallworth	F	6-4	215	Sr.	Elizabethtown, Ky.	John Hardin HS	Role player last year, good ballhandler and 3pt. shooter (.380). 3rd leading scorer (12ppg)
2	Jamel Marshall	F	6-5	225	Fr.	Orlando, Fla.	Olympia HS
3	Aaron Williams	G	5-10	175	R-Fr.	Lousiville, Ky.	Dupont Manual HS
5	Rashad Hosea	G	6-3	185	So.	Detroit, Mich.	Cody HS	Not on roster last year.
10	Corey Clemens	G	6-2	175	Fr.	New Castle, Ind.	New Castle Chrysler HS
11	Terrance Hill	G	6-1	170	So.	Columbus, Ga.	Jordan HS	Role player last year, not a 3pt. threat.
13	Ty Proffitt	G	6-4	200	So.	London, Ky.	South Laurel HS	Transf. from Notre Dame. Saw limited action with Irish, may be a good 3 pt. shooter.
15	Brandon Shingles	G	6-3	175	Sr.	Albany, Ga.	Westover HS	Transf. from Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) CC
22	Demonte Harper	G	6-4	185	Jr.	Nashville, Tenn.	Whites Creek HS	Significant contributor last year, average 3pt shooter, good rebounder.
23	David Terrell	F	6-5	225	Jr.	Houston, Tex.	Worthing HS	Transf. from Midland CC
24	Steve Peterson	F	6-5	190	So.	Columbus, Ga.	Jordan HS	Limited role player last year, not a scoring threat.
25	John Lamb	G	6-1	180	Jr.	Indianola, Iowa	Indianola HS	Limited role player last year.
33	Jason Beharie	F	6-9	230	Fr.	London, England	Canarias Basketball Academy
34	Sam Goodman	G	6-2	185	Jr.	Lawrenceville, Ga.	Central Gwinnett HS	Transf. from Northwest Florida State CC
35	Kenneth Faried	F/C	6-8	225	Jr.	Newark, N.J.	Technology HS	Second best defensive rebounder in the country and 8th best offensive rebounder. 2nd leading scorer (13.8), good defender and shot blocker.
45	Les Simmons	F/C	6-7	220	Sr.	Mountainville, N.Y.	Cornwall Central HS	Transf. from Cecil CC

Coaching Staff

Name	Title
Donnie Tyndall	Head Coach
Chris Moore	Assistant Coach
Joel Zimmerman	Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Matt Grady	Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Adam Howard	Director of Men's Basketball Operations

2009-10 Overall Record: 20-16
2009-10 Conference Record/Finish: 12-6 (4th)
Last Postseason Appearance/Record: 2009- NCAA Tournament/1-1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
Newcomers: 6

Analysis:

The Golden Eagles have a large number of transfers this year, so there is very little known about them at this point. Ty Proffitt may tickle the memories of some, because the class of 2007 recruit out of London, KY was thought to be headed to Kentucky before he was injured, and wound up signing with Notre Dame. He was little used by Mike Brey, and now finds himself playing for Donnie Tyndall.

The Eagles get bigger this year with the addition of 6'9" Jason Beharie from The Canary Islands via England. Obviously, very little is known about this guy.

The Eagles last year were a scrappy, relatively efficient team that was solid defensively and very good on the boards due to the presence of Kenneth Faried. They are a smallish team, and had a tendency to turn the ball over a lot last year. The Eagles started very slowly last year, losing their first six straight games, including a 70-21 decision versus Grambling.

The Eagles are shorter, slower, less athletic and less skilled than Kentucky at every position. The only advantage they seem to have is experience and a solid Division I player in Faried.

Other than that, they have very little with which to challenge Kentucky except verve, grit, and the fact that UK is fielding a 100%, brand-new team under a new coach. That combination of negatives for UK should not be minimized, but it is very difficult to see how the Eagles overcome the overwhelming physical and skill advantages of the Wildcats.

The Eagles will try to control the pace of the game, and if they are able to do that, they may keep the Wildcats from running away and hiding. But my feeling is that they will not be able to slow down Kentucky enough to keep them from mounting a big advantage by late in the first half and cruising to victory.

Projected score: UK 86, Morehead State, 58.

BtB 2009-10 Big East Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:19:46 -0000

The Big East had a BIG season last year, but not quite the monster year many predicted. At the end of the year, the conference only qualified eight teams for the NCAAs, instead the nine or ten many had predicted. Louisville earned the tournament's overall number one seed, while UConn and Pitt joined them on the top line. The Huskies were the only one of this group to make it to Detroit, but the 3 seed in the East region, Villanova, knocked off the Panthers to join Connecticut at Ford Field.

Graduation and the NBA Draft sapped some of the star power from the conference during the offseason, and teams like Pitt and Marquette, look to be in rebuilding mode because of it. Louisville, whose summer included personnel losses and revelations about Rick Pitino's personal life, will be a contender but not quite the power of last year. UConn and Syracuse also lost significant personnel, but have some exciting recruits coming in to fill the voids. Two teams who fell flat last year, Georgetown and Notre Dame could be back, while Cincinnati, St. John's, and Seton Hall may be waking from a long slumber.

But the two teams who appear to be head and shoulders above the rest are the two who lost the least, Villanova and West Virginia. They'll start with the biggest targets on their backs, and they'll take plenty of shots in the early season, particularly in tournament play. Both play in loaded fields this November, the Wildcats in Puerto Rico; the Mountaineers in Anaheim.

More on all 16 teams in the largest league in the land after the jump.

Here's a recap of last year's Big East standings.

Big East Conference Standings

(updated 4.5.2009 at 12:15 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Louisville Cardinals	16	2	31	6
Connecticut Huskies	15	3	31	5
Pittsburgh Panthers	15	3	31	5
Villanova Wildcats	13	5	30	8
Marquette Golden Eagles	12	6	25	10
Syracuse Orange	11	7	28	10
West Virginia Mountaineers	10	8	23	12
Providence Friars	10	8	19	14
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	8	10	21	15
Cincinnati Bearcats	8	10	18	14
Seton Hall Pirates	7	11	17	15
Georgetown Hoyas	7	11	16	15
St. John's Red Storm	6	12	16	18
South Florida Bulls	4	14	9	22
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	2	16	11	21
DePaul Blue Demons	0	18	9	24

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a team name appears in red, click it to go to that schools SBNation site, your source for more in depth analysis.

DePaul (last NCAA: 2004) The Blue Demons defeated a league opponent once only last season, bursting Cincinnati's bubble in the first round of the Big East tournament. The pressure is definitely on Jerry Wainwright at the moment, but this team doesn't look like it will improve much. The foundation is good, even with swingman Dar Tucker's departure for the professional game, as 6-10 Mac Koshwal is a beast inside for Wainwright, as he averaged over 12 points and nearly 10 boards a game last year, and Will Walker averaged nearly 15 points a game in the backcourt. But the rest of the squad lacks scoring punch and experience. Ohio State transfer Eric Wallace, Oregon State transfer Eric Wallace, and returnees Devin Hill (3.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Mario Stula (1.7 ppg) will have to produce more to make up for the loss of Tucker, while Jabari Currie (5.3 ppg, 1.8 apg) and Jeremiah Kelly (4.3 ppg, 2.4 apg) will need to help Walker out more in the backcourt. DePaul will play Northern Iowa in the Paradise Jam, then East Carolina or Tennessee in their second game. They'll also head to Tampa to take on Mississippi State in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

Providence (last NCAA: 2004) The Friars won 10 Big East games in Keno Davis' first season at the helm, but ended up in the NIT. Providence's schedule is a big reason for their failure, as they defeated Cincinnati and Rutgers twice, and were swept by Villanova, making their victory total a bit suspect. Providence should drop significantly this season, as they lost four starters off an already disappointing team. Senior point guard Sharaud Curry (11.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) is the lone returning starter, so at least the offense will be in good hands. Production will have to come from 6-5 wing Marshon Brooks (10.6 ppg) and 6-4 Brian McKenzie (4.6 ppg), along with JC transfer Kyle Wright and freshman Duke Mondy, both of whom lit it up at their previous level of competition. 6-9 JC transfer Russ Permenter and 6-8 freshmen Kadeem Bates and James Still will join two redshirt freshmen, 6-6 Jamine Peterson and 6-8 Bilal Dixon, on an all new frontline. How quickly that group can adjust to the rigors of the Big East will determine how well PC can do this season. The Friars don't participate in a tournament this year, but they travel to Alabama and host former Big East member Boston College.

South Florida (last NCAA: 1992) The Bulls should be better this year, but the question is whether that will show up in the standings. Stan Heath returns three starters from a team that won only four Big East contests a season ago, including guard Dominique Jones (18.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.9 apg) and 6-10 forward Augustus Gilchrist (10.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Both of those players will receive significant help in their particular units, as Ohio State transfer Anthony Crater will take some of the playmaking pressure off Jones (as will a bigger role for senior Chris Howard, who averaged over 4 assists a game last year) and 6-11 JC transfer Jarrid Famous will combine with Gilchrist to form one of the more intimidating frontlines in the conference. 6-4 guard Mike Mercer (8.5 ppg, 33.3% from 3) returns to the team for his final season after head coach Stan Heath booted him in January for disciplinary issues. USF's freshmen, heavy on guards and wings, includes Joe Dumars' son, Jordan. The Bulls will play in the Charleston Classic before Thanksgiving, where they'll play Davidson on Day 1. A matchup with either La Salle or South Carolina awaits on Day 2. USF will also face San Diego and San Francisco in Las Vegas before Christmas.

Rutgers (last NCAA: 1991) The Scarlet Knights once again struggled in the Big East, winning only two games in the conference in '08-09. Fred Hill's team should face another tough year despite the return of 6-3 sophomore guard Mike Rosario (16.2 ppg) and an improving frontline featuring imposing shotblocker 6-9 Gregory Echenique (8.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg) and 6-11 center Hamady Ndiaye (5.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). 6-7 Jonathan Mitchell, a transfer from Florida, and 6-6 sophomore Patrick Jackson, a rarely used freshman, are expected to contribute as well. While Rutgers is set at shooting guard thanks to Rosario, JC transfer James Beatty will likely replace Anthony Farmer at the point, though junior Mike Coburn (4 ppg, 2.1 apg), last year's backup, will see plenty of time there as well. The Scarlet Knights will make the short trip to Atlantic City, where they'll face UMass in the semifinals of the Legends Classic. They'll play either Florida or Michigan State on the following evening. A December 28 trip to North Carolina also looms large.

Marquette (last NCAA: 2009) The Golden Eagles appear due for a fall in Buzz Williams' second year at the helm. Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, and Dominic James, Marquette's starting backcourt of a season ago, have all graduated. And while 6-6 F Lazar Hayward (16.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) is back, that's a lot of production Williams will have to replace. Jimmy Butler (5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg), another 6-6 forward, should move from the sixth man role to the starting lineup, but he needs to show more offensive consistency. Two-time Wisconsin HS Player of the Year Jeronne Maymon, yet another 6-6 forward, will be expected to contribute immediately, as will 6-7 shot blocking machine Erik Williams. Marquette's all-new backcourt features two JC All-Americans, 6-3 Dwight Buycks and 6-1 Darius Johnson-Odom, and 6-1 Canadian freshman Junior Cadougan, the heir apparent to James. Maurice Acker (2.8 ppg, 1.8 apg), who replaced James when he went out with a broken foot, is also back for the Golden Eagles. Marquette plays in the Old Spice Classic this year, where they open with Xavier. They'll then play either Michigan or Creighton in what has to be called that tournament's Midwestern half of the bracket.

Pittsburgh (last NCAA: 2009) The Panthers will be in full rebuilding mode this season, as Jamie Dixon lost four starters from a season ago. However, the one starter who is back, senior guard Jermaine Dixon (8.4 ppg, 2 apg), is out until November thanks to a broken foot. Reserves Gilbert Brown (5.4 ppg), Brad Wanamaker (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and Ashton Gibbs (4.3 ppg, 43.9% from 3) will have to take on a greater role, but replacing Levance Fields at the point is the biggest issue for Pitt. Ultimately, Gibbs and Centenary transfer Chase Adams (14.6 ppg, 4.5 apg) will have to shoulder the load. The frontcourt was decimated thanks to the departure of DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Tyrell Biggs. 6-10 center Gary McGhee (1.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg in roughly 6 minutes per game) will see a lot more time this season, as will 6-6 swingman Gilbert Brown (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg), but 6-9 freshman Dante Taylor, a McDonald's All-American, could become the most exciting frontcourt player for the Panthers this season. Pitt will travel to Kansas City for the CBE Classic, where they'll open against Wichita State. Big 12 power Texas or now-perennially-rebuilding Iowa awaits on the second night.

Seton Hall (last NCAA: 2006) Bobby Gonzalez not only brings back four starters from a season ago, led by offensive force Jeremy Hazell (22.7 ppg), he has several transfers coming in to provide much needed depth. The Pirates' solid backcourt, featuring Hazell, starting point guard Eugene Harvey (12.5 ppg, 4.5 apg), and backup PG Jordan Theodore (5.9 ppg, 2 apg) receives a major reinforcement in the form of Missouri transfer Keon Lawrence (11 ppg, 2.3 apg in '07-08). An emerging frontline, featuring 6-6 Robert Mitchell (14.7 ppg, 8 rpg) and 6-9 John Garcia (8 ppg, 7 rpg), will be even better thanks to the presence of 6-8 New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope, who averaged more than 11 points and almost 7 boards a game in his single season in Las Cruces. Melvyn Oliver, a 6-11 sophomore who weighs in at an immovable 340 pounds and 6-6 Memphis transfer Jeff Robinson will also see some minutes. Seton Hall won't participate in a tournament this year, but they'll still get some time in the sun. They'll travel to Cancun to take on Virginia Tech on the second day of 2010.

St. John's (last NCAA: 2002) Last season, Norm Roberts' Red Storm won 16 games, 6 in the Big East, during a campaign that was plagued by injuries. St. John's hasn't quite been able to shake the injury bug yet, as their best player, 6-7 senior F Anthony Mason, Jr. (14 ppg, 4.3 rpg) will be out until at least late November with a hamstring injury. He only played three games last season thanks to a torn tendon in his right foot. When he returns, he'll join 6-6 junior D.J. Kennedy (13 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and 6-8 junior Sean Evans (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) to form a quality frontcourt. 6-3 junior Paris Horne, who led the Red Storm in scoring a season ago (14.6 ppg), and 5-9 PG Malik Boothe (6.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) will anchor the backcourt, with sophomore Quincy Roberts (5 ppg) and freshman PG Malik Stith, as the supporting cast. St. John's will participate in the Philly Hoop Group Classic over Thanksgiving weekend at the Palestra, where they'll face Siena and Temple.

Notre Dame (last NCAA: 2008) The Fighting Irish have a chance of improving on last year's disappointing 21-win NIT campaign thanks to the return of 6-8 Luke Harangody (23.3 ppg, 11.8 rpg), a player who has numerous school and conference records within reach. In the backcourt, point guard Tory Jackson (10.6 ppg, 4.9 apg) returns, but perimeter sharpshooters Kyle McAlarney (15 ppg) and Ryan Ayers (11.1 ppg) will be sorely missed. Mississippi State transfer Ben Hansbrough, brother of Tyler, will be called on to make up some of that production, though he's just as likely to score inside, as he can really drive to the basket. Unfortunately, another player who would've fit in immediately, 6-8 Purdue transfer Scott Martin, will miss the year with a knee injury. That means 6-8 junior Tyrone Nash (3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will have to take on a greater role. Ultimately, a lack of depth will keep the Irish from rising too high in the standings, but they should be competitive for an NCAA bid. Notre Dame will participate in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, where they open with Northwestern. The second day the Irish will face either Iowa State or Saint Louis.

Cincinnati (last NCAA: 2005) Thanks to four returning starters and a couple of key newcomers, Mick Cronin's team should be able to improve on last year's 18 wins (8 in the conference), and with the losses other Big East teams suffered, they should get back to the Dance. The Bearcats' strength will be their backcourt, led by all-Big East pick Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg). He'll receive more help than he had last year, as PG Cashmere Wright is back after missing all of last year with a knee injury and Larry Davis (6.8 ppg) also returns from an ankle injury. 6-9 Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), who was one of the league's top freshmen last season anchors the frontcourt, which will also feature 6-11 Oklahoma State transfer Ibrahima Thomas (8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) when the fall semester ends. However, the arrival of 6-6 New Yorker Lance Stephenson gives the Bearcats a second legit star. New York State's all-time leading scorer averaged nearly 29 points a contest last year, so he should provide an instant boost to a team that was weak on the offensive end last season. Cincy will play in Maui this November, where they open with Vanderbilt. If they win that, a semifinal with Maryland would likely await.

Georgetown (last NCAA: 2008) The Hoyas were touted as a Final Four team by some last year, but struggled with consistency throughout the season. DaJuan Summers left early for the NBA, which is a major blow, and Jesse Sapp, the senior point guard and defensive specialist who saw a lot more action than anticipated last year, graduated, but John Thompson III has plenty of talent returning to improve on last season's 16-15 mark. Chris Wright (12.5 ppg, 3.8 apg) is back to run the point after showing well in his first league campaign. He missed all of the previous conference season with an ankle injury. At the 2 spot, Austin Freeman (11.4 ppg, 2 apg) will be expected to improve his production in Summers' absence. The frontcourt is anchored by conference Newcomer of the Year Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg), but those expected to start alongside him, sophomore PF Henry Sims and freshman SF Hollis Thompson are relatively inexperienced. That means reserve Julian Vaughn (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), who was expected to contribute more in his first year after transferring from Florida State, and occasional starter Nikita Mescheriakov (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) may see quite a bit more time than anticipated. The Hoyas won't participate in a tournament this season, but they will head west to take on Washington in the Wooden Classic (not UCLA, which would make sense) and up to New York to face Butler in the Jimmy V Classic.

Louisville (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Pitino was the center of a lot of unwanted attention this offseason thanks to some well-publicized off the court issues. On the court, the Cards the news was also negative, as the team's two leading scorers and rebounders from last season, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, are now in the NBA. The cupboard is far from bare for Pitino, however. He has a backcourt led by seniors Edgar Sosa (7.3 ppg, 2.3 apg) and Jerry Smith, a gifted shooter who averaged almost 8 points a game while shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc. Junior Preston Knowles shot even better from outside, 43 percent, as the sixth man last year. The Cards will need their production, along with that of 6-4 freshman sharpshooter Mike Marra and McDonald's All-American PG Peyton Siva, to replace some of the production that left with Clark and Williams. The frontcourt should be a strength, thanks to the return of 6-9 Samardo Samuels (11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg), though he'll need to be more consistent. Samuels will be challenged by having to do more of the dirty work on the glass, as he was only the third leading rebounder on last year's team. 6-9 sophomore Terrence Jennings should also provide more punch this season, as he averaged 4.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg in only about 12 minutes worth of action as a freshman. Tony Delk, a 6-4 swingman, who averaged less than a bucket a game last year, should also see more time. Besides the traditional game with Kentucky, Louisville will play Arkansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis before they play home games against three mid-major opponents in the same event.

Syracuse (last NCAA: 2009) The Orange lost their three leading scorers--NBA first rounder Jonny Flynn, his Niagara Falls High School teammate Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf--off a squad that reached the Sweet 16. But don't expect Jim Boeheim's squad to fall too far down the Big East pecking order. Two regular frontcourt starters--6-9 C Arinze Onuaku (10.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg) and 6-9 F Rick Jackson (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg)-return, as does part-time starter Andy Rautins (10.5 ppg, 36.6% from 3). The newcomers are even more intriguing. 6-7 F Wesley Johnson, who averaged over 12 points and almost 8 boards as a freshman and 12+ points and 4 boards as a sophomore at Iowa State, will fill Harris' spot in the frontcourt. 6-4 freshman Brandon Triche will replace Flynn at the point. The Orange have some talent on the bench, as 6-1 sophomore guard Scoop Jardine returns after sitting out last year injured, 6-7 sophomore Kris Joseph will provide some depth up front, but he'll have to be more consistent than he was as a freshman. 6-8 freshman James Southerland should see some time off the bench because of his ability to shoot. Syracuse makes the short trip to New York City for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll face California in the semifinals, then either Ohio State or North Carolina. They'll travel to Tampa to take on Florida in the Big East/SEC Invitational and host Memphis in the Dome.

Connecticut (last NCAA: 2009) Jim Calhoun lost three starters off a Final Four team, Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, and Jeff Adrien, but don't expect UConn to fall too far. PG Kemba Walker (8.9 ppg, 2.8 apg) got a lot of experience off the bench in '08-09 and will be ready to fill Price's shoes at the 1 spot. Freshman Darius Smith should also see some time at the point and maybe even at the 2 spot, thanks to his scoring ability. Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.1 apg) returns from a torn meniscus to provide more toughness to the backcourt. In the frontcourt, SF Stanley Robinson (8.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) needs to show more consistency, while 6-9 senior Gavin Edwards steps into a starting role for the first time. Calhoun has some impact youngsters on his frontline, including 6-10 Ater Majok and high school teammates Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. If the younger frontcourt produces as the season goes on, UConn could go on another long March run. Of course, the ongoing investigation surrounding Josh Nochimson could still lead to some distractions during the season. Schedule-wise, the Huskies will host the North regional of the NIT Season Tip-Off. That should result in the first of two trips to MSG for them, as they also face Kentucky in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

West Virginia (last NCAA: 2009) The Mountaineers bring back the bulk of a team that disappointingly lost to Dayton in the first round of last year's NCAAs. Bob Huggins' frontcourt features two players who will challenge for national honors this year, 6-7 senior Da'Sean Butler (17.1 ppg. 5.9 rpg) and 6-9 sophomore Devin Ebanks (10.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg)-a player who really came on in the second half of last season. PF Wellington Smith (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg), a 6-7 senior, should up his performance now that he's recovered from a stress fracture in his leg, while 6-8 sophomore Kevin Jones (6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is another solid reserve player for the Mountaineers. The backcourt will be new as JC transfer Casey Mitchell will be the starting shooting guard and Alex Ruoff's replacement at point guard is a real question mark. Darryl Bryant (9.8 ppg, 2.7 apg), Ruoff's heir apparent, was suspended by Huggins over the summer. Joe Mazzulla (5.6 ppg, 3.7 apg), another player who had to deal with off the court issues last year, is another option. His minutes depend on how well he's recovered from the severe shoulder injury he suffered early last season. The Mountaineers will play in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, where they'll open with Long Beach State. A matchup with either Clemson or Texas A&M awaits on the day after Thanksgiving.

Villanova (last NCAA: 2009) Leading scorer Dante Cunningham (16.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and swingman Dwayne Anderson (9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) may be gone from last year's Final Four team, but there's enough quality on the roster to ensure that the Wildcats remain near the top of the league. Sixth man Corey Fisher (10.8 ppg, 2.8 apg) should move over to the point full-time, while senior Scottie Reynolds (15.2 ppg, 3.4 apg) will continue to help with the playmaking, even in a more offensive role. The frontcourt corps of 6-5 Corey Stokes (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 6-5 Reggie Redding (7.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and 6-8 Antonio Pena (5.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) will be joined by several newcomers. 6-11 redshirt Maurice Sutton, 6-6 Duke transfer Taylor King, and 6-7 freshman Isaiah Armwood will see considerable minutes, while 6-10 Mouphtaou Yarou, a high school teammate of Armwood, will give the Wildcats an inside dimension they haven't had in years. Nova will play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off before Thanksgiving. They'll open with George Mason before facing either Dayton or Georgia Tech on the second day.

The Wildcats will hold the Big East's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. There will undoubtedly be a few of their conference brethren joining them.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big East team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big East Team

Player of the Year: Luke Harangody, 6-8 F, Sr. (Notre Dame)

Remainder of the Team
Da'Sean Butler, 6-7 F. Sr. (West Virginia)
Devin Ebanks, 6-9 F, So. (West Virginia)
Greg Monroe, 6-11 F, So. (Georgetown)
Scottie Reynolds, 6-2 G, Sr. (Villanova)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big East this season?

Cincinnati

7 votes

Connecticut

9 votes

DePaul

1 votes

Georgetown

24 votes

Louisville

13 votes

Marquette

0 votes

Notre Dame

1 votes

Pittsburgh

6 votes

Providence

0 votes

Rutgers

2 votes

St. John's

1 votes

Seton Hall

1 votes

South Florida

0 votes

Syracuse

10 votes

Villanova

18 votes

West Virginia

19 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

Your obligatory Big East primer

SFBE.NF — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:26:57 -0000

Based on last year's Conference RPI ratings, the Big East finished fourth overall. But when you put two teams in the Final Four (Nova, UCONN), another two in the Elite Eight (Louisville, Pitt), have the top overall team coming into the tournament (Louisville again), and host one of the greatest games of attrition in college basketball history (Cuse-UCONN), you shouldn't let Jerry Palm and the like tell you otherwise. Common sense whispered in my ear and said this was the best conference in college basketball last season. It's odd though...seven months removed from that epic season, the Big East isn't facing as much of a hangover as you would expect.

West Virginia will be a lot of fun to watch. Devin Ebanks and Da'Sean Butler know how to score on their own terms, and Bob Huggins knows how to win...on his own terms.

Villanova is going to run, and run until their opponent concedes defeat. They have a great balance of experience and young guns in Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek. The majority of their rotation will consist of guards, but I have always been a believer that having talented guards is remarkably more important in college basketball than having a solid front court.

UCONN is UCONN. They remain freakishly athletic, and you can't blindly discount a Jim Calhoun team until they prove their mediocrity on the court.

Syracuse loses 55 percent of their scoring but will ease into the season with their, as expected, paltry non-conference schedule (Colgate and Cornell and Columbia!!!). Oh Jim Boeheim you're so wise. Meanwhile, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris will get to watch all of this from afar, wondering what was in that sticky stuff they smoked last spring, which told them to "go pro."

And of course there's still Luke Harangody, who is bound to break at least a few scoring records this season and is a leading candidate for all those national player of the year awards.

Yup, the Big East is still our favorite conference. So much so that even your dreadful Providence-Depaul match-up is something we can stand to watch.

A breakdown is after the jump.

Tourney teams (in order of conference finish)

1.      Villanova
2.      West Virginia
3.      UCONN
4.      Syracuse
5.      Georgetown
6.      Notre Dame
7.      Louisville
8.     Cincinnati

*and maybe, just maybe, Seton Hall sneaks in here

All Conference Team

Jerome Dyson, UCONN
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati

Most overrated - Louisville's backcourt. Karen Sypher.

Most underrated - Cincinnati. Stanley Robinson.

Notable non-conference match-ups:

12/6 - Villanova vs. Maryland
12/9 - UCONN vs. Kentucky (MSG)
12/12 - Georgetown vs. Washington
1/1 - West Virginia @ Purdue
1/2 - Louisville @ Kentucky

Five story lines to keep tabs on:

Cincinnati. Has Mick Cronin finally turned the corner? He has three scoring threats in Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates and Lance Stevenson. The Bearcats may breakout this season.

Guard U. How will Jay Wright handle a team that has three bonafide guards, two elite incoming guards, and a Reggie Redding who is suspended for the fall semester but will spend most of his time on the wing once he returns.

Luke Harangody. For the few who play fantasy college basketball, he's your number one pick. With transfer Scott Martin tearing his ACL last month, the Irish are now even that much thinner. Gody currently ranks 8^th on the programs all-time scoring list, and if he just replicates his 23.3 ppg output from last season, he will supplant Austin Carr as the most prolific scorer in Irish history.

Louisville. How do they hold up now that they are down this season and their in-state counterparts have catapulted back into the Final Four picture?

Depaul. Do they win a Big East game this season? They're 2-28 in their last 30 Big East regular season games dating back to January 2008.