Good Wins: 11/30 Central Florida (Neutral), 12/30 @ East Tennessee State Bad Losses: 11/23 FAMU (N), 11/29 Grambling (N), 1/5 vs. Tennessee State, 1/17 @ Eastern Illinois, 2/5 @ Jax St. Strengths:  1. Center of attention.  Kenneth Faried will be the new Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  Such effervescence and zest for life.   Unfamiliar fans will [...]

The Atlantic Sun Tournament opened play in the first week of March, declaring their champion second to the Big South.  Of course the Ivy League has no post-season tournament and therefore decides their automatic bid first. Stepping into Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena, a resplendent concert hall, it becomes immediately apparent the title sponsor is General [...]

Good Wins: @Ohio State, Providence, Villanova, Notre Dame Bad Losses: None. Strengths:  1. Team Defense.  In a league stacked with scorers, the Mountaineers provide opponents a rocky terrain to hike.  A person is more likely to win the shell game (33% chance) than they are to make a 3-point shot attempt against West Virginia (29%).  The personnel are [...]

Good Wins: @ UNLV, UAB, Georgetown, Notre Dame, @Georgetown, West Virginia Bad Losses: None, but swept by Providence. Strengths: 1. Pace.  Anytime a team is able to forcibly alter your offensive flow, the level of comfort crumbles.  Its tough to even initiate the offense effectively when avoiding traps and rushing past the halfcourt stripe supersedes.  The [...]

  Good Wins: 11/29 vs. Marquette (Neutral), 2/11 vs. Xavier, 2/28 vs. Temple. Bad Losses: 1/10 vs. UMass (Neutral), 2/8 @ Charlotte, 2/21 @ St. Louis   Strengths:  1. Defense. With forty minutes within which to operate opponents cannot muster 60 ppg against UD.  Quick hands at each position help the Flyers compensate for being [...]

Northeastern 69, Wright State 57 Imagine the reaction, the emotion felt crowdwide when a magician flubs his magic trick.  From heightened anticipation to equal parts disdain and unease.  The very same sequence repeated itself numerous times in Northeastern’s 69-57 victory over the host Wright State Raiders (16-12) Saturday morning. With WSU collectively playing the role [...]

Good Wins: Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Marquette. Bad Losses: None. West Virginia was disconcerting only because of the margin (19 points). Strengths: 1. Bravery. Led by Scottie Reynolds, the Wildcats never recoil their claws. Small as a Scottish Terrier, this diminutive Scottie is much more pugnacious. He darts into the lane every night. He can shoot wildly [...]

Good Wins: N-Gonzaga, Villanova, @Louisville, Syracuse Bad Losses: none. Strengths: 1. Urgency. The players have not changed in the past two years but the level of success is night and day. Flashes of brilliance have given way to a steady stream of illumination. For a team that has never sniffed postseason success, their legacy is [...]

Good Wins: @Florida State, @Georgetown, Syracuse, @West Virginia, West Virginia, Cincinnati, @UConn Bad Losses: None. Strengths: 1. Strength. For over a decade the weight-lifting program of the Pitt Panthers has borne outstanding results. The oncourt benefit has been the castle-strong defense, which served as the backbone of Jamie Dixon’s success. This year is no exception. [...]

The Big East is home to some of the biggest, strongest, most powerful centers in the country. But the point guards excel on more than strength. Each have a particular skill set along with one super skill. This week for the Big East Report we will take a look at the best PG in a [...]