The Holy Land of Hoops

Wow, so Tuesday we went 2-0, taking the Big East to an insane 36-2.

Wednesday we have some good matchups, with 4 very balanced games. I could see any combination of wins and losses really.

12pm, Butler vs UNC. (Atlantis).
7pm, Minnesota at St John's (at MSG).
8pm, Lehigh at DePaul.
9pm, Georgetown vs Florida. (Atlantis).

So, Butler I think is a toss-up game. Love Butler's composure. Just try to control the boards with Woods and Chrabascz... Unc will jump over their backs for offensive rebounds... refs are a key here. Keep an eye on Paige, who can shoot... but, luckily, last year the other UNC'ers threw up a lot of bricks. This would be a significant, statement win for the Big East. Noontime start in the Bahamas... i'll be sitting in my cubicle at work with torrential rain falling, 35-degree temps, and sustained 40-mph winds howling off the bay, while Butler and Georgetown fans stroll Caribbean beaches.

St John's is in a great spot here.
First of all, they're at home.
Secondly, they're hungry and pissed.
Thirdly, they have excellent ball-handling guards.
Fourthly, they have Obekpa.
Fifthly, Minnesota's backup guard just got thrown in jail for strangling his girlfriend and beating her with a belt, so they might be distracted.
Sixthly, ESPN will be touting Friar-alum Richard Pitino's NIT win in MSG last March as if anyone gives a sh1t, but it means nothing.
Seventhly, the Johnnies have had a lot of time off, so they will be fresh.
Prediction... St John's 62, Minnesota 57. Harrison goes off. Obekpa with 12 blocks.

DePaul is at home, hosting Lehigh.
High-energy DePaul has a great chance of grabbing a win here, just on athleticism alone. Lehigh has been weak since their solid home game vs Villanova. I think this is a game that DePaul will win, with their demon-may-care defense, and the absence of boneheaded players like Melvin and Young taking boneheaded shots (but Jamee Crockett, I'm looking at you as the last remaining poor decision-maker). If DePaul shoots fewer than 3 running, off-balance, 19-foot jumpshots off a double-team, then i say they win in double digits. I'm pretty sure though that DePaul will give me agita.

Georgetown is facing a tough Florida team that had been ranked in the top-10. Looking forward to watching Josh Smith dominate down low. Not sure on this, only because i dont know much about the Gators. Not sure Friar-alum Billy Donovan has the horses (some injuries), while the Hoyas have taken care of business and have alot of depth. I'd put money on our Georgetown compadres.

Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
Butler vs North Carolina, 12:00
ESPN2: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz

NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals at Madison Square Garden
Minnesota vs Saint John's, 7:00
ESPNU: Ryan Ruocco, Dan Dakich, Jeff Goodman

Lehigh @ DePaul, 8:00
Fox Sports 1: Eric Collins, Stephen Bardo

Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
Florida vs Georgetown, 9:30
axs.tv: Kenny Rice, Seth Davis, Tom Walsh

Really would like to get 3 wins today - everybody but Butler. If Butler can sneak one out too, that would be amazing.

Absolutely need at least two. The Johnnies worry me the most among the two easiest games today because of past history, but I personally don't think Minny is all that good. If SJU is a tourney team, these are the types of games you've got to win.

Georgetown - Florida should be a ton of fun to watch.

I had no idea that little Pitino went to Providence. Learn something everyday.

Some really good tests today.

I think we split (DePaul and GTown getting Ws, Butler and St. John's Ls). Lehigh has really struggled so far this year so even DePaul should be able to handle them (keyword: should). Gtown is catching Florida at a bad time with injuries and whatnot. Butler facing their first team that isn't 280+ in KenPom and I'm expecting them to get a bit exposed for lack of a better term. I think Minnesota is a little better than a lot of people give them credit for and think they pull out a W.

Hope I'm wrong about the last two.

If Butler or GTown get wins, it'll be a good day. Either of those would be another statement win for the league.

But honestly, we are 36-2 right now. That is simply insane. If we have a bad day today, it's not the end of the world. We could go 1-3 today, and we'd still be in much better shape as a league than last year at this time.

By the way, I'm really enjoying the league camaraderie during the non-con schedule. It's been fun to follow the other Big East teams. I fully expect the pleasantries to end once January rolls around, but it's been fun to pull for the Conference teams as a group. Let's keep it rolling.

Will Butler-UNC be on Radio online?

Well idk about you guys, but I consider anything less than another 4-0 day to be a major disappointment : )

2-2 would be just fine. I might even head over to watch the DePaul game tonight. I live 20 min. from the Rosemont/allstate Horizon. Shouldn't be any trouble finding a ticket

I don't think the league NEEDS three wins today. Three would be great but two is fine.

Minnesota will be a great test for St. John's. Thankfully the game is in NYC so there should be a little home cooking for the Johnnies if their fans have any presence left in the city. SJU doesn't have many resume-building games after this weekend in the non-conference, with just a road game against Cuse and a home game against a decent but not great St. Mary's team. Winning this one would be huge for conference reputation and their resume - any win vs. the Big Ten is a quality win, similar to wins vs. the ACC.

I like Georgetown's chances vs. Florida as well. They have a big edge in experience over the Gators and Florida is also banged up. Eli Carter and Dorian Finney-Smith could both miss the game, and they are currently the #3 and #2 scorers for Florida, respectively. They're vulnerable now but by year end should look much stronger, which would make it a really good win for GTown and the league.

Lastly, don't write off Butler vs. UNC. They are 2-2 vs. UNC in their last four matchups and while Butler has yet to play anyone real, they've outscored their three opponents by a total of ~100 points. If Brad Stevens were around I'd give them at least a 50-50 shot but even now it looks like they will make this a single digit game.

Some facts:

Butler +9.5
St. John's +1
DePaul -8.5
Georgetown -1

So, all things considered, we should get DePaul and one of Georgetown and St. John's. I'll take it.