Durzblog

The Big East was founded in 1979 when Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut, and Boston College to form a conference focused on East Coast hoops. Villanova joined a year later and Pittsburgh joined in 1982. It has now been 30 years of basketball, we are going to have a look back, way back.

Six Overtime Classic Caps Memorable Day at the Garden

The Big East Tournament was where it was at yesterday. The best conference tournament in the land, reminded everyone of how good it can be last night. The thirtieth BET has become a very memorable one.

It started off innocently enough with Providence laying down for Louisville. The Friars played themselves into the NIT with a tough loss to the Carinals, who are now on a mission for the Big East double -- and will be favored to do so. Villanova in the second game, grabbed control early and threw it away in the second half. Some sharp shooting by Marquette brought them all the way back from 17 down. Jerel McNeal had the ball with the seconds ticking away and tried to end it with a hastily taken jumper, Nova rebounded and with no timeouts remaining -- went down and got an uncontested lay-up at the buzzer to move onto the semis..

After the intermission, Pitt and WVU took the floor. Blair was in foul trouble throughout and Devin Ebanks had a Garden coming out party. Huggins gang won the backyard brawl going away. With the bracket opened up a bit, Connecticut took the floor looking to get a win in the tournament for the first time in 3 years. Its being tabbed an all-time classic and it was quite a game. Right now its feeling more like an all-time kick in the groin. The one good thing you can say from a Uconn perspective is that Kemba Walker and Stanley Robinson (season high 28 points) seem ready to play important roles in the NCAA's. Last night's game though, once they got it to overtime, was a game of many missed opportunities. Credit the Orange for having the heart to keep coming back in this six overtime thriller and to Johnny Flynn for refusing to quit, but if you are Uconn you have to be looking at the stats from the foul line, 24-for-42. Disgusting.

The game was the longest in the history of the Big East and second longest in Division-1 basketball history.

The BET is officially wide open, Nova v Louisville followed by West Virginia and Syracuse tonight starting at 7:00

Uconn will be left to wait for their NCAA seed on Sunday. They threw away the one seed and the East Regional. The ladder is for the best.


Yesterday's Finals
Louisville 73 Providence 55

W. Virginia 74 Pittsburgh 60

Villanova 76 Marquette 75

Syracuse 127 Connecticut 117
6OT

Noon
No. 8 Providence vs.
No. 16 DePaul
winner gets #1 Louisville
2:00pm
No. 5 Marquette vs.
No. 13 St. John's
winner gets #4 Villanova
7:00pm
No. 7 West Virginia vs.
No. 10 Notre Dame
winner gets #2 Pitt
9:00pm
No. 6 Syracuse vs.
No. 11 Seton Hall
winner gets #3 Uconn




Only 2-2 yesterday. I take Providence, Marquette, Notre Dame and Seton Hall today.

Providence needs the win to keep any NCAA hopes alive, and if yesterday was any indicator there will be some upsets. The middle tilts should be two very good ones and don't be surprised if the Orange have some trouble this evening. All games are on ESPN from today until Saturday. 4 games down 11 to go.

Quotes from yesterday:
DePaul coach Jerry Wainright, "Hopefully, we proved there is a lot value in bringing everybody in."

Georgetown coach JTIII, "I think it's a long season. I said that from the first team meeting, first press conference and during the course of the season, you have to handle the highs and the lows, and we haven't responded well to the lows, whether it be from a possession on the court to a loss. The ability to forget, to learn from and forget the emotional part and move on, we haven't done well this year.

Hasheem Thabet accepting his co-BE POY award, ""I'm just looking forward for next couple games and maybe next year I'll be up here again. I have such a great time around the coaches, around my teammates. I would definitely love to be a part of the team still."

Coach Calhoun quickly reminded us that Hasheem ain't coming back, "I wouldn't recommend he come back. I would love him to come back. Could he get better? Sure. Could he be more ready? Without question. But right now, if he said, 'Coach, can I go contribute in an NBA game?' Yeah. If he's going to be taken - and I've heard enough different things - in the top three, you can't say, 'Come back.' We'd love to have him come back. Obviously, it would be great for a number of different reasons. But there's no way I would say, 'You're not ready.'"

Congrats to (former Rutgers) coach Gary Waters on taking Cleveland State to the NCAA for the first time since 1986.

Final update...
The Irish send home Rutgers and Seton Hall takes care of USF behind 23 from soph Jeremy Hazell. What about Holland over the Dominican!! Good night

update 6:00

Final Big East Awards Announced...

Player(s) of the Year
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut
DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh

Rookie of the Year
Greg Monroe, Georgetown

Coach of the Year
Jay Wright, Villanova

Update 5:00, Two upsets at the Garden in two games. DePaul gets their first win over BIg East opposition (and first win of 2009!) and the hometown Johnnies squash any Gtown Cinderella dreams before they begin.


the coaches (of losing programs) asked for it, and so today we get it, all 16 teams with a chance...Oh, and what exactly is ESPN or ESPN2 showing that they can't have these games on?? That's right they have to show Sportscenter 12 times and the duece needs to show "First Take" the worst show ever! You can watch online if you like, click

12:00
# 9 Cincinnati v # 16 DePaul
DePaul is playing for pride after finishing the season 0-18 in Big East play (the third school in the league's 30 year history to not win a game). The Bearcats need to win today and tomorrow over Providence to get back into the NCAA discussion. I take Cinci by 12.

2:00
#12 Georgetown v # 13 St Johns
The Johnnies took their meeting at the Garden last week, look for the Gtown to get some revenge. The Hoyas have the potential to get on a roll, with a troubled Marquette awaiting the winner in round 2. If Georgetown can take care of those two, they might just play themselves into the dance with a win over Nova (their SOS and wins over Memphis and Uconn in case you are wondering why the 7-11 has a chance). First things first however. Hoyas by 8

7:00
#10 Note Dame vs #15 Rutgers
ND can possibly get to the quarters, where they would play Pitt. Win that an anything is possible. Something tells me though that Huggy is going to be ready for Wednesday's game. Should be a good one, this one? not so much. ND by 14

9:00
# 11 Seton Hall vs #14 USF
The game with the least implications will serve as the nightcap. Gonzo's club won't be playing on Tuesday next year, they should take care of business tonight and give the Cuse a little trouble before bowing out. Hall by 7

Taking Seton Hall, St John's, DePaul, Rutgers and USF out of the mix you have 11 teams in the BE playing for post season positions and BE hardware. As we approach the halfway point in the season, looking ahead at the schedules is very interesting..I will predict below where these teams are going to finish in league, their NCAA seed or an NIT prediction and add some overall thoughts on each program:







Predictions:

T1) Louisville: 14-4 (23-7)
The Cards will tie for the Big East crown this season, partially because they have the easiest schedule of the top teams (USF, ND, WVU as home and homes). If Uconn loses to them Monday at Freedom Hall, they might just win it all alone. Every team likes to say this, but Pitino's squads actually do get better as the season goes on. NCAA 2 seed

T1) Uconn:14-4 (26-4)
Winning 8 in a row after a stinker against Gtown should have this team ranked # 1 in the country on Monday. Three left with Pitt (2) and Louisville, the schedule does not look easy. The balanced attack of Uconn should have them in the top three the rest of the season and in the enviable double bye position for the BE tournament. NCAA 1 seed

3) Pitt: 13-5 (25-5)
Pitt showed last night that foul trouble can really hurt them. I think they will split with Uconn and lose at least two more along the way. Look for the Panthers to have a nice run at the Garden and perhaps an even nice run in the Big Dance. If healthy and under control, they have all the pieces. NCAA 2 seed

4) Marquette: 13-5 (24-7)
Marquette's last four games are a real who's who of BE talent. They may have had a bush schedule thus far, but the challenges are coming. They will lead the league most of the way, courtesy of their veteran guards but will split with Gtown and likely lose at Nova -- I seem them losing at least 2 of the last 4. NCAA 4 seed

T5) Syracuse: 11-7 (23-8)
The Orange are a talented bunch who are going to have some highs and lows. With Flynn and Devo in the back court they will have enough to win their share of tight ones. Their next three are challenging (WVU, VU, UConn) and will tell us a lot about the club, they end with a relatively soft slate. Boeheim gets back to the dance after a two year drought. NCAA 5 seed

T5) West Virginia: 11-7 (22-9)
Huggins has the athletes now and will benefit from a nice stretch at the end of the schedule where his club will load up on some wins. Morgantown is not a fun place to play and they have nice mix of solid guards and forwards, they are not going to light the world on fire, but they should quietly get their wins NCAA 6 seed

T5) Providence: 11-7 (19-11)
I am asking this team to go 5-5 from here on out and it could be a tall order, but keep in mind they have 2 with Rutgers and 1 with USF. Davis has the boys playing hard and smart hoops, if they can keep their friends and family off the court they could be in business this year. Curry, McDermott and Brooks are nice players. NCAA 10 seed

T5) Georgetown: 11-7 (20-9)
Remember Nova last year? The Hoyas have the tools to go on a nice run and the schedule will calm down a bit. They have 4 game left vs the bottom 5 of the league, that can be a major help. They will go to New York looking for some help. NCAA 10 seed

T9) Villanova: 9-9 (21-10)
Nova got the signature win it needed last night at Pitt. The Cats would do themselves a favor by winning either at the Dome or in ND, the OOC resume is not going to be helpful. They will need a win in the BET. Somebody is going to miss the party. NIT

T9) Notre Dame: 9-9 (18-11)
The Irish may have the hardest league slate of them all and a loss to St John's may end up being the one that kills them. At minimum they will need to split the Pitt/UCLA games and avoid any more lapses. Still the hole is too deep for a team without a third scoring threat. NIT

11) Cincinnati: 8-10 (18-13)
Cinci does look good right now and do play everyone hard, but at this point Cronin does not have the talent to get over the hump in this league. No post season

Should be fun to watch, lots of great games.

Just was looking at the Post with some coffee and was reading some BE coverage, the paper is very kind in that regard. Full pages on Seton Hall and St John's -- proud hoops programs that are in the toilet. Go ahead and throw Rutgers in the mix -- and you have your three metro NYC programs as the worst in the 16 team league (a combined 1-17 in BE play), save USF...All three coaches will be fired within 2 or 2 1/2 seasons -- Roberts after this year (his fifth), Gonzo next and Fred Hill will go last. Hill will get some more time because he can recruit (he would be awesome on Calhoun's staff, did great work at Nova) and he has not been there long. St John's has been bad for 6 years now, not a lifetime -- but its getting to the point where kids they are recruiting can't remember them being any good or the Garden being jammed. Last night they lost to Cinci, blowing a 11 pt halftime lead, in front of 4,500 in Queens -- last week they played Uconn in front of 8,000 at the Garden (4,000 were Uconn fans)...at 1-5 in the league they are staring at 5-13 type season and Roberts will be gone. Over in South Orange, Bobby Gonzalez is having little success and he is pissing of the University all the while, the Hall was just in the dance three years ago (for the 2nd time in 3 years) and then fired Louis Orr, if Gonzo could get those results, they would name buildings after him -- times have changed. Why is that these schools cannot get it done? Assuming Gonzo and Roberts get fired (I am assuming they will and am not saying they should fyi), where do these schools turn? Who can get them over the hump. Who can set up some sort of blockade for Uconn, Pitt, Ville, Nova and even Duke and UNC (for the elite recruits) to stop coming in poaching all of the best prospects NYC has to offer?

At this point these three jobs are nothing but career killers and a road back to the mid/low major sidelines. The competition in the 16 team BE has played a role in all of this -- being average with the depth of the conference gets you nowhere, when you consider that national programs like Villanova and WVU or around the 8th or 9th best team in the Big East, you begin to understand what it takes to become a player. Rutgers is never going to get it done, but Seton Hall and St John's could come back. People always say the league is a better league with a good Red Storm squad. How does it happen and when does it happen, things have to change..A potential split of the league in 2 years will help these schools I believe, the Johnnies and Pirates will find it easier to manage in a league that is smaller and less potent, at least at that point you can start towards the middle of the pack instead of in the 12-16 holes. Gonzo could be a star coach in the "Catholic" BE league (Nova, Gtown, ND, SH, SJU, Prov, Depaul, Marq) if a split were to happen, but will he last that long?

I will wait on Fred Hill and Bobby for now (though he needs to cool it), but Norm Roberts has go to go...

St John's should look to a list that includes Sean Miller, Paul Hewitt, Tom Pecora, John Calipari, Mark Jackson and Matt Doherty. They need to make a splash, this next one really counts.

UConn, led by a career-high 29 points from Price, prevailed with an exciting 89-83 victory over No. 20 Villanova before 15,385 at the Xl Center (quick aside -- come on folks, not selling out for top 25 teams anymore? I know times are tough, but come on...).

"I just took what the defense gave me," Price said. "I was a product of what they gave me."

AJ was on fire throughout -- drilling 10 of 13 shots. Additional strong efforts by Jerome Dyson (19 pts) and Jeff Adrien (12 pts, 14 rbs) were just enough as the # 3 Huskies improve to 17-1 (6-1 Big East). The pesky Nova squad placed 5 guys in double figures, led by Dwayne Anderson's 15 -- they left Hartford still looking for that quality win to get them over the hump. Plenty of opportunites are still out there...As for Uconn, a trip to the Joyce Center is on the Horizon on Saturday night..

Dribbles...Ater Majok has been admitted to the University but will not play for Uconn until second semester next season, he is being deemed a partial qualifier, which the BE does not allow -- so clearly that is not the correct terminology, but thats what I am reading anyways...so next year we are adding three high quality forwards (all top 35 guys) and Majok will get a chance to beef up a bit...Wake lost last night, so a win on Saturday will have Connecticut up to # 2 in the polls on Monday...Calhoun on his trip for the Inauguration, "We got the tickets through a combination of everybody, we picked them up at Joe Lieberman's office. We were in the yellow section. There was one more section before being up on the Capitol steps. I saw Muhammad Ali and Magic Johnson up there. I was about two rows from Mariah Carey. Some of my players were wondering why I didn't bring them."...Jarrid Famous, a 6-11 forward Westchester Community College in Valhalla, N.Y, is on the radar as a possible Thabeet replacement, they will need someone as Mandeldove and Okwandu are not going to get it done alone...

be good, BD

Big East Hoops Preview
With the OOC portion of the schedule dwindling down, finally we are here. No more Morgan State, Houston Baptist or Alabama State -- its time for league play. The Big East slate this season in going to be gruesome -- there will be no place to hide. Granted there is some filler at the bottom of the league ( DePaul, St John's, Rutgers and USF) -- but even those games can at times be tests. At the top of the league, you have eight teams currently in the AP top 25 and six in the top 15. How good is the league? I have current #24 Marquette slotted to finish 10th...Here is a quick look at the teams: where they will finish, who the top scorers are (with this year's early averages), and who is going to be All Big East First Team.

• 1) Pitt (14-4) NCAA

• 2) Uconn (13-5) NCAA

• 3) Louisville (13-5) NCAA

• 4) Notre Dame (12-6) NCAA

• 5) Georgetown (11-7) NCAA

• 6) West Virginia (10-8) NCAA

• 7) Syracuse (9-9) NCAA

• 8) Villanova (9-9) NIT

• 9) Providence (8-10) NIT

• 10) Marquette (8-10) NIT

• 11) Seton Hall (7-11) NIT

• 12) Cincinnati (6-12)

• 13) St John's (5-13)

• 14) Rutgers (4-14)

• 15) South Florida (3-15)

• 16) DePaul (2-14)

As the college hoops season gets underway I figured I would have a look at the best venues to watch a game in the Big East Conference. In total there are 19 (I have only been to about 10 of them and will rely on a combination of reputation, television, common sense and hearsay for the rest). There are some great arenas in this league, even my lowest rated are pretty good:


19) Carnesecca Arena (SJU), 6,008 -- this joint is high school quality. Not much to say about it actually other than I have been to much nicer gyms for MAAC, America East and NEC games. Improvements are coming this season and the renderings do look good..the product on the floor these days is not helping...






18) Allstate Arena (DEP), 18,500 -- In general the structure of the building is not great (same will be said of the civic centers in Providence and Hartford), but in addition to its age, the place is just to damn dark, in the middle of nowhere and averages 8,000 empties per tilt...



17) USF Sun Dome (USF), 11, 324 -- This building suffers from its tenant -- there is nothing really wrong with the place. In fact, its a good size and the crowd is very near the court. However, if this is an exercise in where to watch your team on the road, USF will remain at the bottom of the list for most...



16) Prudential Center (SHU), 18,000 -- The Rock, as it is known, is a very nice building and the trains in and out are pretty easy. The Pirates are generally not very good and if this puppy is on a Tuesday night the place is dead (season average was 6,600 and even with half the building curtained off, it feels empty). A big upgrade from the IZOD anyway you cut it.
15) The Pavilion (VIL), 6,500 -- The student section at the ski lodge is pretty cool and the crowd can get loud, but it should be, the place is tiny...if my man (buckeye over at vusports.com) got his way and got the place expanded to 14,000 it would sky rocket up the list. But for now, I'll take my Nova games at the Wach...




14) Fifth Third Arena (CINC), 13,176 -- This arena has been open since 1989 and the Bearcats have only lost 27 contests in the building. The arena will fill for big games and the crowds appear quite lively. The Cats are typically difficult hosts. All in all a very decent prospect for a trip...



13) Dunkin' Donuts Center (PROV), 12,993 -- Great place to watch a game...good town as well. Though its an old building -- the renovations have helped a bit. The Friar fans are worth the trip alone, the venom spewed at Calhoun is unmatched, it is like a derby match in British soccer. If the Friars are good they tend to have very strong turnouts for most games...


12) XL Center (UCONN), 16,294 -- Ahh memories, this place is as outdated at Providence and the Allstate and most Uconn fans would prefer the games in Storrs, but when this place gets going -- it is one of the tougher places for a visitor to try and steal a win in the league. A bad crowd is 15,000...



11) Verizon Center (GTOWN), 20,600 -- Its big and the Hoyas draw well. Like the Wachovia it is not a band box that is impossible to win at for an opponent, but a nice place to watch a game. Its nice and clean, food is decent, beer is moderate -- not much else to say.



10) Wachovia Center (LOU), 21,600 -- The Cats don't play here a ton, but when they do, a big boy is in town and the place gets jammed. Nova is likely tougher to play on campus, but this is a good experience. The ticket has grown a bit tougher to get -- the out of towners are now usually up in the nosebleeds. A far cry from court side during the Lappas era...



9) Madison Square Garden (SJU), 19,522 -- Blasphemous I know, this place is one of the best places to watch a sporting event anywhere. Rangers, the Big East Tournament...the vibe of the arena is top notch, that is why watching a Johnnies game at the present moment, in the World' Most Famous Arena, is depressing. St John's get back in the top 25 though and this is top 2/3 in the league...
8) the RAC (RU), 8,000 -- If Rutgers was ever any good this place would be one of the toughest places to play in the country...They aren't and it's not, however its still a neat place to go to a game, and hit a grease truck while there. The students are loud and the stands are steep, nobody seems that far from the court...The Scarlet Knights seem to really get up for their home games...

7) Joyce Center (ND), 11,418 -- There is a history in this building, I can feel David Rivers running through the lane and those older than me can still picture ND shocking the famed UCLA Bruins. Its quaint and nondescript, but it is still a great venue. The Irish fans don't always come out, but when they do, its a tough place to play...


6) WVU Coliseum (WVU), 14,000 -- The Gym is large feeling and can get quite loud, part of the plan when they built the arena with a concrete ceiling. When the fans aren't yelling the N-word, they are very supportive and the Mountaineers are a tough match at home. Not many buildings have a statue of Jerry West to greet its visitors...


5) Bradley Center (MARQ), 18,717 -- One of the oldest "new"arenas around...Its a NBA gym that is a bit dated. All that being said, the Marquette fans make the experience a positive one. They are rabid fans and not in the northeast -- i'm going to dump a beer on your head and slap your wife -- kind of way. These are nice people who like their team and get really into the action. Overall a good experience...






4) Petersen Events Center (PITT), 12,508 -- They did their homework when building the Pete. The student section (Oakland Zoo) is right on top of the court and you can feel them. At the same time it is the only gym in the league to have court side suites for the Panther bigwigs. Its a great size and the atmosphere will not disappoint...




3) Gampel Pavilion (UCONN), 10,167 -- My personal favorite for obvious reasons. This building symbolizes Jim Calhoun and the program that he has built. Its loud and bright and you can feel the crowd wishing every ball through the hoop, it is truly the home of Connecticut basketball. The kids too lazy to get to Hartford for the Fairfield type games are always on fire and are usually rewarded with a W...


2) Freedom Hall (VILL), 18,865 -- Not may teams have a home that has hosted six final fours, Louisville does. The crowd not only loves the Cards but they know their hoops. The support is always strong, Ville is always in the top 5 in attendance nationally.




1) Carrier Dome, (CUSE) 33,000 -- With the exception of Cameron, this is the best place in the country to watch a college hoops game for my money. Syracuse treats Big Monday like an NFL Sunday and fill the place to the extreme (either one or two every year in NCAA home attendance). The faithful are tough on their Orange when things are going poorly, but are in jubilant hysteria when Cuse is on a roll. This place is Big East basketball

As the out of conference portion of the schedule is wrapping up (thanks be to God!) and we get into league play, we do appear to be looking at a highly competitive Big East race this fall. The league is taking some lumps for its poor early play, deservedly, and is now quietly rebounding with a few OOC opportunities still left to try and save some face. I guess aside from the WVU loss to ECU and RU laying eggs, the first few weeks cannot be considered all that surprising or noteworthy. USF did have a nice win last weekend at Kansas and WVU has a chance tonight at Colorado to kick start their campaign. Whatever happens this weekend and in the few other games later on this year (i.e. WVU and Auburn/Pitt and ND) -- this should be an exciting year in Big East play -- with a bunch of clubs having a legit shout at a BCS birth.

Lets breakdown what has happened thus far (the bad and some bright spots as well), take some inventory and make a few predictions. Starting at the bottom...

Syracuse, Miserable, in a word. Losses to Northwestern and the Zips of Akron are followed by a pants-ing by Penn State. How low can they go? We'll see as the Huskies of Northeastern invade the Carrier Dome on Saturday. Prediction 2-10 (1-6) -- Robinson fired at end of season.

Pitt, figured to lose an OOC game or two with ND and Iowa on the schedule, but did NOT need to lose to Bowling Green. 4-8 (2-5) and Wanny barely survives the heat, but maybe not for long. LeSean McCoy is the real deal, not enough for the Panthers... Would really like to be wrong here....

Rutgers, gets waxed by Fresno and UNC. RU is perhaps the most over hyped team in the country -- they absolutely have the most over hyped coach in the land. Should rebound and win the next two lay-ups v Navy and Morgan and add a win over Army in November. They will need to go 4-3 in BE play to get to a bowl, league schedule is not kind. Teel is good, but was much better with the Ray Rice fellow. Prediction 5-7 (2-5) -- Schiano "turns down" the Giants in the off season.

Cincinnati, Getting slapped by Oklahoma is not really the end of the world and we have seen worse beatings for sure. They are a talented club and are well coached, but the QB position is not a great place to be vulnerable at. A soft rest of the OOC schedule has the Bearcats set-up nicely for an attractive bowl record. 8-4 (4-3), International Bowl.

Uconn, still without a blemish, albeit barely vs Temple -- we'll blame it on the rain for now, especially after the pounding handed to UVA. A split with Baylor and UNC and a couple of close wins in East Hartford led by Donald Brown and a good running attack should have the Huskies fighting in the top half and bowling again. 8-4 (4-3), Pappajohns.com Bowl.

Louisville, got off to a tough start against rivals Kentucky -- but did rebound nicely against K-State last night and Victor Anderson sure looked good. They are a tough out in league play and get into the bowls, 7-5 (4-3), St. Petersburg Bowl.

West Virginia, the schedule is aggressive and the loss to ECU was a bitter pill for the league to swallow, the Neers and Pat White will need to bounce back this week and win in Boulder -- as they figure to have some trouble with Auburn (Oct. 23). Still are one of the more talented teams in the league. Another 8-4 club (5-2), Meineke Car Care.


South Florida, along with Uconn are the only other undefeated BE club, sporting the league's best win over Kansas, they will roll through the next couple of weeks...Should not have much problem getting to the December 6th game with West Virginia with at most two losses. USF beats WVU and goes to the BCS Sugar Bowl, 11-1 (6-1).

Predicted Final Standings
USF -- 11-1, 6-1
WVU -- 8-4, 5-2
L'Ville -- 7-5, 4-3
Uconn -- 8-4, 4-3
Cinci -- 8-4, 4-3
Rutgers -- 5-7, 2-5
Pitt -- 4-8, 2-5
Cuse, 2-10, 1-6

This weeks' games:
Wednesday
Louisville beat Kansas State, 38-29

Thursday
West Virginia at Colorado

Friday
Connecticut vs Baylor

Saturday
Pittsburgh vs Iowa
Rutgers at Navy
Cincinnati vs Miami (Ohio)
South Florida at Florida International
Syracuse vs Northeastern

6-2 at worst, if Pitt pulls the upset the BE could run the table...

--BD