I Bleed Blue and White

ESPN writer Andy Katz and Scouts Inc. National Director of Recruiting Paul Biancardi completed a very thorough break-down of the ACC today.  While covering key offseason stories, important players, and primetime freshmen, they also discuss 10 non-conference games they “can’t wait to see” this year.  #6 on the list represents the Maryland Terrapins vs. the Villanova Wildcats, which will take place on December 6th down in Washington D.C. at the BB&T Classic.  Katz, on the game:

The highlight matchup of the BB&T Classic will be Greivis Vasquez versus Scottie Reynolds at the point.  But both teams will want to push the ball and get after each other defensively.  The Terps are a trendy pick for a top-four ACC finish, while the Wildcats should be the Big East favorite.

Other ACC-Big East matchups that Katz points out are Duke at Georgetown (date TBD) and a potential classic if Duke and UConn both make it to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 27th).  With the ACC being analyzed today, one would think that the Big East is next on the list so stay tuned.

Remember that soft nonconference schedule Villanova played last year?  Not so much this year.  Personally, I would rather take a few lumps early in the season, if it means being better prepared down the stretch.  Any thoughts?

As the summer rapidly progresses along, we draw closer and closer to the college basketball season.  Today, Villanova learned their Big East home and away opponents for the upcoming season.  Also of note, Villanova will play West Virginia, Marquette, and Georgetown twice, both home and away. 

Without a doubt, Villanova has one of the toughest schedules in the Big East, and Andy Katz agrees with this assessment.  He says,

Already you can see Villanova will have the toughest slate in the Big East if the predictions hold up.

Additionally, Katz breaks down some of the early tournaments, such as the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which Villanova will participate in.  Another ESPN writer, Pat Forde, ranked his most recent top ten rivalries.  Villanova-Pittsburgh comes in at #5 on Forde’s list.  Forde, on why the rivalry is hot now,

If you saw that memorable East Regional final last spring, you know why. Scottie Reynolds snatched away Pitt’s first Final Four in eons with a last-second drive, giving Nova a leg up in the Pennsylvania hoops hierarchy. It also gives the Wildcats a leg up in what many people believe will be the Big East rivalry of the next decade as Jay Wright and Jamie Dixon turn down other jobs and become even more entrenched. Nova could be the favorite to win the league this season, with Reynolds pulling out of the draft and returning to potentially haunt Pitt again. And even after losing the guts of a great team, you cannot discount the perennially competitive Panthers.

The rivalry will continue to heat up as the Wildcats have to travel to Pittsburgh this year to face the Panthers.  Pitt always plays well at home, as the atmosphere is always great for college basketball, but tough for road teams to play in.  We are curious to hear your thoughts on Villanova’s Big East opponents or the Villanova-Pitt rivalry.

Some more news from Big East big men. First, Georgetown freshmen Greg Monroe will return for his sophomore season.

Out of South Bend, indications are that junior Luke Harangody will enter the NBA draft, but probably not hire an agent. As a result, he will have the option to return to Notre Dame, but again, nothing is set in stone with Harangody. There are some quotes from Harangody and head coach Mike Brey in the article posted.

This news doesn’t really surprise me; I thought Monroe would come back, and I think this is a good decision for him, as he definitely needs another year to develop.  In terms of Harangody, I think he will definitely enter the draft, but I could see him coming back, since he may not be a real high pick.  That NBA money is always enticing though.  Hopefully, for Villanova’s sake, Harangody does leave, since he is a double-double machine night in and night out.

A new week for us, and more players are staying in school, more players are entering the NBA Draft, and we’ve even got some transfer updates in the Big East. Exciting indeed! (I really hate the offseason).

It was reported earlier that Jonny Flynn was going to enter his name in the draft, but not hire an agent. This would have left the door open for a return by Flynn, but his plans have changed. Flynn is going to sign with Leo Rose, the agent who represents LeBron James.

…Adios Jonny…we all know the real reason why you left — Villanova was just too good for you…seriously though…good for him…he’s going to be a steal for whoever gets him in the mid-1st round…and personally as a Knicks fan I wouldn’t be too upset if the Knicks reached a bit and grabbed him in the lottery (assuming they are at the bottom end)…

Devin Ebanks has decided to stay at West Virginia. Not really a shocker there. He needs some time in the weight room before he can reach his full potential. But that potential might be higher than anybody else in the conference.

Jeff Goodman’s blog has been updated to include the impending transfer of Omar Wattad, a 6′5″ SG from Georgetown. Wattad, who you’ve probablyl never heard of either, is a sophomore who was a former 2-star recruit. He was buried on the bench for the Hoyas so his transfer isn’t a total shocker. Good luck to you Mr. Wattad.

And to nobody’s surprise at all, Earl Clark has declared for the draft and hired an agent. The ultra-talented Clark is a lock for the lottery, and has shown flashes this year of reaching his enormous potential. He really came on strong at the end of the year. I’m not even going to bring up how this guy almost came to ‘Nova (well, I guess I just did).

…Flynn and Clark are two guys I’m not going to miss at all…in Flynn’s case though, Syracuse is going to have a rough year without him…Louisville should be okay…

St. John’s just provided the 2nd upset of the day by knocking off Georgetown 64-59. That makes me 0-2 on my picks for the day. I hope nobody was paying attention to me.

Paris Horne had 23 for the Johnnies and D.J. Kennedy finished with 14 after a blazing start. But it was Justin Burrell and Sean Evans who came up big down the stretch for the Red Storm. Burrell had a monster and-1 dunk over Greg Monroe and nailed all his free throws and Evans finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

I don’t know what to think about the NIT-bound Hoyas. They’re awful. They haven’t reached 60 points in their last 5 games. I think the honeymoon is officially over for John Thompson III.

St. John’s moves on to face Marquette tomorrow at 2:30. We’ll play the winner of that on Thursday.

The 1st half of the Georgetown-St. John’s clash was another competitive contest between 2 of the Big East cellar dwellers. The Red Storm are up 30-28 at the half.

Paris Horne and D.J. Kennedy have carried the Red Storm, finishing with 15 and 12 points, respectively. On the other end, Chris Wright paced Georgetown with 11 points in the opening 20 minutes, and freshman Greg Monroe is off to a solid start with 7 points and 6 rebounds.

DeJuan Summers was held scoreless and has been riding the pine with 3 fouls. That could spell trouble for Georgetown. Could we see another upset? This game directly impacts Villanova as the winner faces Marquette. I think I’d rather have the Hoyas face off against Marquette, simply because I feel like they could wear down the Golden Eagles, or if they spring the upset I’d love to exact revenge on them.

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

Friday March 13

• 7:00 p.m. on ESPN – Semifinal #1
• 9:00 p.m. on ESPN – Semifinal #2

Saturday March 14

• 9:00 p.m. on ESPN – Big East Championship Game

You can also go to VUHoops if you want to see the bracket.

…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!…

Here are some clips of Villanova’s loss to Georgetown on Saturday, courtesy of ESPN.

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