Posted on 2010-03-09 11:55:00
Day One at the Big East Tournament
Day One action: No. 9 USF 58, No. 16 DEP 49; No. 13 SJU 73, No. 12 CONN 51; No. 10 HALL 109, No. 15 PROV 106; No. 11 CIN 69, No. 14 RUTG 68
The Men’s Big East Tournament is finally underway from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Day One was all about the bubble teams as South Florida, Connecticut, Seton Hall, and Cincinnati were all looking to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Three of those teams played their way into Day Two, but No. 12 Connecticut was all but eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration with a 73-51 loss at the hands of No. 13 St. John’s. The other game in the day session featured No. 9 South Florida going up against No. 16 Depaul. South Florida handled Depaul 58-49 led by 20 points from first team All-Big East sensation Dominique Jones.
The night session featured the two most entertaining games of the day. First up was No. 10 Seton Hall and No. 15 Providence. Seton Hall led 55-39 at halftime, but Providence made it interesting down the stretch as Seton Hall was able to hang on for a 109-106 victory. Jamine Peterson had a game high 38 points for Providence in a losing effort, while Herb Pope led Seton Hall with 27 points. The final game of the day was a back and forth struggle between No. 11 Cincinnati and No. 14 Rutgers. Cincinnati won the game 69-68 thanks to a free throw by freshman Lance Stephenson with two seconds remaining. Stephenson finished with 13 points. If Day One was any indicator, this is shaping up to be another classic Big East Tournament.
Day 2 action:
12:00 – No. 8 Georgetown vs. No. 9 South Florida 2:00 – No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 13 St. John’s 7:00 – No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Seton Hall 9:00 – No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Cincinnati