Miami

While their football team was in Pasadena winning the National Championship, the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team opened their Big East schedule with a grueling four-game, 10-day road trip. They began the trip auspiciously with a win at MCI Center against Georgetown on Jan. 2. The victory improved their record to 14-0, a school record. The trip soon soured, however, as the ‘Canes suffered consecutive losses last week at Connecticut and St. John’s and fell below .500 in conference games.

Miami salvaged a win to close the road trip Saturday at Virginia Tech, 77-68. Senior forward Elton Tyler led the ‘Canes with 20 points. Sophomore guard Marcus Barnes scored 18 points, and sophomore forward Darius Rice contributed 16 to help Miami to their 15th victory of the season. The Hokies, who have now lost 13 consecutive games in conference, were able to hang with the ‘Canes for most of the game. They worked to within one point of Miami with less than four minutes remaining. However, Rice hit two three-pointers in the closing minutes to seal the game for the Hurricanes.

Miami will play their next five games at home, beginning today when they face the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Boston College

After winning 25 consecutive games at Conte Forum, Boston College dropped its second straight home game Saturday as they were soundly beaten by Georgetown, 70-43. The 43 points was tied for the lowest total BC has ever scored in a home game.

The Eagles were never able to get it together after losing sophomore guard Ryan Sidney, their second leading scorer to injury, midway through the first half. Troy Bell, the leading scorer for Boston College and in the conference, shot only 4-for-16 in the game. Senior forward Kenny Walls was the only BC player in double figures with 16 points.

Before dropping Saturday’s game to the Hoyas, the Eagles split a pair of conference games earlier in the week. They won in overtime at Villanova last Wednesday, 88-81. Bell led BC that night with 36 points. He hit a floater in the lane with 6.5 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. The previous Saturday, Boston College saw its home court-winning streak come to an end when they dropped an 77-74 decision to Pittsburgh.

The Eagles’ record now stands at 13-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big East. They play host to St. John’s this Thursday and Virginia Tech this Sunday.

St. John’s

St. John’s fell to 2-2 in the Big East and 11-4 overall Saturday, as they lost 78-57 to the Providence Friars in Providence. The Red Storm was never able to take the lead in the game after Providence began the game shooting 60 percent form the field. Junior guard Marcus Hatten led St. John’s in the losing effort with 21 points. Sophomore guard Willie Shaw and freshman forward Eric King also scored in double figures for the Red Storm. King was named Big East Co-Rookie of the Week last week along with Rutgers freshman Herve Lamizana.

Before dropping the game to the Friars, St. John’s upset No. 20 iami last Tuesday at Alumni Hall. Hatten led the Red Storm in that game with 25 points. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists to help St. John’s in the win. The game was close throughout until St. John’s went on an 11-5 run with less than five minutes remaining to extend their three-point lead to nine.

The Red Storm will play a pair of conference games this week. This Thursday, they face Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Next Saturday afternoon, they host the Villanova Wildcats at adison Square Garden.

Providence

The Providence Friars picked up a much-needed victory Saturday as they defeated St. John’s 78-57 in Providence. Prior to this win, the Friars had dropped three straight including their first two games in the Big East. Providence is now 10-7 overall and 1-2 in Big East play.

The Friars shot well from the field the entire game. They finished the game shooting 50 percent and hit 10 three-pointers. Senior guard John Linehan, who was recently named Male Athlete of the Year in the state of Rhode Island, led Providence with 20 points and nine assists. Junior guard Abdul Mills and sophomore forward Maris Laksa also scored in double figures for the Friars with 15 points and 11 points respectively.

Before the win against the Red Storm, the Friars were soundly beaten 68-48 at Texas. They also dropped their first two conference games, 73-66 at home to Syracuse and 76-57 at Villanova. Against the Orangemen, they led by as many as 10 points late in the second half but could not hold on for the win.

Providence will play host Connecticut this Wednesday, and they will travel to Miami to face the Hurricanes this coming Saturday. They hope to repeat last year’s performance when a home win against the Huskies early on spurred the Friars on to a successful season and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Virginia Tech

The struggles of Virginia Tech in the Big East have continued so far this season. They have lost their first four conference games – five in a row overall and eight of their last nine games. It has been almost a year since they have last won a Big East matchup. They are now 6-10 overall and 0-4 in the conference.

Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the No. 20 Miami, 77-68, at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies were able to keep the score close for the majority of the game before Miami finally pulled away at the end for the nine-point win. Junior center Terry Taylor led the Hokies with 17 points in the defeat.

The Hokies have not won a game since they defeated Radford at home, 63-56, on Dec. 15. Since that game, they lost at Florida State, 78-49, as well as their conference games against Connecticut, Seton Hall and Miami at home, and a game at Connecticut. Things do not get any easier for Virginia Tech in the coming weeks. After playing host to Villanova this Tuesday, they play three consecutive road games against Boston College, Syracuse and Villanova beginning this Saturday.

Connecticut

With a 70-65 win at Villanova on Sunday, the Connecticut Huskies got off to a 4-0 start in Big East Conference play for the fifth time in school history. The Huskies are now 10-3 overall. It was the second consecutive win for Connecticut after losing 69-67 at home to No. 7 Oklahoma on Monday.

Against the Wildcats, Connecticut was led by sophomore forward Caron Butler, who scored 19 points. Sophomore guard Taliek Brown added a season-high 16 points to help Connecticut to the win away from home. Connecticut was also helped by the 28 points they scored off Villanova turnovers.

Earlier in the week, the Huskies crushed Virginia Tech 95-60 in Hartford, Conn. This Wednesday, Connecticut will play at Providence, looking to maintain its undefeated conference record. Saturday, they will host the struggling Tar Heels of North Carolina in a nationally televised game. Connecticut will also play at Arizona later in the season in addition to the remainder of its Big East Conference schedule.

On the season, Butler leads the Huskies in scoring with an average of 19.3 points a game. That average is good for sixth among all scorers in the Big East.

Villanova

The Villanova Wildcats lost a tough Big East home game 70-65 against Connecticut at the First Union Center on Sunday. They fall to 2-2 in the conference and 9-4 overall. Senior forward Brooks Sales led Villanova with a career-high 22 points. Junior forward Ricky Wright scored 17 points, and junior guard Gary Buchanan added 16 points in the loss.

Villanova stayed in the game on the basis of very strong free throw shooting. They connected on 27 of 31 attempts. However, they were hurt badly by 20 turnovers, off of which Connecticut scored 28 points. Villanova fell behind by as many as 11midway through the second half and could only get within four points of the Huskies from that point forward.

The loss is the second straight in conference and overall for the Wildcats, who lost to BC 88-81 in overtime Wednesday night. Before dropping those two, Villanova had won six in a row, including its first two conference games. They defeated Providence 76-57 at home in their conference opener and won at Notre Dame, 74-72 on January 6.

The Wildcats begin a three game road trip this Thursday at Virginia Tech. They will travel to St. John’s next Saturday and to iami the following Thursday.

Syracuse

The Syracuse Orangemen remains undefeated in the Big East with a 75-69 win at West Virginia. It was Syracuse’s first win in organtown in nearly four years. They have now won six games in a row. Senior forward Preston Shumpert led the Orangemen with 21 points, including 13 in the second half to secure the victory.

Syracuse trailed by a score of 48-44 early in the second half before Shumpert hit consecutive three-pointers to lead the Orangemen on a 13-0 run. They never relinquished the lead again. Junior guard DeShaun Williams and junior forward Kueth Duany scored 18 and 17 points respectively to help the Orange to the win.

Syracuse has not lost since they dropped and 96-80 decision at Georgia Tech on Dec. 16. They easily defeated Rutgers in their conference opener at the Carrier Dome, 87-66. Following that win, they came from behind on the road to defeat Providence 73-66 and won at home against Seton Hall, 85-70.

This week, Syracuse faces a key Big East West Division test when Notre Dame comes to the Carrier Dome on Monday. Saturday they travel to Knoxville to face Tennessee in an inter-conference game. The Orangemen will be seeking revenge for Tennessee’s win at the Carrier Dome last year.

Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers, now ranked 23rd in the nation, had their ten-game winning game streak snapped by Notre Dame Saturday in Pittsburgh, 56-53. The Panthers fall to 15-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big East Conference play. Pittsburgh’s star, junior guard Brandin Knight, last week’s Big East’s Co-Player of the Week along with Connecticut Caron Butler, was held to just 13 points. It was Pitt’s first home game since returning to the top 25 for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

The Panthers were stifled all night by the Notre Dame defense. They shot only 34.5 percent from the field for the game and an atrocious 20.7 percent in the first half. After they used a 16-2 run in the second half to take a five-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, the Panthers went ice cold again and did not score for the rest of the game.

Earlier in the week, the Panthers recorded two big road wins in conference play. They won at Rutgers 66-58 last Tuesday and pulled off 77-74 upset win at Boston College last Saturday. This week they travel to Miami to face the Hurricanes this Tuesday and to MCI Center to face Georgetown Saturday afternoon.

Notre Dame

Senior forward David Graves’ three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining gave Notre Dame the lead for good as they secured a 56-53 upset win over No. 23 Pittsburgh Saturday night. The win improves Notre Dame’s record to 12-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Junior guard Matt Carroll had a game-high of 15 points. His two free throws with 1:42 remaining in the game tied the score at 53 and set the stage for Graves’ game-winning three.

The win was the second consecutive road win in a Big East game for the Fighting Irish. Last Wednesday, Notre Dame rallied from a 15 point half time deficit to defeat West Virginia 67-64 in organtown. Freshman standout Chris Thomas hit two free throws in the final 19 seconds to secure the win. He had 15 total points in the game, second only to senior forward Ryan Humphrey, who had a team-high of 18 points.

Notre Dame looks to complete an undefeated three-game road trip undefeated when they meet Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Monday night. A win would put the Fighting Irish in a first place tie with the Orangemen in the West Division of the Big East. Saturday, the struggling Kentucky Wildcats, who have lost two of their first three games in the SEC, come to South Bend to face Notre Dame in a nationally televised game.

Seton Hall

Behind a game-high 24 points from sophomore guard Andre Barrett, the Seton Hall Pirates defeated in-state rival Rutgers 67-54 Friday night at Continental Airlines Arena. After the win, the Pirates now stand at 9-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play. After trailing 16-12 with just 7:53 to play, Seton Hall went on a 21-4 run to close the half and take a 33-20 half time lead. Barrett and senior guard Darius Lane scored seven points each during the run.

Rutgers used a 13-3 run to pull within four points of Seton Hall midway through the second half. The Pirates went through a six minute scoring drought which was finally broken by a Barrett three-pointer which spurred a 10-2 Seton Hall run. Freshman forward auricio Branwell contributed a season-high of 12 points to help Seton Hall to its the conference win.

The Pirates will play at MCI Center this Wednesday against Georgetown. They hope this year’s visit to the nation’s capital turns out better than last season’s which resulted in not only a loss but a post-game fistfight between former Pirate Eddie Griffin and senior guard Ty Shine. The fight haunted the Pirates throughout their hugely disappointing 2000-01 season.

Rutgers

After coming from 18 points down to stun Georgetown in overtime 89-87 last Saturday, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights were unable to sustain the momentum this week as they dropped two straight conference games. A 67-54 loss at Seton Hall Friday was preceded by 66-58 home loss to Pittsburgh Tuesday night.

Against the Pirates, Rutgers fell behind by 13 after the first half and never got closer than four despite a second half rally. Junior guard Jerome Coleman led the Scarlet Knights with 12 points. Sophomore guard Mike Sherrod and junior center Eugene Dabney added 10 points each for Rutgers in the loss. The defeat ended Rutgers’s two game winning streak against their in-state rival. The loss dropped them to 10-6 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

Against the Panthers, Rutgers fell behind by 15 points with 14 minutes to play but proceeded to go on an 18-0 run to take a three-point lead, but they could not sustain that level of play. They shot only 4-16 from the field and 3-8 from the free throw line the rest of the game.

The Scarlet Knights look to break their skid when they play host to the struggling West Virginia Mountaineers in their only game this week.

West Virginia

The West Virginia Mountaineers lost their fifth game in a row and fell to 0-3 in the Big East after losing 75-69 to Syracuse at home on Saturday. In the loss, senior center Chris Moss and freshman guard Jonathan Hargett, the Big East’s Preseason Rookie of the year, led the Mountaineers with 17 points each.

The loss was the second consecutive loss at home in a conference game for the Mountaineers. Last Wednesday, they were unable to hold a 15-point lead against Notre Dame and lost 67-64. They also lost their Big East opener 72-53 at St. John’s. Before beginning the Big East season, they lost two straight games to Valparaiso and Pepperdine in the Fiesta Bowl Classic.

The Mountaineers look to avoid starting 0-4 in the Big East for the first time in six years when the play at Rutgers this Wednesday. In 10 meetings with Rutgers since joining the Big East, West Virginia has won eight times. Friday, they continue their swing through the Garden State when they play at Seton Hall. They return to West Virginia the following Wednesday to face in-state rival Marshall in the Toyota Capital Classic.