1. Oftentimes as fans of college basketball, because we only see our teams while they are in uniform on the court, we tend to forget that they are kids with lives and hardships.  Yes, there are well chronicled ‘coming from the streets’ accounts, but even so in some way players still are dehumanized.  We focus more on how a kid is doing at the free throw line than we do on his background.  Then stories like the one that CBSSports.com conveyed about Louisville’s Peyton Siva and his father come along and put it all back in perspective.
2. In another example of life superseding basketball DePaul released a statement that junior Tony Freeland will transfer to be closer to  his ailing grandmother. Freeland, who is from Los Angeles, is out for this season following shoulder surgery. The 6’7″ forward started eight games last year for the Blue Demons as a sophomore, scoring more than 20 points four times and averaging 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In his career, Freeland started 15 games while scoring 6.8 points and grabbing 3.8 rebounds per game. “We support his decision to be closer to home and near his family,” said head coach Oliver Purnell.
3. Well it looks like my colleague, Mike, who reported on Providence here yesterday, will have to go back and re-handicap Saturday’s game against #21 Marquette. Providence head coach Ed Cooley confirmed yesterday that Vincent Council, who was suspended for the Friars’ last game at #1 Syracuse, will be back on the floor Saturday in their home contest with the Golden Eagles. “I definitely will play Vince this Saturday. We are looking forward to him back in the lineup,” Cooley said on Thursday’s weekly Big East conference call.  After the Syracuse game Cooley termed Council’s suspension an “accountability issue.” Big East victories have been hard to come by for the Friars (1-5). As has been written here before, wins are always important, but Ed Cooley suspending his best player for a road game against the number one team in the country only drives home the point that he intends to build a program that rests its laurels on more than what any record may suggest.
4. It is no secret that Pittsburgh (11-8, 0-6) is struggling. However, it looks like the Panthers are close to getting a lift as junior point guard Travon Woodall  he is back practicing, and could return on Saturday night when the Panthers host #23 Louisville. Woodall, who suffered a torn abdominal muscle and strained groin, has played in just one game since December 1. The one game he played in was December 27, a loss at Notre Dame where he did not score in 18 minutes. “I came back way to fast. I wasn’t ready,” Woodall told reporters. Woodall also addressed reports indicating that head coach Jamie Dixon and the Pittsburgh medial staff cleared Woodall to play two weeks ago, leaving his return in his hands, “That’s the thing. Everyone has been saying I’ve been cleared to play. I heard it on an ESPN game when I watched it again. I never had the word that I was cleared to play. If I had the word I probably would have tried to play.” Woodall has averaged 12.4 points and 7.5 assists in eight games played this season.
5. Yeahhh… that’s the ticket. Holes continue to be punched in the sexual abuse accusations against former Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine as the accusers’ credibility is diminishing by the day. First we had prison inmate Floyd VanHooser admit he lied about his claim.  He said he made the accusations as in a revenge “plot” against Fine, who has supported VanHooser since he was a teenager, because he did not pony up for a lawyer when VanHooser was arrested for repeat burglary offenses.  Now we have another accuser changing his story.  It appears that accuser Zachary Tomaselli needs to visit RTC Big East more often so he can brush up on the conference and its teams.  According to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, Tomaselli originally claimed Fine molested him in early 2002 when Syracuse played at Connecticut.  The thing about that is, Syracuse did not play Connecticut that season. Fitzpatrick said that once Tomaselli was informed of this he changed is story and said the molestation occurred when Syracuse played at Pittsburgh in January, 2002. Tomaselli refuted Fitzpatrick’s rendering saying, ““I was 13 at the time. I had been in the northeast less than three or four months. That was not something I remembered, the specific city. I did once I thought about it. The minute I actually thought about it I knew it was Pittsburgh. One hundred percent.” Shortly thereafter Tomaselli said, “I don’t think I ever told the police it was in Connecticut. I’m 90 percent sure I did not even tell Connecticut to a police dispatcher. That 10 percent, I might have said it was a rivalry game, possibly Connecticut.”

1. Although I think it still early to call Cincinnati “quite clearly” the conference’s second-best team, back-to-back road wins over Georgetown and Connecticut have the Bearcats riding high. Of course they will have to live with the continued aftermath of their fight against Xavier all season, but they have only lost once since that game and look like a completely different team and seem to be at peace with the whole ordeal. The road trip isn’t over yet though, as they travel to West Virginia Saturday.
2. The story has moved far beyond the Big East at this point but we just figured we would throw it out there that former St. John‘s point guard Nurideen Lindsey is switching schools again. We mentioned yesterday that he was heading to Arkansas but now he is apparently set enroll at Rider instead. Lindsey is a Philadelphia native, so Little Rock did seem awfully far away, and honestly, Rider might be a better fit. The Broncos are scuffling this season, but Tommy Dempsey has built a consistently competitive program in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and Lindsey could blossom into a star there.
3. Oh wherefore art thou Herb Pope? The senior forward had been a legitimate player of the year candidate for the first part of the season, but he was a non-factor in his fourth straight game as the Pirates lost to Villanova last night, its second loss since being ranked. Earlier this season, after a tough game against Syracuse, Pope said that he was going to put his struggles behind him, but now he might just be wearing down. Seton Hall still has plenty to play for this season, but they will need their big man to pick it back up if they are going to make the NCAA Tournament.
4. With apologies to my colleague Pat, I sometimes forget about lowly Providence. No one expected much from first-year coach Ed Cooley this season and since conference play began, they haven’t provided much either. With the exception of that “Where In The World Did That Come From” 31-point blowout of Louisville at home, the Friars haven’t really sniffed another conference win. We still have no idea why star guard Vincent Council was held out against Syracuse, but it’s safe to say they will have no chance against Marquette if Council isn’t playing.
5. I admit, this one is going to be kind of a throwaway because it is getting late and I am tired. Yahoo! columnist Pat Forde wrote his always-enjoyable Forde Minutes piece and his pressing question for the Big East was…”Who is the conference’s second-best team?” Granted this was before tonight’s loss to Cincinnati, but Forde still picked UConn and I agree in the long run. The Bearcats just beat the Huskies, so they deserve the edge right now, but Jim Calhoun’s team will ostensibly get Ryan Boatright back eventually and Andre Drummond continues to get better. Yes, even better than Cincinnati.

Over the next few weeks we will be diagnosing some of the weaknesses and reasons behind the struggles of some Big East teams. First up is a look at the 11-8 Pittsburgh Panthers who are off to an 0-6 start in conference play.

We thought we knew Pittsburgh. We trusted Ashton Gibbs. We believed in Jamie Dixon and his system. Those are the reasons people like us were spreading when we all predicted the Panthers to be a near-consensus Top 20 team this season. Two months later, those people — and us — are on our heels as one of the most consistent winners in the conference has suddenly lost its formula to success. Since Jamie Dixon took over for Ben Howland after the 2003 season, the Panthers have never lost more than 10 games in a season, including the NCAA Tournament. Following last night’s loss to Syracuse, Dixon’s club has lost seven games in a row. We are here to help you understand why.

1. It has been a senior season to forget for Ashton Gibbs.

Ashton Gibbs Has Not Been The Player Everyone Expected This Season

One of the primary reasons Gibbs returned for his senior season after declaring for the NBA Draft last year was that he wanted to improve his draft stock. And one of the primary reasons Pittsburgh was considered a Top 20 team was because they fortunately returned one of the conference’s best players and elite scorers. But, after being named the preseason conference player of the year, this season has been an unmitigated disaster for Gibbs. For starters, his three-point percentage has plummeted from 49% all the way to 34.1%, which is even worse when you consider he is attempting more three-pointers this season. His field goal percentage has also dropped to just 38.3% and he is turning the ball over more than he ever has in his career.  To be fair, Tray Woodall has missed a lot of time, which has forced Gibbs to play point guard, which is clearly not where he is most comfortable. Also, Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown helped draw some attention off Gibbs’ last season as well. But for a senior with NBA aspirations, this season couldn’t have gone much worse. Luckily, there is still time for Gibbs and the team to salvage something before time runs out.

Read the rest of this entry »

Danny Connors is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after Monday’s Syracuse-Pittsburgh contest.

Dion Waiters has emerged as a high-energy super-sub… Fab Melo has become a shot-blocking anchor in the back of the Syracuse zone… And oh yeah, depth, depth, and more depth. Those three storylines have been told time and time again by the media, as Syracuse has jumped out to an impressive 20-0 start. But lost in the shuffle has been the resurgence, stability, and leadership of senior point guard Scoop Jardine.

Scoop Jardine Is The Unquestioned Floor Leader Of The Orange (Getty)

“He’s [Jardine] the key guy,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said after defeating Pittsburghon Monday, “most people in this town can’t quite figure that out.” On the season, Jardine is only averaging 8.6 points per game and 4.8 assists per contest, down from 12/6 last season. But, his value on this team is as high as its ever been – both on and off the court. “He’s the ultimate leader,” Syracuse junior guard Brandon Triche said. “When guys are down, you’ll see him a lot of times going over to talk to him just to keep your head in the game. A guy like that, you need.”

Read the rest of this entry »

1.  Not even a week after former St. John‘s point guard Nurideen Lindsey announced he would transfer to Arkansas, the Johnnies received a point guard transfer of their own in former Texas A&M freshman Jamal Branch. Branch will have three and a half seasons of eligibility left and is a good addition for Steve Lavin. Lindsey’s departure left a void at point guard and Branch, who averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 assists per game in his short stint as an Aggie, will fill that void, even if it takes a little bit of time.
2. There is very little doubt that Connecticut is going to miss mercurial freshman Ryan Boatright while he sits out because of his second suspension of the year. But as this article points out, his absence represents an excellent opportunity for Roscoe Smith or DeAndre Daniels. The added size in the lineup will help with rebounding and defensive purposes, but either Smith or Daniels will need to become at least a passable offensive threat or else opponents will continue to harass Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier.
3. Brendan Prunty of the Newark Star-Ledger had an excellent article on Seton Hall point guard Jordan Theodore and how he is within reach of the school’s single season assist record. It also tells the tale of the current record-holder Golden Sunkett, whose awesome name I have admittedly never heard before. The story isn’t just straight news and that’s what makes it great; it is definitely worth a read.
4. I wonder how many people thought the Khem Birch leaving Pittsburgh story was all the way done. Those people were proved wrong the other night when Birch sounded off to a radio station about his former teammates and coach Jamie Dixon. Birch says a lot and only those close to the team know whether any of it has some validity, but I doubt we will ever find out the answer. Ashton Gibbs gave the remarks an obligatory dismissal and I feel like I must say, Birch’s remarks about not being embraced seem rather arrogant.
5. In honor of Syracuse’s record-setting 19-0 start, here is a column about Jim Boeheim, Adolph Rupp, and the former’s career that eventually surpassed the latter’s. We give credit where credit is due, and Boeheim has dealt with immense adversity this season and his team has remained focused and perfect. That is some darn good coaching.

Evan Jacoby is an RTC contributor and correspondent. You can find him @evanjacoby on Twitter. He filed this report after Georgetown’s win over St. John’s on Sunday.

As a basketball program, St. John’s and its fans have not had a whole lot to smile about this season. Sunday afternoon was no exception, when Georgetown came into Madison Square Garden and handed the Red Storm their fourth loss in five games with a 69-49 victory. But despite the result, freshman forward Maurice Harkless dazzled a packed crowd with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a comeback effort when his team was down, in the process showing why there’s so much promise for the rebuilding Red Storm. Between Harkless and fellow freshman star D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s has the necessary pieces to turn a losing, learning season into future success.

Times are rough for St. John's, but Harrison and Harkless (above) have what it takes to turn around the program (AP Photo)

St. John’s’ season record reflects all of the turmoil within the program. After Sunday’s loss, the Red Storm dropped to 8-9 overall and 2-4 in Big East play. But there’s much more than just a silver lining to this dark cloud of a season. Five of the Red Storm’s six leading scorers are freshmen, which includes guards Sir’Dominic Pointer and Phil Greene in addition to the versatile trio of Harkless, Harrison, and Amir Garrett. By nearly all metrics, Harkless is the best freshman in the Big East and might be one of the most talented players in the whole conference. His totals against Georgetown upped his season averages to 15.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 1.8 BPG, all team highs. He’s top five in the conference in the latter two statistics and possesses the dynamic offensive game of a future NBA small forward. Harrison has been nearly as productive, averaging 15 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.6 SPG, and he’s had the ball in his hands most often this season when St. John’s needs a big play or shot to be made. Pointer has the look of a potential ‘glue guy,’ and he already contributes across the board on a nightly basis with about seven points, five boards, and over a block and steal per game.

Read the rest of this entry »

1. In this week’s edition of his usual “Hoops Thoughts” column, Sports Illustrated‘s Seth Davis took a look at who hurt themselves and who helped themselves with their non-conference schedules. The Big East representatives were West Virginia, Cincinnati, and St. John’s. The Mountaineers resume will look nice thanks to non-conference wins over Kansas State, Miami, Oral Roberts, and Missouri State. The Bearcats and Red Storm haven’t done themselves any favors and rank 304th and 161st nationally in strength of schedule. Mick Cronin‘s club in particular will have their non-conference schedule scrutinized as they are the more likely bubble team at this juncture and still sport embarrassing non-conference losses to Presbyterian and Marshall…AT HOME.
2. There is little doubt that Louisville has been dealt its fair share of adversity this season, especially when it comes to injuries. Yesterday was no exception as the Cardinals not only lost a crucial road game against Marquette without leading scorer Kyle Kuric, but they also may have lost forward Rakeem Buckles who left the game after injuring his left knee and did not return. If you recall, Buckles missed all of last season and part of this one while recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee and now CBS Sports is reporting yesterday’s injury as a hyper-extension. It is especially unfortunate because Buckles finally seemed to be contributing meaningful minutes and rebounding and now he goes back on the shelf for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. The Cardinals better get their roster and their offense sorted out soon because their slide is starting to put them squarely on the bubble.
3. Improper benefits are hardly an uncommon occurrence in the shady world of college basketball recruiting, but the fact that Connecticut freshman Ryan Boatright is being held out of games for the second time this season while the NCAA re-investigates claims of improper benefits is strange to behold. Things got stranger recently with rumors that the NCAA tipster is actually a jealous ex-boyfriend of Boatright’s mother, Tanesha. The NCAA isn’t about to start confirming or denying gossip surrounding an ongoing investigation, but if this is true, it is sad that Boatright’s career is on hold because of a jilted former flame that has very little to do with him or his season with the Huskies. The story is important for two reasons. One, UConn needs Boatright to continue developing and playing crucial minutes if they are going to have a chance at repeating. And two, Boatright has shown that he has a bright future playing basketball, and it would be unfortunate to see that future even temporarily derailed over petty jealousy.
4. Nice story from Asbury Park Press reporter Josh Newman about highly touted Pittsburgh signee and New Zealand native Steven Adams. After watching Khem Birch decide to leave school before the end of his first season, Panthers’ coach Jamie Dixon desperately needs Adams to get to campus, stay on campus, and become an instant contributor in the frontcourt. Adams has been lighting it up recently, including 23 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Nerlens Noel and the Tilton (N.H.) School at the Springfield Hoophall Classic. The one thing I did find particularly interesting was that Newman posed the question of how Adams ended up signing at Pittsburgh without mentioning the fact that Birch also went to Notre Dame Prep. Make no mistake, Adams and Birch are different recruits, but there are enough similarities to point them out in this type of article. In Dixon and the Panthers’ case, they are hoping the similarities end at the two recruits’ alma mater.
5. One day before Syracuse advanced to 20-0, their best start in school history, the good folks at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician penned an interesting take on why Syracuse fans are always so miffed about the lack of national respect for their team. Let’s clarify, there are plenty of pundits and knowledgable basketball folks who are still willing to poke holes in the Orange’s flawless resume, and that makes Syracuse fans ticked off. The point of the post is that this year’s team is not the same as last year’s team that started 19-0, and that just because the statistics don’t necessarily back up the Orange’s lofty ranking, that doesn’t mean they don’t belong there. The post is an in-depth and interesting read, and for the record, I agree with the point that this year’s Syracuse team deserves more credit for their showing thus far. There is no way you can leave this team out of the “Best In The Country” discussion.

Game recaps are boring. If you want to read them, search your local newspaper or the Associated Press. Four Thoughts is our brand new, not-so creatively titled feature where, in lieu of a game recap, we give you four thoughts about key Big East action. Enjoy!

Council Overruled

It is rare that conference opponents would face each other twice by mid-January, but that was the case on Saturday when Providence and Syracuse met in the Carrier dome.  Syracuse won the first meeting by an 87-73 score that was not indicative of the overall play.  In one of the few challenges Syracuse has faced this year, Providence hung tough at home in a game where both teams played well.  Syracuse led by only two points at the half, and six with just over five minutes to go in the game before making a late run  to log the double-digit victory.  Despite that good home showing by the Friars, coupled with any momentum generated by their 31-point romp over #14 Louisville on Tuesday, Providence (justifiably) remained heavy underdogs on the road versus the #1 Orange.  Long odds became virtually impossible when it was learned publicly just an hour or so before Saturday night’s game that Providence’s best player and leading scorer, point guard Vincent Council (16.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.1 APG) would be held out of the game due unspecified coach’s decision.   Council was coming off a 15-point, 14-assist performance in the Louisville win and had 17 points and five assists in the first meeting with the Orange.  Not only is Council Providence’s leader, he is their only legitimate point guard averaging 37.7 minutes per game as a result.  In the court system that is Providence basketball, the judge, jury and probably even court stenographer is head coach Ed Cooley.  After the game, as reported in the Providence Journal, Cooley termed the reason for sitting Council an “accountability issue,” adding “it could be multiple games but it definitely is my decision.” Council’s suspension represented a bold move by first-year head coach Cooley, who is trying to change the culture of what was an undisciplined program under former coach Keno Davis.

Syracuse's Pressure was Too Much for the Council-less Friars (Photo by Frank Ordonez, The Post-Standard)

Under Pressure – The Turning Point

Read the rest of this entry »

Brian Otskey is the RTC correspondent for the Big East conference. You can find him on Twitter @botskey.

Reader’s Take

The Week That Was

• Syracuse A Cut Above: With wins over Villanova and Providence this week, Syracuse has moved its record to 19-0 (6-0), equaling the best start in school history (1999-2000). On Monday night, the Orange will try to move to 20-0 for the first time ever when they host Pittsburgh, a team they have lost to five straight times. With 12 games remaining, people are starting to wonder if Syracuse can run the table. It would be a surprise if Jim Boeheim’s team lost at home to anyone, despite visits by Georgetown and Connecticut to the Dome in February. On the road, possible tough trips to Cincinnati, Connecticut, and Louisville appear to be the only obstacles standing in the way of an undefeated season. Syracuse has a 13.7% chance of going 31-0, according to the Pomeroy ratings, but I would put it higher. I think the Orange have a 40% chance to go all the way and those odds are getting better each and every day.
• Connecticut Back On Track: After consecutive losses to Seton Hall and Rutgers almost two weeks ago, some had wondered if this Connecticut team would ever live up to its preseason billing as a top-five team. While I doubt that is true, the Huskies responded in a big way this past week by defeating West Virginia and Notre Dame. UConn used a 17-3 second half run, sparked by a Jim Calhoun technical, to overcome a ten-point deficit against the Mountaineers before going on the road and snapping Notre Dame’s 29-game home court winning streak. Andre Drummond had a terrific week, but the bigger story might be Alex Oriakhi showing signs of improvement. The junior forward had been in a season-long slump but managed to score 20 points this week, including a 12/7 performance in the win against the Fighting Irish.  However, there was some bad news mixed in for UConn last week. Ryan Boatright was suspended by the NCAA on Friday night for the second time over eligibility concerns.
• Pittsburgh and Louisville Embarrassed: Raise your hand if you predicted these scores at the beginning of the year: Providence 90, Louisville 59. Rutgers 62, Pittsburgh 39 (at Pitt). Two of the power programs in the conference were waxed by two perennial bottom-feeders, all part of what has been an unpredictable season in the Big East. Louisville has lost four of six while Pitt is in more dire straits having lost six consecutive games. That could easily be seven in a row after the Panthers return from Syracuse tomorrow night. The good news for both teams? They bounced back and played fairly well in games on Saturday with the Cardinals disposing of DePaul and the Panthers nearly stealing an impressive road win at Marquette. Pitt lost the game, but Jamie Dixon had to have picked up some encouraging vibes from that performance. Pittsburgh and Louisville will get together this Saturday in the Steel City.

Ask The Never-Satisfied Jim Boeheim What He Thinks Of His Team's Chances At An Undefeated Season, And This Will Likely Be His Reaction. (Frank Ordoñez / The Post-Standard)

Power Rankings

1. Syracuse (19-0, 6-0) – This team just keeps on chugging along and nobody has really threatened the Orange in a big way this season. There have been close calls here and there (Stanford, Florida, and Marquette), but Syracuse is a cut above every other team in this conference. As I mentioned above, I believe there is a good chance this team runs the table in conference play. Dion Waiters scored 20 points at Villanova, part of 47 bench points for the Orange, compared to 32 for the starters. Syracuse held the Wildcats to 33% shooting on their home floor at the Wells Fargo Center. Against Providence, it was all Orange from the start. Syracuse had 12 steals and forced 22 Friar turnovers. Scoop Jardine played like a quality point guard, scoring ten points but dishing out nine assists. The Orange blocked ten Providence shots and shot 73% in the second stanza. Syracuse continues to rank in the top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but the Achilles heel for this team seems to be rebounding specifically on the defensive end. The Orange rank #307 in defensive rebounding percentage, but I don’t anticipate that being a major problem until tournament time. This week: 1/16 vs. Pittsburgh, 1/21 @ Notre Dame. Read the rest of this entry »

1. It is hard to fathom what the world would be like today had Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. not blessed us with his existence.  The expression “courage of one’s convictions” contains the word courage for a reason. Forgive the informality here but as the esteemed Bill Raftery would say, King had onions. The word adversity may be one of the most overused, especially in sports. However, to say Dr. King stood up in the face of adversity could be the biggest understatement ever. One cannot begin to imagine how strong someone must be to do what Martin Luther King, Jr. did. But it probably boiled down to this for him, and perhaps made it easier. He knew he was right.
2. Floyd VanHooser was full of van hooey. VanHooser, who is currently in prison serving a term of 16 years to life as a repeat burglary offender, was one of four people to accuse former Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine of abusing them sexually as children.  He went to Syracuse police with the allegations in late November 2011.  VanHooser now admits he lied; saying while he and Fine had a consensual sexual relationship as adults, Fine never molested him. VanHooser lost both of his parents by the age of 13 and moved into Fine’s house thereafter. Fine, who was a teacher at VanHooser’s school at the time, took him in and provided for him for a number of years. In two letters written by VanHooser to Fine, he expressed remorse for fabricating the allegations. He said he lied because he wanted revenge against Fine for not paying for an attorney when VanHooser was arrested on the burglary charges. Fine has denied all allegations from the start and there was no comment from him or his attorney on the VanHooser matter.
3. Allen Iverson would not be happy right now because we are going to talk about practice…man. In this case, Louisville’s practices. With Cardinal faithful seeking answers as to why Louisville has lost four of its last six, the question brought up by The Louisville Courier-Journal is how tough is too tough?  Rick Pitino reacted to a story, which appears only to have run in the hard copy version of the paper, that attributed some of Louisville’s issues to practice intensity and volume wearing down the team. The piece cited a television interview quote from another legendary Louisville coach Denny Crum, who said, “Whether it’s right or wrong, Rick’s got the reputation of overworking his kids.” Pitino refuted the theory, basically saying that everyone in the Big East practices hard. He did, however, also lament the day the NCAA limited practice time to 20 hours per week. But hey, he’s a coach. A coach whose teams are well known for their frenetic, pressing style. A style designed to create a war of attrition and wear down opponents. In order to play such a style Louisville has to be fit enough to execute, so it stands to reason practices would be designed accordingly.
4. Connecticut’s Ryan Boatright had to sit out Saturday’s win at Notre Dame as there continue to be questions about his eligibility. Boatright, a freshman guard, was suspended for the Huskies’ first six games this year due to the receipt of improper benefits involving an airplane ticket purchased for him while he was playing AAU ball in Chicago. Following the suspension, Boatright has been an impactful contributor for the Huskies, averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 assists in 26.4 minutes per contest. The Notre Dame game likely was anticipated as a highlight for Boatright, who grew up in Aurora, Illinois, which is just a few hours away by car from South Bend. It is not yet known when Boatright will be able to get back on the court in game action, but he is allowed to practice and travel with the team. Connecticut next faces a test against Cincinnati at home on Wednesday.
5. Another Big East guard was held out of a game over the weekend as Providence’s Vincent Council did not play at #1 Syracuse for what head coach Ed Cooley called an “accountability issue”. After the game Cooley and Providence’s Sports Information Director Arthur Parks, specifically stated there were no academic legal reasons for Council’s suspension. Council (16.4 PPG, 7.1 APG) is the Friars’ leader and only legitimate point guard on a team that lacks overall depth. His projected backup coming into the year, freshman Kiwi Gardner, was ruled academically ineligible for the season due to a high school transcript problem.  Syracuse took advantage of Council’s absence and cruised to a 78-55 win. The suspension remains indefinite as Cooley left open the possibility that it could extend beyond one game. Providence does not play again until Saturday, January 21 when they host Marquette.