Posted by Pat Curran …

Mar 20 2013
By Pat Curran Big East, Men's Basketball, News

New Big East Now a Done Deal

The Big East is back. And while it might not be better than ever, it’s got a much more promising future than many would have guessed six months ago.

Ten schools — the “Catholic Seven” defections from the old Big East, plus Butler, Xavier and Creighton — have announced the official formation of the new conference, which will begin operations July 1. The new basketball-centric conference keeps the “Big East” name, will hold its annual tournament at Madison Square Garden and has a 12-year TV contract with Fox Sports.

The announcement gave closure to a long period of speculation and rumors about the Catholic Seven’s future. In the end, much of the speculation ended up being accurate, though some will be mildly surprised at the inclusion of Creighton rather than St. Louis, Dayton or Virginia Commonwealth.

After confirming that 10 schools will compete in the conference next year, Providence College President Rev. Brian Shanley left the possibility of expansion open.

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Mar 20 2013
By Pat Curran Men's Basketball, NCAA Tournament, Preview

West Regional Breakdown: Dammit, I Guess the Big Ten is Pretty Good

The wild, wild West. If the country’s foremost basketball experts are to be believed, this is where all the fun is going to happen. Top-seeded Gonzaga’s weak schedule has gamblers looking to spice up their brackets, salivating at the chance to throw all the chalk out the window.

Or, it WOULD, if the committee hadn’t been a total fun-sucker and put Ohio State in the region as well. The Buckeyes, a No. 2 seed, are soaring in most analysts’ estimations after outlasting the likes of Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin for the Big Ten title.

As a result, most bettors are going to ink The Ohio State University in the region’s Final Four slot, much to the chagrin of New Mexico and Gonzaga fans. The pick is pretty much impervious to criticism — the Buckeyes are hot (eight-game win streak), experienced (Final Four last year) and battle-tested (the Big Ten was kind of good I guess). But will they win? Our predictions after the jump.

MOST VULNERABLE HIGH SEED: Gonzaga

Sorry to be a downer, but it’s completely true: The ’Zags are operating under a different set of expectations than every other No. 1 seed until they prove they can beat up on major-conference teams. Gonzaga will beat Southern in the opener, but watch out for tough potential matchups with Pittsburgh in the second round or the Fightin’ Buzzcuts of Wisconsin in the regional semifinal.

As far as first-round upsets go, I don’t see anything dramatic happening here. A lot of people will get sucked into the Slim Shady Marshall Henderson hype and pick Ole Miss to take out Wisconsin in the 5-12 game. It’s certainly possible, but while the brash guard can shoot his team into any game, he’s just as likely to chuck them out of it. A quick, undiscriminating trigger isn’t your friend against a Bo Ryan defense. I see sixth-seeded Arizona falling to 11th-seeded Belmont as the more likely first-round disappointment — the Wildcats are fading down the stretch, and the Bruins can fill it up quickly from beyond the arc.

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Mar 17 2013
By Pat Curran Men's Basketball, NCAA Tournament, Preview

Selection Sunday Has Arrived: Hoyas a Likely No. 2 Seed

The second-most-sacred Sunday in America has finally arrived (sorry, Jesus, but the other one comes in February), stirring basketball fans and degenerate gamblers from Spokane to South Beach into a state of gleeful anticipation as they furiously refresh their web browsers and hang on to TV analysts’ every word.

It’s Selection Sunday, folks.

Hoops-heads’ second Christmas has been robbed of some if its mystique in recent years, as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and other pundits have lifted the veil between the NCAA selection committee’s formulas and the public. Predicting the field is now a near-exact science, and most die-hard fans have known their team’s projected seed every week since December. Still, the air will remain tense in college towns across the country until each of this year’s chosen 68 knows its place in the most celebrated tournament in sports.

But you knew that already. What you came to find out is what the hell is going to happen to Georgetown.

Well, break out your Rodney Dangerfield tapes. If Lunardi is right — and he tends to be the best in this business, barring any Nate Silver venture we don’t know about — the Hilltop will be forced into another year of the “I don’t get no respect” refrain.

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Mar 10 2013
By Pat Curran Men's Basketball, Recruiting

JT III Secures First 2014 Commitment in ’Cuse Aftermath

Just when you thought a win over Syracuse can’t get any sweeter, it does.

Class of 2014 forward Isaac Copeland — ranked No. 37 in his class by ESPN and No. 45 by Rivals — has committed to Georgetown after attending yesterday’s game, according to CBS Sports’ Jeff Goodman.

A junior at The Miller School in Charlottesville, Va., Copeland has reportedly modeled his game after Georgetown sophomore Otto Porter Jr. His 6-foot-9, 205-pound frame makes him an ideal eventual replacement for the Hoyas’ current star, who will likely depart for the NBA after this season.

According to ESPN’s Dave Telep, Copeland recovered from a knee injury last summer and subsequently made the jump from a low-level Division I recruit to among the best forward prospects in the country. Georgetown has maintained an interest in him for the longest time out of all the schools on his list, which was a major factor in his decision.

“They stayed in constant contact,” Copeland told ESPN. “I talked to Coach [Kenya] Hunter two to three times a week. I got to know coach [John Thompson III], and the relationship really grew.”

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Mar 09 2013
By Pat Curran Big East, Men's Basketball, That School in New York

Georgetown Fans Arrive Early, Bringing Some Unlikely Friends

Georgetown fans flocked to downtown D.C. by the hundreds in the wee hours of this morning, camping outside Verizon Center in search of pole position for the coveted lower-bowl seats in today’s Georgetown-Syracuse game.

Bryn Hastings (MSB ’14) left the Hilltop at 2 a.m. with a large group of Georgetown fans.

“Our group alone had three cabs, and they were packed…more than you’re supposed to have in a cab,” she said. “There were 70 people in front of us, maybe 100.”

The atmosphere outside the arena was fairly low-key after the bars closed Friday night before picking up at dawn, according to Hastings.

“Around 6 a.m., it was party time,” she said.

According to Jack Collins (SFS ’14), who arrived at 7:15 a.m., Verizon Center staff began allowing students into the arena in small increments starting just before 8.

Once inside the arena, students filled the lower bowl rapidly and jeered the Orange as they came out for the pregame shootaround. Some students were invited to play knockout and run suicide drills to help pass the time.

Fans from outside the Hilltop filed in as the morning progressed, including some unlikely  and possibly contentious groups.

15-year-old Pat Coyle, decked out in Syracuse gear, sat calmly next to schoolmates Trent and Coby Williams, who count themselves among the Hoya faithful. The teenagers assured your correspondent that a fight wouldn’t break out — in their section, at least.

“I thought it would be cool to bring [Coyle] because of the rivalry, and this being the last Syracuse game,” Trent Williams said. “The last game, we were texting back and forth, but now it’s in person.”

Feb 20 2013
By Pat Curran Big East, Men's Basketball, Preview

DePaul Not to Be Ignored in Midweek Matchup

Hoyas fans! Over here! Look! There’s a basketball game on tonight, I swear!

A perfect storm of scandalous documents, an intense campaign season and a cellar-dweller opponent has tonight’s basketball game as the last thing on the average Joe Hoya’s mind, for once.

Thankfully, that was not the case yesterday in McDonough Arena.

At Tuesday’s pregame media availability, John Thompson III and his Hoyas insisted over and over that DePaul was their primary concern. Which, to be fair, is what they say every year before games against 11-14 teams.

But this season seems to be different — the players and coaches were unafraid of acknowledging that their final trip to the Carrier Dome loomed on the horizon but stayed focused on the task at hand, speaking educatedly about the Blue Demons’ offensive and defensive capability.

If the players aren’t overlooking lowly DePaul, that means the fans can afford to, right?

Wrong.

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