Blogger has been acting up all morning, so I will keep this quick.
In New Jersey, one question is, “Where was this effort all season long?” For at least one night, Rutgers showed something.
The other question in Jersey, “Haven’t we seen this before?” With regards to Seton Hall’s collapse, it seems to be appropriate for the season.
Speaking of flopping,
That was quick. And ugly. Most of all, though, embarrassing.
That, in short, is how a very strange Providence College men’s basketball season ended yesterday on the country’s biggest basketball stage — Madison Square Garden — and in front of a national TV audience. The Friars opened the Big East Tournament thinking they could fit into the tourney’s Cinderella slipper. Instead, they were unceremoniously kicked all the way back to River Avenue by the West Virginia Mountaineers, 82-59.
It was PC’s worst Big East tourney loss in 20 years and the sixth first-round defeat in Tim Welsh’s seven seasons as head coach. The way the Mountaineers took it to the Friars rated as the biggest surprise. WVU, whose 19-9 record rates close to an NCAA Tournament berth, jumped on PC early. The Friars opened the game with seven sloppy turnovers, Kevin Pittsnogle fired in 11 quick points and PC was down, 15-4. The lead grew to 28-9 after 11 minutes, but the ugliness had only begun.
“We got stunned. We got knocked around and then got knocked down,” said Welsh. “Then it took us a few minutes to get back up and we’re down 16. Then we’re chasing and getting a little tighter looking up at the scoreboard.”
Instead of displaying the grit and dangerous offense that pushed them to the brink with many of the country’s elite teams, the Friars chose yesterday to fold up their tents. Any time PC showed any semblance of a spark, West Virginia stole a lazy pass or sank one of its 12 3-point shots.
Facing a defense that is hardly known as fierce, the Friars turned the ball over 20 times and shot 37 percent from the field. All in all, it was a long day at the office.
…
The Friars end their season with a 14-17 record. Instead of recalling a late-season stretch of three wins in four chances, or all the close losses, the lingering stench of yesterday’s effort could linger.“I’d never say we didn’t show up. I know it looked like they were playing at a different speed. They went by us,” said Welsh. “But we just went to Georgetown and won and this game means a lot more than that one. We played, but sometimes it looks that way when another team blitzes you and is running their stuff better than you. They were playing at a high level today and we didn’t.”
I think everyone else knows Providence didn’t show up. Now, WVU just needs to look good against BC (I don’t think they necessarily need to win) to get their NCAA Tournament bid.
Sticking with teams that didn’t show up, ND is looking at the NIT.
All Notre Dame likely needed to reach the NCAA tournament was another win over the worst team in the Big East Conference. The Irish couldn’t deliver it Wednesday night, however.
Rutgers’ 72-65 victory on opening night of the conference tournament likely will relegate the Irish (17-11) to the National Invitation Tournament for the second straight year. Coach Mike Brey, however, wouldn’t think that far ahead.
“I don’t want to talk about tournaments,” Brey said. “We’ll await our fate on Sunday [when NCAA and NIT bids are announced], and we’ll be happy to play wherever they send us.”
Mike Brey is starting to really lose the luster, and I suspect the former revisionism regarding Matt Doherty (that he didn’t get along with people and ND was happy when he left) will be coming in for review. Espeically considering Brey hasn’t won with his players, only Doherty’s.
And you have to love Chris Thomas’ emotional outburst.
“It’s tough to swallow,” said senior Chris Thomas. “I regret being in this situation again.”
It’s no wonder ND went down without any passion.
Of course, then there is Georgetown pulling one out. You have to figure they will get whacked by UConn, but this should be a better team next year — more mature and seasoned. Of course, a good recruiting class wouldn’t hurt either.
And for anyone who thinks BC doesn’t want to rub it in the rest of the Big East’s collective face.
Jared Dudley would love nothing more than to blow the ultimate goodbye kiss to the Big East on his team’s way out the door.
“There wouldn’t be anything sweeter (than) on Saturday to cut down the nets and leave the Big East with the Big East trophy,” says Dudley, whose Boston College Eagles face West Virginia today in the opener of the Big East Tournament’s second round. “That would just be the whipped cream up top.
“We definitely want to do that. It’s been our mindset, our goal, and, slowly but surely, outsiders have seen that, that’s very possible. Before, it was just us – even family members wouldn’t even probably wouldn’t even (think it’s) conceivable, what we’ve done this year.
“We’re going to try to do it our way — and hopefully we’ll get started (today).”
BC even got its wish to play WVU rather than Providence. Why? Match-ups.
So how was it that the Mountaineers, in defeating Pittsburgh twice this season, managed to accomplish something BC couldn’t (the Eagles lost to the Panthers by 22)?
“Because they’ve got perimeter scoring,” Skinner said. “Pittsburgh’s weakness is [West Virginia’s] strength. Pittsburgh is very vulnerable in the perimeter and their interior play is what carries them. But when you have your 4-5 man step away for 3s, I think that’s tough. It’s all about matchups. I think that’s what [West Virginia’s] advantage is over Pittsburgh; their perimeter people step away from the basket.”
In their two meetings against West Virginia, senior center Nate Doornekamp, junior forward Craig Smith, and freshman forward Sean Williams combined to hold Pittsnogle to 11 points on 7-for-18 shooting, including 1 of 6 from the 3-point arc.
Game time in just a few minutes.
