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Friar Starting Five: October 27

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Kicking off the week with a look at the issues at Syracuse (then and now), a Big East power reviving their series with UConn, another five star recruit potentially coming to the the league, ESPN’s questions about the Big East, and a look back at PC vs. Creighton in the championship.

1. Extra benefits, academic issues, failed drug tests — the NCAA is looking into the last ten years at Syracuse. This isn’t the first time that Jim Boeheim’s been investigated by the NCAA. The program was put on probation in 1992 following a two year look that also led to lost scholarships and a postseason ban.

Here’s a New York Times article from ’92 on the investigation.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has been investigating Syracuse for well over a year for assorted violations in recruiting.

The N.C.A.A. investigation could put Syracuse out of the post-season tournament next year, although it is unlikely to produce the so-called death penalty. Nobody likes to be seen as the University of Nevada-Las Vegas East. Nobody likes to go recruiting players and have other coaches whisper the dreaded P-word, probation.

That cloud became noticeable a year ago February, and perhaps contributed to Syracuse losing to Richmond in the first round of the N.C.A.A. tournament last March. Of course, you could also see it as a case of a disciplined Dick Tarrant team outplaying a loosey-goosey Jim Boeheim team, and don’t think Boeheim didn’t notice.

“I spent six hours talking to the N.C.A.A. on Monday and Tuesday,” Boeheim happened to recall in his moment of glory and joy and triumph yesterday. “The Richmond game was on Thursday.”

That was the low point, Boeheim said yesterday. Billy Owens understandably went off to pro ball a year early, leaving Syracuse with only one senior, Dave Johnson.

This year began with Conrad McRae missing three games while the N.C.A.A. tried to ban him for violations in his recruiting. That left doubts about whether Syracuse could function with the N.C.A.A. cloud overhead.

2. Georgetown and UConn have agreed on a two year home-and-home series beginning in 2015-16.

3. I found the line below misleading. The typically outstanding Dana O’neil stretched a bit here, insinuating that Providence is among the Big East schools that have been a coaching turnstyle because they’ve had five coaches over the past 20 years. How many have had just three since 1998?

From her article:

And the league has revolved coaches in and out the door. Kevin Willard is Seton Hall’s sixth coach in the last 20 years; Steve Lavin is St. John’s fifth boss in that period (sixth if you count Mike Dunlap, who served an interim year while Lavin battled cancer); and Cooley is coach number five for Providence.

4. New Jersey superstar guard Isaiah Briscoe is down to three schools: Kentucky, UConn and St. John’s. If he picks the Johnnies he’ll be the third 5 star prospect in the class of 2015 to choose the Big East.

5. With the season now under three weeks away, here’s a look at the Big East Championship win versus Creighton.

 

One Comment

  1. Ann Agostini

    October 27, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    i could see big east highlights over and over and over again…actually i have…and get goosebumps each time

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