Tue 3/4, Marquette (9-7) at Providence (9-7), 9pm FS1.

[JohnT]

I'm just happy to see the seniors go out with a win. Good group of kids.

[gofriars08]

Just happy to get the win. Kinda still numb after everything. Our 4th double-OT game of the year.
When Gardner hit that 75 foot shot at the first buzzer I started mumbling jibberish to myself.
The see-sawing back and forth was unbelievable.
Tough teams. Both have brass ones. Both deserve auto-bids for tonight's game.

My wife started going nuts when Gardner hit that shot. I didn't even think he was even close to getting that shot off in time, but the replay made it look a lot closer than what it did during real-time. Great game between two teams that really wanted to win that one, and towards the end of the 1st OT when both teams just kept hitting shot after shot was a lot of fun to watch.

As a side note, I do think Bryce Cotton is an Iron Man with the way that he plays each and every night, and I wish my team had a player of his caliber, but I think either the claims by Ed Cooley or Kevin McNamara (It's on McNamara's twitter account) that if Providence wins at Creighton that Bryce Cotton should be the Big East player of the year are a bit over the top. I think in any other year, Cooley would have a great case for the kid and I do think that Bryce Cotton is an All-American caliber player, but short of McDermott completely getting shut down the next few games and Cotton carrying Providence on his back to the Big East tournament title, I think regardless of what happens Saturday it's still McDermott's award to lose.

Well if you watched last night I could see where its ridiculous, Cotton had one of his worst games of the season, turnovers, taking contested threes that missed badly, etc.......He has played a lot better in most of our games. But if Creighton continues to fade and if PC somehow finishes strong, it wouldn't be a complete stretch. I don't think it would happen, but it wouldn't be insane. OF course that's coming from a PC homer so....

If one of your "worst" games is scoring 25 points on 16 shots and having an assist/turnover ratio over 2:1, then I think you are making PC fans' case as to why he should get strong consideration.

Only way I see he gets it is (1) Providence soundly beats Creighton this weekend to sweep the Jays, and (2) they give them a co-POY award like they have done with Blair/Thabeet, Butler/Knight, etc. etc.

[ChelseaFriar]

Cotton isnt' getting it. McD will probably get National Player of the Year. If McD wasn't in the league Cotton would win it.

[stever20]

Cotton isnt' getting it. McD will probably get National Player of the Year. If McD wasn't in the league Cotton would win it.

You would think so, but I'll be curious to see how many old-school BE writers give it to Cotton instead of the kid from the new-school BE.

[marquette]

Great win PC. It was a fun game to watch. Just wanted to pop in and give props. Now back to nursing this hangover...

[gofriars08]

Cotton isnt' getting it. McD will probably get National Player of the Year. If McD wasn't in the league Cotton would win it.

You would think so, but I'll be curious to see how many old-school BE writers give it to Cotton instead of the kid from the new-school BE.

I am sure a few may do that, but some others may very well pick Cotton on the "MVP vs. best player" debate. Without Bryce Cotton this year, the Friars are probably the worst team in the conference. If they win on Saturday, they'd be the 3rd seed. Hell, PC was picked 7th to start the year and that was assuming Dunn, Austin and Bullock would all play. They got like 100 minutes combined from those players this season. While McDermott was the best player in the conference, Cotton was bar-none the MVP. Without McDermott, Creighton is still a middle-of-the-pack team in this league.

[Bill Marsh]

Cotton isnt' getting it. McD will probably get National Player of the Year. If McD wasn't in the league Cotton would win it.

You would think so, but I'll be curious to see how many old-school BE writers give it to Cotton instead of the kid from the new-school BE.

I am sure a few may do that, but some others may very well pick Cotton on the "MVP vs. best player" debate. Without Bryce Cotton this year, the Friars are probably the worst team in the conference. If they win on Saturday, they'd be the 3rd seed. Hell, PC was picked 7th to start the year and that was assuming Dunn, Austin and Bullock would all play. They got like 100 minutes combined from those players this season. While McDermott was the best player in the conference, Cotton was bar-none the MVP. Without McDermott, Creighton is still a middle-of-the-pack team in this league.

I don't know about that. I'm as big a fan of Cotton as anyone, but I'm also aware of how much McDermott means to Creighton. They never successfully replaced Echenique, yet they're thriving anyway. So, Doug not only has to be their beys perimeter player, he has to be their best inside player as well. That means defense as well as offense.

I 'm not trying to diminish Cotton in the least. What I'm trying to say is that McDermott is extremely valuable to his team too. Without him, they're a bunch.of perimeter players who can't do much else. I doubt that they're a middle of the pack team in the Big East.

[ReynoldsWrap]

McDermott has lapped everyone else in the POY race. It's not close.

[MackNova]

Cotton ran into bad luck that McDermott was in the league this year. Nobody is beating McDermott.

If the old Big East were still together, it would have been either Cotton or Shabazz Napier.