2009 Big East Tournament: Two Key First-Round Match-ups

The Big East Tournament Field is Set. What First Round Match-ups Are the Most Intriguing?

Forrest W. Kobayashi
Forrest W. Kobayashi, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Mar 9, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
The 2009 Big East Tournament field is set, and it is looking to be one of the most exciting college basketball tournaments in a while. Many people across the country believe that the Big East is the best conference for college basketball, and the teams should show this starting tomorrow, when the first set of games are played. Here are two of the intriguing first round match-ups in this tournament.

Georgetown vs. St. Johns

The Georgetown Hoyas have had an off year in 2009. While many people expected this team to compete for a top-five finish in the conference, this has certainly not been the case. Georgetown F DaJuan Summers, C Greg Monroe, G Chris Wright, and G Austin Freeman all average over 10 points per game, but the balanced offensive production has not translated into many wins for the storied basketball program.

The St. Johns Red Storm are led by a key player in G-F Paris Horne. He averages over 14 points per game, and will play a key role if the Red Storm want to be able to take down the Hoyas. DJ Kennedy and Sean Evans will play a supporting role for Horne.

Georgetown needs to get a few wins in the tournament if they want any chance at getting into the NCAA Tournament field. Expect them to bring their A game, and defeat the Red Storm here.

Notre Dame vs. Rutgers

Another intriguing first round match-up is the match-up between the Fighting Irish and the Scarlet Knights. Notre Dame is led by one of the Big East's best players in Luke Harangody. Harangody and Kyle McAlarney will lead the team in scoring, but will it be enough?οΎ 

Meanwhile, Mike Rosario and Anthony Farmer will lead the Scarlet Knights in an underdog position. Can they pull off the upset? It is a possibility, but don't count on it. Notre Dame can not only win this game, but they could go on and be a real contender in this tournament, especially if their top players can lead the team in a tournament surge. Watch out for the Fighting Irish in this year's tournament.

Source: www.cbssports.com

Published by Forrest W. Kobayashi

Forrest W. Kobayashi is a social media enthusiast, blogger and freelance journalist from Alexandria, VA.  View profile

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