Got a couple emails asking how long pick’em will be going on. The answer is all season until the games are finished. Obviously if we end up with early games in the BIG EAST Tournament/NCAA Tournament those will not count but lines will be getting out earlier so we’ll try to get the thread up earlier. Senior Night in Cincinnati = favorable line for the Cats? Kind of.
On Game Day, I will post the official line we will be using for the game.
In that thread, post your pick against-the-spread for the game that night.
Make sure you use the same username for every pick (I know some of you are registered, if you aren’t this is a good reason to do so to make it easier). Also, make sure you provide your email so that I can contact the winner at the end of the year.
Anonymous entries will not count.
Entries posted after the game starts will not count.
If you do not provide a pick for the game, it will be marked as a loss in the standings.
If you are away and can’t make a pick in the thread, you can email me your pick. Email me at clane2787@gmail.com and I will try to email you back ASAP with the line (again, it must be emailed before the start of the game).
The winner at the end of the year will win a prize (TBD) and I promise it will be something good. I’m not going to be lame like that. I’m searching eBay for cool Villanova stuff as we speak.
In the event of a tie, the poster with the best BIG EAST record (regular season) wins. If still tied, the best Big 5 record wins. If still tied, the best OOC record wins. If still tied, we may have to do multiple prizes.
The line for tonight’s game is Villanova -4. Fire away.
The Game: #9 Villanova (23-5, 12-4) at Cincinnati (`6-12, 7-9)
Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN2
Brief Rundown: Villanova looks to be falling apart fast after getting embarassed in the Syracuse on Saturday Night. The seniors looked disinterested and the young guys looked overwhelmed and there is a sense of uneasiness surrounding the entire program. They are going into a tough place to play against a team that can do some damage despite their poor record on the season. If there was ever a time for a team to step up and reassert itself, it is now. Scottie and Reggie, this is your team. Lead by example.
Cincinnati was touted as a possible breakout team this year in the BIG EAST but they have fizzled to a degree. Deonta Vaughn is the senior leader on this team and he’s flanked by a solid big man in Yancy Gates and phenom freshman Lance Stephenson, who is also the team’s leading scorer. They’ll be looking for some saving grace in a disappointing year and a win over a Top-1o team would make them feel a lot better about themselves.
What I Want To See: I just want to see some heart out of this team. I thought they had broken out of the slump in a dominating win over South Florida, but they turned around and got run off the court against a very, very good team, but it was still wildly disappointing to see. The seniors need to realize this is the stretch run for them and play with pride and lead this young but talented team. I want to see the hustle and determination that made me fall in love with this program.
…Lets Go Nova…I’ll be tweeting during the 2nd half for anyone on Twitter…we need this game if we’re even thinking about a 2-seed in The Dance…not to mention getting us back on the right track…this is a good test for this team coming off a bad loss…
Expert bracketologist Joe Lunardi returns for the 2009-2010 campaign with his initial breakdown of the field of 64. As we all know, this means absolutely nothing, and this bracket will look very different come March. Anyway, for what it’s worth, Villanova is ranked as a 2 seed in the East (Syracuse) region.
There were a few things that caught my eye right away in terms of the Big East. First, I don’t think Marquette will be challenging for a bid this year, as Lunardi has them as “one of the first four out.” Losing Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Mathews is too much to overcome this year in my opinion. In the “next four out” Lunardi has Cincinnati. No, this program has not had much success since the Bob Huggins era, but this year’s team has a good chance to make the tournament and even be a decent seed. They bring back a good nucleus to go along with freshman phenom Lance Stephenson. Lastly, Pittsburgh was given an 8 seed. I think Jamie Dixon is a great coach and always admire the toughness of the Pitt teams, but it wouldn’t shock me to see the Panthers on the outside looking in. No doubt, though, they will be very well prepared and play each game extremely hard.
We will see how it unfolds over the course of the season. The excitement continues to build as we head towards Friday night and the Fairleigh Dickinson game.
Added by Chris:
I do not like Joe Lunardi one bit, and frankly I am surprised to see him give us this kind of respect this early on. I think we would all sign up for a 2-seed right now, especially with the inexperience of some of our team. That projection is entirely dependent on a lot of guys growing up fast.
As for the other Big East projections, I agree that I have a tough time seeing Marquette in the at-large mix. Hayward is a great player but too many new parts to go along with not much experience. If Jimmy Butler can become a go-to-guy though, they could sneak in. Cincinnati is a near lock for the tournament to me. Too much talent. I actually think Pittsburgh will be higher than an 8 seed. Whenever they are highly-rated they underachieve (last year is a good example) and whenever people think they are rebuilding they tend to exceed expectations.
The Tigers wanted to join along with South Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville back in 2004, but they weren’t invited. One thing working in their favor is the Big East’s desire to add more football programs to the small 8 teams they currently have. With conference championship games becoming more popular, Memphis is an attraction.
It’s more difficult on the basketball side, however. There are already 16 teams in what is by many considered to be a conference that is too big. Adding a 17th, and therefore probably an 18th, would border on crazy.
…I would love Memphis to join the basketball ranks, and for them and the Big East, it makes complete sense from a football standpoint…but the numbers of teams would just be crazy…would they really kick one of the basketball schools out?…
The bench and the fans behind the bench looked really excited while Will Walker dribbled out the clock. You’ve got to feel good for the team. I can’t imagine ever going winless and never thought it would happen to any team in the Big East. I’m glad they got the win.
But what happened to Cincinnati? Just a few weeks ago they were thought to have the best chance of making the tournament out of any Big East bubble teams. Quite the slide down the stretch. They’ll be scary next year though. Good recruits coming in and Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates both return.
This has implications for Providence too. It was commonly thought they needed at least 1 win, and probably 2, to get into the tourney. How much will a victory over DePaul mean for them? Do they need to beat Louisville as well? I’m sure I just scared the hell out of Friarblog.
I was always taught to “bet with your head, not with your heart.” As of halftime of the Cincinnati-DePaul game, I should have followed by heart. The winless Blue Demons are giving the Bearcats all they can handle.
Will Walker is pacing DePaul with 10 points, and hasn’t even made a 3 yet. Dar Tucker has barely played because of foul trouble, and Mac Koshwal has yet to get anything going.
For Cinncinnati, the scoring has been very balanced with a plethora of players getting at least a bucket. Star guard Deonta Vaughn is ice cold so far, going just 1-6 in the 1st half.
I’ve got to give the edge to DePaul going into this 2nd half. They’ve gotten absolutely nothing from Koshwal or Tucker, and Cincinnati just can’t seem to make anything. Go Blue Demons! Get that win!
I’m watching the Cincinnati-DePaul game right now, and it doesn’t appear as this will be a highly attended game.
The Garden seats nearly 20,000 people for basketball games. I would be shocked if the actual attendance (not the “paid” attendance) is over 3,000. Not that I thought that this game, or any others today for that matter, were going to sell the place out, but this is going to be some ammo for the crowd that doesn’t think the extra day is a good thing.
My guess is we’ll see some spikes in the numbers for the local teams games as well as some more numbers from the Notre Dame and Georgetown contingents, but this isn’t pretty.
One of the most fun weeks of the year starts at noon today, and 4 more days of hoops madness follow. While Villanova doesn’t officially begin play until Thursday at 2:30, I’ll be watching as many games as I can because I just love this tournament.
(Before I forget, the team bus is leaving at 3:30 from The Pavilion today. If any students/faculty want to go out and wish them well, get out there at 3:15ish.)
Anyways, there are 4 games on tap for Tuesday. Below are the lines for the games, as well as some predictions. “Home Team” is in CAPS.
12:00 p.m. – CINCINNATI -7.5 DePaul
The more I thought about this game, the more I realized how great it would be if DePaul was able to score a win or two in the Big East Tournament after going winless throughout the regular season. The Bearcats likely have too much for them with Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates, but I think this could stay close if Will Walker can knock down some 3’s for the Blue Demons. The first meeting between these two was close (a 4 point Bearcat victory) but Cincinnati is going to win and cover. If that spread were around 10 I’d be tempted to take the points (if I were a gambling man that is).
2:00 p.m. – GEORGETOWN -7 St. John’s
I think Georgetown is going to crush the hometown Johnnies. I know they just lost to them, and I know they couldn’t even reach the 50’s against DePaul. But I just see no way in hell that a proud program like the Hoyas is going to melt down twice in a couple of weeks against the same terrible team (even though Georgetown is terrible in their own right). Georgetown wins and covers as well. And Greg Monroe might finally show he’s capable of the hype.
7:00 p.m. – NOTRE DAME-10.5 Rutgers
Another game where I’m torn. ND struggled mightily with the Scarlet Knights a few weeks ago in a 5 point home win. But Rutgers is not good. I’m going to lay my hopes and prayers on Fred Hill’s boys to keep this one close in New York though. Notre Dame doesn’t have anyone that can stop Mike Rosario. And Rutgers doesn’t have anyone that can slow down Luke Harangody unless Greg Echenique magically comes to life. Notre Dame wins big if they shoot well and wins close if they don’t. Tough. I’ll go with the Irish and the cover.
9:00 p.m. -SETON HALL – 5 South Florida
If the Big East Tournament was in Florida, I’d go with the Bulls. They showed improvement all throughout the season and are definitely a team to watch next year. They can defend well and they have a couple guys who can get hot. In New York though, Seton Hall is going to have the home crowd behind them and Jeremy Hazell will prove to be too much. I like The Hall to win by 10+.
If you aren’t in a local TV market for these games, apparently they can be seen on the Big East website for free. If that’s true (too early to tell) then it’s a +1 for the conference in my book. I was initially disappointed, but understood why the 1st round of games weren’t being televised nationally. But this would make up for it.
What does everyone else think about today’s games? I know I have all the higher seeds winning. Does anyone see an upset coming?
With the season finales taking place in the Big East yesterday, the seeding is finally set for the Big East Tournament, which begins play on Tuesday. Below is the schedule of games.
Tuesday March 10
12:00 p.m. – #9 Cincinnati vs. #16 DePaul
2:00 p.m. – #12 Georgetown vs. #13 St. John’s
7:00 p.m. – #10 Notre Dame vs. #15 Rutgers
9:00 p.m. – #11 Seton Hall vs. #14 South Florida
Wednesday March 11
12:00 p.m. on ESPN – #8 Providence vs. Cincinnati/DePaul
2:00 p.m. on ESPN – #5 Marquette vs. Georgetown/St. John’s
7:00 p.m. on ESPN – #7 West Virginia vs. Notre Dame/Rutgers
9:00 p.m. on ESPN – #6 Syracuse vs. Seton Hall/South Florida
Thursday March 12
12:00 p.m. on ESPN – #1 Louisville vs. Providence/Cincinnati/DePaul
2:00 p.m. on ESPN – #4 Villanova vs. Marquette/Georgetown/St. John’s
7:00 p.m. on ESPN – #2 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia/ND/Rutgers
9:00 p.m. on ESPN – #3 UConn vs. Syracuse/Seton Hall/USF
…It’s just amazing that this is now a 5 day tournament…and I can’t help but laugh when I see Notre Dame and Georgetown seeded that low…who would have thought?…
…Anyways, I like our draw…I’d bank on Georgetown beating St. John’s after they just lost to them…that won’t happen twice…Georgetown-Marquette should be a pretty good game…and then I like our matchup with either a wounded and reeling Marquette or a revenge matchup with the Hoyas…
…Also like a potential revenge game with Louisville, gosh we should have won that game!…
12:00 p.m. – CINCINNATI -7.5 DePaul
2:00 p.m. – GEORGETOWN -7 St. John’s
7:00 p.m. – NOTRE DAME-10.5 Rutgers
9:00 p.m. -SETON HALL – 5 South Florida
