Game of the Week
Syracuse at Georgetown, Saturday 11 a.m.
Syracuse enters today on a three-game losing streak, although all three were against top-25 foes. The Orange, after a probable win tomorrow against DePaul, will travel to the nation’s capital to battle Georgetown this Saturday. Georgetown enters today 13-3, and Syracuse stands at 10-6. The race for first place in the Big East is far from over, and with six teams separated by just two and a half games, expect this Saturday to be arguably the most intense game day of the season.
Player of the Week
Otto Porter Jr. – Sophomore Forward – Georgetown
Porter pitched in 22 points in 49 minutes in a 79-78 double-OT thriller at UConn Wednesday, and the sophomore also tallied 28 points in a win Saturday against Rutgers. Porter will try to help the Hoyas clinch the top seed in the Big East when they host Syracuse this Saturday. Porter is likely looking forward to this matchup – he scored 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds last time the two teams met.
South Florida picks up win No. 2
Although it was by no means an upset win, South Florida halted a 10-game losing skid with an 83-73 victory against DePaul Sunday. The Bulls put together 83 points despite being 320th in the nation in scoring (59.4 ppg). Although it may be hard to fathom from the final score, neither team scored for the first four minutes of the game.
Both teams are 2-14 and tied for last in the Big East. All teams except one will qualify for the Big East tournament next week, so while dozens of teams are fighting for spots in the Big Dance, DePaul and USF will be vying to simply qualify for the conference tournament. The Blue Demons have the more difficult remaining schedule, playing Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The Bulls have UConn and Cincinnati to close the year.
Louisville seeking revenge
The last time Louisville and Notre Dame met, the Fighting Irish prevailed in an exhausting five-overtime contest. The two squads will square off once again this Saturday. The Cardinals have not lost since that Feb. 9 defeat, stringing together five straight wins, albeit only one against a top-25 opponent.
It was apparent this Saturday how important senior forward Jack Cooley is to the Irish. Cooley played limited time in a loss to Marquette due to the flu, and his presence was sorely missed. Averaging 13.9 and 10.6 rebounds per game, Cooley will need to be at full throttle to sweep the season series against the Cards.
Russ Smith had the last possession on two separate occasions in South Bend, but misfired on both last-second shots. Smith, shooting only 40 percent from the floor this season, will try to pull it together on the offensive end this time around and give Louisville momentum heading to Madison Square Garden.
Big East players in the national rankings
St. John’s freshman Chris Obekpa is averaging an astounding 4.04 blocks per game this season, good for second in the country. Obekpa is only behind Kentucky’s now-injured Nerlens Noel, but what may be even more impressive is Obekpa is averaging four blocks in just 25 minutes per game. The next closest player behind Obekpa in the Big East blocks category is Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng, averaging 2.59.
Syracuse point guard Michael Carter-Williams appears on two national lists. The sophomore averages 7.9 assists per game (3rd) and 2.9 steals (5th). Providence junior Bryce Cotton has upped his scoring to 20.2 points per game, which puts him 14th overall and first in the Big East.
Rutgers guard Myles Mack’s free throw touch has made him seventh in the country from the charity stripe (90.4 percent).
