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Tournament Update: Semifinals
Mar 12th
So yesterday the quarterfinal round turned out to be a day of upsets in the Big East. Top seed Syracuse lost to Georgetown, Villanova lost to Marquette, and Pitt lost to Notre Dame. WVU was the only top seed team to win yesterday with their buzzer-beater win over Cincinnati.
Pitt’s game against Notre Dame was a defensive battle as Notre Dame did their best to keep the score low all game. The Irish used the shot clock to play to their advantage all game. In the end it payed off as their defense held the Panthers to just 45 points. Notre Dame has now defeated Pitt in two games this season. The Panthers will try to move on from this loss and prepare for the NCAA tournament.
The semifinal games will take place tonight in the Garden. Georgetown vs. Marquette will be on ESPN at 7 PM and Notre Dame will take on WVU at 9 PM also on ESPN.
Here’s a look at the brackets:
Tournament Update: Marquette defeats Villanova
Mar 11th
In the second upset of the day, Marquette defeated Villanova by a score of 80-76. Marquette moves on to the semifinal round to play Georgetown tomorrow at 7 PM (ESPN).
Pitt is up next. The Panthers will take on Notre Dame in less than 20 minutes. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Tournament Update: Georgetown upsets Syracuse
Mar 11th
In a bit of a shocking outcome, at least to us, Georgetown defeated Syracuse by a score of 91-84 in the first quarterfinal game today. Georgetown will play the winner of the next quarterfinal game, which will be Marquette vs. Villanova. That game tips off in less than 10 minutes and can be found on ESPN.
Tournament Update: The Quarterfinals
Mar 11th
The second round of the 2010 Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament concluded last night with a win by Cincinnati over Louisville (69-66). Cincinnati advances to the quarterfinals to face WVU today at 9 PM on ESPN.
The quarterfinals will be played today starting at noon with Georgetown vs. Syracuse. All of the quarterfinal games will be televised on ESPN.
Pitt will play its first game of the tournament tonight at 7 PM against Notre Dame. The Panthers will be seeking revenge for their regular season loss in February to Notre Dame (68-53).
Here’s a look at the brackets before today’s games start:
Tournament Update: Notre Dame defeats Seton Hall
Mar 10th
Pitt will play Notre Dame tomorrow at 7 PM (ESPN). The Irish beat Seton Hall by a score of 68-56 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Cincinnati vs. Louisville is the last game yet to be played in the second round. It’s set to tip off at 9:23 PM and can be seen on ESPN.
Tournament Update: Marquette defeats St. John’s
Mar 10th
Marquette defeated St. John’s in the second round of the tournament by a score of 57-55. Marquette advances to the quarterfinals to play Villanova at 2 PM tomorrow (ESPN).
Seton Hall vs. Notre Dame is on ESPN now. The winner of this game will play Pitt tomorrow at 7 PM (ESPN).
Tournament Update: Second Round
Mar 10th
Well the first round finished up with a close win by Cincinnati over Rutgers last night. The second round play starts today with USF vs. Georgetown at noon (ESPN). All of today’s second round games will be televised on ESPN. Of course, we’ll try to keep the updates coming on the site throughout the day as well.
Here’s a look at the brackets as of this morning:
Big East Tournament Preview
Mar 9th
Well the Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament starts today at noon with Depaul facing off against USF (ESPN2). Before that, let’s take a real quick look at the tournament and what to expect over the next few days.
Mike_B:
I just wanted to highlight a few points before the tournament gets underway:
Favorites to Win: Syracuse, WVU, Pitt
Dark Horse Teams: Villanova, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Big Dance Implications: Win one game, get a low 3 seed. Reach the Finals, get a high 3 seed. Win the Big East Tournament, Low 2 seed.I like Pitt’s chances to get to at least the semi-finals, but I am skeptical of them reaching the finals. They will likely play either WVU or Louisville, and both teams gave Pitt troubles at The Pete. Granted MSG is home away from home for Pitt, it’s still going to be a tough task for Pitt if either team is on.
Dan_P:
I agree with Mike for the most part. I’m going with Syracuse and WVU in the final, with Syracuse taking it all. Despite losing to Louisville, I think Syracuse is just too good to lose in this tournament. Even if Louisville has Syracuse’s number, the Cardinals aren’t going to make it to the championship game, which is the only game in which they could meet Syracuse in this tournament.
Look for Pitt to beat Notre Dame and play a close game with WVU in the semifinals. If Pitt can play a tight game with no mistakes, they could get to the finals where they’d have a good shot at beating Syracuse.
So there it is. Remember, coverage starts at noon on ESPN2 today. Pitt will play their first game on Thursday at 7 PM on ESPN.
2010 Big East Tournament
Mar 8th
Editor’s Note: Sorry about the wrong bracket there earlier. Uploaded the wrong photo and listed the wrong times. This is the correct bracket. Thanks to “RD” for the heads up.
It’s time Panther fans. The Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament has finally come. We’ve been slacking a little in our coverage over the past few weeks, but we’ve got our act together and we’re ready to cover the tournament from start to finish.
The Panthers, with a little bit of flash, have put together a nice finish to the regular season this year. Pitt enters the tournament at 13-5 in the conference (24-7 overall), tied for second with WVU and Villanova. Syracuse takes the uncontested top spot at 15-3 in the Big East (28-3 overall). With the Panthers’ record, they’ve earned a double bye in the tournament and automatically enter at the quarterfinal round. Pitt will face off first against either Notre Dame, Providence, or Seton Hall. Notre Dame earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Providence vs. Seton Hall matchup.
Tournament play starts on Tuesday with first round games at 12 PM, 2 PM, 7 PM, and 9 PM. Pitt will play on Thursday at 7 PM. The opening round will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPNU. All other rounds will be televised on ESPN.
Here’s how the bracket looks:
We’ll have a short analysis and predictions later today. A preview of the Pitt game will be posted Thursday morning (the day of Pitt’s first game).
We’ve also put up a new poll for you to voice your opinion on how far Pitt will go in the NCAA tournament. Be sure to vote!
Get pumped Panther fans!
Game #26: #19 Panthers at Marquette
Feb 18th
The Panthers (19-6, 8-4) try to exorcise the demons of the Bradley Center as they play Marquette (16-8, 7-5) tonight at 9:00 on ESPN2. The Panthers are 0-3 in the Bradley Center since Marquette joined the Big East and tonight would be a good time for their first win in this building. These two teams are battling for the 4 seed in the Big East tournament and the coveted double bye. Marquette brings the longest winning streak in the Big East tonight at 5 games. Pitt is looking for their 9th 20 win season in a row tonight and are looking to capitilize on their big win against WVU. Both teams are surprises in the Big East as Pitt was picked to finish 9th and Marquette 12th according to the Big East coaches’ preseason poll.
If the Panthers want to win tonight they have to do the following:
1. Stop the 3 – Marquette is one of the top 3 point shooting teams in the nation, 42.3%, and all 5 starters shoot successfully more then 35% from behind the arc. The old adage goes, “Live by the 3, Die by the 3″ and Marquette escaped their game against South Florida on Saturday after shooting 6 of 16 from behind the arc, but their defense stepped up big time.
2. Gilbert Brown shows up – Gilbert Brown has been a roller coaster since the South Florida game, huge game, terrible game, repeat. Brown played really well in the OT thriller against WVU, lets hope the roller coaster ride stops and instead of having a let down game he goes off. When he goes off, it really allows Ashton Gibbs to shine; when Brown is off, Gibbs has to force shots.
3. Hit the boards – For 4 of the past 5 games, the Panthers have been outrebounded. Tonight they cannot give Marquette second chance oppurtunities. Gary McGhee should thrive tonight on the glass, as Marquette’s tallest player in the starting 5 is 6’6″.
Marquette is going to come out fighting, they see this as their ticket to the Big Dance as it is the last chance they have until the Big East tournament to face a Top 25 school and have a record of 2-4 currently against Top 25 schools. I see tonight being the night finally scores a victory in the Bradley Center and holds onto the 4 seed in the Big East.
Prediction: 68-61 Pitt
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