BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ RUTGERS

February 26, 2008


Connecticut had been finding ways to win as they built a 10-game winning streak. However, on Saturday, they could not find a way to win at Villanova, who ended their streak at 10 games with a 67-65 win over the Huskies. Rutgers, on the other hand, is limping home at 2-13 in the conference, losing their last seven, including a 30-pt loss to Marquette in their last outing.

UConn is expected to get deeper with the return of Jerome Dyson, who has missed the last nine games since being suspended for a failed drug test. Here are the local media game stories and previews on tonight's contest:


Huskies Expect Adjustment Period as Dyson Returns (New London Day)
How is Dyson's Return Game? (Hartford Courant)
Dyson in the Plans for UConn Men (Connecticut Post)
Dyson Returns to Different UConn Team (Rep-Am)
Inman Focuses in his Actions, not Reactions (Star-Ledger)
Thabeet, N'Diaye Take center Stage Tonight (Courier News)
Rutgers-UConn Scouting Report (Courier News)

In his last game, Jerome Dyson scored 20 pts in UConn's thrilling 84-83 win at Cincinnati. A few days later, Dyson and teammate doug Wiggins were cited on campus with possession of alcohol as minors and had to submit drug tests. Dyson's test came back positive and he was suspended from the team for 30 days. The Huskies rallied and ran off 8 straight wins, including victories at Indiana, home against Louisville, Pittsburgh, at Syracuse and against Notre Dame. They seemed to be falling off just a bit, but doing what they needed to do to win at South Florida and home against DePaul. It all finally caught up to them against Villanova last weekend. It seems, Dyson could not be coming back at a better time.

Since Dyson has bene out of the line-up, AJ Price has taken control of the team as their leader on the floor and the source of big baskets when the game is on the line. His growth and maturation in this time has been astounding and he has become the player many expected him to be when he chose UConn as a highly coveted recruit. Also, the shortened rotation as allowed Craig Austrie to become comfortable as the full-time two-guard and that importance was never bigger than when he drove coast to coast after a USF made basket to drill the game winner with 0:00.2 to lift UConn over USF in overtime. Stanley Robinson has also shown growth in this timeframe with consistent touches on offense and playing time.

So, where will Dyson fit back into the mix. When he left, he was the etam's leading scorer and top perimeter defender. He will likely begin in a supplemental role, but the added depth might be the biggest help in the short-term. Getting his legs under him in game situations may take a little time, but he shoudl be at full speed when we hit New York City for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

For Rutgers, it has not been a very pretty season. The offensively-challenged Scarlet Knights gave fans a glimmer of hope with wins over Villanova and on the road against Pittsburgh in mid-January, but they have not won since. Freshman guards Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler definitely look promising for the future, but their junior class continues to underwhelm in their performance. JR Inman, Jaron Griffin and Anthony Farmer were supposed to take a step forward this season, but inconsistent performances have continued to plague the trio and as a result, the Scarlet Knights struggle offensively nearly every time out. They will be challenged by UConn inside and out as Hasheem Thabeet will make it very difficult to score inside and their inconsistent perimeter touch will make life tough outside.

UConn is a 9.5-pt road favorite and Rutgers will bring a strong effort as everyone likes to take a shot at the Huskies. However, coming off a loss in their last outing and their ability to make scoring tough on opponents inside and out, I do not see RU scoring enough to keep up the pace with UConn for 40 minutes.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 71 Rutgers 59

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ WEST VIRGINIA

February 14, 2008

Bob Huggins was very critical of his team following a 55-54 loss at Pittsburgh where missed foul shots and defensive assignments saw the Mountaineers let a late lead slip away. The comments questioned the team's toughness and if they were 'winners', and those were the public comments, I wonder what practice was like the last six days as the Season is Pushing Huggins' Patience (Daily Mail). WVU has a chance to get back on track tonight when they host Rutgers at the Coliseum.

Rutgers is tied for last in the Big East and with a tough schedule to finish up league play, the look headed towards another March without a Big East Tournament, making Fred Hill two for two in that category. Their latest setback was a 72-68 loss in overtime to Cincinnati over the weekend. The young Scarlet Knights are inexperienced and lack depth...not a good combination in the Big East, even for more talented rosters.

Here are the local media previews and stories on tonight's game:


Rutgers Trying to Get Over Hump (Charleston Gazette)
Rutgers Playing for the Future (Asbury Park Press)
WVU Men Hope to Bounce Back as they Host Rutgers (Times West Virginian)
Huggins Answers Critical Comments (Times West Virginian)
WVU Offense Slowing Down (Daily Mail)

Summing up their loss at Pitt, Bob Huggins simply said, "Winners make plays." The Mountaineers did not last Thursday as they made just 7-17 free throws and he had his two leading scorers on the bench for much of the game. Alex Ruoff attemtped just two shots from the floor and Joe Alexander was a consistent target of some of Huggins' most stern glares and fiery lectures. Huggins seemed perplexed as players 'refused' to step forward down the stretch and 'didn't listen' to the instructions of the staff.

Also concerning for WVU is the recent offensive slump. The Mountaineers have lost three of their last four games, in those losses (two at home), they have averaged just 50 points a game. A far cry from the team that was putting up big offensive numbers back in November and December. In those losses they have shot just a dreadful 32% (47-149) from the field. The once effecient Mountaineers look to be floundering on offense.

Rutgers is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have dropped to 2-10 in Big East play. The Scarlet Knights also have trouble scoring points, averaging just 59 points a game in Big East action.

After dropping their first six conference games, the Scarlet Knights showed a spark with wins over Villanova and Pittsburgh (ont he road) with freshman guards Mike Coburn and Corey Chandler leading the way. In their last four, two of the losses have come in overtime, so they are being more competitive. The lone exception was a drubbing at Louisville two weeks ago.

Tonight they should face a highly motivated Mountaineer team looking to get back on track. West Virginia has a favorable schedule down the stretch and kick it off with home games against RU and Seton Hall the next several days. Finding their range on offense will make things much easier. Rutgers does match-up pretty well with West Virginia as they have similar athletes and both are perimeter driven clubs. Rutgers is not deep on the wings or in the backcourt, but they have some size inside.

The Mountaineers are 19-pt favorites, seems to be quite high. I look for WVU to get a win, but the Scarlet Knights shoudl be able to hang around a little bit.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 72 Rutgers 59

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CINCINNATI @ RUTGERS

February 9, 2008


It is always interesting to see how a team gets themselves back off the mat. Well, that is the challenge for Rutgers after they were embarrased at home by a short-handed St. John's squad, scoring just 14 points in the first half, during a 52-45 loss on Wednesday night.

Cincinnati has been off a week since losing at home, 75-60, to Marquette. Coach Mick Cronin publicly criticized his team for their poor practices leading up to the game as they were getting too cocky and their play in practice carried over to the game. Now, they are rested and I am sure coach Cronin has reeled them in a bit following their loss last time out.

Rutgers remains a bit of a mystery. Sure, on paper, they definitely look to be a bottom-quarter team in the Big East. However, I have felt they should be competing better than they are. Following a 37-point loss at Louisville with their horrid display on their home floor against Rutgers has me questioning their dedication of several of their players. Their junior trip of Anthony Farmer, Jaron Griffin and JR Inman should, at least, be solid Big East contributers and mixing with promising youngsters Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn, be enough to steal some wins at home and compete much better on the road. Yes, they are not deep and more than not, that will cost them games in the Big East, but the lack of effort in several games has been startling and has to be driving Fred Hill crazy.

For the most part, Cincinnati has been the opposit this season. They have played hard and have played tough. Several players have put aside their dreams of being big time scorers and have bought into the defense and team-first mantra that coach Cronin is selling to them. They have a dynamic scorer, Deonta Vaughn, who is capable of putting up big scoring nights. The rest of the team might not be that talented offensively, and Cronin could shuttle in and out 11 players looking to eek as much offense out of the group as possible to win, but they all will work hard on defense and hit the boards.

The trouble for Cincinnati is finding someone else to score besides Vaughn. He will certainly be the target to stop for Rutgers and if they are wise, they would play a box and one on him and try to see if anyone else is capable of scoring.

The good news for UC, they do have someone capable of scoring while we are not sure if Rutgers does. I know several players have the potential to score and score in this conference, we just are not seeing it.

I really think Rutgers can buckle down and get a win here at the RAC. But, until they show that they want to get their hands dirty and step up and make shots, I am going to say Deonta Vaughn makes just enough to pull out a tough one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Cincinnati 58 Rutgers 57

Read more!

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: RUTGERS

February 8, 2008


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Dane Miller, (F) Rush-Henrietta HS (NY)



Projected 2008-2009 Roster:


SENIORS: Anthony Farmer (PG), Jaron Griffin (G/F), JR Inman (F), Courtney Nelson (PG)
JUNIORS: Hamady N'Diaye (C)
SOPHOMORES: Corey Chandler (G), Justin Sofman (G), Earl Pettis (G), Mike Cobourn (PG)
FRESHMEN: Mike Rosario (G), Christian Morris (C), Patrick Jackson (SF)
EARLY 2009 COMMITMENT: Dane Miller (F)


Fred Hill and staff have landed a commitment in the class of 2009 when Dane Miller of Rochester, NY decided to pledge to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights program. Hill, Rutgers Land Big-time Recruit (Home News Tribune) from an area that Syracuse has long dominated for recruits.

-
Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

-



Versatile forward Dane Miller hopes to start a trend by committing to Rutgers. The 6'6 forward as been his area's top college prospect for a few years and is having a big season for Rush-Henrietta High School, averaging 21 ppg, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks a game. Miller has long been on the Big East radar and Syracuse has followed his development closely, however the Orange seem pretty full at the forward position, opening up Miller's recruitment. Providence, Cincinnati and St. John's were also heavily involved among the Big East schools, but Rutgers was the one showing him the most attention as a priority in their class.

Miller is a very good athlete than can play inside or out. He is just 6'6, so his success at the college level will be determined by his ability to transition fully on the wing. He is a solid ballhandler and passer for a big man, but the wing skills still need to develop to be a full time small forward in the Big East. Still, only a junior, so he will have plenty of time to work on his skill development. There is a lot to work with here and the potential to be a quality Big East player is very evident.

Rutgers is likely not done in the class of 2008, either. The still have one scholarship open anre in definite need of a power forward. The Knights lost out late in their attempts to land Quintrell Thomas and Dwight Miller, so the power forward position will likely be addressed this spring.

I expect Fred Hill and staff to leave no stone unturned this spring while trying to add help at the power forward position. The off-again, on-again recruitment of Marvel Waithe could be re-opened as well as a look into the JUCO ranks. From the perspective of balancing classes, a JUCO could be a wise direction as Hamady N'Diaye would be the only other junior on the roster and the pickings in the high school class of 2008 is very slim.

The rest of the 2008 class is solid, led by St. Anthony's (NJ) guard Michael Rosario who is rumored to be headed to the McDonald's All-American Game. Rosario is joined by Boys & Girls (NYC) HS small forward Patrick Jackson and NYC big man Christian Morris.

With Miller on board for 2009, and likely three more scholarships left after adding a big man this spring, St. Benedict center Gregory Echenique, St. Anthony guard Dominic Cheek and St. Raymond (N.Y.) swingman Kevin Parrom believed to be among the top targets of the Scarlet Knights. Parrom plays a position similar to Miller and Echenique has Duke on his mind. Cheek is definitely looking to stay close to home, but Rutgers would have to pass Villanova and Seton Hall in the pecking order to land him of the local schools in consideration.

Other 2009 early targets include guards Justin Crosgile of DePaul Catholic (NJ), Russell Smith of Archbishop Molloy (NYC) and Durand Scott of Rice HS (NYC). Wings Paris Bennett of St. Patrick (NJ), Sherrod Wright of Mt. Vernon (NY) and Brian Oliver of Oak Hill Academy have been followed closely by RU. Big men, David Bruce of Linden (NJ), James Padgett of Lincoln HS (NYC) and Dan Jennings of Oak Hill are also hearing a lot from the Rutgers staff.

Fred Hill and his staff have a lot of good contacts in the NYC/NJ area and there is a lot of talent there to land. Rutgers is, piece by piece, laying a foundation for their future. Pieces like Mike Coburn, Corey Chandler and Mike Rosario seem to have the ball rolling, now they need to address their frontline.

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ LOUISVILLE

February 2, 2008


Rutgers and Louisville meet for the second time this season as the Cardinals came up with a win earlier this year at the RAC. On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights travel to Freedom Hall as the Cards try to rebound from last Monday's defeat at UConn on Big Monday.

Rutgers is coming off a draining overtime home loss to rival Seton Hall. RU rallied from a 12-pt halftime lead to force overtime, but the Pirates regrouped and outscored Rutgers 17-4 in the extra session.

It is time for Louisville to begin turning things on. They are as healthy as they are likely to get this year with seniors Juan Palacios and David Padgett playing upfront with sophomores Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark. The super-athletic Terrence Williams handles the wing position. Rick Pitino will start pointing this club towards 'March' mode and time to let them run. They still need to get their talented, but inconsistent, backcourt to utilize their talent in the frontcourt. They should not be hoisting up 20 three's in a first half like they did against Connecticut last week, even with the imposing presence of Hasheem Thabeet in the middle.

Rutgers doesn't quite have a Thabeet in the middle, but Hamady D'Diaye and JR Inman form an athletic and big duo with Byron Joynes in the frontcourt. However, that is all they have upfront, so I look for Rick Pitino to implore his troops to sttack the post.

Rutgers improvement of the last few weeks has been led by their freshman guard duo of Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn. Coburn scored 40 points combined in the wins over Pittsburgh and Villanova recently and Chandler looks to be getting over the foot injury that limited him as conference play began. Anthony Farmer and Jaron Griffin round out the regulars for RU, they are not deep, but their backcourt is solid.

Coming off the loss to UConn, I expect the Cards to go on a run of good basketball and that it will start on Saturday. They will still look for their share of three's, but the look inside will be made first and that will open up their game.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 78 Rutgers 65

Read more!