St. John's Red Storm (6-12, 15-16) at Georgetown Hoyas (7-11, 16-13)

Big East Conference Tournament
Tuesday, Mar. 10—2:20 PM EST

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Preview

Teams don't always get a chance at redemption, and they especially don't get a chance less than one week later on the same court. But that's the position the No. 12 Hoyas are in as they take on the No. 13 Red Storm in the second game of the 2009 Big East Tournament.

Last Wednesday, St. John's upset the Hoyas in overtime, and it seems that unless Georgetown can pull off an unlikely win of the Big East Tournament, their tickets to the NIT's have already been purchased.

This season has had a mix of ups and downs for the Hoyas. They started conference play off with a huge upset on the road over UConn, but then went 2-7 in January. While they had the toughest schedule in the country for awhile, it would seem that their victory over UConn gave them an unhelpful boost of confidence.

St. John's has been struggling during conference play without their star senior, Anthony Mason, Jr. He has been out for most of the season, though.

The Red Storm have found most of their Big East success against weaker conference opponents this season. Their two wins over teams currently higher than them in the standings were over No. 12 Georgetown and No. 10 Notre Dame—not exactly quality wins based on current standings.

Will the Hoyas be able to snap out of their funk and become the same team that took down the Huskies earlier this season, or will St. John's be able to take down the Hoyas for the second time in a week?

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
St. John's	15-16	6-12	13-12	148	78	66.6	67.4
Georgetown	16-13	7-11	9-15	48	4	69.6	63.5

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
St. John's	42.8	44.7	30.3	36.8	64.6	41.2	7.3	12.4	14.6
Georgetown	46.9	40.2	33.3	31.6	71.0	36.4	8.0	13.9	14.6

Stat Leaders

	St. John's	Georgetown
PPG	P. Horne - 14.5	D. Summers - 13.6
	D. Kennedy - 12.9	G. Monroe - 12.7
	S. Evans - 9.9	C. Wright - 12.5
RPG	S. Evans - 6.8	G. Monroe - 6.6
APG	M. Boothe - 4.5	C. Wright - 3.7
SPG	P. Horne - 1.6	G. Monroe - 1.8
BPG	J. Burrell - 0.7	G. Monroe - 1.4

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Prediction

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Written by Todd Parmele, Hoopwriters

Big East Tournament Bracket

Opening Round Matchups will be televised by the Big East Website

No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 DePaul, March 10 at 12 p.m.:

DePaul finished with a winless regular season after losing 48-40 to Georgetown. It gets even worse when you factor in that their last win came against Alcorn State on Dec. 28. 

Last year, DePaul’s misery would have been over, as only the top 12 teams were invited to the Big East Tournament. It is pointless to attempt to analyze this because the outcome is nearly set in stone. 

Cincy won the only meeting of the year 59-55 at the Allstate Arena in Chicago. At 18-13 overall, Cincinnati is NIT bound, especially after losing three straight. Cincy is coming off a bad loss in their last game to Seton Hall 67-63 at home. Earlier in the week, they were upset by South Florida 70-59.

DePaul only wins if the entire Cincy team forgets to set their clock’s back, thus missing the first half.

Dar Tucker has announced that he may declare for  the NBA Draft this June.  Hopefully, for Depaul fans, Jerry Wainwright does the right thing and resigns. 

Prediction: Cincy over Depaul 65-58. Winner will play No. 8 Providence at 12pm on Wednesday. 

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All stats listed in this article are for Big East games only.  

DePaul, (8-23, 0-18)	Cincinnati (18-13, 8-10)
Dar Tucker: 16.9 ppg, 24% three point shooter	Deonta Vaughn: 15.3 ppg, 4.7 assists, 4 rebounds
Will Walker: 16.4 ppg, 44% three point shooter	Yancy Gates: 10.7 ppg, 6.0 rebounds
Mac Koshwal: 11.7 ppg, 8.8 rebounds	Mike Williams: 11.6 ppg, 5.6 rebounds

No. 13 St. Johns vs. No. 12 Georgetown, March 10 at 2pm:

No team has had a more disappointing regular season than Georgetown, a team most experts picked to finish in the top five of the Big East. The Big East coaches may have known otherwise as they picked Georgetown to finish seventh. 

Georgetown’s Big East season started off well with a win over then No.1 UConn on Dec. 26 at the  XL Center in Hartford, Conn. They also knocked off Memphis 79-70 and Maryland by 27 in the regular season. 

St.John’s won the lone in season battle in overtime 59-56 on March 3, a game in which Georgetown blew a 15-point lead. 

St. John’s finished its season with a 74-55 loss to Notre Dame. They had won their previous two conference games versus Georgetown and DePaul. Their most notable conference win came against Notre Dame 71-65 on Jan. 3.

Prediction: Georgetown over St. John’s 68-56. Winner will play No. 5 Marquette on Wednesday at 2 pm.  

Georgetown: (16-12, 7-11)	St. Johns: (15-16, 6-12)
DeJuan Summers: 12.7 ppg, 39% 3-point	Paris Horne: 16.1 ppg, 1.83 steals
Chris Wright: 13.1 ppg, 3.5 assists	D.J. Kennedy: 12. 4 ppg, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists
Greg Monroe:  13.3, 7.2 rebounds	Sean Evans: 9.5 ppg, 7.2 rebounds

No. 15 Rutgers vs. No. 10 Notre Dame, March 10 at 7pm:

Notre Dame  is led by reigning Big East Player of the Luke Harangody, but even he could not lead the Irish to a top eight finish in the Big East.  

The Irish backcourt of Kyle McAlrney and Torin Jackson had a down year. The biggest win on the year for Notre Dame came on Feb. 12 when they knocked off eventual Big East Champion Louisville 90-57.

Rutgers has two wins this year, one against South Florida and one versus DePaul. Rutgers ended their regular season with a win over South Florida at the RAC. 

Rutgers is led by freshman Mike Rosario who averages 15.4 ppg in conference games, but he also takes a lot of shots and is prone to turnovers. 

Prediction: Notre Dame over Rutgers 78-55. Winner will play No.7 West Virginia at 7pm Wednesday.

Notre Dame: (17-13, 8-10)	Rutgers: (11-20, 2-16)
Luke Harangody:  25.2 ppg, 12.8 rebounds	Mike Rosario: 15.4 ppg, 3 turnovers
Kyle McAlrney: 14.4 ppg, 39% three point	Anthony Farmer: 9.1 ppg, 2.8 assists
Ryan Ayers: 10.9 ppg, 42.9% three point	Gregory Enchenique:  7.9 ppg

No. 14 South Florida vs. No. 11 Seton Hall, March 10 at 9pm:

Seton Hall has been a streaky team at one point they won five straight. They started off the season with big non conference wins versus USC and Virginia Tech.  

Seton Hall won their last game of the year versus Cincinnati 67-63 on Saturday.   

South Florida is led by do-everything guard Dominque Jones. In most leagues. Jones would be vying for Player of the Year honors, but not in the Big East. 

South Florida is capable of winning big games, as they showed when they knocked-off Marquette 57-56 on Feb. 6 in Tampa. It was the biggest win in the program’s history. 

Seton Hall won the lone matchup with South Florida on Feb. 25 a 75-60 victory in South Orange, NJ. 

Prediction: Seton Hall over South Florida 74-64. Winner will play No. 6 Syracuse Wednesday at 9pm.  

Seton Hall: (16-14, 7-11)	South Florida: (9-21, 4-14
Jeremy Hazell: 22.4 ppg, 34% three point	Dominque Jones: 18.9 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, 3 assists
Robert Mitchell:  14.2, 7.7 rebounds	Augustu Gilchrist:  11.3 ppg, 4.2 rebounds
Eugene Harvey: 12.7 ppg, 5.0 assists	Jesus Verdejo: 9.5 ppg, 3.5 rebounds

Preseason Coaches' Poll                           

School	Points
1. Connecticut (9)	214
2. Louisville (3)	205
3. Pittsburgh (3)	200
4. Notre Dame (1)	195
5. Villanova	153
6. Marquette	146
7. Georgetown	141
8. Syracuse	139
9. West Virginia	121
10. Providence	99
11. Cincinnati	91
12. Rutgers	53
13. Seton Hall	50
14. St. John’s	44
15. DePaul	43
16. USF	26

Big East Conference In-depth Stats

Final Standings/ Ranked by Seed in Big East Tournament

1. Louisville 16-2

2. Pittsburgh 15-3

3. Connecituct 15-3

4. Villanova 13-5

5. Marquette 12-6

6. Syracuse 11-7

7. West Virginia 10-8

8. Providence 10-8

9. Cincinnati 8-10

10. Notre Dame 8-10

 11.Georgetown7-11

12. Seton Hall 7-11

13. St. Johns 6-12

14. South Florida 4-14

15. Rutgers 2-16

16. DePaul 0-18

For more College Basketball info go to HoopWriters.com

I posted 2nd Round predictions at Hoopwriters.com and also at bleacherreport.com

Georgetown (15-12) at St. Johns (14-15)

The Line: St. Johns +6

Tuesday March 3, 2009  7:30 PM EST

I was on Brian Scott's radio show last Thursday, and he was asking me about games that were coming up for the weekend, and one of the games where I felt pretty strongly about was the Georgetown-Villanova match up on 2/28/09.

I was pretty certain that Villanova would have no problem with the Hoyas, and that maybe the Hoyas had packed it in on what has been a very disappointing and underachieving season for them. I never claimed that I was right about everything.

Of course, Georgetown came out and upset the Wildcats, and did what they needed to do. While that win may give them some kind of momentum for the Big East Tournament, it isn't going to be enough to get them into the big dance on it's own.

While St. Johns has won two of their last three, Red Storm fans know it isn't anything to get excited about, as those wins came against Seton Hall and DePaul, two conference bottom dwellers. Before that, St. Johns last win came against South Florida, who isn't much better.

The Red Storm have a proud history, and quite frankly this team hasn't lived up to it. While this game used to be one of the games of the year when Chris Mullin used to square off against Patrick Ewing and company, looking at these two teams today makes you realize just how long ago that was.

See Mitch's Free Pick Against the Spread

In two weeks, when the seeding committee meets to choose teams for the NCAA Tournament, there's a likely-hood the Georgetown Hoyas will present a problem for everyone involved.

If the 15-12 Hoyas win their last two regular season Big East games against St. John's and Depaul—and there's no reason they shouldn't—they will finish with an 8-10 league record.  

The unwritten rule used by the seeding committee is pretty clear: "Every team must go .500 or better in conference play or they're not going dancing."

However, Georgetown isn't just "every" team.

Presently they have the 40th best RPI in the country and it will get into the 30s with wins over St. John's. and Depaul next week. St. John's is 5-11 in the Big East and Depaul is winless, so the Hoyas really should win these games.

Besides the solid RPI, Georgetown has something else working in their favor: the toughest schedule of any team this year.

These two statistics will catch eyes at the table when the seeding committee meets.

The Hoyas also have some great wins. I guess the buzz word would be "signature wins."

They have beaten UConn, Memphis, Villanova and Syracuse. They also ravaged Maryland by 28 points. That's pretty impressive. No, that's very impressive!

Using the SEC as an example, they have five teams that are presently in or on the bubble(LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina).  The combined signature wins of these five teams can't match what Georgetown has accomplished!

On the down side, the Hoyas tapered off considerably in the second half of the season, having lost seven of eight at one point.

We all know that this team is inconsistent, sloppy and has lost a lot of games that they probably should have won but the body of work they will present at season's end  will still be huge.

Anything can happen when the Hoyas get to the Big East tournament. I'm guessing they'll win one and lose one and finish 9-11 against Big East opponents and go 18-13 overall.

We've seen teams with 18 wins get in the Tournament in the past, but will a team that goes under .500 in their league get an invite?

This will be a real problem for the selection committee.

Georgetown Hoyas (5-10, 14-12) at Villanova Wildcats (11-4, 23-5)

Saturday, Feb. 28—12:00 PM EST on ESPN

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Preview

The storied history between these two rivals should need no explanation. They both have strong hoops programs that provide a great game year in, year out. This season, the two teams couldn't be more different, though.

Nova started this season off cold—they failed to make any noise against the first four Top 25 teams they faced, and it seemed like they weren't going to be able to get a lot done against the tough Big East. They now sit in fifth, one spot out of the coveted double-bye, with only a few games to go.

Georgetown started conference play off with a bang—an upset on the road at UConn. At that point, all talk about the Hoyas' youth and inexperience went out the window. It all came flying back in, though, when they went 1-7 in January and 2-4 so far in February.

The question for the Hoyas is can they stop the bleeding with a win over a top 15 team, or are they going to truly lock themselves into an NIT bid this weekend?

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Georgetown	14-12	5-10	8-13	48	1	71.4	65.0
Villanova	23-5	11-4	13-10	10	34	77.4	66.8

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Georgetown	47.3	41.1	34.2	32.8	71.5	36.3	8.0	14.0	14.2
Villanova	46.4	40.1	36.2	33.2	73.9	40.9	7.5	14.8	13.3

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Prediction

Want to see the line and Ryan's final prediction (and FREE Pick Against the Spread)? Please head over to CBBPlace.com!

Louisville Cardinals vs. Georgetown Hoyas
Free Pick: Louisville -1.0 (-110) - Mon February 23 ‘09 7:00p - Click here for basketball odds
Visit Touthouse.com for more basketball betting picks from Bob Harvey

It’s tough to ignore the momentum of these two teams. In the case of Louisville they’re red hot and headed towards a possible Big East title. Georgetown was a top ten team just weeks ago, but they’re now trying to prevent their season from slip sliding away.

The Hoya’s were the 9th ranked team in the nation as recently as five weeks ago and now isn’t even in the top ten of its own conference. Georgetown has gone 2-8 in its last ten games including a 1-8-1 record ATS.

On the other side of the spectrum are the Cardinals are very much in the hunt for the conference title. They along with U-Conn, Pitt and Marquette all have two Big East losses. Louisville however has the best spread number of any team in the Big East. The Cards are on a 7-3 ATS run and 16-10 vs. the number overall. That includes a sparkling road mark of 6-1 ATS.

In what should be a terrific defensive battle, I’m siding with the sizzling Cards. They’ve got the talent and coaching advantage in this one.

Louisville Cardinals (12-2, 21-5) at Georgetown Hoyas (5-9, 14-11)
Monday, Feb. 23—7:00 PM EST on ESPN 

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Preview

The Georgetown Hoyas are a very young team.

We all know that after watching them commit unforced turnovers, force three-point shots, and generally fall apart towards the end of games this season.

The good news is that their entire starting lineup will be back next season, assuming someone does not declare eligibility for this year's draft. The experience from this season will be fantastic for the team.

The bad news is that there is still a lot of basketball left this year.

The Louisville Cardinals have played very well this season.

Everyone expected a lot out of them. They began their season stumbling during non-conference play, and then impressed absolutely everyone during conference play.

They are currently in a three-way tie for second in the Big East, and the top four teams have two conference losses.

This game will feature two of the premier Big East rookies, Louisville's Samardo Samuels and Georgetown's Greg Monroe. They shared preseason co-Big East Rookies of the Year honors.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Louisville	21-5	12-2	15-10	12	18	74.1	61.7
Georgetown	14-11	5-9	8-12	44	1	72.0	64.5

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Louisville	44.4	39.4	34.9	31.4	65.4	41.3	8.6	16.4	13.5
Georgetown	47.6	40.6	34.7	31.9	71.8	36.5	7.9	14.3	14.1

Stat Leaders

	Louisville	Georgetown
PPG	E. Clark - 13.0	D. Summers - 14.0
PPG	T. Williams - 12.6	G. Monroe - 13.0
PPG	S. Samuels - 12.2	C. Wright - 12.9
RPG	E. Clark - 8.7	G. Monroe - 6.8
APG	T. Williams - 4.7	C. Wright - 3.8
SPG	T. Williams - 2.1	G. Monroe - 2.0
BPG	E. Clark - 1.6	G. Monroe - 1.5

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Prediction

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Monday night, Ryan Pitino will be stuck in the middle. A second-semester freshman at Georgetown University and son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Ryan has taken on a role at The Hoya, Georgetown's campus newspaper.

Pitino is well educated on both clubs and gracefully served as the guest of a Q/A session held this past weekend about the impending meeting of Georgetown and Louisville. The game is slated for 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN and ESPN 360.

JL: Obviously, UofL's season has gone about as expected, while GU has been going belly up lately. How have the performances of the two teams compared to your initial predictions?

RP: In early predictions I said in my first blog post that the trouble for the Hoyas would be depth. The same thing with Louisville happens every year: early losses, learning experiences, and then they improve as the season goes on.

JL: Looking at the two teams, what would you say are some key matchups to watch?

RP: The key matchup to watch is DaJuan Summers vs. Earl Clark. It is rare that you get to see two top 10 picks face off with as much talent as these two players. Both players are very similar. I would give Earl the advantage in offensive rebounding and DaJuan the advantage in athleticism and shot.

JL: How about two of the most heralded freshmen in the country?

RP: Samardo Samuels and Greg Monroe have to be the top two candidates for Freshman of the Year in the Big East. Samuels is becoming a great low post scorer and can improve on rebounding. Monroe is one of the more skilled big men in basketball, but needs to improve on strength. Samuels is staying at least another year, and I hope Monroe does the same, so we can watch the improvements from being a freshman to becoming NBA ready.

JL: UofL has tons of depth. What will GU do to cope with that edge?

RP: Georgetown starts four McDonald's All-Americans, but struggles with depth. UofL's pressure always seems to wear teams down at the end of the game, but Georgetown's slow-down offense could keep the game at a slow pace.

JL: Bringing in a Hoya perspective, where does GU hold an advantage over UofL?

RP: Georgetown's advantage may be the starting five. It is tough to tell—Georgetown has one of the most talented starting fives in the country but lack depth and experience.

JL: How does a GU win play into the Hoyas' postseason plans?

RP: Right now, Georgetown is in trouble and needs this win, along with three wins in the Big East tournament, to make a statement. The good thing for Georgetown is that they have literally played everyone in the country; they just lack big wins, except for their overtime home win vs. Memphis.

JL: How much of an impact do you see UofL making in the tournament?

RP: UofL can go very far in the tournament. Experience in the Big East and the full-court pressure could propel the Cardinals anywhere. The key is hitting shots—when UofL hits shots, the press is able to set up and their defense wears teams down.

JL: Who wins Monday night?

RP: I am picking Louisville; I have to stick with the family.

Georgetown Hoyas (4-8, 13-10) at South Florida Bulls (3-9, 8-16)

Wednesday, Feb. 18—7:00 PM EST on The Big East Network Local

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Preview

February has been almost as kind to the Hoyas (4-8, 13-10) as January was—they started out with a 10-point win over Rutgers before losing twice in overtime. They now sit in 12th in the Big East. The good news is that the Hoyas have recently looked like a team again, despite the two losses. The second-half of the Syracuse game showed that they can still play in the Big East as they came back from a 16-point deficit.

South Florida (3-9, 8-16) currently sits in 13th in the Big East, with two wins over DePaul and one over Marquette. As I've said before, though, the Bulls' win over the Golden Eagles had more to do with the dysfunction of Marquette than the success of South Florida.

Since the Bulls joined the Big East in 2005, Georgetown has won two of their three matchups. It should be noted that the home team has won every time.

The Hoya squad is not as strong as in years past, yet the Bulls have still managed to give Georgetown a run for their money. Will the Hoyas be able to break that streak and get out of the funk they are currently in, or will the Bulls be able to find their fourth Big East win of the season?

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Georgetown	13-10	4-8	7-11	38	1	72.3	65.0
South Florida	8-16	3-9	13-10	153	30	61.0	65.1

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG
Georgetown	47.1	40.6	34.0	32.3	71.7	36.7	8.0	14.3	14.0
South Florida	40.6	42.0	31.4	31.6	58.6	39.6	5.4	12.3	13.0

Stat Leaders

	Georgetown	South Florida
PPG	D. Summers - 14.3	D. Jones - 18.4
	G. Monroe - 13.1	J. Verdejo - 13.9
	C. Wright - 12.6	A. Gilchrist - 9.6
RPG	G. Monroe - 6.6	D. Jones - 5.3
APG	C. Wright - 3.7	D. Jones - 4.0
SPG	G. Monroe - 2.0	D. Jones - 1.5
BPG	G. Monroe - 1.5	A. Gilchrist - 1.1

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Prediction

Want to see Ryan's final analysis and free pick against the spread? Please head over to CBBPlace.com!

See thousands of free College Basketball Picks Against the Spread this season.

All statistics for this article have come from StatSheet.com.

It’s the beginning of crunch time for bubble teams. With conference tournaments starting in a little over two weeks it’s time to put that quality win on your resume. Teams on the periphery have one final push to draw attention from the selection committee.

This weekend saw teams highlight their resume with impressive wins, while others have continued their descent from bubble status. In addition, two new teams have arrived on the bubble horizon. Maryland and Creighton have played their way into the at-large discussion.

Maryland knocked off Virginia Tech on Saturday to improve to 5-5 in the ACC. Clemson, North Carolina, and Duke loom next on the Terrapins schedule. However, it means some chances at quality wins.

Creighton has quietly moved up in the MVC and only trails conference leader Northern Iowa by a game. The Bluejays should win their final three conference games and have a key Bracketbusters game against George Mason on Friday that would help their cause for an at-large bid.

Here are the weekend winner and losers. As always, comments are welcome.

Note: Next edition will be published on Friday morning. All RPI and SOS numbers are taken from realtimerpi.com.

Winners:

West Virginia

If there were any questions about the Mountaineers as an at-large team they answered them Friday by beating Villanova in convincing fashion. The schedule should get a little easier for West Virginia as they play for key seeding in the Big East tournament.

Boston College

The Eagles have been on the edge lately as an at-large team. With Sunday’s win over Duke they should've solidified their spot. Not many bubble teams have wins over both Duke and North Carolina on their resume.

Wisconsin

The Badgers got a marquee win after beating Ohio St. on Saturday to improve to 7-6 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has now won four games in a row and are in the running for a four seed in the Big Ten tourney.

Other winners: BYU, Arizona, UNLV, Creighton, Kentucky, Baylor, Michigan, San Diego St., Providence, Maryland, Oklahoma St., Penn St., St. Mary’s,

Losers:

Georgetown

The Hoyas have lost nine of their last twelve games and Saturday’s loss at Syracuse may be the final straw. Georgetown would need to close the season at least 5-1 and make a run in the Big East tourney.

Kansas St.

The Wildcats need to finish with some quality wins. The problem is they don’t have the chance at many with their remaining schedule. Saturday’s loss to Kansas would have provided a huge win.

USC

The Trojans were in as a bubble team last week. This week they will be out after dropping Sunday’s game at Arizona St. USC has lost three straight games and have only four top-100 wins. Not where you want to be this time of year.

Other Losers: Miami (Fl), Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Nebraska, St. Joseph’s, Tulsa, Mississippi St.,