Thanks for the kind words and messages on our anniversary here today. Without getting too sentimental, it’s pretty easy to do work that’s both appreciated and rewarding and it’s far easier when the two are connected. As for the contributing authors, what can I say? I have some great friends … and I can’t wait to introduce them to the aforementioned.
Moving on, how was your bagel today? Open post time!
Welcome to the Friday Feedback. That’s how it goes, right?
Things are not as they seem today. I’m not Mike, something I’m thankful for just about every day, and I come without a name. How does Mike put it? I’m a “said person.” Or “Someone Who Knows” or “Somebody” or however he puts it when he tries to act a little more informed than the average person because he has a job that puts him in contact with people smarter than him. I’ve never come across someone who seems to know so much and really doesn’t know anything. Or anyone. Can someone explain to me why “sources” are needed to report the date of the spring game?
I digress. I was asked to pinch hit for today’s big occasion, the 100th Friday Feedback. I guess the Big East tournament is hard work. Every time I’ve see Mike on TV this week, he’s hunched over his seat holding his head in his hand, which isn’t easy if you’ve seen his head. Or his hands. Fortunately, all sorts of people have lined up to fill the post and do his work for him, which is the laziest thing he’s done since Texts from Game Day.
So here’s to 100 Friday Feedbacks, even though this blog has been around for two-and-a-half years and 120 or so Fridays. What do you expect from a beat guy who works five days a week?
As always comments appear as submitted — because I’m not editing them.
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(The 100th Friday Feedback is coming, but later. I have a story to write for the Internet, but also FF100 isn’t going to have much actual feedback. I figure there’s a lot of questions and comments out there after last night and looking forward to the weekend and selection Sunday. Fire away. I’ll do the best I can.)
Da’Sean Butler’s game-winner thrilled even Wikipedia.
At the very least, Butler bolstered his reputation with not only his fifth game-winning shot, but also a remarkable escape from the postgame celebration and a moment of insanity in which an overexcited Devin Ebanks felt compelled to choke Butler out.
Hey, it’s March. Sometimes you lose your head. Sometimes you lose your teammate’s head.
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Two of the top four teams have played and those two have lost. Georgetown outclassed Syracuse, which was good offensively and not very good defensively. Marquette pretty much did what Marquette does and made some 3s, dove all over the place, guarded tight and refused to go away against Villanova. The Golden Eagles are exceedingly comfortable in close games. They’ve played 15 games this year decided by four points or fewer.
I’m not sure it means anything with a league as competitive as this, but in the middle of the second Big East Tournament with the two-round bye, the recipient of that longer break is 2-4. Pitt and WVU look to address that tonight.
And if you’re into things like this, from a distance this resembles the 76 Classic. All the top teams and teams you might think are bad matchups are falling off and WVU is sitting backand admiring the carnage. I’m sure the two-round bye trouble is being pointed out to the players.
Speaking with who I’ve spoken to today, WVU realizes the tournament is more wide open now than it was before — rarely is there a “favorite” here — but it doesn’t really mean much to the team. The Mountaineers came to win and would have to beat three pretty good teams to do so. By now, it doesn’t matter who.
What’s interesting is the NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed is now in play. Let’s assume that no matter what happens now following the Syracuse loss, Kansas and Kentuck are locks for No. 1 seeds. Say Duke reaches the ACC final and/or wins. The Blue Devils are probably a third. Syracuse, with back-to-back losses and the status of center Arinze Onuaku (knee) in question, has to be a little worried.
If WVU wins here, the Mountaineers will have a very good argument for the final No. 1 seed. If Ohio State and Purdue play for the Big Ten title, they have an argument. If WVU wins and Ohio State or Purdue wins, Syracuse could have a problem.
I just discovered this and apologies if you already had or if it’s too late for you to care. Apparently the defining stretch of the Big East Tournament’s championship game Monday was officiated in a way that did not meet the co-coach of the year’s approval.
Q. From the 12 minute mark I think it was the 12 minute mark until like 24 seconds left or something — when you got the lay up, you guys didn’t score, so it’s like 12 minutes you didn’t get a basket. Talk about what was going wrong, and how much of it was what Connecticut was doing and their intensity and stuff.
COACH CAREY: Well, all eight of them did a pretty good job on defense, first of all. You know, like Sarah, a question was asked about Sarah, she got in the paint at will, just didn’t hit her shots. We had some open looks. We just didn’t and Liz was right; we were stagnant. We were so stagnant on offense. And then when we did drive, we just didn’t get the call or float it up there and missed the easy shot. Needless to say, we haven’t scored all tournament, you know what I mean? And give Connecticut credit, too; they played great defense, great help defense, and big and strong, physical.
Odds and ends and a few things I think I think while wondering if Dave Hickman would mind me borrowing a column gimmick he borrowed from someone else.
– We can agree on this: The best thing about WVU-Cincinnati is we had just 22 hours to hear about the obvious Huggins-U.C. storyline. I was at an establishment last night and a bartender leaned over to me and said, quite sarcastically, “Gee, ya think they’ll play up the history there?” He was Irish, by the way. Everyone is over it, OK?
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I think a lot of people just assumed the Big East Tournament that prior to 9:30 Wednesday night had gone according to the the brackets — well, except for St. John’s “upsetting” Cincinnati — would do so again. Louisville was to beat Cincinnati and Pitino was to meet Huggins in the quarterfinal. Great theater.
It also seems to me a lot of WVU fans prefer the Bearcats over the Cardinals … though having watched U.C. play the last two nights, I’m not sure why that is.
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And he goes out blasting. Once committed to WVU and then interested in Ohio State, Southern Cal and then Miami, the five-star safety signed Wednesday with the Hurricanes.
His relationship with the process was, um, contentious. People lit up his Facebook page and, from what I’ve gathered, it became generally unpleasant and arrived at ugly this week. (Language disclaimer on the link.)
I don’t want to say one thing is attached to the other, but he used some strong and stinging words, quite likely by design, when explaining how he disseminated so late in the process.
“I felt that all things were equal between West Virginia and Miami,” said Anderson about the two schools. “The only difference was the football. In my opinion, Miami is far and away closer to winning conference and national championships than West Virginia.”
Along with having family in Florida, Anderson said one other major factor figured into his decision.
“Even if I don’t make the NFL, I could see myself living in Miami after I get my degree,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if I can say the same if I went to West Virginia. I don’t know if I can see myself living there after school.”
Every now and then I’ll be interviewing or talking to someone and maybe things are going pretty well when I go down a road that’s almost always worth the trip. Simple question, complex answer.
What’s the best number in your cell phone?
The answers vary — it always surprises me who knows who and how — but you can imagine the replies and what they say about people. Well, I have Wes Johnson’s cell phone number and today that’s borderline cool.
Truth be told, I’m not even sure it’s his number anymore. It’s a Texas number and at the time he was leaving Iowa State before ultimately deciding on Syracuse. A lot has changed in the past two years, including my ability to accurately recall the time. But I think I spoke to him and he politely declined our discussion that, at that time, hinged on him possibly making the move to join Bob Huggins at WVU.
“He was in the Big 12 at Kansas State and I was familiar with him,” said the 6-foot-7 Johnson, the first transfer from a four-year school to win the Big East’s top prize. “When he left, he’d seen me play. He was interested when I left, so I felt like I’d explore my options.”
Johnson, who beat out a group including Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody and West Virginia’s Da’Sean Butler, led Syracuse with 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds and was second in steals and blocked shots. He shot 48.7 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from 3-point range and 78.6 percent at the free-throw line.
“We were picked sixth because nobody believed me when I told them Wesley Johnson was pretty good,” said Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim, who won his third coach of the year award. “If you would have believed me, I wouldn’t be up here.”
Skills like Johnson’s would have helped any team and there are times he wonders what life might have provided at WVU.
“Especially with how Da’Sean Butler’s playing and how Devin Ebanks is playing,” Johnson said. “I think they would have been all the more better and we would have been a really long team and very athletic and hard to contend with.”
Taking a break from the layup line that is St. John’s-UConn — the Huskies had the lead down to nine, the Red Storm responded with a 10-0 run — it occured to me we’re about 90 minutes away from the Big East’s awards.
The buzz is a close player of the year vote with Scott Reynolds likely winning it, but there should be some other close calls for coach and rookie of the year, as well.
For proof, consult the Newark Star Ledger’s media awards.
