It’s finally the end of the regular season and with that comes one of our favorite times of year. Big Dance time for 65 teams including the play-in winner in the opening round elimination game between Coppin State and Mount St. Mary’s.

For the love of God, please let Mount St. Mary’s win. Twenty loss teams shouldn’t be in this tournament. Though I’ll say this. If the SWAC Conference Tourney winners prevail, then they’ve certainly earned the right to get destroyed by No.1 overall seed North Carolina.

Since this really is just a quick entry, here are the No.1 seeds:

East-North Carolina

South-Memphis

Midwest-Kansas

West-UCLA

As the boring CBS duo of Jim Nantz and Billy “Know It All” Packer concluded, “No surprises here.”

So, who else made the cut? Let’s just breakdown the last few bubble teams who snuck their way in and celebrated:

Villanova (20-12)- their Big East first round win over bubble competitor Syracuse was enough to get them in. They can thank Wisconsin for taking care of under .500 Illinois for the Big Ten title earlier today. The Wildcats draw a tough assignment in a 5/12 match-up as the Big East goes head-to-head with feisty ACC runner-up Clemson (5). Not exactly a gift for Jay Wright’s club.

Kansas State (20-11)- the committee had to find a way to get mine and JPG’s National Player of the Year (apologies to Tyler Hansbrough) Michael Beasley (26.5 PPG, 12.4 RPG) into the Big Dance. And to make them an 11 seed in the Midwest against USC (6) and another freshman sensation O.J. Mayo has to be one of the most anticipated first round match-ups. Are they kidding? That’s going to be awesome!

Georgia (17-16)- sure, they miraculously won the tough SEC tournament doing so in unbelievable fashion needing to win twice yesterday and once today over Arkansas due to a tornado Friday night which hit Atlanta. Still, before they went through their conference, they were under .500 and wouldn’t have even qualified for the NIT. So, it comes as no surprise that the committee made them a low 14 seed who will take on No.3 seeded Xavier out West. They’re hot going in but Xavier is a very good team who has something to prove after how last March ended against 2007 runner-up Ohio State in one of the most electrifying games. Of course Gus Johnson would be involved.

Baylor (21-10)- good thing for the nine win Big 12 team that a double overtime loss in their conference tournament to 12th seeded Colorado didn’t comeback to bite them. Instead, they’ll be marching into the tournament with a new life. What had to be looked at was a tough non-conference schedule which included wins at Notre Dame and Winthrop and also a three-point loss to one of the higher seeds in Washington State. That’s what got them in where they’ll now play one of the better Big 10 teams in Purdue (6) out West. The Boilermakers had a great year winning 15 games in their conference and 24-8 overall. They dropped because of an early exit to Illinois. This is a team which played repeat champ Florida nearly to the wire. That turned out to be the Gators’ toughest test last year. So there’s plenty to prove.

Temple (20-12)- yes, they won the Atlantic-10 tournament edging Phil Martelli and St. Joe’s by five points. It’s the Owls first tournament appearance in seven years. Too bad there’s no more John Chaney pacing the sidelines and always good for a quote or two off the court as well. I’ll never forget that classic tirade where he cursed out and challenged then UMass coach John Calipari to a fight. Great stuff. They won 11 games this year in the conference. Now they’ll play the No.5 seeded Michigan State Spartans in the first round in the South. Never an enviable task going against Tom Izzo at this time of year.

St. Mary’s (25-6)- Even though they fell to eventual West Coast Conference tourney champion San Diego in double overtime, the Gaels still made it as they were rewarded for finishing second in the conference with a 12-2 record. Out of conference, they had wins over potential glass slipper Drake and Oregon. That along with a win over Gonzaga had to help. They’ll meet ACC representative Miami Florida in one of those fun 7/10 match-ups. Figure it to be a good one down South.

Kentucky (18-12)- the Wildcats were able to just squeak in as an 11 seed. Were they the final team taken or was it the other Wildcats of ‘Nova? Who knows? What’s important is they’re there despite an OT upset loss to the surprising Bulldogs. They did finish strong winning six of eight and 11 of their last 14. Their non-conference sched included defeats against UNC and Indiana. Louisville also got the better of them in the Battle for Lexington. Interestingly enough, they also lost to UAB by three whose bubble burst despite 22 wins including 12 in Conference USA. Maybe losing to Tulsa in the quarters had something to do with it. Being blown out by Memphis didn’t help much at the end of the regular season. Kentucky does play in a superior conference and their strength of sched had to be better. So they’re in and they’ll get Big East representative Marquette in an exciting 6/11 match-up. Two words. Jerel McNeal. Two more. Dominick James. Meaning the Wildcats better guard extremely well on the perimeter and stop the transition game of Tom Crean’s Golden Eagles.

St. Joseph’s (21-12)- they’re back. That’s right Billy Packer. Martelli’s Hawks are back in the NCAA’s just making the cut as an 11 seed out of the A-10. They went 9-7 in conference play finishing fourth but a run to the final before falling to Temple allowed them to get in meaning the committee took a trio from that conference. Pretty surprising. Ironically enough, St. Joe’s lost to Syracuse by three early in the season at the Carrier Dome. They also lost to the Zags by five at home. What probably helped them were their two wins in three meetings taking the last couple over Xavier including in the semis. So they’re back in for the first time since current NBA’ers Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were starring in the backcourt proving Packer wrong. They’ll draw Oklahoma in another 6/11 match-up out on the East coast. The Sooners won 22 games this season including nine in the Big 12 but are coming off an ugly 28-point blowout loss to Texas. They lost to Texas three times and split with Baylor. They were blown out by Kansas in the only meeting. An out of conference 11-point win over Arkansas losses to Memphis and USC helped them get their six seed. Probably also got USC their six as well. Go figure.

South Alabama (26-6)- nice to see the regular season Sun Belt champs get rewarded for going 16-2 despite falling to Middle Tennessee St. They belong in as a 22-point win over San Diego says. A three-point loss to SEC representative Vandy had to help as well. They’ll draw last year’s surprising Butler Bulldogs in a 7/10 match-up. Think WFAN will send John Minko upstate to go cover that one?

Bracket Sleepers

East- (5) Notre Dame, (8) Indiana, (7) Butler/(10) South Alabama winner, (13) Winthrop

Midwest- (5) Clemson, (9) Kent State, (10) Davidson, (11) Kansas St. 

South- (5) Michigan State, (9) Oregon, (10) St. Mary’s, (11) Kentucky 

West- (5) Drake, (6) Purdue, (7) West Virginia), (13) San Diego

That’s all for now. We’ll have much more later on including hopefully some fun picks from myself along with HB colleagues JPG, Brian Sanborn and Rob “Kraze” Davis.

Stay tuned!

Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Julie Jacobson

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Or maybe it’s a moment which will be remembered by plenty for a long time. Especially a few local New York products who helped lead the seventh seeded Pitt Panthers to an improbable Big East Conference Championship- becoming just the second team since the 2006 Syracuse Orangemen to win four games in four days to take the title.

They bested the top seeded Georgetown Hoyas 74-65, avenging an ugly championship blowout defeat one year prior making it oh so sweet for kids such as Levance Fields (Xaverian-10 pts, 5 rebs, 6 assists) and Ronald Ramon (All Hallows product paced team with 17 including 2 treys and 7-of-10 FT), who helped lead Jamie Dixon’s unranked Panthers to the big victory ensuring them of another Big Dance appearance.

Just seeing the amount of joy expressed on their faces along with well deserving tournament MVP Sam Young (16 pts, 6 rebs, 3 blk) and teammates Tyrell Biggs (Don Bosco Prep- 5 pts, 4 rebs), Keith Benjamin (Mount Vernon- 4 pts, 6 rebs and 4 assists), DeJuan Blair (double double-10 and 10), Gilbert Brown (12 off bench including two 3’s) was fun to watch because that’s what college athletics should be about.

The essence of winning a championship on a famous court where legends have played the game. Especially for those five local kids who made good in leading their school to a second Conference title in eight years and first since 2003 when they bested UConn 61-58.

There have been too many instances recently where such great achievements are ignored due to the bracket which comes out later today and seeding along with whether or not those same conference champs will be worn out a la 2006 MVP Gerry McNamara who played through pain in leading Syracuse to the title two years ago. Something colleague John “JPG” Giagnorio should learn to appreciate instead of foolishly mocking such bravado on the court.

How many teams really are ultimate winners at the end of a grueling season filled with March Madness, glass slippers and bracket busters? It’s nearly impossible for many programs to call it a success unless they go deep into the tournament and make the Final Four. That is unless you’re an upstart mid-major who can pull off a couple of shockers to make the Sweet 16 putting your school and coach onto the map (as dollars start getting rolled around in dirt trying to lure them elsewhere yet you never hear much from the NCAA about that-bunch of hypocrite$).

This time of year is about the Pitt Panthers rising up when as usual, I scoffed at them as a legit contender to claim the Big East crown. So the joke’s on me. Good for Dixon, Fields, Young, Ramon and those gritty teammates with a much happier former Knick (now is he still a target given what plays on a daily basis there) and Pitt alum Charles Smith in attendance enjoying a signature moment for his alma mater.

It’s about a 20 loss team such as Coppin State making history by winning their conference tourney even if it is a joke that a 20 loss team could make the 65-team field.

It sure is about a classic triple overtime championship game which was played in the WAC with Boise State holding off host New Mexico State to claim their first tournament bid in 14 years outlasting them 107-102.

Or about last place Georgia in the SEC rising up to win two games in one day due to stormy weather yesterday to make the championship round to play for an all important automatic bid against the Razorbacks, who were one-point upset winners over No.4 Tennessee.

AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Karl Walter 

Just seeing the reaction of these kids makes it all the worthwhile because here’s a little secret for the JPG’s of the world. Winning your conference is quite a big deal. It means a lot to these players who put in plenty of practice time and hard work. It also means plenty to the students who support their schools.

In the end, only one team will wind up victorious holding the trophy. Even if you do make the Final Four, it almost becomes irrelevant these days. It’s all about who wins. I wish it was just held to on the court but now it’s who wins their bracket and takes home the cash. As if we reallly matter compared to these kids who are out there grinding it out everyday.

I’ll take part but for fun on yahoo like usual. Not for money. I don’t really believe we have any business making cash off these games. But I will say if someone out there somehow picks all 64 correctly, more power to them and the cash which comes with it.

Last night, it was just nice to see the triumphant Panthers enjoying the moment with their proud coach Dixon allowing his kids to have some fun. Isn’t that what sports should be about?

Next time, step back and appreciate it.

AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Julie Jacobson 

Apparently, somebody forgot to tell the Pittsburgh Panthers that they weren’t supposed to be here. Like a broken record, Jamie Dixon’s hard working team is back in the Big East Final once again after hanging on to defeat No.25 Marquette 68-61 last night at Madison Square Garden in the second tournament semifinal.

Star forward Sam Young scored 20-or-more for the third consecutive game netting a game high 22 in helping the Panthers advance to their seventh championship appearance in eight years.

They’ll try to become just the second school in tournament history to win four games in four days when they take on the top seeded Georgetown Hoyas later tonight.

“I think it’s probably more difficult to win more games, but we’ll be ready to play. We’ll be after it. We’ll show up and we’ll be ready,” a philosophical Dixon told reporters after his team’s third straight win.

“I know our guys are anxious to play. They’re looking forward to the opportunity, and we’ll be ready.”

They led the Golden Eagles from almost wire to wire building a double digit lead which got to 16 before Tom Crean’s team mounted a strong comeback down the stretch slicing the deficit to three with 80 seconds left. The seventh seeded Panthers finally put them away with a clutch rebound from Young along with some freebies from their top scorer and New York product Levance Fields.

Fields scored half his 12 from the line while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. Backcourt teammate Ronald Ramon chipped in with 14 including a couple of treys to go with five boards.

Pitt also got key contributions from Mount Vernon product Keith Benjamin, who had eight points, four rebounds and four assists.

That kind of balance along with a tenacious defense which held Marquette without a field goal for an 11:38 stretch spanning the end of the first and beginning of the second half proved to be the difference. The Golden Eagles shot just 31.1 percent for the game including a putrid 8-for-31 (25.8 pct) in the first 20 minutes.

Pitt’s D on Golden Eagle leading scorer Jerel McNeal held him to 17 while limiting his effectiveness as the future NBA lottery pick turned the ball over a game worst five times.  Dominick James shot just 3-of-16 from the field despite a couple of big buckets down the stretch including a putback which gave his team a chance at a stunning comeback.

The Panthers reduced Ousmane Barro (1 pt, 3 fouls, 2 turnovers) and supersub Maurice Acker (3 pts, 3 turnovers) into non-factors.

Amazingly, during the run of Finals appearances, Pitt has only one championship to show for it five years ago. They’ll try to do what Syracuse did two years ago and make a little history against a very tough Georgetown team which could be a No.1 seed if they prevail.

Led by much more visible big man Roy Hibbert’s double double of 25 and 13 rebounds including 10 on the offensive glass plus two blocked shots, John Thompson III’s ninth ranked Hoyas crushed the Mountaineers 72-55 to advance to their second consecutive Big East Final and setup a rematch. They blew out the Panthers last year.

After a no-show in the Hoyas’ tournament tying record 17 three-point fest, the senior Hibbert took apart West Virginia and in particular star Joe Alexander by totally outplaying him. Sure. He still got into double figures but 12 points and just five rebounds wasn’t going to help Bob Huggins’ school on this night.

Apparently, Hibbert got our message or maybe better yet read our last entry where I dissed him. I still don’t like his game at the next level. Let the big guy continue to prove me wrong.

The Hoyas also connected on a more normal 7-for-17 trifectas including a trio from Jonathan Wallace. Bronx native Jessie Sapp shot 6-for-11 from the field with 13 points and seven rebounds.

If there was a notable difference aside from Hibbert’s dominance inside where he did whatever he wanted including stepping out and knocking a trey down, it was Georgetown’s unselfishness. They spread the ball around for 17 assists compared to the Mountaineers’ nine. Amazingly, nobody got more than three (Patrick Ewing, Jr.) with seven other players including all five starters notching two apiece.

That kind of basketball which they play under Thompson is wonderful to watch. Knick fans should be so lucky.

Not surprisingly, the Hoyas also outrebounded their smaller foes 36-19. They’ll go for the repeat later tonight.

Less than an hour from now, the Big East Tournament semifinals will get underway with the sixth seeded Marquette Golden Eagles taking on the seventh seeded Pittsburgh Panthers in the first of what should be a fun doubleheader at the Mecca in NYC.

There probably are some disappointed Uconn, Notre Dame and Louisville fans. That’s because their respective schools fizzled out in yesterday’s quarters.

First, Jim Calhoun’s Huskies were ousted by tonight’s surprise participant the West Virginia Mountaineers 78-72. They had no answer for junior forward Joe Alexander, who roasted them for a career high 34 points along with seven rebounds. The Big East’s most improved player shot 12-of-22 from the field and sank 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.

He also got UConn young big Hasheem Thabeet in foul trouble limiting him to six points, six boards and two blocks in 28 minutes. When he has an off night, it’s usually a bad sign for the Huskies, who do boast one of the better point guards in the league in junior floor leader A.J. Price. He paced No.15 Uconn with 22 and dropped six dimes in a losing effort.

Alexander also got support from teammates Da’Sean Butler (17 pts, 9 boards) and senior leader Darris Nichols (13 pts, 2 treys, 4 rebs, 2 assists) as the fifth seeded Mountaineers made it four consecutive losses in the Big East tourney for a flustered Calhoun, who wasn’t pleased with his team’s execution.

“Some games are very complex and you mull over them, why you won and why lost, it’s difficult,” the Hall of Fame coach lamented to reporters. “This one is very easy. They came out and kicked our butt.”

Calhoun will try to get his young team ready for next week’s NCAA 65 field which definitely should include them as they won 13 games in arguably the most competitive conference and still are 24-8. Figure a four or five seed.

West Virginia will go for their third win in three nights in the first big game when they battle the No.1 seeded Georgetown Hoyas, who destroyed Villanova 82-63 tying a tournament record with 17 three’s including six from Jessie Sapp, who netted a career high 23. Backcourt ‘mate Jonathan Wallace sank five from downtown and DaJuan Summers added a hat trick.

Stunningly, big man Roy Hibbert had a goose egg playing just 14 minutes with four turnovers and five fouls. Can you say overrated much?!?!?!?!?!

Meanwhile, two more “upsets” (not really) took place with Pitt outlasting Louisville in overtime 76-69 on the strength of leading scorer Sam Young’s double double (21 and 12) including the go-ahead bucket on a turnaround inside with Rice product Edgar Sosa flopping. Speaking of the sophomore who had a solid NCAA a year ago, he was awful finishing with just three points plus four assists and was pulled several times by Rick Pitino.

The Cards just were too up and down from the outside in crunch time. They misfired on 15 of 19 three’s which won’t win you many games. Especially when quite a few are forced.

Meanwhile, the Panthers relied on more of a balanced attack getting an inspired effort from Xaverian produce Levance Fields who netted 13 and six assists. All Hallows product Ronald Ramon also nailed three trifectas adding 13 with four boards and four assists as Pitt once again eliminated Louisville to advance to the Big East Final Four where they’ll play Marquette in the second game after 9 ET.

Card supersub Earl Clark paced them with 19 on nine-of-14 shooting and also had nine rebounds (six off.) David Padgett, Juan Palacios and Jersey native Derrick Caracter added 11 apiece in the defeat.

Many like Pitino’s team which played well down the stretch to go far starting next week. I’m not sure because they’re too hot and cold. While he’s a superb coach, this team seems to rely too much on the perimeter. It’s basically hit or miss. They are much better when they spread the floor and utilize floor leader Terrence Williams.

If you like balance, the No.13 ranked Cardinals have it. At 24-8, they should get a decent seed similar to what Big East rival UConn receives. We’ll see if they step it up come Big Dance time.

The final game of the night saw Marquette bounceback from 10 down to defeat the Fighting Irish 89-79. They outscored Mike Brey’s 14th rated Irish 57-41 in the second half with a frenetic brand of hoops which saw talented leading scorer Jerel McNeal toast Notre Dame for 28 (9-of-16 FG) including four from downtown along with six boards.

The junior forward was just awesome. He came out and took it to Notre Dame with scoring in a variety of ways in transition and from way out in establishing a new career high. He missed the tournament last year and the NCAA’s due to a wrist injury.

Thus far, he’s making up for it leading underrated coach Tom Crean’s No.25 Eagles into tonight’s semi showdown with Jamie Dixon’s Panthers.

Dominick James had a solid overall game with 10 points, six rebounds and six assists. He really did a nice job of getting into the lane drawing defenders and kicking out to open teammates.

However, in a close game, it was the play of little used sophomore backup Maurice Acker which swung it in Marquette’s favor. The guard drained two three’s and netted 10 of his 11 in over a four minute span late.

He really came up big. The same couldn’t be said for Big East Player of The Year Luke Harangody who was bottled up by Ousmane Barro (6 pts, 7 rebs, 4 blk). In fact, Harangody finished with a disappointing 13 and just five rebounds while plagued with fouls eventually fouling out.

The Irish were kept in by guards Tory Jackson (10 pts, 9 assists) and Staten Island product Kyle McAlarney (20 pts, four treys). Teammates Rob Kurz (15 pts, 7 rebs) and Zach Hillesland (14 pts, 9 rebs) also had solid nights in a losing effort.

Believe it or not, a McLarney off balance right wing three cut Marquette’s lead to six with under 60 seconds left. Jackson stole the in bounds but for some reason, forced up an off balance three from the corner. Had he dribbled and found McAlarney, who also connected on another deep three minutes prior, maybe it becomes a one possession game.

We’ll never know. What is known is that Marquette played superior defense and executed better. Their superior speed and athleticism resulted in a second straight big win.

The Irish will probably get a five or six seed having finished 24-7. A six wouldn’t be great as those 6/11 match-ups can be a nightmare.

If their guards are on and Harangody recovers from an off performance, they could make the Sweet 16. They’ll need to play better D though.

With that, tonight’s big games are about to start. See ya later.

Normally around this time of year, I’m generally excited. Especially when March Madness hits. If you’re an avid college basketball fan, then you know how exciting this time of year is when it comes to the 65 team field.

Oh. I’ll be watching the big tournament announcement on Selection Sunday complete with No.1 seeds, mid-major sleepers and bubble teams who sneak in. I’ve always enjoyed the tournament. And no. Not for the idiotic pools which all of us are in.

For myself, it’s always been about the basketball played on the court. The wire to wire finishes. Or the glass slipper as CBS’ announcer Gus Johnson likes to say. The buzzer beaters and of course, the big upsets.

Who will rise up? You just never can tell even if so-called experts such as Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps and Billy “Know It All” Packer think they do.

The thing I have always liked about this tournament is the element of surprise. You won’t find one person who gets all 64 games correct. If you do, then God bless them.

So, why am I a little down this year? Because my alma mater St. John’s is once again not part of the most exciting tournament all year.

Norm Roberts’ Red Storm Redmen just completed another embarrassing season finishing a dismal 11-19 with only five wins in the Big East in what was supposed to be the program’s 100th Anniversary of men’s basketball.

Talk about depressing. It’s not so much that they didn’t try. I would never accuse a Roberts coached team of dogging it. It’s just that they’re not that good and can’t beat stiff competition such as Georgetown, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

If you can’t be in the upper echelon of your own conference, there’s virtually no chance of qualifying for any postseason tournament including the NIT which the Johnnies won six years prior over the archrival Hoyas. I remember at the time thinking that they were finally headed in the right direction. Little did I know just how miserable a job former coach Mike Jarvis did. It’s really not worth revisiting.

If you fast forward to the present, St. John’s basketball has become a laughingstock while Georgetown led by John Thompson III (or 300th for all we know) is back as one of the contenders for the national title coming off a Final Four appearance last year.

That just adds to my frustration as a loyal St. John’s fan who graduated with a degree in Sports Management not long ago. How could our basketball program have become so pathetic? Heck. Roberts is getting to coach his final year after finishing eight under .500.

EIGHT UNDER! Can any St. John’s fan imagine a Lou Carnesecca coached team winning just 11 games and getting an okay for the next season? Sure. There aren’t any local kids such as Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson around these days to carry the program back near the pinnacle.

Part of the dilemma is that St. John’s doesn’t have much of an on campus life. Sure. The Queens campus is nice but what about the dorm situation? What about having a state of the art facility complete with a new athletic center?

Isn’t about time Father Harrington faces the facts? Kids today would much rather go away and play on much bigger campuses such as The Dean Dome or The Carrier Dome.

And why wouldn’t they? In front of huge crowds which includes raucous atmospheres along with plenty of parties afterwards.

Why shouldn’t kids get the entire college experience? It’s understood that the draw for St. John’s is playing a few big games at Madison Square Garden. What kid doesn’t love that grand stage? If they just had a bigger venue in Jamaica and more campus life, I’d be willing to bet that more students would choose St. John’s.

I think what’s most disheartening is that the Redmen weren’t even in the top 12 in their conference. Sure. The Big East is extremely tough. Probably the deepest conference from top to bottom. But to not even make essentially a postseason tourney which is played in your backyard over at Seventh and 33rd is downright sad which explains my March Sadness.

I admittedly don’t have as much juice (insert Rocket or Barroids joke here) for this year’s tournament. Oh. Sure. I’ll watch to see who wins. Figure either Georgetown, UConn or Louisville. Maybe even local kid Kyle McAlarney and Fighting Irish big Luke Harangody. 

I excluded Pitt because I just am not a believer in them. It’s not like they ever go very far come March. So if the Panthers happen to this time around, be my guest and rip me.

The real shame is that my school isn’t involved once again. A talented kid by the name of Anthony Mason, Jr. who was named to the Big East All League despite missing eight games won’t get to put his talent on display in front of proud Pop and former Knick Anthony Mason, Sr.

He still went on the average a team best 14.0 points-per-game (PPG) along with 4.4 rebounds. Mason certainly was the Johnnies’ top offensive threat combining solid driving skills with long range shooting. Something which once was an afterthought in Queens. Remember the days of Bootsy Thornton, Ron Artest and Lavor Postell? Erick Barkley and Omar Cook weren’t bad point guards either.

How did the NCAA’s fifth winningest program go from those days when dreams of another Final Four appearance were realistic to just praying the team could remain competitive and be .500?

It better change. Can Mason, Jr. along with solid first-year players Justin Burrell, D.J. Kennedy, Malik Booth and promising sophomore Larry Wright get the program righted next Fall?

It remains to be seen. New Yorkers can only hope especially given what they get to watch on a daily basis.

Let’s Go Redmen!!!!!

Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Stephen Dunn

Josh Shipp didn’t have much time or real estate to work with but somehow he made a near impossible seven footer to save No.2 ranked UCLA from an upset, allowing the Bruins to rally back and prevail over Pac-10 rival California 81-80.

The Bruins trailed by as many as 11 but scrapped and clawed their way back late slicing the deficit to one thanks to freshman standout Kevin Love’s trifecta with 17.3 seconds to go. Following a steal which allowed them to get the ball back, they went for the win in the final 10 seconds but a UCLA shot was blocked out of bounds by a California player giving them one more chance to stave off a big upset on their home court.

With just six and a half seconds remaining, Shipp got the ball on the right baseline and worked his way to the basket with two defenders on him. With seemingly nowhere to go except out of bounds, he took the low percentage shot. It rainbowed over the backboard and in to miraculously give UCLA an 81-80 lead with 1.5 seconds still on the clock.

When a Cal home run pass went off a Bruin and out of bounds, excited fans spilled onto the court thinking the game was over with it showing only 0.1 on the clock. However, the officials reviewed replays and gave the Golden Bears the ball with one more chance.

Patrick Christopher’s prayer fell well short allowing the Bruins to escape with a school record 28th win this regular season.

The victory was UCLA’s seventh in a row which they’ll take into next week’s Pac-10 league tournament before the selection committee (brain surgeons, huh) sorts out who’s in and out as well as what seeds each team shall get.

Love paced a balanced UCLA attack with 22 shooting 6-of-14 from the floor and nine for 10 from the charity stripe. He only made one three but it turned out to be large cause it came in crunch time. Five Bruins hit for double digits including the game hero Shipp, who finished with 12 despite misfiring on six of eight trifectas.

Ryan Anderson scored 21 (6-of-11 FG, 8-for-9 FT) to lead the Golden Bears, who suffered a gutwrenching defeat after leading for most of the day. Jamal Boykin chipped in with 18 and Christopher had 13.

Editor’s Note: The game wasn’t without controversy as it appeared Anderson was fouled by Russell Westbrook, who tugged at his jersey before the ball went out of bounds. It also appeared to go off UCLA and probably should’ve been Cal ball. How such a big call could be missed is a joke. Have the guts to call it.

In other notable college bball Saturday action, Georgetown won their second consecutive Big East regular season title by posting a hard fought 55-52 home victory over No.12 Louisville. They can thank guard DaJuan Summers, who connected from downtown on the right wing to give them the lead for good with 40 seconds to play.

Setup nicely by senior Jonathan Wallace off some dribble penetration, a wide open Summers hit nothing but the bottom of the net to put the 11th ranked Hoyas in front by two. It was his only shot of the second half which saw the two Big East schools go toe to toe in a defensive physical battle.

Rick Pitino’s Cards had plenty of chances to tie the score. Trailing by three, they misfired on three treys including Earl Clark’s wild miss on a contested shot. It really was a bad force. He still had time left as there were over 10 seconds to go. Clark should’ve dished back out to New York product Edgar Sosa.

Sosa got one more opportunity due to a missed front end of a one-on-one by Georgetown’s Jeremiah Rivers but his attempt didn’t come close allowing the Hoyas to repeat as regular season conference champs for the first time in school history.

St. John’s season came to an end at MSG where they dropped a tough one in overtime to West Virginia 83-74. Had they prevailed, it’s possible Norm Roberts’ club could’ve qualified for the Big East tournament. Instead, they’ll be packing up early yet again for the fourth time in the past five years making the 100th Anniversary of the men’s basketball program a complete embarrassment.

Sure, Roberts’ team played hard most of the season but when you don’t have a consistent offense outside of Anthony Mason, Jr., you aren’t winning too many games.

What made the defeat worse that they should’ve won. Leading by a couple with under eight seconds left, they allowed somebody by the name of Joe Mazzulla to go the length of the court and convert a lefty lay-up before time expired. Roberts’ team usually plays good aggressive hardnosed D but on this tying bucket, they didn’t even come close to touching Mazzulla let along getting in his path.

Wouldn’t you at least want to challenge him and make the shot attempt a tad more difficult?!?!?!?!?! Not if you’re these Redmen. Just brutal.

Not shockingly, West Virginia controlled the overtime outscoring St. John’s 15-6 with the game’s leading scorer Joe Alexander torching them for seven of his 29. He made 13-of-15 from the line and also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double double.

By comparison, the Johnnies shot a putrid 7-for-18 as a team from the charity stripe. It’s easy to see why they lost. The Mountaineers were 30-for-42 at the line.

The defeat dropped St. John’s to 11-19 for the season. They won just five games in the Big East while losing 13.

Unfortunately, it overshadowed a strong effort from sophomore Larry Wright, who notched a career high 20 including six triples. Mason, Jr. added 17 and five boards before fouling out.

Former Lincoln Railsplitter Eugene Lawrence concluded his four-year St. John’s career finishing with eight points and seven assists. Freshman point guard Malik Boothe had seven assists off the bench. Hopefully, the former Christ The King star will be heard from next Fall.

For now, another disappointing season is over. I wish I could say something nice but thankfully it is. Well, there’s always next year. Right?

Kyle McAlarney has been referred to as a gym rat. Well, the kid out of Moore Catholic High has come a very long way in his junior season at South Bend. The Notre Dame guard lit up the Syracuse Orangemen connecting on nine three-pointers en route to a game high 30 in a 94-87 home win, improving the No.21 ranked Fighting Irish (21-5) to 11-3 in the Big East. 

He finished 9-for-11 from beyond the arc including draining a 26-footer which gave his team a seven-point lead.

“I’m going to call Colin (Falls) up tonight and rub it in his face,” the Staten Island product remarked to reporters of breaking his former teammate’s three-point school record which was shared by two other players.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey wasn’t too surprised that McAlarney’s record-breaker came at the expense of Jim Boeheim’s patented Syracuse zone.

“All my guys I’ve had, when they see that zone, they start drooling. You almost need a towel to wipe their chin off because they can cut and move,” he later pointed out.

McAlarney also hit both free throws down the stretch as a furious Orangemen rally fell short due to Notre Dame sinking nine of 12 from the charity stripe in the final 84 seconds.

Sophomore forward Luke Harangody finished with a double double (14 pts & 14 rebs). Five Irish hit for double digits in the win.

McAlarney also contributed four rebounds and three assists while playing a team high 38 of 40 minutes. 

He is a deadly outside shooter who entered over 44 percent from downtown. That percentage went up yesterday thanks to a brilliant performance.

As a fellow St. John’s alum who majored in Sports Management, it pains me to see how bad a shape the basketball program continues to be in these days. Remember the days when you could scream emphatically, “We Are St. John’s!!!!!!”

It’s been a while since we could take tremendous pride in our Redmen. I refuse to use Red Storm because it’s not who they are in my book. How pathetic is it that there are so many supersensitive people who waste their team making a ridiculous deal out of team names. As if it’s some sort of bias associated with a nickname. This is freaking sports people! Not politics!!!!! When are these losers going to move on with their lives instead of bitching about stuff that really isn’t their business?

There. It had to be said.

Now onto the Redmen’s latest Big East defeat falling by 10 at Louisville. It’s too bad that Anthony Mason, Jr. plays on such a bad team because the son of the former Knick we called Mase has been utterly brilliant lately. His latest big performance today included seven three-pointers and a game-high 29 on 10-of-21 from the floor in St. John’s 67-57 road defeat at Louisville.

The 29 matched a career best established this past week in a blowout home loss to 13th ranked Pittsburgh. Problem was the rest of his teammates shot an inept 7-of-32 from the field for an ugly 21.9 percent.

That just won’t get it done against any halfway decent team. Especially in the Big East. So, can it get any worse for Norm Roberts’ club which deproved to 1-6 in conference play and 7-11 overall? Are you kidding?!?!?!?!?! They next get perennial rival Georgetown at the Garden on Wednesday. That could be ugly.

This team just doesn’t have much offensive creativity. It’s basically watch their only legit scoring threat while standing around. Is there any coaching being done? Granted. They usually play hard as evidenced by the spirit the five on the floor minus former Lincoln star Eugene Lawrence had in the final seconds playing to the buzzer.

I don’t want to hear about Lawrence moving into third all-time on the school’s assist list. While he can be effective at times, he just isn’t consistent enough running this offense. So much of how you play depends on your point guard. They’re expected to be the floor leader. There are too many instances where they’re jacking up shots early in the shot clock instead of moving the ball crisply. That reflects poorly on Lawrence who hasn’t distributed the ball nearly enough as the Brooklyn native did last year averaging a career best 5.6 assists.

Want to know the difference in this game aside from former St. Patrick’s star Derrick Caracter predictably torching the smaller Johnies inside for a team-high 17 including a couple of three-point plays during a 16-1 spurt which broke open a close second half? Points off turnovers. The Cards held roughly a 20-point edge in that category because the Redmen didn’t take care of the basketball and allowed too many transition buckets during that critical stretch where they went ice cold from the floor after slicing a Cardinal 15-point deficit to seven.

Like many games this season, Roberts’ team got close but then were answered by superior offensive play from their opponent. By the time they got back on track thanks to a great individual effort from Mason who scored inside and outside, it was too late as they trailed 56-35 with 8:30 left.

I think what’s most disappointing is how Rick Pitino’s Cards started the run which salted away the game improving them to 5-2 in the Big East and 15-5 overall. By setting up a couple of wide open trifectas including a big momentum-killing one from long range specialist Juan Palacios. You had to know they would do that.

Even with Mason draining a career high seven from downtown, it was still the Cards who made one more from long range hitting on 9-of-22 while St. John’s finished 8-of-22. Btw…Mason was 7-of-11 while the rest of his teammates were a putrid 1-for-11 with just sophomore Larry Wright (1-for-7 FG, all three’s) getting his only basket from behind the arc in garbage time.

Not surprisingly, Mason, Jr. was the only St. John’s player in double figures while the Cardinals had more of a balanced attack with three players getting at least 10-or-more including 15 and five boards from Jerry Smith along with three treys.

A pair of promising freshmen Justin Burrell and D.J. Kennedy had nine and seven respectively for the Redmen.

I will say this about Mason, Jr. This kid has worked extremely hard to comeback from an ankle sprain and really is ballin’. It’s ashame that his team isn’t a little better because he’s not getting enough exposure for how good he really is.

If you watched how he scored his baskets and got teammates involved late, it’s a credit to how hard he plays. He still was giving it a yeoman effort at the defensive end as well.

The small forward deserves more recognition. He’s been in double digits 11 straight games and continues to get better all the time. The good news is he’s got another year remaining. Maybe that can improve his draft stock. But much will depend on his teammates maturity level next Fall.

For now, it’s definitely a struggle for Mason and his teammates. We’ll see what they come up with against one of the best teams in the country Wednesday night.

McAlarney torches Villanova: If you live out on Staten Island AKA Shaolin, there aren’t many HS basketball players who go onto play for big time college programs. That former Moore Catholic star guard Kyle McAlarney is doing so for Notre Dame is just awesome stuff.

The junior guard continues to improve his game. Today, he lit up No.18 Villanova for a game best 30 points and five assists in a solid 90-80 road win for the Fighting Irish.

Now 20, McAlarney was a lethal scorer out here in his Moore days with former coach Rich Postiglione leaving the keys to the gym for his star player to get more practice time in. I saw him play a couple of times fortunately as SI76 covers HS sports like the pros out here. The kid is just deadly from long range. He was nailing NBA three’s during his HS days where during an impressive four-year career he averaged almost 35-a-game along with 4.5 boards and a respectable six assists.

Staten Island’s all-time leading scorer finished with 2,566 points- placing fourth all-time in New York state history. He also won the Jacques Award twice for the best player out here and earned New York Class A Player of the Year in his senior year back in 2005.

Sure. The Staten Island High School League (SIHSL) isn’t quite on the level of the rest of the city but basketball out here has gotten better. PSAL schools such as Curtis and Port Richmond are usually good and catholic programs such as St. Peter’s, Farrell and Moore compete against some of the best schools in the city including Rice, St. Raymond’s and All Hallows.

You can’t take away from how good this kid is. If you can play, they’ll find you as evidenced with Mike Brey’s Irish. His sophomore season was well documented for the wrong reasons as he got suspended for marijuana possession last year.

It looked like he wouldn’t be returning to school. McAlarney even appeared on SI76’s Sports Time with host Joe Nugent where the former Moore star was interviewed at the school during his time off.

Not surprisingly, Nugent went to bat for the kid who never got in trouble before. Or at least that’s what we heard. You never really can tell. But he did have a solid reputation and achieved high grades at school. So, who knows?

Sometimes, kids make mistakes. It took a trip by Brey to his home which convinced McAlarney to return for his Junior season at South Bend. This year, he’s averaging a career high 14.6 points along with 3.4 assists on a good Irish team which should be back in the NCAA tournament. At the moment, thanks to five trifectas and an efficient 10-of-15 shooting from the junior, they improved to 4-2 in conference play and 14-4 overall.

So, how much has changed for McAlarney in a year? Well for starters, he’s now in the news for the right reasons drawing plenty of praise instead of harsh criticism.

As Chicago Tribune reporter Brian Hamilton points out in a recent article appropriately entitled, “From castoff to blastoff,” McAlarney has done a lot of growing up this season.

“I’m a very different player on the court, but also just a very different person, I feel,” McAlarney said. “I’m very proud of myself. I hold my head high no matter what. I kind of realized basketball is just a game. You have to enjoy every minute of it because when it gets taken away, and you can’t play in games and compete, it’s pretty tough.

“You just have to enjoy every moment of it. I’ve been doing that this year. And I’m having a blast.”

Lesson learned.

Say this about Uconn coach Jim Calhoun. He knows how to coach in big games. The Hall of Famer who’s guided the Huskies to two national championships and six Big East Tournament victories came away with an impressive five-point road victory over No.7 ranked Indiana (17-2) in Bloomington- snapping the Hoosiers’ 29-game home winning streak.

Despite suspending starting guard Jerome Dyson (14.3 PPG ranks 2nd on team) and backup guard Doug Wiggins, Calhoun’s young team still came away with an impressive come from behind 68-63 victory over Kevin Sampson’s strong perimeter oriented Hoosiers Saturday.

“It obviously isn’t something that is making me particularly happy,” Calhoun acknowledged to The Hartford Courant the previous night at an Indiana hotel.

“This particular suspension is mine, no one else’s. I took the action based upon what I felt was in the best interest of our basketball team and the university.”

It just makes Connecticut’s (14-5, 4-3 Big East) well earned road victory over a tough opponent in a great atmosphere all the more impressive. The Huskies were led by starting point guard A.J. Price who had a solid all around game finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.

The junior out of Amityville, New York led a balanced attack which featured five Huskies hitting double digits including Craig Austrie who replaced Dyson in the starting lineup and scored nine of his team best 15 from the charity stripe down the stretch. The junior who usually comes off the bench for Calhoun shoots better than 93 percent from the line and did in the Hoosiers by going nine-for-12 to put away the game.

Uconn showed enough poise to offset 11 three-pointers including six from Indiana’s Armon Bassett- two more by his lonesome than their four from downtown.

Part of the reason the Huskies prevailed was that they were able to limit one of the best freshmen in the country Eric Gordon to 14 on five of 16 shooting including just one-for-five from behind the arc. The talented guard who stars for his hometown school entered averaging better than 22-per-game including over 41 percent from three. Uconn was able to get him into foul trouble (four fouls) and limit his effectiveness.

One of the big differences in the two teams was the Huskies’ ability to score inside. They were plus-18 inside the paint thanks to bigs Jeff Adrien (11 pts), Stanley Robinson (11 pts) and 7-3 giant Hasheem Thabeet (12 pts on six-of-seven FG). That kind of size advantage gave them a decided edge (34-16) despite Indiana senior power forward D.J. White getting 13 despite four fouls.

The Huskies aren’t known as a great free throw shooting team but they got their share going to the line 18 more times than the Hoosiers (six-of-eight), finishing a respectable 18-for-26.

They won despite the Big Ten’s No.1 shooting team jumping out to a quick nine-point lead on three treys. Trailing 16-4 in the first half, Calhoun’s club went on a 12-1 run to go up 19-16 with over seven minutes left, never relinquishing the lead.

Their aggressive D limited the Hoosiers to 37.1 percent overall and just 27.6 pct in the first half.

This was a very good win for the Huskies who clearly are improving. They recently beat No.13 Marquette by 16. This could be a dangerous team come March. Especially with the solid mix of guards and inside presence.

One thing is certain. Don’t bet against Calhoun. He might be a little arrogant but the guy knows how to win. I don’t think I’d want to see them in my bracket come tournament time.