Well, Psot-Standard Beat Writer Mike Waters and I were wondering out loud about why Jack McCallum had been bopping around with the SU hoops squad over the past week or so.  I’m sure Mike figured this one out on his own.  I, on the other hand had to wait for the article.

McCallum follows the Orange around during it’s tough 2-6 stretch, writing about the rigors of the Big East.  Enjoy.

After rebounding from their worst loss by far of the season against Notre Dame by defeating DePaul 99-54, the No. 7 Cards will look to continue their pursuit of the Big East regular season championship tonight at home against the Providence Friars.

Louisville has won the last six meetings, and will be heavily favored to make it seven in a row against head coach Rick Pitino’s former team.

Against DePaul, the Cards executed very well in their half court sets, resulting in a season high 18 three pointers and an overall percentage of 59.1 from the field.

Providence gives up 74.9 points per game, so I expect another offensive explosion tonight from the Cards. I’m curious to see how many minutes Preston Knowles will get tonight, given his outburst against DePaul.

Terrence Williams, the team leader in assists and steals, will see very limited action. I don’t see why Pitino would risk further injury against a team in the lower echelon of the conference, and it will give reserves like Reggie Delk a chance to get some playing time.

The remainder of the schedule for the Cards only has one team above .500 in the conference, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the Big East. Tonight’s game is a must win because although statistically the remaining opponents may not be intimidating, three out of the five will be on the road for Louisville.

I see an easy victory for the Cards tonight. Hopefully Samardo Samuels will get back into rhythm offensively and Earl Clark can start to knock down some outside shots.

Prediction – Providence 61, Louisville 87

First of all, I am making these assumptions based on my own beliefs and the fact the USF coach Jim Leavitt prefers to hire in-house.

Tuesday’s departure of defensive coordinator Wally Burnham left a huge void in the USF coaching staff. He is well-regarded in the locker room, on campus and in the community, so it will be hard for somebody to replace Leavitt’s longest-tenured assistant.

However, here are some odds on coaches currently on USF’s staff that could replace Burnham. 

1. Kevin Patrick

Patrick is the defensive ends coach and is in his second stint with the Bulls, having coached from 1996-1998. His impact on the defensive ends was evident right away. He has a no-nonsense demeanor at practice, and can sound downright mean to players that don’t do things his way. He did get more out of senior defensive end Jarriett Buie (5.5 sacks, as opposed to two career sacks coming into ’08) than any of the other coaches on the staff combined, and he is one of the best recruiters in the nation. He helped lead USF to its first Top-25 recruiting class (according to ESPN). However, last season was his first as a coach since 1998, when he left to run a medical supply business.

Odds: 5-1. Even though he might instill some discipline, Leavitt might have to look outside to bring in a big name to replace Burnham.

2. Troy Douglas

Douglas has been with Leavitt for four seasons, and he helped turn corners Mike Jenkins (No. 25 overall) and Trae Williams (fifth round) into NFL draft picks. He’s been a college coach for 20 years, so he can bring a wealth of experience to a position that will need it. However, the St. Pete Times reported late Tuesday that Douglas is considering a job at North Carolina, which could hurt his chances with Leavitt.

Odds: 20-1. He is already looking for greener pastures, which could give Leavitt another job to fill.

3. John Hendrick

He is the defensive line coach (yes, he shared duties with Patrick) entering his second season under Leavitt. However, he missed a large portion of the summer and early season after suffering a heart attack that required bypass surgery, so he is still trying to acclimate to the system. He’s an experienced coach, but he looks like a long-shot for the job.

Odds: 50-1. Well, with all the coaches leaving USF’s staff, he could be up for a promotion by default.

J.R.

See? I told you Marquette was a second-half team.

The Golden Eagles started the second half on a 32-13 run (although it could have been worse, I just lost count). Wes Matthews led Marquette with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting, Lazar Hayward scored 14 and Dominic James and Jerel McNeal dropped 13 apiece (while dishing eight and seven assists respectively).

Marquette also shot 41.2 percent from the field in the second half while holding Seton Hall to 34.6 percent shooting (9-of-26). The Pirates turned the ball over 23 times in the game, and Marquette held a 25-13 advantage in points off of turnovers.

Overall, the Golden Eagles outscored Seton Hall 43-30 and completely dominated the final 20 minutes. So there. Just like I said. Marquette wins by double-digits. Never in doubt (unless you count the first half).

Wow. That was ugly.

It’s halftime here in Milwaukee with Seton Hall leading No. 10 Marquette 37-34. This has been, without a doubt, the ugliest half of basketball I’ve seen Marquette play this season. The Golden Eagles have been able to limit Seton Hall’s leading scorer Jeremy Hazell to six points on 2-of-6 shooting, but guard Paul Gause is 4-of-5 from the field with 10 points.

Marquette’s saving grace in this half has been, surprisingly, free throws. The Golden Eagles are 7-of-7 from the line, and guard Dominic James has made both (both!) of his attempts. Wesley Matthews leads Marquette with nine points, and even forward Dwight Burke is helping with four points and five rebounds. He also hit a jumper from the elbow earlier. No joke.

Marquette has been a second half team all year, and I doubt the Golden Eagles will shoot 40 percent in the second half like they did in the first 20 minutes. The worry is that they continue to be infatuated with the 3-point shot (they were 3-of-11 in the half), but no doubt coach Buzz Williams will mention that during the intermission.

We’ll have more from Milwaukee when this one ends.

It’s about 30 minutes until game time here in Milwaukee between No. 10 Marquette (21-4, 10-2 Big East) and Seton Hall (14-10, 5-7). Marquette is coming off a win over St. John’s, breaking its first two-game losing streak of the season. Seton Hall is coming off a relatively close loss to UConn (62-54) on Saturday.

After Marquette’s win over St. John’s Saturday, coach Buzz Williams said his team was renewing its focus on defense. In fact, for a week, the Golden Eagles didn’t run a single offensive drill (according to Williams). That worked out, and you shouldn’t expect anything different tonight. Marquette will likely use solid perimeter defenders like Jerel McNeal and Dominic James to lock down Seton Hall guard Jeremy Hazell (22.8 ppg). The Golden Eagles will also have to watch out for forward Robert Mitchell (14.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg).

On the offensive end, nothing ever seems to change for Marquette. McNeal will likely carry the heaving scoring load, and is averaging 20.2 ppg. If he falters, the Golden Eagles can turn to James (11.8 ppg), Wesley Matthews (18.4 ppg) or forward Lazar Hayward (16.0 ppg). As Williams says though, the Golden Eagles will get their points somewhere.

We’ll have more from this one as we go.

Before I even begin, I want to stress that I haven’t spoken with USF coach Jim Leavitt. I am merely speculating as to who will fill the vacant offensive coordinator job.

Knowing that Leavitt usually promotes people in-house, I have broken down some odds for three individuals who may be up for the offensive coordinator job (or may not).

1. Mike Canales

Canales is the wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator for the Bulls, but he was also Leavitt’s first offensive coordinator (from 1996-2000). He is in his second stint at USF and has been considered the favorite for the job since Greg Gregory was ‘released from his duties’ as offensive coordinator a few weeks ago. However, if he was such a lock he would likely have the job by now. He’s also interviewed for other jobs in each of the last two seasons — the same offense that got Gregory his walking papers. 

Odds: 3-1. He’s the favorite until somebody wows Leavitt.

2. Carl Franks

Franks is the running backs coach, but has a wealth of experience in the coaching ranks. He spent nearly five years as the head coach at Duke and was an assistant at Florida for nine years (including the 1996 National Championship season). He’s one of USF’s more consummate recruiters, and he has a way of getting the hot hand the ball during games. He could also help instill some discipline into a program that sorely needs it. USF is the most penalized team in major college football over the last seven seasons, and he helped Duke players graduate at a 100% rate.

Odds: 7-1. He has the experience, but it’s unlikely Leavitt will realize it.

3. Mike Simmonds

Simmonds is USF’s offensive line coach and a former NFL player. He gained most of his success as a coach at the prep school level, where he guided Jefferson High School to three Florida state tournaments in 14 years. He played in the Tampa Area, he coached in the Tampa area (which could help in recruiting), and now, he is guiding USF’s offensive line. He’s one of the more vocal coaches at practices, but his lack of experience at the NCAA level (he’s only entering his third season) could hurt his chances for a big promotion.

Odds: 40-1. He’s a real dark horse in this race.

Check back later as I break down some odds for the current defensive staff.

J.R.

This is perhaps the biggest coaching news to come out of USF, at least in my four years at the University.

Wally Burnham, who has spent nine years on Jim Leavitt’s coaching staff and eight as defensive coordinator, has left USF to take the vacant defensive coordinator position at Iowa State University.

“Wally did a great job for us, we will sorely miss him and his wife Barbara,” said Leavitt in a statement released by USF Athletics.  “I am absolutely proud of everything he has done here and the success he has brought to USF.  We wish him luck at Iowa State and I know that he will always be successful because of his tremendous character.”

This move seems a little shocking when considering Burnham’s success. He led USF to be the No. 10 overall defense in 2008.

This follows last week’s news of former offensive coordinator Greg Gregory leaving the team for South Alabama’s offensive coordinator spot. 

As spring practice nears, I’ll post any news on potential replacements. That being said, Leavitt typically hires from the inside. Later today I’ll post my top three candidates for each coordinator position based on members of Leavitt’s current staff.

J.R.

#4 Pitt upset #1 UConn 76-68 last night as DeJuan Blair scored 22 points and brought down 23 rebounds. 

It was the second time Blair has recorded a 20-20 game in his career, tying a school record.

Blair upstaged UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet who scored only 5 points and 4 rebounds. Constant pressure from Pitt’s defense resulted in Thabeet making only one field goal; a season-low.

Foul trouble and an early injury limited Thabeet’s playing time to 23 minutes, marking only the seventh time Thabeet has not played at least 25 minutes this season.

After struggling to keep up with Pitt throughout most of the first half, the Huskies finished strong and entered halftime trailing by three, 36-33.

UConn took the lead (50-49) with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half. Thabeet was forced to ride the pine as he committed his fourth foul and the Panthers eventually tied the game at 61.

With under 3:30 left in regulation, Levance Fields (who hadn’t scored a field goal all game) hit two unanswered three point shots to give the Panthers the lead for good. Fields would go on to add four foul shots and finish the game with 10 points and 5 rebounds. 

Sam Young went 4-of-6 from the arc and finished with a game-high 25 points.

UConn was led by A.J. Price who scored a team-high 18 points and also added a game-high 8 assists.

Well, I had forgotten about ESPN’s “Mt. Rushmore of Sports” deal.  You know, the thing following the greatness that is “Who’s Now?”  Anyways, I was reminded of it while watching Sportscenter tonight.  The first thought that ran through my mind: “Boy, somebody from Syracuse has to be on here.”  Hey, I was right.

There was a worry when Riley began running down Jeter, Taylor, Parcells, Messier, George (not the curious one, the owner one), Joltin’ Joe etc. 

But amongst all the greats I still felt there were a couple people that needed to be on the Mt. Rushmore for New York – after all, it is for the state, not the city.  There were some obvious choices and my first inkling was correct…

1. Jim Brown – the guy made the list (thankfully).  He’s the greatest running back ever.  He’s the greatest lacrosse player ever (hands down – as much as Gary Gait and Mikey Powell put on shows in Syracuse, rules were never changed to try and stop them – only to make the game safer and prevent jumping over the net to score).  They guy is in the Canton, South Bend and the Lax HOF.  He very well may be the best athlete ever.  The banner at the Carrier Dome says so – “Greatest Player Ever.”

2. Ernie Davis – He was the first black Heisman winner. 

3. Jim Boeheim – He is synonymous with Central New York and Syracuse basketball.  It is one of the greatest coaches to ever roam the college hoops sidelines and is enshrined both Springfield and Kansas City (college hoops HOF).

All in all, they got it right with Brown.  Kudos to ESPN for not keeping it focused on the Big Apple – I mean, they left off Mays for Brown.