Brian Otskey is the Big East Correspondent for RTC. He is reporting from the Big East Tournament all week, and will sum up his thoughts on the day’s action each evening. You can find him on Twitter @botskey.
The Big East Tournament is the best college basketball has to offer, bar none. Wednesday’s second round certainly didn’t disappoint as the day started off in style with an overtime thriller between No. 8 seed West Virginia and No. 9 Connecticut, a game won by the Huskies by the score of 71-67. Georgetown took care of Pittsburgh in the second game of the day session. In the evening, Seton Hall hurt its NCAA chances by losing to Louisville while South Florida won yet again, dispatching Villanova in a very ugly game. It was an exciting day but the best game actually came first this time around.
- After struggling early, Shabazz Napier stepped up in a big way – Napier had an awful first half, scoring four points on 1-7 FG but he really turned it around in the second half. He scored 22 points after intermission and led UConn’s late charge to tie it up before fouling out with 2:35 left in the extra session. Napier has been an enigma for this Huskies team all season long but found his game at the right time. He saved the season with a game-winner against Villanova and likely pushed Connecticut into the NCAA Tournament for good with today’s second half performance, leading the UConn comeback. The Huskies will have a chance to leave no doubt when they take on top-seeded Syracuse at noon on Thursday. Win that one and we can seriously talk about Connecticut making another magical March run at Madison Square Garden.
- Jim Calhoun had back surgery? – If you were on another planet for the last month, you’d never know Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun missed eight games with spinal stenosis. The Huskies coach looked young and agile, jumping up and down the sidelines like he was playing. Calhoun was satisfied afterward and noted how proud he was of his squad. After the game, the UConn head man said he was so confident he thought his team would win the game in regulation despite being down for much of the second half. Calhoun isn’t expecting any magic but he’s clearly confident in his team and deep down I really believe he thinks he can win this tournament.
- Pittsburgh’s disappointing season mercifully ends – It has been a rough go of it for Jamie Dixon and the Pitt Panthers this season and today’s game was a microcosm of their season. The Panthers started hot and actually led by six points with about eight minutes remaining in the first half. Georgetown then closed the half on a 16-2 run and that was all she wrote for Pitt. Ashton Gibbs struggled shooting the basketball (4-12 FG) yet again. A sniper for four seasons in the Steel City, Gibbs struggled to get anything going in his senior season. Tray Woodall was a non-factor and the Panthers allowed Georgetown to shoot 49% for the game. While this team has struggled to score at times this season, Pitt’s major downfall was its defense. The Panthers just weren’t very good on that end of the floor and that was the main reason for their subpar record this season.
- Seton Hall and West Virginia bubbles pop? – The Pirates are probably in more dire straits after blowing a golden opportunity to pick up a quality win against Louisville. The Hall was within one at the break but Louisville started the half on a 16-4 run resulting in the Pirates playing from behind the rest of the way. Seton Hall got close a couple of times but never made a serious charge at the No. 7 seed Cardinals. Louisville advances to play No. 2 Marquette on Thursday but Seton Hall now has to sit and wait nervously until Sunday night to see what the Selection Committee says is their fate. As for West Virginia, the Mountaineers have a lot of losses, something that never makes you feel comfortable this time of year. I think WVU will get in but it may be closer than some think. The Mountaineers really blew their chance to punch their ticket by blowing a late lead to Connecticut, arguably a game they should have won in regulation. Talk in the media room was mixed but it seemed like more people thought Seton Hall is going to fall short of the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates have quality wins over Georgetown, Connecticut, West Virginia and VCU but also have losses to sub-100 RPI teams Villanova, Rutgers and DePaul. West Virginia is 19-13 but did beat Kansas State, Miami, Georgetown, Cincinnati and South Florida. WVU has bad losses to Kent State, St. John’s and Pittsburgh on its resume as well. It will be a close call for both teams.
- South Florida making its case – The Bulls defeated Villanova in the nightcap thanks to a superb defensive effort, holding yet another opponent in the 40s. Villanova scored 47 points on 34% shooting as USF limited Maalik Wayns to just nine points. The Bulls have made this style of play a staple this season and defense like that will keep them in just about every game they play from here on out. South Florida still has just one top 50 win (at Louisville) but also beat Cincinnati and Seton Hall. The Bulls will get another opportunity for a good win on Thursday night against No. 3 seed Notre Dame, a chance to convince the doubters they belong in the field of 68. South Florida arguably passes the eye test but the resume remains light despite 12 Big East wins and one more on Wednesday, its 20th victory of the season. This is one of the most unique bubble cases I’ve ever seen. That number of conference wins is so hard to deny but the resume is lacking when you start to dig deeper. The Bulls did nothing out of conference and that is going to be a black mark when the committee looks at their team sheet. However, a win tomorrow night just might be enough to end any and all speculation.