Twyxx7 wrote:
I think it is very telling about the health of the current Big East that both the G'Town and St John's games sold more than the Syracuse game. Syracuse always seemed to be the biggest draw at the Well's Fargo.
Time of year helped too - 'Cuse was a December game while G'town and the Johnnies were February and March games. While people knew nova was good back in December, the walkup crowd had to be good considering how nova is finishing the year. Of course, Marquette, also a Big East game, and on a Saturday in February, didn't draw so well so the analogy only goes so far.
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You can try to spin it any way you like, but those are either complete sellouts or close to them. Excellent attendance figures especially in a large Pro city like Philly. Nova is carrying the banner for all Philadelphia college bball and the city has shown great support.
Anytime you get a college team exceeding the attendance figures of the Pro team (76ers) it is a great accomplishment and I don't care how bad the 76ers are. They still get the majority of the radio, TV and newspaper coverage in the city.
GannonFan wrote:
Time of year helped too - 'Cuse was a December game while G'town and the Johnnies were February and March games. While people knew nova was good back in December, the walkup crowd had to be good considering how nova is finishing the year. Of course, Marquette, also a Big East game, and on a Saturday in February, didn't draw so well so the analogy only goes so far.
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You can try to spin it any way you like, but those are either complete sellouts or close to them. Excellent attendance figures especially in a large Pro city like Philly. Nova is carrying the banner for all Philadelphia college bball and the city has shown great support.
Anytime you get a college team exceeding the attendance figures of the Pro team (76ers) it is a great accomplishment and I don't care how bad the 76ers are. They still get the majority of the radio, TV and newspaper coverage in the city.
Next topic.
How far will the Cats go this year?
Huh, what city are you living in? College basketball in Philly on sports radio takes up about 5 minutes a day, tops. The other 23 hours and 55 minutes are taken up with 1)Eagles off-season 2)The Phillies being awful and 3)Sam Hinkie. College basketball will get discussed more, but probably not break into that top 3, next week once the brackets are out.
You can try to spin it any way you like, but those are either complete sellouts or close to them. Excellent attendance figures especially in a large Pro city like Philly. Nova is carrying the banner for all Philadelphia college bball and the city has shown great support.
Anytime you get a college team exceeding the attendance figures of the Pro team (76ers) it is a great accomplishment and I don't care how bad the 76ers are. They still get the majority of the radio, TV and newspaper coverage in the city.
Next topic.
How far will the Cats go this year?
Huh, what city are you living in? College basketball in Philly on sports radio takes up about 5 minutes a day, tops. The other 23 hours and 55 minutes are taken up with 1)Eagles off-season 2)The Phillies being awful and 3)Sam Hinkie. College basketball will get discussed more, but probably not break into that top 3, next week once the brackets are out.
Philly! Silly. The number of 76 er references and calls far surpass Nova. Sam Hinkie in the one year he has been GM has had more calls and mentions by the jocks than Jay Wright has in the last 10 years.
vutomcat wrote:Big East sweeps first four tourney games.
I will be surprised if St.John's can pull one out without Obekpa. Looking for Providence to make it 5 of 6.
"O" for 3 yesterday for the Big 12.
ACC had three very close wins, but wins nonetheless. Will be interesting to see what today and the weekend brings.
Only two genuine upsets yesterday, with two #3 seeds from the Big 12 going out. Other than that things basically went chalk (neither UCLA nor OSU winning were upsets). This weekend will see some tough games for all but Xavier in the second round - only G'town and nova will be higher seeds in their games and G'town is facing a pretty big Utah team.
All 4 of the Pac 12 and all 6 of the ACC teams have advanced so far. ACC is 9-0 overall and 3-0 with 3 teams to go today (UVA, Duke, and Louisville) in the Round of 32 while the Pac 12 is 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the round of 32 with Oregon to go today.
The entire situation looked eerily similar to last year. UCONN scrapes by in the 1st round, faces Nova, where Nova goes on to miss wide open shots. Same thing with NC State this year. Live by the 3, die by the 3.
As for the rest of the Big East, can't really argue with any of the results other than Providence losing to Dayton. I thought Providence had the makeup of a deep tournament team, but I guess not (looking at you Kris Dunn).
Not surprised by Butler losing to ND, but a valiant effort nonetheless. Gtown represented well too. St. Johns all but lost any hope when their big man wasn't eligible. Alas, at least we have Xavier left!
And I'm even angrier that UVA lost which would have paved the way for Nova to the final 4. Ugh! I have to take some time off to regroup after this one. At least we won the BET! Woo I guess.
Tough ending for Nova & the Big East, well except for Xavier I guess who is still playing. NC State was a good team - I saw them destroy Duke in Raleigh this winter. They'll miss Hilliard & Pinkston, otherwise all back right?
bluehenbillk wrote:Tough ending for Nova & the Big East, well except for Xavier I guess who is still playing. NC State was a good team - I saw them destroy Duke in Raleigh this winter. They'll miss Hilliard & Pinkston, otherwise all back right?
Yes, Hilliard and Pinkston are gone. Nova will be good again next year, but there's no telling how big of an impact those two had. Incoming 4* PF Tim Delaney, 4* SG Donte Divincenzo, and 5* PG Jalen Brunson. The future is still bright, and their time will come.
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I've learned that Texas' search firm reached out to representatives of Jay Wright to gauge his interest. Was told thanks but no thanks.
There is no denying that the Texas basketball head coaching gig is an attractive one, but not for Villanova coach Jay Wright. Seth Davis is reporting that Texas checked with in Wright but was rebuffed quickly.
Wright has constantly spoken publicly about his admiration for Villanova and his desire to continue coaching there. And this isn't the first time Wright has passed up on a 'better' job, turning down overtures from Kentucky a few years ago while constantly being linked with the Philadelphia 76ers job when it opens up every couple of years.
This doesn't mean Wright will never leave Villanova. In the near-term however, it appears that Wright is totally committed to the Wildcats program, even while remaining a hot commodity nationally.
The Big East did rather well in attendance in the second year of the brand and league being rebooted, with a total attendance of 1,624,993, the conference ranked 5th among the Division I leagues edging the Pac12. The conference was led by Creighton, who packed an average of 17,048 fans into their Omaha stands this season. Marquette, Xavier, and Georgetown were also in the top-50 for attendance along with Villanova, checking in at 22nd, 42nd, and 45th respectively. All of the league's member's were in the top-100
Two seasons ago, Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, and former Bluejay and current Chicago Bull Doug McDermott, walked through the halls of the CenturyLink Center Omaha and inspired the Bluejays towards their third straight NCAA tournament appearance. One year later, the energy remained, but the wins did not. With the latter of the father-son duo having graduated, Creighton struggled through conference play in a season where their total wins (14) were equal to their amount of losses in conference. Lacking the true star that McDermott was able to add, someone needs to step up to rejuvenate and energize Omaha once again. But who will even be starting?
Point Guard: Maurice "Mo" Watson Jr.
For a team that only had one player who scored more than ten points per game last season, Watson can be the solution to their offensive dilemma. A junior transfer from Boston University who was forced to sit out last year, Watson averaged an impressive 13 points as a freshman in the Patriot League. Losing their lead assist man in Austin Chatman, Watson can fill that void immediately. In just 31 minutes, Watson dished out 7.1 assists per game, first in the Patriot League for that year. In a conference tournament game, Watson overwhelmed Army’s defense with 17 assists. Offensively gifted, Watson is as close to a pure point guard as one can find.
In an offense with James Milliken, Isaiah Zierden, and Toby Hegner, Watson most likely won't need to score as much as he did his first year, but that does not necessarily mean that he is not capable of scoring at a high rate. His eFG%, per KenPom.com, was 53.1%, one of the highest in the country. Along with his potency on the offensive end, the transfer from the Northeast is a force on the defensive end.
Watson has the possibility to be the next star at Creighton. His offensive and defensive capabilities are undoubtedly going to change Creighton basketball for the better. With Kansas State's Marcus Foster entering the fold in 2016, Creighton's backcourt looks set for the next few years.
SG: Isaiah Zierden
Assuming that he returns from his second injury in his right knee in a matter of years, Zierden showed during non-conference play last year that he has the potential to be a go-to scorer, averaging 12.2 points per game. Although, the arrival of conference foes meant a dry spell for the 6-foot-2 guard from Minnesota. Zierden never reached double digits in the scoring column after the new year, and ended his season on the trainer's table after a mid-season knee injury. His touch from deep and willingness to launch were evident throughout his collegiate career - his 40% from beyond the arc was higher than any other Bluejay last year. With an injury riddled past in the rear view mirror, Zierden is ready to take on the challenge of lead scorer for Creighton.
SF: James Milliken
Oh how a few months can change a reputation. Last December, the junior transfer from North Carolina violated an undisclosed team rule and was suspended indefinitely. With no timetable to how long Milliken would be sidelined, it became reasonable to ask whether Milliken would ever suit up in a blue and white uniform again. Two games later, McDermott reinstated the 6-foot-2 wing and eventually his playing time increased. After Zierden went down in late January, Milliken took over as the primary scorer. He ended the season on a tear, scoring over ten points in all but 4 games after January 15th. With Zierden back and a true point guard leading the attack, Milliken may shine even brighter with the spotlight not beaming on him.
PF: Cole Huff
A transfer from Nevada University, Cole Huff may add what Creighton has lacked since the departure of Doug McDermott - a quality scoring forward. Milliken and Zierden, as good as they were/are, are not tall or big enough to be considered a forward. Playing both at the same time is probably within the lines of "small ball." With Huff in the fold, the elder McDermott has a quality player of whom he can play in the high post or out on the wing if necessary. Even though he played mainly the small forward position at Nevada, Huff has the height and the ability to play a stretch 4.
C: Toby Hegner
Hunger may not be one of the five most talented players for Creighton, but for a team containing a dearth of height, Hegner is a quality option at center. A sweet shooting sophomore from Wisconsin, he played just over 19 minutes as a freshman last year. He gives McDermott a quality option to stretch the floor at the five and has the capability to play the "pick and pop" with Watson on the outside. Even though out-muscling defenders may not be his strong suit, Hegner makes his way as a center from
Yikes, is that the best Creighton has? So they're basically relying on a Patriot League transfer who hasn't played since his freshman year? Man, if Creighton does finish out of the basement it would say more about the weakness of the Big East than anything about Creighton. Sheesh, they sound terrible.
GannonFan wrote:Yikes, is that the best Creighton has? So they're basically relying on a Patriot League transfer who hasn't played since his freshman year? Man, if Creighton does finish out of the basement it would say more about the weakness of the Big East than anything about Creighton. Sheesh, they sound terrible.
It's awesome to see their downfall. They would be a bottom 4 MVC program right now
