We had 5 Big East games on the slate last night, and since that's the last conference action until Saturday, let's take a look and see what we got out of those games!
- #2/2 Syracuse 64, #12/11 Georgetown 61 (OT) - Kris Joseph poured in a career high 29 points, including the dagger with just seconds left in overtime to give Syracuse a 2 game cushion in the Big East standings. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim moved past coaching legend Dean Smith on the all time wins list with the victory. Which outcome was better for Marquette: alone in second place and 2 games back of Syracuse or tied for second and one game back of Syracuse?
- South Florida 63, Pittsburgh 51 - Hey, remember on Sunday when everyone asked if Pitt was a serious bubble team? All due respect to South Florida, but that's over now. To focus on a team that matters in the big picture: South Florida now has a 2 game lead on the team that's currently in 9th place in the Big East. Breathe deeply, Bulls fans: Take care of your business and you get a first round Big East Tournament bye.
- Seton Hall 59, Rutgers 54 - FINALLY, the Seton Hall losing streak is over. The upside for the Pirates is that the remainder of their schedule is favorable, so their postseason dreams aren't completely smashed. The downside is that they did absolutely nothing to help themselves while losing six straight games. Rutgers slides into a four-way tie for the middle of the first day of the Big East Tournament.
- Cincinnati 76, St. John's 54 - Thanks for nothing, St. John's. You couldn't even be bothered to have enough pride to make Cincy work before they come to the Bradley Center on Saturday for National Marquette Day. The Bearcats had 4 players score in double digits, including Cashmere Wright's 14 point, 10 rebound double-double.
- Notre Dame 55, West Virginia 51 - I left this one for last so I didn't fall asleep in the middle of writing the whole articleZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. West Virginia unlocked the secret of defending the Irish's three point shooting, including an 0-3 performance from Pat Connaughton, but they forgot to play defense on Jack Cooley. Everyone's least favorite Harangody clone went for 21 and 12 in a game that featured Notre Dame's slowest pace of the year at only 51 possessions. I'm stunned that they got over a point per possession.