Finally! We have some conference games on tap and I for one could not be more excited that I don’t have to see our schools beating up on the Davidsons of the world any more. We’ve already watched the Moutaineers knock UConn from the ranks of the unbeaten, and then last night UConn rebounded to defeat USF 69-50, which included an impressive performance from Freshman guard Jerome Dyson, and Sophomore forward Jeff Adrien. After watching the game, I was still most impressed by the play of Freshman Doug Wiggins who came off the bench to give the Huskies quite a jumpstart in the first half. Melvin Buckley paced the Bulls with 17 points in the loss.

Tonight there are four games, three of which are on ESPN Full Court, and I believe they may still have their free preview on, so you might want to check some Big East hoops out tonight. They are:

Villanova @ West Virginia - It’ll be interesting here to see if WVU will play as well against the Wildcats as they did in their first game. I expect Villanova to come out of there with a very close win, and it should be a good game.

Rutgers @ Seton Hall - Seton Hall should win here by 10-15, and nobody outside of New Jersey is likely to watch it.

DePaul @ St. John’s - This should also be tight. I expect Depaul to win, but St. John’s should make it interesting.

Louisville @ Notre Dame - Finally, the best game of the night, and it’s not televised. Freaking great! I think the Irish will win in another close one.

Tomorrow (Thursday night) we’ve got…
Pitt @ Syracuse - The game I am most excited about is tomorrow night’s matchup as Pitt travels to the Dome for their Big East opener. Knowing Syracuse, they’ll probably beat Pitt, beat Marquette and then lose to Rutgers. That would only be too typical. I actually think that the Cuse does have enough to beat Pitt, and I think if there was ever a good chance, it’s now, before the Panthers get rolling. Look for a nailbiter and for an Orange upset.

Marquette @ Providence - Give me Providence by 5-10. Marquette is better, but I can see them over-looking this game for their next tough test against the Orange. I think this will be an upset.

Categories: Big Willie Style, Commentary