2011 Big East Men's Basketball Championship

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2011 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN • NEW YORK, N.Y.

Tuesday, March 8 – First Round (ESPN2/ESPN 3D)
No. 9 Connecticut (21-9) vs. No. 16 DePaul (7-23) Noon
No. 12 Seton Hall (13-17) vs. No. 13 Rutgers (14-16) 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 8 – First Round (ESPNU/ESPN 3D)
No. 10 Villanova (21-10) vs. No. 15 USF (9-22) 7 p.m.
No. 11 Marquette (18-13) vs. No. 14 Providence (15-16) 9 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9 – Second Round (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
No. 8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. Connecticut/DePaul winner Noon
No. 5 St. John’s (20-10) vs. Seton Hall/Rutgers winner 2 p.m.
No. 7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. Villanova/USF winner 7 p.m.
No. 6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. Marquette/Providence winner 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 10 – Quarterfinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
No. 1 Pittsburgh (27-4) vs. 8/9/16 winner Noon
No. 4 Syracuse (25-6) vs. 5/12/13 winner 2 p.m.
No. 2 Notre Dame (25-5) vs. 7/10/15 winner 7 p.m.
No. 3 Louisville (23-8) vs. 6/11/14 winner 9 p.m.

Friday, March 11 – Semifinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
Thursday afternoon winners 7 p.m.
Thursday evening winners 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 12 – Championship (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
Semifinal winners 9 p.m.

http://www.bigeast.org/Portals/5/fls...bb_bracket.pdf

http://www.bigeast.org/Sports/Basket...mpCentral.aspx

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You Tube

You Tube

[bearcat jeff]

I think the Bearcats would like another shot at Villanova.

No. 7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. Villanova/USF winner 7 p.m.

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All-Big East Teams announced:

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-3.5, 227, Mitchellville, Md.
*Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame, G, Sr., 6-3, 206, Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, Jr., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Marshon Brooks, Providence, G-F, Sr., 6-5, 200, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Dwight Hardy, St. John’s, G, Sr., 6-2, 195, Bronx, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Preston Knowles, Louisville, G, 6-1, 190, Winchester, Ky.
Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, G, Jr., 6-2, 215, Raleigh, N.C.
Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 6-4, 210, Philadelphia, Pa.
Rick Jackson, Syracuse, F, Sr., 6-9, 240, Philadelphia, Pa.
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Chris Wright, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-1, 208, Washington, D.C.
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 235, Unionville, Ct.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-5, 188, Bronx, N.Y.
Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 207, Montreal, Quebec
Corey Stokes, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-5, 220, Bayonne, N.J.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Peyton Siva, Louisville, G, So., 5-11, 180, Seattle, Wash.
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-7, 220, Tomball, Texas
Scoop Jardine, Syracuse, G, So., 6-2, 190, Philadelphia, Pa.
Kevin Jones, West Virginia, F, Jr., 6-8, 255, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, G, Fr., 6-4, 215, White Plains, N.Y.
Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut, G-F, 6-5, 185, Norcross, Ga.
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G, Fr., 6-0, 170, Randolph, Mass.
*Cleveland Melvin, DePaul, F, Fr., 6-8, 210, Baltimore, Md.
Brandon Young, DePaul, G, Fr., 6-3, 175, Washington, D.C.
Gilvydas Biruta, Rutgers, F, Fr., 6-8, 230, Jonava, Lithuania

*denotes unanimous selection


http://www.bigeast.org/News/tabid/43...Announced.aspx

Congratulations to Sean who was selected to the all-rookie team!

[bearcat jeff]

Tough to argue any of them.

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Bleacher Report's Preview of the Tournament:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6...nd-predictions

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From Andy Katz's article today on the last leg of Championship Week:

Big East
New York
1. Marquette has the most to prove of any Big East team this week. The Golden Eagles did win at Connecticut, but couldn't beat Cincinnati at home and were barely competitive at Seton Hall. Marquette needs to beat Providence in the first round Tuesday. At that point, beating West Virginia in the second round would probably be just icing on the cake.

2. Who had Cincinnati (7) with a higher seed than Connecticut (9) and Villanova (10)? The Bearcats have had quite a turnaround this season -- not just from one year to the next but also from one point in the Big East season to the end.

3. Connecticut has one of the more difficult paths to the Big East title. After playing DePaul in the first round, the Huskies would have to beat Georgetown and then Pitt before likely facing St. John's or Syracuse. That's all before a final against possibly Notre Dame or Louisville.

4. The game that may draw the most intrigue is a possible quarterfinal matchup between St. John's and Syracuse at MSG. Syracuse rocked St. John's the first time the two teams played. Whoever wins this game would get a solid seed bump in the NCAAs.

5. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he challenged his team to make it to Saturday's final, since they've never played in the Big East championship game. Do that and the Irish could join Pitt as a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/champw...ndy&id=6188720

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Previews of Tuesday's First Round Games:

#9 UCONN Vs. #16 DePaul
http://espn.go.com/ncb/preview?id=310670041

#12 Seton Hall Vs. #13 Rutgers
http://espn.go.com/ncb/preview?id=310672550

#10 Villanova Vs. #15 USF
http://espn.go.com/ncb/preview?id=310670222

#11 Marquette Vs. #14 Providence
http://espn.go.com/ncb/preview?id=310670269

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CBS Sportsline's coverage of the Championship:


http://college-basketball-blog.blogs...83066/27796937

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...nament-bracket

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ESPN's Dana O'Neil previews the Championship:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/champw...ana&id=6188255

No. 7 Cincinnati

On Broadway: Thanks to Mick Cronin's tough love, Yancy Gates "Ain't Misbehavin'" and the Bearcats are winning.

Why to watch: The Bearcats played their way into the NCAA field with a strong finish, winning five of their last six. They enter the Big East with their best seed (seventh) since joining the league six years ago.

Who to watch: Gates. Rather than snub his nose at Cronin's discipline, Gates took it to heart and became a better player. He's averaging 14 points and 8.2 rebounds during the Bearcats' strong finish.

What's at stake: The Bearcats haven't had a lot of luck in New York. Last season marked the first time Cincinnati won a Big East tournament game (the Bearcats actually won two) since joining the league. For a team establishing itself late, this is about better NCAA seeding and confidence.

Prediction: The Bearcats get Corey-ed in the quarters by a Villanova team that suddenly discovers it actually has talent.

I guess the 'Cats will just have to continue to prove the doubters wrong.