BIG EAST Player Awards

The Big East individual player awards were announced yesterday. Syracuse senior forward Rick Jackson was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. St. John’s guard Dwight Hardy is the BIG EAST Most Improved Player. Hardy’s teammate, forward Justin Burrell, is the winner of the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award.  Pittsburgh guard Brad Wanamaker won the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

Jackson was a shot-blocking and rebounding standout for the Orange. He won the BIG EAST rebounding crown by averaging 9.9 rebounds in league games. In all contests, he was first in the league with a 10.7 mark. Jackson is the first Syracuse player to win the BIG EAST rebounding title since Derrick Coleman in 1989-90. Jackson also averaged a league-leading 7.2 defensive rebounds game. The native of Philadelphia, Pa., led the BIG EAST in blocked shots with a 2.5 average in all games and a 2.8 mark in league play. Jackson averaged 13.1 ppg.

Hardy helped St. John’s return to a contender’s role in the BIG EAST standings. The 6-2 senior finished fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.9 ppg. Though not named to any of the Preseason All-BIG EAST teams, he earned an All-BIG EAST First Team selection. The native of the Bronx, N.Y., helped the Red Storm end the regular season by winning nine of their last 11 games. 

Burrell, a 6-8 senior, is also from the Bronx, N.Y.  He was a key contributor off the bench in helping the Red Storm to a 20-10 overall record and a 12-6 BIG EAST mark. Burrell averaged 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds while playing 21.1 minutes per game. He shot 51.1 percent from the field. 

Wanamaker has been an exemplary performer for Pittsburgh. He guided the Panthers to the BIG EAST regular-season title with a 15-3 record. Overall, Pitt is 27-4. An all-around contributor, the senior captain from Philadelphia, Pa., averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals in all games. His assist/turnover ratio of 2.3 was third in the BIG EAST.

The winners of the remaining regular-season awards - the BIG EAST Player of the Year, OppenheimerFunds BIG EAST Coach of the Year, and American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced later on today. 

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year

Rick Jackson, Syracuse

BIG EAST Most Improved Player

Dwight Hardy, St. John’s

BIG EAST Sixth Man Award

Justin Burrell, St. John’s

BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award

Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh

**Courtesy of BIG EAST Media**

2011 BIG EAST Men's Championship Is Set!

The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived: the 2011 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Championship bracket has been announced. I don't know about you guys, but this the most excited I've been for the tournament in like a year. Saturday, March 4th marked the end of the regular season, and now we're staring down the barrel of the BET! Oooh, I don't like that. I'll just stick with Big East Tournament.

The Pittsburgh Panthers went 15-3 in conference play this season, and wrapped up their sixth BIG EAST regular-season title Saturday with a 60-50 win against Villanova. This win gave the Panthers a one-game edge on second-place Notre Dame in the final standings. Pittsburgh enters The BIG EAST Championship as the No. 1 overall seed for the third time, and are looking to win their third BIG EAST tournament title. The way they've played this season, that 3rd chip is a strong possibility.

Louisville, Syracuse and Notre Dame join Pittsburgh as the top four seeds in The BIG EAST Championship. These four schools will have byes through the first two rounds of the tournament, which begins on Tuesday, March 8, and won’t play until Thursday’s quarterfinals.

All of the games will take place at Madison Square Garden from 3/8 - 3/12. So who's playing who and when?! Here's your schedule: 

Tuesday, March 8 – First Round (ESPN2/ESPN 3D)
No. 9 Connecticut (21-9) vs. No. 16 DePaul (7-23)................................................ Noon

No. 12 Seton Hall (13-17) vs. No. 13 Rutgers (14-16)............................................ 2 p.m.
No. 10 Villanova (21-10) vs. No. 15 USF (9-22)..................................................... 7 p.m.

No. 11 Marquette (18-13) vs. No. 14 Providence (15-16)..................................... 9 p.m.

 

Wednesday, March 9 – Second Round (ESPN/ESPN 3D)

No. 8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. Connecticut/DePaul winner..................................... Noon

No. 5 St. John’s (20-10) vs. Seton Hall/Rutgers winner........................................... 2 p.m.

No. 7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. Villanova/USF winner.................................................. 7 p.m.

No. 6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. Marquette/Providence winner............................ 9 p.m.

 

Thursday, March 10 – Quarterfinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)

No. 1 Pittsburgh (27-4) vs. 8/9/16 winner................................................................ Noon

No. 4 Syracuse (25-6) vs. 5/12/13 winner............................................................... 2 p.m.

No. 2 Notre Dame (25-5) vs. 7/10/15 winner......................................................... 7 p.m.

No. 3 Louisville (23-8) vs. 6/11/14 winner.............................................................. 9 p.m.

 

Friday, March 11 – Semifinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)

Thursday afternoon winners..................................................................................... 7 p.m.

Thursday evening winners........................................................................................ 9 p.m.

 

Saturday, March 12 – Championship (ESPN/ESPN 3D)

Semifinal winners....................................................................................................... 9 p.m.

I have seen almost half of the Big East teams play in person this season since St. John's has several "home" games at Madison Square Garden. I've had a first-hand look at Villanova, Rutgers, UConn, Georgetown, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The one game I missed was Notre Dame getting smacked by St. John's in late January.

It has been a journey and I'm so honored to be able to cover the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament tomorrrow. I will be at Madison Square Garden for ALL of these games, and I hope you guys will join me! Keep up with the Big East tournament through this blog, or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/chichi27.

CAN'T WAIT! *Bart Scott voice*