1. This week’s Big East accolades are out and Georgetown forward Hollis Thompson has earned Player of the Week Honors after averaging 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in a 3-0 week for the Hoyas.  Thompson’s week was highlighted by his game-winning three to give his team a win over then #12 Alabama in the Big East/SEC Challenge.  Providence freshman forward LaDontae Henton took home Rookie of the Week honors, scoring 17.5 points and grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game in two Friar victories.  Henton backed the honor up on Monday with a career high 19 points versus Brown.  Other Honor Roll recipients include Henton’s teammate, sophomore guard Gerard Coleman, Marquette’s Darius Johnson-Odom, Pittsburgh’s Ashton Gibbs, West Virginia’s Kevin Jones and Seton Hall’s Herb Pope.
2. The latest installment of Top 25 rankings are out and the Big East welcomed a new guest to the party as Georgetown (7-1), fresh off a 3-0 week including the above mentioned road victory over Alabama (the Hoyas’ second victory over a ranked foe this year (Memphis)), debuts at #18.  On the strength of a good effort in the Big East/SEC Challenge, all of the conference’s previously ranked squads not only remained so, but four of five moved up.  Connecticut (7-1), despite not losing, slid a spot to #9 and looks forward to an intriguing matchup with #24 Harvard on Thursday.  Syracuse (8-0) hopped up a spot to #3 after taking down #12 Florida and faces a test tonight against 5-1 Marshall.   Louisville (7-0) continued its steady climb, again moving up one position to #5 after beating Vanderbilt and knocking the Commodores out of the rankings. Marquette (7-0) shot up five notches to #11, beating Wisconsin and sending them back seven spots to #14.  Lastly, Pittsburgh elevated two steps to #15 with wins over Duquesne and Tennessee.  No other Big East team received votes in this week’s Associated Press poll.
3. Providence freshman point guard Kiwi Gardner has been ruled academically ineligible to play this season due to an issue with a core course taken at Westwind Prep (AZ), where Gardner studied last year.  Gardner had been ruled ineligible prior to the start of the season but Providence appealed the matter with the NCAA and had been optimistic about a positive outcome.  The news was announced by Providence head coach Ed Cooley in his postgame press conference following the Friars’ 80-49 victory over Brown on Monday night, adding, “my heart goes out to him.”  Gardner was recruited by Cooley and his staff last year while at Fairfield, as well as by former Providence head coach Keno Davis. Shortly after the news broke, Gardner indicated via Twitter that he would remain at Providence despite not being able to suit up this season.  The Friars have been playing with just eight scholarship players, as sophomore forward Kadeem Batts has also been serving a suspension for a violation of team rules.  As noted here yesterday, it was reported over the weekend that Batts will return for Providence’s December 20 game versus New Hampshire.
4. Villanova will be without 6’11” junior Maurice Sutton for a month with a dislocated thumb.  Sutton, who injured the thumb in practice,  did not play in Saturday’s win over Penn but appeared in all six of Villanova’s previous games, averaging 9.2 minutes, 1.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest for the 5-2 Wildcats.  Head coach Jay Wright commented on the injury, “our staff and team is disappointed for Mo. He’s been making a contribution to our team on a daily basis and we’ll miss his presence, especially defensively. But the positive in this is that Mo can still maintain his conditioning while the thumb heals and we look forward to getting him back out there, possibly in time to start the Big East season.”  Sutton can only observe as his team takes on #10 Missouri tonight as part of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
5. Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated came out with his annual column highlighting sophomores to watch, and there was a significant Big East presence.  The premise of Davis’ analysis is to highlight sophomore breakout candidates. Davis provides sound analysis in that the freshman year often involves a maturation process where prep stars are learning to adjust to many differences both on and off the court.  Not to mention the fact that many rookies simply do not play much as freshmen while they wait their turn, and inevitably see an increase in production based on a more significant role in year two.  The headliner of the list was Syracuse’s 7’0” center Fab Melo.  Melo was the target of significant orange-tinted venom a year ago, which Davis argues was unjustified, as the much-hyped big guy struggled both on the floor in limited duty (2.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 9.9 MPG) and with his weight.  Melo came in this year much lighter and seemingly more focused, and this has paid dividends for the as-yet-unbeaten Orange.  His playing time has increased (22 MPG) as has his productivity (6.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.4 BPG). Other Big East’ers on the list include:

Marquette guard Vander Blue, who struggled with his shot last year but has put up solid numbers there so far this year (51.2% FG, 37.5% 3FG) for the surging Golden Eagles.

Villanova guard James Bell, who clearly is one of those guys who had to wait his turn.  His playing time has tripled to 27 minutes per game, and although a bit inconsistent at times, he has responded with 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game overall.

Connecticut forward Tyler Olander has earned minutes in the face of some pretty stiff competition.  As Davis notes, Olander came back stronger this year and perhaps has benefited some from the inconsistency and grousing of Alex Oriakhi.

Finally, Georgetown guard Markel Starks, who took a year to develop behind the now departed Chris Wright and is averaging 8.7 points in 25.1 minutes per game.

Patrick Prendergast is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report from Saturday’s game between Boston College and Boston University.

A fierce rivalry exists between Boston College and Boston University… at least when it comes to the puck dropping, anyway. Even people on the west coast know about “that Beanpot thing.” Ironically, the intensity and interest cool once the rivalry slides off the ice and onto the hardwood for the room-temperature edition.

The Terriers and Eagles renewed roundball acquaintances on Saturday at Conte Forum on Boston College’s campus, raring to go with that last meeting in 2004-05 fresh in their minds. Wait, two schools separated by less than a four-mile stretch of Commonwealth Avenue have not played in seven years? We get that Boston traffic can be brutal, but c’mon now. Yes, Boston is known as a notoriously pro sports-centric town with seemingly little mainstream regard for collegiate athletics, but, as proven by hockey, an appetite exists. However that interest cannot be cultivated unless and until there are actual games played on a consistent basis.

Donahue Will be Doing a lot of Teaching With His Young Eagles

Now is the time to stoke up the hoop rivalry. The increased local exposure created could help both schools nationally. One program is working to make its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, while the other looks to build around its young pieces to get to the next level. While you may be thinking BC is the established tournament-ready squad and BU is in rebuilding mode, think again.

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1. Pittsburgh learned it will have to do without junior point guard Travon Woodall for four to five weeks due to a groin strain and abdominal tear suffered in a victory over Duquesne last Wednesday. Woodall played 33 minutes in the contest and finished with nine points and seven assists.  A player in the midst of a breakout year, Woodall, who has received Big East Honor Roll recognition in each of the last two weeks, is Pittsburgh’s second leading scorer (14.1 PPG) and the nation’s third leading assist provider at 8.3 per contest. The Panthers were without Woodall for their 61-56 road victory over Tennessee in the Big East-SEC Challenge. Freshman Jason Johnson, who is expected to see increased time at the point in Woodall’s absence, had a big three-point play down the stretch to help secure the victory. Johnson played 18 minutes, scoring eight points and dishing out three assists.
2. Another Big East team was missing their floor general this weekend as #16 Marquette took to the floor on the road against #9 Wisconsin without point guard Junior Cadougan (7.7 PPG, 6.3 APG).  However, unlike Travon Woodall, Cadougan’s absence will be brief as he was issued a one-game suspension due an unspecified violation of team rules.  While Golden Eagle head coach Buzz Williams would not provide full details on the nature of the violation, he revealed that it was not a legal issue and said, ”He made a mistake yesterday, and my decision was to suspend him from this game. That’s the end of it. He made a mistake that was not intelligent in nature. It did not hurt anyone, but it was not how his mom raised him.” Despite losing Cadougan, Marquette came away with a big 61-54 win over the Badgers to remain unbeaten at 7-0.  Freshman guard Todd Mayo saw an increase in minutes as a result and tied his career high with 14 points to go with five rebounds.
3. Speaking of suspensions, Providence fans were welcomed with an encouraging bit of news on Saturday when GoLocalProv.com reported 6’9” redshirt sophomore forward Kadeem Batts, who has not played at all this year due to a suspension by head coach Ed Cooley for unspecified violation of team rules, will be reinstated in time to suit up for the December 20 home contest versus New Hampshire. There has been no public confirmation on this from the Providence athletic department but if true it would conclude Batts’ suspension at 11 games.  No specifics are known regarding the basis for the suspension, but rumors have circulated that it was a class attendance issue.  If it is true that Batts will return for the New Hampshire game, the timing is consistent with an academically related issue as the fall semester will have ended by that time. Batts started all 32 games a year ago averaging 7.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
4. Time for your daily dose of Syracuse and Bernie Fine.  After Syracuse’s 72-68 home victory over Florida on Friday, head coach Jim Boeheim issued a mea culpa for his strong public comments in defense of former assistant coach Bernie Fine who was fired amid allegations of sexual misconduct. When the story broke Boeheim came out firmly in defense of Fine, as well as to go on the offensive against the accusers, indicating that there was a financial motive to the accusation on the heels of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.  His comments on Friday reset his stance on both Fine and his accusers: “What I said last week was out of loyalty. I reacted without thinking. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’m trying to learn from my mistake, and this has been a hard time. That’s all I can say. There’s an investigation going on which I fully support, because we all need to know as much as we can (about) what happened. . . I shouldn’t have questioned what the accusers expressed or their motives. I am really sorry that I did that and I regret any harm that I caused.”
5. Powered by a 4-0 Saturday sweep, this year’s Big East-SEC Challenge title was claimed by the Big East, 8-4.  Most of the games went true to form in terms of results with the only so-called ‘upset’ coming when Hollis Thompson buried a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds to propel Georgetown to a 57-55 victory over #12 Alabama on Thursday.  The Hoyas, who were led by Jason Clark’s 22 points in the Alabama triumph, also rolled over NJIT 84-44 on Saturday to raise their record to 7-1 and could secure a spot in the Top 25 when the rakings come out later today.

Here is a complete score rundown of the games:

• Big East Wins (8): Georgetown 57, Alabama 55; Providence 76, South Carolina 67; Syracuse 72, Florida 68; Cincinnati 57, Georgia 51; Louisville 62, Vanderbilt 60; Seton Hall 81, Auburn 59; Connecticut 75, Arkansas 62; Pittsburgh 61, Tennessee 56
• Big East Losses (4): Kentucky 81, St. John’s 59; Mississippi 70, DePaul 68; Louisiana State 55, Rutgers 50; Mississippi State 75, West Virginia 62

Big East Recruiting Round-up is a recurring feature that will focus on, well, recruiting.  Rumors, buzz, rankings…..everything potentially shiny and new. 

Nerlens Noel Poll Results!

Nerlens Noel, Heavily Desired by Providence Fans...

When last we met on the recruiting trail, super class of 2013 center Nerlens Noel was a hot topic of discussion.  He had semi-revealed a short list of five schools, four of which reside in the Big East.  So we did what any red-blooded American college basketball site would do and took it to the voters.  The turnout was great and all of the hanging chads have been counted.  They apparently voted early and often in the Ocean State because, as you can see below, the results were overwhelmingly in favor of Providence.  Perhaps we should rename ‘Friartown’ to ‘Nerlenstown.’  If you’d like to get a late vote in, the polls will remain open so go for it!

Will the Bernie Fine Controversy Hurt Syracuse’s Recruiting Efforts?

Syracuse recruits comment on whether or not Bernie Fine allegations impact their decision. It is important to note that this check-in occurred on November 23 which was before the Laurie Fine telephone call recording broke.  Further, with head coach Jim Boeheim now being called into question it is reasonable to believe some recruits will take a wait-and-see approach.  As noted in our previous round-up, Syracuse has signed two highly-rated recruits out of the class of 2012 in DaJuan Coleman (6’10″ center – Jamesville DeWitt – NY – Ranks: Rivals: 27, ESPN: 14) and Jerami Grant 6’7″ – forward – DeMatha – MD – Ranks: Rivals: 60 , ESPN: 43)

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He’s the best point guard you may have never heard of and if Providence’s Vincent Council is not the one player above all in the Big East whom his team could not do without, he is certainly on the short list. The 6’2” junior is the best and most experienced player on a team with no seniors that is fighting to regain relevance under first-year head coach Ed Cooley after a tumultuous three years under Keno Davis. Coming off back-to-back 4-14 Big East finishes, the Friars have not done much winning in Council’s tenure, but the lack of success as a team thus far has little reflection upon Council’s contribution.

Fitting of his unassuming and determined personality, Council is quietly respected as one of the top guards in the conference. In similar under-the-radar fashion Council (affectionately known as “VC”) was unheralded coming out of the Patterson School (NC) despite playing for one of the nation’s top teams in his senior year. Upon arriving at Providence, Council was forced to grow up quickly in a league that does not take kindly to its young, appearing in all 31 of his team’s games, starting eight, and averaging 27.6 minutes per game. Council’s hard-nosed approach coupled with his speed, lighting-quick first step, and tremendous court vision endeared him to the Friar faithful early on, and he responded to the minutes and cheers with solid play as a freshman (10.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.6 APG)  earning Big East All-Rookie Team honors.

Then the off-season from Hell hit Smith Hill. Two players, Johnnie Lacy and James Still, were expelled from school after brutally beating another student in a random act of violence. This was followed by the release of Jamine “Greedy” Peterson, who was to be Providence’s leading returning scorer and rebounder, for his participation in undisclosed incidents related to an on-campus party over that summer.

Council is Providence's Floor General

Despite the off-season turmoil, the Friars welcomed in a top 50 recruit in shooting guard Gerard Coleman and hoped to build momentum on the court and in Big East recruiting battles.  However, the program continued to crumble behind the scenes and even with the arrival of the slashing scorer Coleman, Providence became a two-headed monster in 2010-2011 with Marshon Brooks and Vincent Council. While this resulted in an historic season for Brooks individually, and Council’s numbers increased across the board (13.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.9 APG), he did not display his full array of skills.  That said, Council was an iron man, starting all thirty-two games and averaging 36.2 minutes per contest but Providence, although they continued to score at a high rate, became a stagnant team offensively as Keno Davis forced the action through Brooks and Council almost exclusively in his high-octane shoot-first, think about the shot later offense. The numbers bear this out as the Brooks/Council duo accounted for eye popping percentages of the team’s totals for the year in various offensive categories: points – 50.5%, shots – 47.9%, 3-point attempts – 49.9%, free throw attempts – 49.3%.  This uneven distribution caused others on the team to become disengaged, making an already poor and unfocused defensive group even worse as the Friars gave up an astounding 75.3 points per game. The lack of wins, defense and overall control of the program ultimately led to the dismissal of Davis and the hiring of Cooley.

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1. The Big East revealed the second installment of its men’s basketball weekly awards on Monday. Syracuse senior forward Kris Joseph earned the Player of the Week award as he led the Orange to an NIT Pre-Season Tip-Off  win, averaging 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in the tournament including 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals in the final against Stanford.  Rookie of the week honors went to Connecticut freshman center Andre Drummond who responded to his newfound starting role by posting averages of 11.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in three games, including a near triple-double in the Bahamas against Florida State (12 PTS, 10 REB, 7 BLK).  As for the Honor Roll, Pittsburgh’s Tray Woodall checks in with his second consecutive appearance (10.3 PPG, 9.0 APG) powered by double-doubles against La Salle and Robert Morris;  Sophomore Cleveland Melvin has DePaul off to a 4-1 start and backed up his Old Spice Classic All-Tournament Team selection with this conference honor; Georgetown senior guard Jason Clark who averaged 23.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in Maui including 26 huge points in an overtime victory over then No. 8 Memphis; Seton Hall double-double machine and last week’s Player of the Week, Herb Pope, posted two more double-doubles, raising his Big East-leading season total to five; and West Virginia’s Kevin Jones only had one game this past week but he made it count racking up 23 points, 10 boards and two blocks in a win over Morehead State.

2. Last week was a rough week overall for the Big East with a slew of losses but for the most part the top of the league held serve and maintained their Top 25 rankings. Connecticut, on the heels of their 68-63 upset at the hands of Central Florida, represented the only Big East team to record a drop in the Associated Press poll as they slid four spots to #8.  Syracuse shook off the Bernie Fine controversy to win in the Garden and earned a one spot promotion to #4 while Louisville bit back at the injury bug and jumped up a notch to #6 while Marquette (#16) and Pittsburgh (#17) stood pat as compared to last week to help the Big East maintain a total of five ranked teams. Georgetown is within shouting distance of becoming the sixth, receiving 46 votes which would be good for 30^th, and has a date on Thursday with #12 Alabama in the SEC-Big East Challenge that could propel the Hoyas into next week’s poll with a victory (assuming they get by N.J.I.T on Saturday).

3. Speaking of the Big East’s less than glorious week, there are currently seven teams with two or more losses in the early going: Notre Dame, South Florida, Providence, Villanova, Cincinnati, St. John’s, and Rutgers.  Clearly the most, and perhaps only, surprising inclusions on this list are Cincinnati and Villanova as they were predicted to finish fifth and eighth respectively in the Big East pre-season coaches poll.  Presbyterian over Cincinnati was a clunker for sure but even including the Blue Hose’s (had to work that in) 3-3 record, the teams that beat Villanova and Cincinnati are a combined 18-5, including a now ranked St. Louis squad (#25).  Further, Villanova gave up the last ten points of the game in a one-point loss to Santa Clara. As far as the single-loss teams go, Pittsburgh and Connecticut falling to inferior teams has to be mentioned, but it is not time to panic just yet. Plus this gives us yet another chance to remind you where UCONN was when the Big East tournament began last year and where they ended up.  OK, enough with the ifs and buts.  Here’s the bottom line: While it is not likely this year’s ninth place finisher takes it the distance again, all that has gone on thus far is a testament to the truth lying somewhere between the conference not being as strong and deep as it was a year ago and the fact that there are simply so many good players and coaches out there today that the big boys need to bring it at a high level every night or risk getting tripped up.

4. Jim Boeheim has found himself moving closer to the center of the Bernie Fine controversy as discussed here at RTC Big East yesterday. The latest has a number of public cries by interested parties, including support and advocate groups for sexual abuse victims, for the head coach’s job whether by firing or resignation.  While Syracuse officials have remained tight-lipped, the NCAA is keeping tabs and issued the following statement on Monday:

NCAA President Mark Emmert spoke today with Chancellor Nancy Cantor to let her know the NCAA is carefully monitoring the developments at Syracuse University, and Chancellor Cantor pledged her full cooperation in determining the facts. The accusations of child sexual abuse reported in the media involving a former assistant men’s basketball coach are deeply troubling. Furthermore, to have similar allegations involving coaches at two of the nation’s major universities saddens every member of the Association. As facts emerge, we will determine what actions may be necessary regarding NCAA bylaws. As always, criminal justice proceedings, if any, take precedence over any NCAA actions.”

In further news, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick’s concerns were heard and addressed as Syracuse police agreed to provide Fitzpatrick’s office additional information regarding the case after he called them out as failing to provide.

5. Louisville continues to roll with the punches and get wins despite the revolving door to the trainer’s room.  One game after junior guard Peyton Siva returned from an ankle injury, sophomore guard Elisha Justice was forced to miss last night’s game against Long Beach State after breaking his nose in practice. Despite the continued shuffling of personnel, Rick Pitino’s Cardinals continued their winning ways, surviving foul trouble and fighting off tough 49er squad en route to a 79-66 victory. Senior guard Chris Smith led the charge with 18 points, including four three-pointers, in 33 minutes of action. Siva turned the ball over six times, but also stuffed the stat sheet with eleven points, three rebounds, five assists and five steals. Freshman Chane Behanan continued his solid play with 13 points and seven rebounds. Louisville (6-0) faces a test on Friday versus #20 Vanderbilt (5-2 after last night’s overtime loss to #11 Xavier) in their leg of the SEC-Big East Challenge.

Notre Dame was dealt a heavy blow yesterday when it learned that team leader Tim Abromaitis tore his ACL in practice and will be out for what was to be his final season in South Bend.  Abromaitis, a fifth year senior forward, was set to lead the Irish (currently 4-2) on a quest for another NCAA Tournament bid coming off a stellar season (15.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG) supporting the departed Big East Player of the Year, Ben Hansbrough.  It is not known if Abromaitis will seek a rare sixth year of eligibility.  He has already earned both undergraduate and masters degrees from Notre Dame and will have surgery in the coming weeks.

The Irish Will Have to Make Due Without Abromaitis

Notre Dame has some experience playing without Abromaitis this season as he played in just two games, ironically the team’s only losses, after sitting out the first four contests due to an NCAA suspension for playing in exhibition games leading up to a redshirt year in 2008-09.  Even with Abromaitis, the Irish were running thin on the front line.  Coach Mike Brey will be forced to play small and juggle the match-ups to win, relying heavily upon sophomore point guard Erik Atkins (14.8 PPG, 3.0 APG), sophomore guard Jerian Grant (13.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.5 APG) and senior wing Scott Martin (11.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG).  Also look for a continued increase in responsibilities for freshman guard/forward Pat Connaughton (10.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 24.7 MPG) who saw increased minutes during the Abromaitis suspension and has shown well thus far.

Notre Dame, who is riding a two-game losing streak, hosts Bryant University on Sunday.

1. Connecticut made a significant starting line-up change last night when they replaced 6’9” junior forward and defensive stalwart Alex Oriakhi with 6’10″ freshman center Andre Drummond in the #4 Huskies 73-63 win over UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. This was the first career start for the highly touted Drummond who responded with nine points, five rebounds, and a block. While Drummond’s, who was slowed by a broken nose suffered in an October practice collision, performance thus far has been pedestrian (5.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.0 BLK coming into Thursday’s action), a starting role was virtually inevitable. It was just a matter of when and at the expense of whom. Drummond was the top-rated center in the country coming out of high school and reclassified to the class of 2011 so he could be a part of this team. While parts of Drummond’s game and activity level have been the subject of criticism coming out of high school, his talent and upside are undeniable. These points coupled with the fact that Drummond’s stay in Storrs is not expected to go beyond this season, implored coach Jim Calhoun to get him into the starting mix during the baked-good portion of the schedule to ready him for Big East play. Oriakhi being the odd man out could be viewed on the surface as something of a surprise given that he started 39 of 41 games last season and posted 11 double-doubles, including an 11 point, 11 rebound performance in last year’s national championship victory over Butler. However, his performance thus far has been spotty, prompting Calhoun to express concern recently.  Oriakhi played 14 minutes against UNC Asheville and registered four points, two rebounds, and three blocks, but his most notable contribution was this post-game Twitter conversation with former Husky Jamal Coombs-McDaniel.
2. Georgetown’s confidence has to be on the rise after their 2-1 showing in Maui. While coach John Thompson III lamented his team’s mistakes in their 67-63 opening game loss to #15 Kansas saying “It’s frustrating.  The things that we can control, we should control….We’re not going to be singing this young team song all year.” That said, Georgetown is a young team and while Thompson would never admit it publicly, hanging with Kansas had its positives and provided the Hoyas (now 4-1) with confidence to build on. Clearly this was the case as Georgetown dispatched host Chaminade 88-61 on Tuesday and followed that up with a signature 91-88 overtime victory over #13 Memphis in an entertaining game. Georgetown is beginning to establish a core with its experienced players, led by emerging senior guard Jason Clark, who is not afraid to take and make big shots in big moments. Henry Sims is a perfect fit for Thompson’s offense with his ability to pass out of the high post and, at 6’10”, is leading the team in assists (4.2 APG).  Freshman Otto Porter is an absolute keeper. The 6’8” forward was all over the place against Memphis displaying is athleticism and perimeter skills to the tune of nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks, and only figures to get better as the season wares on. Watch out for the Hoyas. 
3. Seton Hall is another young team quietly gaining momentum in the early going. The Pirates are out to a 4-1 start with wins over St. Francis (NY), Virginia Commonwealth, Saint Joseph’s, and Yale. They suffered their only loss in the Charleston Classic final at the hands of Northwestern, who is 4-0 including wins over Louisiana State and Tulsa. Like Georgetown, a pair of seniors are setting the tone for their younger mates. 6’8” forward Herb Pope, who took home the Big East’s first Player of the Week honor earlier this week, is off to a tremendous start, averaging 21.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game while 6’0” guard Jordan Theodore is averaging 18.4 points and six assists per game while playing clutch basketball and emerging as the go-to-guy for the Hall.  Sophomore Fuquan Edwin (15 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 60% FG) is on the verge of a breakout season. The Pirates will certainly continue to be tested en route to their Big East opener at Syracuse on December 28 as they have dates with Auburn (December 2), Wake Forest (December 10), and at Dayton (December 21). 
4. It’s mini ‘Set Your TiVo’ time! There are some notable games on the Big East schedule today as we move deeper into some of the holiday tournament brackets. The NIT Season Tip-Off championship features a pair of 5-0 teams with Stanford taking on #5 Syracuse at Madison Square Garden at 6 PM on ESPN.  Another match-up of undefeated squads pits 4-0 Villanova against Rick Majerus’ 4-0 St. Louis team in the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center  2:30 PM on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU (check your local listings). Finally, in non-tournament action, Cincinnati (3-1), still stinging from their loss to Presbyterian last Saturday, will host Marshall (4-0) at Fifth Third Arena at 8 PM on ESPN3.
5. With an end to the NBA lockout nowhere in sight there have been a number of things said and written about the enhanced exposure the work stoppage provides college basketball. Given that NBA front office and operations personnel seemingly have little to do without the normal day-to-day rigors of an NBA schedule, could this result in more focused scouting of college players, particularly the upper-classmen who seem to be passed over year-after-year for the latest virtually unknown foreign sensation? It is amazing how devalued a college player can become by staying in school, particularly those who show continuous development over a three- or four-year span, while NBA teams continue to get sucked into pre-draft buzz and gravitate to the flavor of the month. College juniors and seniors are known commodities that can excite the fan base and bring immediate value to their employers by becoming part of NBA rosters right away, without the complications of existing professional contracts that typically hold back foreign players for multiple years. Here’s hoping NBA execs make good use of their free time to take in the college game and see what they have right in their backyards.

Big East Recruiting Round-up is a recurring feature that will focus on, well, recruiting.  Rumors, buzz, rankings…..everything potentially shiny and new.  

Class of 2012 Early Signing Period

The early signing period for class of 2012 recruits occurred this past week. Let’s take a look at how the Big East fared.

• The hauls of  Providence, Pittsburgh and Syracuse have received the highest accolades amongst Big East schools nationally.
• Providence’s class is currently the conference’s highest rated and most surprising, as Ed Cooley began his rebuilding effort with a much-needed infusion of talent.  The Friars inked consensus top 30 guards in Providence native Ricardo Ledo (6’6″ shooting guard – South Kent – CT – Ranks: Rivals 8,  ESPN 22), Kris Dunn (6’3″ point guard, New London – CT – Ranks: Rivals: 10, ESPN: 29) and sharp-shooter Josh Fortune (6’5″ shooting guard – Kecoughtan – VA).
• Pittsburgh continued to leverage their connections with Notre Dame Prep (MA), landing premier 6’10” big man Steven Adams (Rivals: 4) along with 6’3″ point guard James Robinson (DeMatha – MD – Ranks: Rivals: 58, ESPN: 48).
• Syracuse scored two highly rated recruits in local product DaJuan Coleman (6’10” center – Jamesville DeWitt – NY – Ranks: Rivals: 27, ESPN: 14) and Jerami Grant 6’7″ – forward – DeMatha – MD – Ranks: Rivals: 60 , ESPN: 43)

Coleman Stayed Home to Play in the Dome

Links to a few class of 2012 national rankings:

• ESPN
• CBS
• NBE

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1. The Big East announced its first men’s basketball weekly awards on Monday.  Seton Hall forward Herb Pope took home Player of the Week honors as he led the Pirates to a 3-1 start averaging a double-double for the week (22.5 PPG, 11,5 RPG).  Pope recorded double-doubles in three of the four games, missing by just one rebound in that contest, an 80-73 loss to Northwestern in which Pope scored 32 points.  Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant earned the Rookie of the Week award after averaging 14 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in four Fighting Irish wins.  Grant, a sophomore, sat out last year thus preserving his rookie status.  Honor Roll recipients consisted of: Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier (18.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.5 APG) who messed around and got a triple-double in a win over Coppin State; Providence guard Bryce Cotton (22.0 PPG, 60% 3PT) who recorded successive career highs in each of Providence’s three victories on the week; Marquette Darius Johnson-Odom (20 PPG, 2.8 REB, 4.2 APG) highlighted by a 24-point, six-assist effort against Norfolk State; Pittsburgh guard Tray Woodall (19.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 8.0 APG) including 25 points, six rebounds and 10 assists versus Albany; and Villanova guard Dominic Cheek (22.0 PPG, 6 RPG) who scored eight overtime points in a win over city rival La Salle.
2. South Florida big man Augustus Gilchrist injured his shoulder in the first half of Sunday’s 53-49 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament loss to Penn State, and could sideline Gilchrist for Wednesday’s game against Georgia Southern.  According to the Tampa Tribune‘s Adam Adkins, per his Twitter account, Bulls coach Stan Heath declared his senior leader questionable for the contest.  Coming into the Penn State game, in which he played just 13 minutes, Gilchrist was averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game. Lady luck was not on South Florida’s side at Mohegan Sun as in addition to Gilchrist’s injury, the Bulls took their first two losses of the season over the weekend, the other being a 68-66 overtime setback to Old Dominion after starting the year with three straight wins.  Georgia Southern will bring a 1-2 record to Tampa on Wednesday after dropping a pair of nine-point losses to Valparaiso and Wake Forest followed by an 84-61 triumph over NAIA Webber International.  Should Gilchrist miss Wednesday’s game, fans will look toward South Florida’s next contest on Saturday at home against Florida Atlantic.
3. Notre Dame senior forward Tim Abromaitis made his season debut last night and led the team in points and rebounds with 22  and eight, respectively. Unfortunately for the fifth-year senior, the rest of his team shot just better than 30 percent from the field and Missouri ran away with a 87-58 win, the worst loss for the Irish since 1999. Mike Brey’s team (4-1) easily won their first four games against overmatched foes, but they wilted in their first real test of the season. Brey called it “a rude awakening” for his young team. The return of Abromaitis really only proved that, while he will be excellent individually this season, there is a lot of unproven talent around him, and point guard Eric Atkins was proof last night. The sophomore also made his return after missing the last two games because of illness, but his return — eight points, three turnovers, just one assist — didn’t go quite as smoothly. They are going to need him to do his best to replace some of the production Ben Hansbrough left behind.
4. The Louisville basketball program is finally getting to put out beneficial injury news for once. Well, kind of. The Cardinals are saying that point guard Peyton Siva will miss tonight’s game against Arkansas State but should be ready to play Friday when the Cardinals host Ohio. But there’s also more sort-of good news for Rick Pitino as the team hopes to get forward Rakeem Buckles back to practice in the next week. Buckles hasn’t been able to do much physical activity since anterior cruciate ligament surgery last February, and the team isn’t desperate to even think about playing him until he is ready, but this is a step in the right direction.
5. Providence recruit and native Ricky Ledo may want to stay in his South Kent (CT) dorm for Thanksgiving as opposed to coming home to Rhode Island where future head coach Ed Cooley may be waiting on his door step to discuss Ledo’s recent video-taped interview with Five Star Basketball, in which Ledo volunteered the names of recruits the Friars are after.  While the players he mentioned (Chris Obekpa, JaKarr Sampson and Nerlens Noel) are well publicized and documented Friar targets, Ledo has to understand that the NCAA acts and works in mysterious ways so he does not want to do anything that could be construed as an infraction.  We are sure Cooley will very diplomatically ensure that this understanding is reached in short order.  Cooley keeps a treadmill he calls the “Focus Machine” on the sideline at practice. He may personally deliver Ledo a dose of focus very soon and give him an opportunity to work off that turkey and stuffing.  Do not hold your breath waiting for new Ricky Ledo interviews any time in the near future, Friar fans.