Washington Post Big East Preview

A thorough Big East preview offered by the Washington Post. Coach Crean notes the heightened fan interest in the new league:

Marquette Coach Tom Crean said last month that the Golden Eagles have had more ticket requests for their Jan. 11 game at Seton Hall, which finished 10th in the conference last year and has no nationally recognized star, than any other road game. The reason? Fans can combine a visit to New York City with a trip to the Meadowlands for the game.

"It's phenomenal for our fans to be able to do that," Crean said. "In our time [in Conference USA], we never lost at Southern Miss, so that was a good trip for us. But we'll have a thousand fans at Seton Hall, while we might've had 10 at Southern Miss."

Will anybody miss Hattiesburg?

The Post also picks MU to finish 12th in the league. Here is the rundown.

A Big Week Is Upon Us

After weeks of near-news and simulated game action, a week of legitimate milestones is finally upon us. On Thursday, the new-look Marquette Golden Eagles will take on the Michigan Tech Huskies at the Bradley Center in the exhibition opener. Steve Novak's younger brother Chris is a freshman forward for the Huskies. While MU fans have been treated to a few open scrimmages, it's about time to see real hoops on Al McGuire Court.

Also note that high school seniors can sign letters of intent starting on November 9. Earlier this fall, sharpshooter Lazar Hayward verbally committed to MU. MU also is pursuing combo guard David Cubillan and center Chas McFarland -- are there other possibilities as well? We might know more by the end of the week. The national signing period runs from November 9-16.

David Cubillan Visits MU

David Cubillan, a SG/PG from highly regarded St. Benedict's in Newark, NJ, will arrive at MU this weekend for his official visit. Cubillan was a high school teammate of current MU freshman Dwight Burke last season. According to Rivals.com, he is also considering Rutgers, St. John's, Villanova, Utah and Florida International.

A native of Venezuela, Cubillan would fit in nicely with MU's philosophy of relying on a deep, versatile backcourt. MU has only one point guard on the roster, Dominic James. Cubillan, who looks to be a combo guard based on Internet reports and this video, could fill a slot similar to the one Mike Nardi assumed when he joined Villanova one year after their flagship recruiting class.

For those of you who would like to learn more about David, click here. :-)

Enjoy your visit to MU, David.

Just in Time for Hoops: Bradley Center Improvements

Read all about it at the Bucks Web site. Read all about it in the Milwaukee Business Journal.

New Student Newspaper at Marquette: The Warrior

Check it out. It certainly will not appeal to everyone, then again that can be said about most things.

THE WARRIOR

Welcome to the NBA, Travis Diener

Ask and you shall receive, Mr. Anonymous. Many people were suprised to learn that Travis Diener made the final cut, and will suit up for his first NBA game tonight as the Orlando Magic take on the Indiana Pacers, led by that thug Ron Artest. Perhaps nobody was more surprised by Travis' performance in training camp than the Magic themselves --- Diener's bio didn't appear on their Web site until midday EST. Finally, here's a look at the roster and the Diener profile.

While Diener might have been somewhat forgettable to the Magic's Webmaster, Marquette fans will never forget the leadership, gumption and ability that made Travis Diener one of the greatest to ever lace'em up for Marquette University.

Diener, who signed a two-year contract with the Magic after being selected in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft, will backup Jameer Nelson at the point. With Grant Hill currently on the injured list, chances are Diener will spend his first year shuffling between the active and inactive roster. But we at the blog predict a long, fruitful NBA career for Travis Diener.

Congratulations and good luck, Travis!

Big East Preview: Gregg Doyel of Sportsline

Gregg Doyel steps up to the line to offer a thorough preview of the 2005-2006 Big East season. Doyel predicts a 10th place finish for Marquette, along with an NIT bid. He picks UConn to win the league, followed by Louisville, Syracuse and West Virginia. Villanova is slotted for a 5th place finish --- the loss of Sumpter could be a season-killer for the Wildcats.

Back to Marquette. Unlike assessments from other prognosticators, Doyel expects MU to improve in the paint this year with the addition of Jamil Lott, and the development of Ousmane Barro and Ryan Amoroso.

Its refreshing to see Doyel look beyond MU's much ballyhooed freshmen guards when evaluating the possibilities for TC's squad. To date, much of the pre-season analysis has focused on the deep, talented and young backcourt - - - yet in this blogger's opinion, the emergence of Lott, Barro, and Amoroso will be the key to a productive season. Can this troika defend and force opponents to respect their potential on offense?

Here's Doyel's write-up on MU:

"Marquette:
Top three: SF Steve Novak, PG Dominic James, PF Jamil Lott.
NIT or bust: As if the transition from Conference USA to the Big East wasn't daunting enough, the Golden Eagles must do it at the same time they transition from a senior point guard to a freshman. Dominic James won't be Travis Diener -- nobody could be Travis Diener -- but James will be pretty good. He's a scoring point guard who doesn't shoot like Diener (again, who does?) but who can get into the lane better than his predecessor. That could mean more open looks for Novak beyond the 3-point arc, where he's a 45-percent shooter. The Golden Eagles ought to be better in the post this season, with the arrival of junior college transfer Jamil Lott and the freshman-to-sophomore maturation of Ousmane Barro and Ryan Amoroso. Lott leads a promising group of newcomers that include versatile 6-9 Tulane transfer Dan Fitzgerald and freshman guards Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews IV. "

Freshman To Watch: Duke and Marquette

CSTV takes a look at freshman to watch from around the country, and settles on both Duke and Marquette as programs with the newbies of note (at least if you belive the headline writers): Per reporter Phil Kasiecki:

• Dominic James, G, Marquette: He'll be handed the keys to the offense right away. He can score the ball and distribute well.
• Jerel McNeal, G, Marquette: Along with James, he's a prime reason the future is very bright for the Golden Eagles. He knows how to win and does several things well.

Bo Ellis update: Sweet Home Chicago; Blue Demons Nation Preview

Barry Temkin of the Chicago Tribune offers an update on Bo Ellis in this morning's column.

UPDATE

The folks over at Blue Demons Nation preview MU's 2005-2006 campaign here.

Big East Media Day Recaps

A quick look at what many of the newspapers in Big East country are saying about yesterday's media day in NYC:

The guys over at the Pitt Sports Blather offer a terrific recap/analysis.

Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Malcom Moran of USA Today interviews Mike Tranghese on the state and future of the Big East.

Kim Baxter of the Syracuse Post-Standard talks about Rick Pitino.

Frank Litsky at the New York Times on the Big East's Sweet 16.

Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer talks about the road ahead for the newcomers.

Joe Gergen of the New York Daily News leads with the injury-prone, preseason favorite Villanova. Jay Wright, "I don't think I'm unfortunate," the coach said. "I feel bad for these kids. Curtis worked so hard all summer to get back to 100 percent. At a time like this, you feel like a parent. I feel good we have experienced guards and that Jason Fraser is healthy. Experience in this league is very important."

Shannon Ryan of the Philadelphia Inquirer offers a preview, including thoughts from a very candid Jim Calhoun, "The bigger aspect is [because of] football....I don't think any sane person could think about a 16-team basketball league and then talk about the... rivalries. A kid can go through his whole season and might never play [a certain team]. I might see someone at the banquet and say, 'Hi, I'm Coach Calhoun. Nice to meet you.' "

Steve Politi of the Newark Star-Ledger struggles to see the wisdom of a 16-team basketball league. Mike Tranghese, "Everybody keeps telling me we're too big,.....Well, everybody in American is too big. We're all too big, we just happen to be a little bigger than the others."

Dave Mackall of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that 'all but one of the 16 teams that are now a part of Big East basketball has played in a Final Four, and 10 of the 16 teams made it that far during the past 25 years'.

And finally, MSNBC ponders the question, 'Who's playing where' with this interactive guide to the conference shuffle.

MU Picked 12th by Big East Coaches

The Big East coaches picked MU to finish 12th in the expanded 16-team Big East conference this season. Here is the breakdown from the pre-season poll:

1. Villanova
2. UConn
3. Louisville
4. Syracuse
5. WVU
6. Georgetown
7. Pitt
8. ND
9. Cinci
10. St. John's
11. DePaul
12. Marquette
13. Providence
14. Rutgers
15. Seton Hall
16. USF

MU Season Preview from NBA Draft Express

A thorough preview of MU appeared yesterday on NBA Draft Express, which is doing a thorough preview of each Big East team. Overall their experts pick MU to finish 12th in the Big East, just behind DePaul and just ahead of Providence. According to Jonathan Watters, "This is one of the tougher teams to figure out in the new Big East. Crean's program has gone through a rough couple of seasons, though it hasn't been for a lack of talent........This year's roster has all sorts of new faces, but the competition level will be a dramatic increase. There is plenty of talent here..."

The preview here is sound and up to date - - - he even notes the recent McFarland visit. Good work.

In their conference-wide preview, MU's Dominic James is the pre-season Newcomer of the Year. Jerel McNeal was selected as a second team all-newcomer.

BTW, since the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel forgot to mention it, please remember that today is Big East media day - - the links from Monday's post can help you view the activities online today, and include a schedule of television and radio appearances by many Big East coaches.

Big East Media Day Approaches

As college football accelerates down the back stretch, college basketball is getting closer to post time. On Wednesday, the calendar is kind for us basketball fans as the Big East hosts its first media day as a 16-team league.

Those of you interested in playing hooky, rejoice - - -the entire event will be broadcast on CSTV Networks. Or for those of you interested in playing hooky while at work, you can watch a Webcast of the event.

Big East media day runs from 11am - 1pm EDT at Madison Square Garden, and should include participation from every head coach in the league. Details on media day can be found here.

Tom Crean and a contingent of senior MU officials will be in New York for media day. Much of the MU brass will stick around for a much-anticipated alumni event in New York City on Thursday night. Area alums - - if interested in attending, get in touch with the Office of Alumni Relations soon.

Potpourri: MU TV, Big East Coaches, Burlison

MU Television Update
MU released an updated schedule of television games yesterday. You can read the article here. Here are a few highlights:

"MU will make three national television appearances – ESPN (Feb. 16 vs. Georgetown) and twice on ESPNU (Jan. 20 vs. Notre Dame and Feb. 25 at Notre Dame) – and eight times as part of the conference’s regional and local packages.

Three of Marquette’s Saturday contests – vs. Cincinnati on Jan. 7, at Pittsburgh on Jan. 28 and at Villanova on Feb. 4 – were designated by the conference as BIG EAST Game of the Week. Those games will reach over 30 percent of the nation and 33 million households, the largest distribution of any syndicated conference basketball package in the country. "

Additional games will be broadcast locally.

Rosiak is back at it
BTW, its great to read so much about MU hoops in October in the MJS - - lets hope the in-depth coverage continues. Since its inception, the Big East has been a conference driven by personable, charismatic and successful coaches. Here is Rosiak's take.

"Crean will be joining the ranks of some talented young coaches in the Big East — most notably Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon and Villanova’s Jay Wright — but his Final Four appearance in 2003 is a feat that only Boeheim, Calhoun and Pitino have been able to accomplish."

Frank Burlison
The Hall of Famer updated his column based on MU fans' feedback and came up with some well-deserved recognition of the incoming freshman class at MU, James in particular:

"After further consideration (and input from Marquette followers), I should have included Marquette's group of freshmen as one that is close to being one of the 10 most influential classes in the country this season. Watch out for point guard Dominic James. He should challenge for Big East Freshman of the Year."

Rivalry Renewed

Marquette and Notre Dame have played 105 times over the years. Thanks to the expanded Big East, this rivalry will be re-energized with a home-and-home series........just as it should be.

MU and ND have played any number of memorable games, highlighted (from an MU perspective) by Doc's miraculous haflcourt shot to seal a 54-52 win in 1981. Don't forget to visit the ND blog, The Blue-Gray Sky, as well (its also in the sidebar).

In addition to reflecting on the MU/ND rivalry, Todd Rosiak looks at other rivalries that could emerge in the new league. Anybody think that Pittsburgh would like to draw even with MU sometime soon?

The New RPI Formula

It wouldn't be college basketball without an annual education on the changes to the RPI formula. The only guy to pay attention to on this matter is Ken Pomeroy - - so here's his take on the new formula and what it means for scheduling.

The Cliffs Notes version: "I expect that this will push the percentage of home games incrementally higher for the power conferences."

Read all about it here at the kenpom.com blog (highly recommended)

The new mascot debuts

Made his/her debut at Marquette Madness on Friday night.

Complete story here at the Marquette Tribune.

Big East History Lesson

Kudos to the Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel for his expansive reporting in this week's series of Big East curtain raisers. Today, Rosiak delivers a history lesson on the nation's finest basketball conference.

The league, dominated by charismatic coaches since its inception, adds a few more this year. As Crean indicates in the article, "the identity was formed early and the common thread has been it's continued to be an unbelievably competitive league with night-in, night-out battles with teams that compete for national championships.......Coaches that were part of the personality of the league are now in the Hall of Fame or on their way, and I think that's what's great."

MU Has This Guy for Four Years

Oh my goodness. Marquette, meet Dominic James. Wow.

Courtesy of our pal TrekYFoil66 (I'll even give him a link to his beloved Trek Bicycles for sharing that picture.), over at Scout's MarquetteHoops site.

Also, Todd Rosiak of the Milkwaukee Journal-Sentinel delivers the first in a series of articles that preview MU's first season in the Big East. Today Rosiak looks at challenges with preparation, youth, as well as the recruiting opportunities created with the move to the Big East.

Marquette Madness Is Here

OK folks, basketball is starting again. Tonight MU ushers in the Big East era with Marquette Madness over at The Al. According to Todd Rosiak, Steve Novak and his running mates had better be ready to handle the speed and skill of freshman point guard Dominic James. Rosiak notes that Chas McFarland, Keaton Nankivil, Korie Lucious and several other recruits are scheduled to join MU for the festivities tonight.

Also, Colin Fly of the Associated Press takes a look at the new mix at MU, highlighted by seven newcomers, many of whom will play prominent roles in the upcoming campaign. Integrating the newcomers has not been easy, forcing Crean to exhibit more patience -- "I've got that count to 10 theory back," Crean said. "You know, when you're ready to blow up and get mad at something, you count to 10 and settle down. That's what you do with a young team, and that will be going on. There'll be times when we count to 20, hopefully we can get it down to five by the end of the year."