First half:

• (18:12): Looks like it’s going to be just like the game last month — ugly. Villanova is running the press and it’s taking the Hoyas out of their offense. It takes the Hoyas a significant time to get the ball upcourt, giving them less time to get into their Princeton offense, and less chances for backdoor cuts. The first few Georgetown plays have resulted in some dribble drive with the shot clock running down. Looks like Jay Wright knows what he’s doing…
• (17:00): Wow, great block from Sumpter that was a sure layup off of a classic Georgetown backdoor. I’ll be sure to include that in the postgame highlights.

• (15:29): Hibbert with two fouls, no field goal attempts and is sitting on the bench. Villanova is rebounding the ball on the offensive end really well. They seem to do this well year in and year out — anybody got stats on this? Observation: Villanova never has especially big players, but they always seem to have great interior defense.
• (14:03): Three Georgetown team fouls already — all in the paint defending Nova. The score is only Villanova 10, Georgetown 6, but this game is all Villanova so far.
• (12:43): The thing that’s killing Georgetown’s offense is Villanova’s ability to get to the line. As long as Villanova makes their last free throw, they can get into the press easily and delay Georgetown running their offense.
• (9:30): First Georgetown play in a while when they’ve been able to bring the ball up without the press. Result: backdoor to Green for the dunk.
• (7:50): Wow, Scottie Reynolds is really, really good. On three consecutive possessions, Reyonds drains a three, dribble-drives and delivers a perfect pass for a layup, and then drains another three. In my opinion, he’s much more in control than either Ray, Lowry, or Foye ever were.

• (5:41): Nova 25, Georgetown 18: the only reason the Hoyas are in the game is Jeff Green — he’s 4-5 from the field with half of Georgetown’s points. Here’s my analogy for Jeff Green — he’s a poor man’s Chris Webber.
• (3:20): I find it interesting that Georgetown’s offense depends on precision passing — and yet the Hoyas have had so many turnovers on simple passes to beat the press. One thing’s for sure — Georgetown isn’t comfortable making the long passes necessary to beat the press.
• (0:00): Sapp hits an insane three from beyond half court. Villanova’s only up two (29-27) despite dominating gameplay. Hibbert has yet to take a shot. I’d be worried if I was a Nova fan…

Second half:

• (18:00): Nova continuing to dominate the pace of the game. And Scottie Reynolds continues to go nuts — picking off a pass and taking it the length of the court for a layup.
• (13:36): Georgetown’s now up 42-40…with Villanova missing some long shots, Georgetown’s been able to get into its offense. Sapp has hit two big threes in the second half, perhaps feeding off of his energy from that three-quarters-court shot he hit at the end of the first half.
• (11:40): Hibbert with his first points — he’s not having an effect on the offensive end, but he’s contributing on the defensive end with some key rebounds, steals, and blocks. Too bad he just committed a dumb, over-the-back foul…making it his fourth. Now he’s sitting. I think Reynolds is about to go off…
• (9:30): Will Sheridan, Scottie Reynolds…pick and roll..Sheridan baseline jumper. As a UConn fan, that just gives me bad memories.
• (8:06): Jeff Green has a really nice physique. I mean that in the most heterosexual way possible.
• (7:00): [46 Georgetown, 45 Nova] It’s anybody’s game. Time to step up. The team that wants it more is going to win. Okay, I’m done with the cliches.
• (5:34): [49 Georgetown, 48 Nova] Villanova just got two more offensive rebounds. This makes nine for the game (Georgetown only has four). Dan’l B — there must be some stats about this…
• (3:52): [52 Nova, Georgetown 51] Nardi’s made some dumb decisions — he just tried a loopy full court pass that almost got picked off.
• (3:30): [55 Nova, Georgetown 53] Reynolds from NBA three land, then Hibbert with his second basket…this is a great game. (By the way, Nardi just made a dumb decision again..driving into the lane and looking puzzled…)
• (0:00): [58 Georgetown, Nova 55] After a DeJuan Summers free throw and jump shot by Jeff Green, Georgetown hangs on to win its ninth straight. Nova had a chance to win it late in the game with an awkward Reynolds three, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Hoyas lucked out here. If any teams are looking on how to beat Georgetown, they should consult this game.

Categories: Commentary, donald
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In just under half an hour, Georgetown tries to avenge its loss last month to Villanova. That was an ugly game — 39 total turnovers and Roy Hibbert failed to get off a single shot attempt. I’ll be live-blogging the game today and hope to put up some videos of interesting or controversial plays after the game. This will largely be an experiment, but I’ve enjoyed reading Bill Simmons’s running logs of games, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

More pregame analysis from some excellent blogs:

• HoyaSaxa: There’s a link to these guys on the right hand pane. We haven’t mentioned them much, but they’re an excellent source of information and links on the Hoyas. For instance, check out the following article they link to (Princeton offense, NBA talent). That article goes a bit too far — I wouldn’t really say most of the Georgetown players are NBA talent.
• Villanova Viewpoint: I just found these guys the other day. They’ve got a detailed, cogent pregame analysis as well as a post on the history of the Villanova/Georgetown matchup. The latter post also answers the question — What the hell is a Hoya?

By the way, I think Villanova-Georgetown should be a bigger rivalry than it is. The schools are the two most similar in the Big East — both excellent, private, liberal arts universities. I bet a lot of students who consider going to Villanova (upper middle class — think J Crew and Banana Republic) end up considering Georgetown, and vice versa.

We also have another Big East-Pac 10 matchup today in Washington vs. Pittsburgh (see the guys over at PittBlather.com for that). Let’s hope for another strong showing for the Beast.

Categories: Commentary, donald, Georgetown, Villanova
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I can’t say I’m not disappointed in the season my beloved Orange(men) have put together this year. In fact, I’m bummed. This was supposed to be a fantastic year for them. They’re a team that starts three seniors (Roberts, Nichols, Watkins), has a top freshman in the country (Harris), and a junior point guard (Wright). They should be better. If they were a stock, they’d be rated “Underperforming.” If they were an NFL quarterback, they’d be Daunte Culpepper. If they were a supermodel, they’d be Tyra Banks.

The Cuse are 17-8 overall, 6-5 in the Big East. They have an underwhelming two quality wins (at Marquette, vs. Villanova). Add to that some lousy losses to Drexel, St. John’s, and UConn, and you have an eminently unspectacular bubble team, likely doomed to the NIT unless they can win four out of their next five and make it at least one round deep at MSG. Don’t hold your breath, Orange(men) faithful.

So, why? Why is this happening? What the hell is going on?

I have no idea, but here are a few possibilities:

• The Big Dog Dilemma. Demetris Nichols is the best player on Cuse, and should probably be First Team All Big East. He can score from anywhere, and will probably be a decent NBA player due to his extensive skill set. Therefore, get him the damn ball! His teammates should be passing the ball to him like every time down the floor…no excuses. Every team has a go-to guy, and Demetris fills that role. His teammates need to be less selfish, allowing him the opportunity to carry the team.
• Same old, same old. Boeheim is perhaps becoming way too predictable. I know, he’s a Hall of Fame coach, and I love the man more than most of my relatives. But by now teams know exactly how he calls a game, exactly what’s coming on defense and offense, and therefore they can adjust. I don’t think mean to speak ill of Coach B., but it’s a possibility, right?
• The Wright Stuff? Josh Wright is a good point guard, but sadly he’s not as good as he thinks he is. Gerry Mac was a great point guard because he understood that guys like Roberts and Watkins needed the ball in space. Gerry delivered on-the-money passes, and consistently found guys at the right time during a play. Wright still forces things…he’s not yet a great leader, and when he gets flustered, he tends to make bad decisions that make the team worse.
• Mother Nature. It snowed a lot in Syracuse. This must have something to do with their mediocre showing this year. Don’t ask me how.
• Diaper Dandy…sort of. Paul Harris was supposed to be the best player Syracuse has seen in a long time. However, his progression has been slow this season, and he clearly needs more time to develop and play quality team-oriented basketball.
• KarmMelo. First, Carmelo gets suspended for the sucker-punch. Then he teams up with a Georgetown alum. Bad karma all around.
• Eric-tile Dysfunction. Devendorf takes too many ill-advised shots. This is an objective, measureable, and indisputable fact. At least half of his FG attempts should go to Nichols, or to a spot-up shooter like Rautins. Sorry, Eric, but I think Coach Boeheim benched you for this exact reason. Now, please do not hurt me for the ED comment.

I suppose their performance could be chalked up to a combination of these factors. All in all, it’s been disappointing. I think everyone who follows Big East basketball would agree that this is a good team that should be much better than its record would suggest.
Of course, they’ll probably squeak into the Big East tournament, win the damn thing, lock up a 5 seed in the NCAA Tourney, and then lose to the 12 seed. Gotta love the Cuse.

Categories: Commentary, Mister D, Syracuse
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It’s a down year, so I cherish every solid out-of-conference victory. West Virginia whooped up on UCLA this weekend, making it two years in a row. Yes, Darren Collison, UCLA’s starting point guard, was out with an injury to his left shoulder, and yes, the game was played 10 am West Coast time, but those are just excuses. The real reason UCLA lost is they’re just not that good. It’s not as if they haven’t played WVU before — they played at UCLA last year and UCLA’s roster remains mainly the same. And it’s not like it was Ben Howland’s first time coaching against John Beilein — they shared a common year in the Big East before Howland moved over to UCLA in 2003. So Howland should know the unique gameplan the Mountaineers bring to the table fairly well.

This was just a wonderful game to watch. First, it was West Virginia — I never get tired of their insane devotion to the three, nor of the constant double-teaming that their 1-3-1 defense brings. Second, it was a classic underdog matchup — UCLA, a perennial power and a school associated with sunshine, beautiful women, and the good life, versus West Virginia, a state university whose state is used for punchlines about incest and rednecks. (Of course, it’s West Virginia who has the cosmopolitan Joe Alexander.) The game had everything that makes March Madness so dear to me and it’s getting me totally psyched for the tournament.

Cheers to West Virginia and the Big East!

Categories: Commentary, donald, West Virginia
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Well, here we are more than halfway through the Big East Season and thoughts are turning to who gets a bye, who stays home etc. I looked over the field, their schedules left and saw what I think will be the way it will shake out.

Seed #1. Pittsburgh (14-2) Pitt will go through the rest of the season pretty easily with one loss at Georgetown. Wins- Providence, Louisville, @Seton Hall, West Virginia and @ Marquette.  Losses- @ Georgetown.  Key Games-At Marquette and at Georgetown. If Pitt were to lose both games they may just end up a 2 or 3 seed.

Seed #2 – Georgetown (12-4) Georgetown should be ok going 5-2 for the rest of the season. Wins- Pittsburgh, Marquette, West Virginia, @ Cincinnati, UConn. Losses- @ Villanova, @ Syracuse. Key Games- Pittsburgh and Marquette (both at home).

Seed #3 – Marquette (12-4) This is a tough call but losing at Georgetown will give the Eagles the #3 seed in head-to-head. Wins- @ DePaul, Louisville, Villanova, @ Notre Dame. Losses- Pittsburgh, @ Georgetown. Key Games – Pitt and @ Georgetown.

Seed #4 – Notre Dame (10-6) This team could drop all the way to #8 if they can’t compete on the road. If you look up Road Kill in the dictionary you will find the ND team picture. Wins -Providence, @Cincinnati, DePaul, @ Rutgers. Losses – Marquette. Key Games -Anyone on the road.

Seed #5 – Louisville (9-7) By going 2-1 in the mini conference the Cards will get the 5 seed. Wins – USF, St. John’s, Seton Hall. Losses – @ Pittsburgh, @ Marquette, @ UConn. Key Games - at UConn. A win here might get them a bye on Wednesday.

Seed #6 – Villanova (9-7) Under the mini conference rule Nova will be the 6 seed by going 3-2. Wins – Georgetown, @ Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Syracuse. Losses – @ Marquette, @ UConn. Key Games – Nova must hold serve at home and could possibly knock off UConn.

Seed #7 – Providence (9-7) Providence will go 2-2 in mini conference, losing to both Nova and Louisville. Wins – Syracuse, St. John’s, West Virginia, @ USF. Losses – @ Pittsburgh, @ Notre Dame, @ St. John’s. Key Games – If the Friars can pick a couple off @ ND and @ St. John’s they could move into the top 4.

Seed #8 – West Virginia (9-7) The Mountaineers will go 1-1 in the mini conference and the loss to Nova will drop them to an 8 seed. Tough away schedule won’t help. Wins – Seton Hall, Cincinnati. Losses – @ Pittsburgh, @ Georgetown, @ Providence. Key Games – WVU must take care of business and look to win at Providence.

Seed #9 – Syracuse (9-7) Fading fast, the Orange will Surprise Georgetown in a rivalry game in the dome. Wins – Georgetown, UConn, St. John’s, @ USF. Losses – @ Villanova, @ Providence. Key Games – The Orange are capable of beating both Nova and Providence but could also lose again to UConn.

Seed #10 – UConn (8-8) The Huskies are gaining confidence with a 2 game win streak but the talent level is not on a par with teams above them. Wins – Villanova, Seton Hall, @ Rutgers, Louisville. Losses - @ Georgetown, @ Syracuse. Key Games – Villanova and Louisville are almost MUST wins for the Huskies because I don’t think they can beat SU twice.

Seed # 11 – DePaul (7-9) Wins against #4 ND and #6 Villanova will boost DePaul over St. John’s into 11 seed. The loss to USF will knock the Demons down. Wins- Cincinnati, USF. Losses- Marquette, @ Notre Dame, @ USF. Key Games – The Demons should win @ USF and they can beat Notre Dame if the Irish play like last night against them.

Seed #12 – St. John’s (7-9) Wins over #4 ND and #7 Providence will not be enough to over DePaul. Wins- Providence, Rutgers. Losses – @ Louisville, @ Syracuse, @ Providence. Key Games – Winning one against Providence is the key. No way they beat Syracuse twice this year.

 #13- Seton Hall (4-12) Not going! The Hall will lose 6 of their last 7 to eliminate them from MSG. Wins- USF. Losses – Pittsburgh, Villanova, @ West Virginia, @ UConn, @ Louisville, @ Cincinnati.Key Games - Don’t see the Hall winning in any of their remaing games and could lose to USF.

#14 – USF (4-12) A tough Loss to Seton Hall will drop USF to #14 and keep them in tampa in March. Wins – DePaul. Losses – @ Louisville, Syracuse, Providence, @ DePaul, @ Seton Hall. Key Games – Can USF win one against DePaul? Won’t matter for seeding anyway.

#15 – Cincinnati (3-13) This team deserves a lot of credit for being competitive despite having no bench at all. Wins – Seton Hall, @ Rutgers. Losses – Georgetown, @ Villanova, Notre Dame, @ West Virginia, @ DePaul. Key Games – Both wins above are key. Foul shooting could doom this team to 1-15 though.

#16 – Rutgers (2-14) The Knights will not win again in Big East games. Wins – none. Losses – @ Villanova, Notre Dame, UConn, @ St. John’s, Cincinnati. Key Games – Maybe a win against UConn or ND will salvage a horrible season.

Categories: Coach O, Commentary, Postseason
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