Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
TagsBY MIKE VORKUNOV
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
NEW YORK — Vincent Council lay sprawled on the floor of Madison Square Garden, covering up the eponymous decal. He was joined by teammates and a coach, as he tried to fight off cramps and devastation. Council had just played the three most exciting minutes of the day, unable to stave off a one-and-done trip to the Big East Tournament for Providence but at least providing a jolt to an otherwise mundane day.
There were 160 minutes of basketball played Tuesday at the Garden and 137 of them were forgettable. For three minutes, as the Friars hectically dug their way out of a 15-point hole, the building had juice.
At noon, South Florida and DePaul played a soporific game. Mercifully it ended another dreadful season for the Blue Demons and kept the Bulls in the fray for a spot on the dancing card after their 58-49 win.
The second game of the day was more memorable for its postgame. There Jim Calhoun had to answer questions about his future. At least they weren't about Connecticut's miserable 73-51 loss to St. John's.The finale between Rutgers and Cincinnati had its moments, notably the final ones. But those few fleeting throngs of sensation were not enough to overcome what had been a game worth forgetting. The same could be said for the Scarlet Knights, who could not pull out a tough, hard nose game against the Bearcats, losing 69-68 thanks to a Lance Stephenson free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining.
Day to Remember
- Hamady N'diaye: Rutgers' senior center earned his place in Rutgers lore that he'd always talked about. Roughly six minutes into the game N'diaye blocked the shot of best friend Ibrahima Thomas to break the school record set by Roy Hinson.
- Jamine Peterson: The Providence sophomore set a career high with 38 points, along with 16 rebounds and four assists, in a game that galvanized the crowd. Peterson has been the best-kept secret in the Big East while playing for the second worst team in the conference. For one night he got his chance to shine, even if it did come in a loss.
- Herb Pope: How is that for a Garden debut? The Seton Hall big man set a season-high with 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out five assists. Good enough to earn him a sarcastic high five from teammate Jordan Theodore in the postgame press conference. Pope played with an aggression and need on the offensive end that has been missing at times this season.
Day to Forget
- The camerawomen working baseline underneath the 8th Avenue basket: She took a hit when South Florida's Anthony Crater (6-foot-1, 170 pounds) flew into her trying to save a loose ball, knocking off of her rolling chair and leaving her a little shaken. That was a routine traffic accident. In the second game, she was VW Beetle meeting an 18-wheeler. St. John's Sean Evans, all 6-foot-8, 256 pounds of muscle, went flying into her full blast and sent her into the front row.
- Jim Calhoun: He came back for that? Connecticut's legendary coach came back from a midseason ailment that forced him to miss several weeks, all to take a 73-51 loss in the first round of the conference tournament. It was Connecticut's worst Big East tournament loss since 1985 when they were trounced 93-62 by Georgetown. Wonder if this makes Calhoun rethink retiring.
- Hamady N'diaye: In his last game the center committed the foul that sent the winning points to the free throw line with just 1.8 seconds to go. It's a tough way to go out for a player who deserved a softer landing.
Game of the Day
This is an easy one. For 37-plus minutes, this game was a snoozer on par with the two that preceded it. Then Providence tried to pull a ridiculous comeback by erasing a 24-point deficit in less than six minutes. They came close too, coming within a missed three-pointer in the final seconds of sending it to overtime. Oh, and in the process, set tournament records for cumulative points, have both Providence and victorious Seton Hall eclipse the previous record of most points in a regulation tournament game. Herb Pope and Jamine Peterson combined for 65 points and 27 rebounds and all ten starters scored in double-digits. When the Pirates escaped with a 109-106 win, let's just say they were happy to make it out with their NCAA Tournament hopes still alive.
RELATED:
Seton Hall survives furious Providence comeback
Wesley Johnson, Lance Stephenson and Jim Boeheim honored by Big East Conference
Jim Calhoun questioned about future after Connecticut's early exit from Big East Tournament
South Florida keeps NCAA Tournament hopes alive with victory over DePaul
First game of 2010 Big East Tournament is a tough sell
2009-2010 season: Big East Conference by the numbers
