Big East Breakdown- Notre Dame did what?

Hey guys- Mike T here again with your Big East breakdown. First off my thoughts from the week that was:

- UConn is really good. Losing Dyson for possibly the year will be tough, but Jim Calhoun has too much talent for it to affect their push towards the #1 overall seed in March.

- Syracuse is really having trouble playing a half-court game. Against UConn they made too many mistakes in the first half, including poor transition possessions that ended with a bad 3 or a turnover. And it's too bad that Arinze Onuaku doesnt realize how good he really is, because he is the only hope for a low post game that the Cuse has- and if they cant play a halfcourt game, they wont go far in March.

- Notre Dame with a nice win on Thursday against Louisville. Whatever tournament chances they have left are still alive now. But 10 losses will be extremely tough to get in with, so there still is work to be done for Mike Brey and the Irish.

- 5 straight conference wins for the Seton Hall Pirates have them at 5-6 in the conference, and in position to not have to play on the first day of the Big East tourney. What a job by Bobby Gonzalez and his team. Kudos to the Hall.

Now onto the picks for Saturday and Sunday:

Georgetown (13-9, 4-7) at #22 Syracuse (18-7, 6-6)- Saturday at Noon
- Both teams have struggled mightily in the last month, with the Cuse still hanging on to the Top 25, while the Hoyas are just trying to keep a lost season together. The last game for the Hoyas was an OT loss to Cincinnati. Syracuse lost to Villanova and to UConn in their last 2 games, so both teams can use a win.

- The matchup: Jonny Flynn vs. Chris Wright. Flynn is adept at getting to the basket and causing havoc. Wright has been steady but a solid player for JT3 in his sophomore season. However Flynn is a super sophomore too, and is on another level. Syracuse wins if Flynn goes wild.

- The Pick: Syracuse. In the dome against a struggling opponent is what the Orange need to further their bid for the Tourney. G'Town watches their bubble burst.

#1 UConn (23-1, 11-1) at Seton Hall (14-9, 5-6)- Saturday at Noon.
- This one would be such a big win for the Hall to keep their winning streak alive, but UConn is too good. Jeremy Hazell may keep it close for the Hall, but Hasheem Thabeet will prove too much for the Pirates to stop. UConn all but clinches a #1 seed in the NCAA Tourney with this win.

- The Pick: UConn.

Cincinnati (17-8, 7-5) at #4 Pittsburgh (22-2, 9-2)- Saturday at 4:00
- I love Cincinnati, and Deonta Vaughn is one of the best guards in the Big East (as I said here last week). The Bearcats would help their cause alot for the Tourney with a win here- and its not out of the question. They've won 7 out of 9, and come in with alot of confidence. However, the combo of Young and Blair will be tough for Cincy. But the guards of Pitt can be exploited at times, which is where Vaughn will come in. A big game from him could equal a shocking upset.

- The Pick: Pitt. Even though I wrote that last paragraph, the idea of Pitt losing at home just isnt smart. It doesnt happen. Pitt will win a game that is close at the half- and maybe into the second half, but the final score wont show that.

The other two games wont be interesting or close. #12 Marquette will trounce St Johns to get back on the winning track. And Providence will beat Rutgers because everyone can beat Rutgers.

Sunday doesnt look too promising either- South Florida will not beat Notre Dame in South Bend, and Louisville will have no problem with DePaul and their 0-12 conference record.

Hopefully my picks this week will work out like they did last week. Enjoy the weekend everyone.

last week: 5-1

- Mike T