Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Big East Briefs

Boston College (19-4, 10-3 Big East)

The No. 10 Eagles secured their claim to the top spot in the Eastern half of the Big East with an 81-73 win at home over No. 25 Providence. Potential All-American and player of the year candidate Troy Bell led Boston College with 26 points while freshman reserve Ryan Sidney came up big with 17 points in just 21 minutes. Wednesday night, the Eagles suffered a slight setback, losing on a buzzer-beater to Notre Dame. Three players, Bell, Kenny Harley and Kenny Walls, all scored in double digits for the Eagles. Bell led the way with 15 points. Boston College is a perfect 12-0 when scoring 80 or more points this year.

– Mike Hume

Providence (19-7, 10-4 Big East)

The No. 25 Friars suffered a big loss against the No. 10 Boston College Eagles on Saturday but rebounded quickly with a huge 95-56 win against conference newcomer Virginia Tech. Despite the loss, Providence broke into the top 25 for the first time since January of 1989. The Friars next face Boston College in Providence on Saturday in a rematch of last weekend’s battle and once again the meeting will have first place implications. The teams have each won two of their past four meetings at the Providence Civic Center. Providence has never won more than 10 conference games in a season.

– Mike Hume

Virginia Tech (8-17, 2-12 Big East)

Guard Brian Chase led the Hokies with 15 points against the UConn Huskies, including shooting 3 of 4 from behind three-point arc. Chase currently leads the Big East in three-point percentage with a mark of .472. As anticipated, Virginia Tech will not advance to the Big East tournament, since Miami’s win over Villanova assured the Hokies a seventh place finish in the eastern half of the Big East.

– Mike Hume

Miami (14-10, 6-7 Big East)

Freshman guard Darius Rice continued his outstanding play last Saturday, recording his sixth 20-plus point effort of the season with 28 against Villanova. The Hurricanes drained a season- high 13 three-pointers en route to the victory. Miami next travels north to take on UConn tomorrow. Miami has won its last two games at UConn.

– Mike Hume

Connecticut (17-9, 6-7 Big East)

Freshman Forward Caron Butler turned in another double-double in UConn’s 65-60 loss to No. 17 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse outshot UConn .462 to .317 from the floor. UConn next faces Miami at home on Saturday. Miami and Connecticut are currently tied for sixth place in the Big East-East.

– Mike Hume

Syracuse (20-6, 8-5 Big East)

Preston Shumpert hit eight three-pointers in Saturday’s five-point win over UConn at the Carrier Dome. Shumpert ended the day with 34 points. The game against UConn was head coach Jim Boeheim’s 800th as a head coach. Boeheim has posted a 595-205 record over that span, including 23 20-win seasons. No. 17 Syracuse heads into its game against No. 21 Georgetown having won seven of its last eight meetings against the Hoyas.

– Mike Hume

St. John’s (14-11, 8-5 Big East)

After suffering a 32-point beating at the hands of No. 4 Duke, St. John’s rebounded with a 93-90 win over No. 21 Georgetown. Despite scoring just two field goals in the final nine minutes, St. John’s rallied behind Sharif Fordham’s 15 points and 16 rebounds to overcome the sloppy Hoyas. St. John’s has won five straight against Georgetown. The Red Storm in the win. They travel to Villanova and No. 10 Boston College next week.

– Julie Wood

Villanova (15-10, 6-7 Big East)

In a game with important postseason implications, Villanova lost in double overtime to West Virginia, 107-100. The Wildcats are 2-9 this season when opponents score more than 80 points. Ricky Wright and Michael Bradley each scored 22 points. It will most likely take a significant run in the Big East tournament to get the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament.

– Julie Wood

Notre Dame (18-6, 10-3 Big East)

No. 18 Notre Dame won a crucial game over No. 10 Boston College last night, 76-75. With 3.7 seconds left in the game, Martin Inglesby made a basket to win the game. Troy Murphy also scored 23 points for the Irish. They have won eight of their last nine games and look to close out their season on a strong note with games against Virginia Tech, UConn and Georgetown.

– Julie Wood

Pittsburgh (13-11, 5-8 Big East)

The Pittsburgh Panthers kept their rapidly fading NCAA tournament hopes alive with a quality road victory over slumping Seton Hall on the Feb. 14, 68-61. Ricardo Greer paced the Panthers, scoring 19 points in the victory. Guard Brandin Knight added 12 points and five assists to bring the Panthers to a 5-8 mark in the Big East and 13-11 overall. Up next for the Panthers is a home rematch with lowly Rutgers, who managed to upset Pitt in the teams’ last meeting on Feb. 11.

– Tim Sullivan

West Virginia (16-8, 7-6 Big East)

The Mountaineers pulled off their biggest win of the season Saturday at home against No. 17 Syracuse 87-76 on a strong performance from senior forward Calvin Bowman, who dropped 20 in the win. Bowman was named Big East player of the week after averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in two games against No. 17 Syracuse and Virginia Tech. After beating Syracuse, West Virginia kept their slim tournament hopes alive with a 107-100 victory over streaking Villanova. Chris Moss led the Mountaineers with 29 points and Bowman kept his impressive play going, adding 22. West Virginia travels to the Garden State tomorrow to take on slumping Seton Hall in a must-win game for the Mountaineers.

– Tim Sullivan

Seton Hall (13-11, 4-9 Big East)

Seton Hall has lost six of its last seven games, including its most recent matchup to Big East last-place team Rutgers. The loss put Rutgers within a game of overtaking Seton Hall in the standings. Despite beating No. 18 Notre Dame twice this season and No. 17 Syracuse once, the Pirates have been inconsistent of late. Their 21 points in the second half against Rutgers tied their season low for points scored in a half.

– Julie Wood

Rutgers (11-13, 3-10 Big East)

Rutgers has come back from not winning a game in January, to beat Seton Hall twice and come within 3 points of beating No. 21 Georgetown. The Scarlet Knights are now one game behind Seton Hall in the Big East standings. They hope to stay out of last place in the conference, which would keep them out of the Big East tournament. Jeff Greer paced the Knights with 26 points. The season sweep by Rutgers is the first by the Knights over Seton Hall since Rutgers joined the Big East in the 1995-96 season.

– Julie Wood

Boston College Seton Hall Villanova Pittsburgh Miami Rutgers Syracuse Notre Dame Virginia Tech Connecticut St. John’s West Virginia Providence

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