Schedule Causing Hall To Break Loose For Pirates

Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez joked that being a head coach is a pretty good job and isn't too stressful until the games start.

"When the games start, all hell breaks loose," Gonzalez said.

All hell certainly has been breaking loose for the Pirates, who arguably are in the midst of one of the toughest seven-game stretches in conference play in college basketball history.

The Pirates' first seven Big East games: West Virginia, Syracuse, at UConn, Cincinnati, at Georgetown, Louisville and Pittsburgh. Louisville is the only of those squads that isn't currently projected as an NCAA Tournament team by CollegeRPI.com, and it isn't that far of a stretch to think the Cardinal also will end up with an NCAA Tournament berth.

Seton Hall's killer stretch has resulted in an overall 11-6 record, including 2-4 in Big East play, after Thursday night's 80-77 victory against Louisville. On Sunday, the Pirates host Pittsburgh.

One-third of the way to history

Villanova's 94-68 rout of Rutgers on Wednesday left the Wildcats as the league's only unbeaten team one-third of the way through the Big East season.

At 6-0 in league play with 12 Big East games remaining, can the Wildcats do the unthinkable and run the table in league play? The depth of the league makes it unlikely they could -- and then, consider it has been 14 years since a team made it through Big East play with less than two league losses.

In 1995-96, UConn went 17-1. In 1984-85, St. John's finished 15-1 in Big East play. In the league's first season of 1979-80, when the league schedule only consisted of six games, no team could make it through unbeaten as Syracuse, Georgetown and St. John's each went 5-1.

Villanova coach Jay Wright said, when the league schedule is released, he immediately looks at it to see which team the Wildcats play twice, but ultimately it doesn't really matter.

"It never works out the way you think it's going to," Wright said. "It's so funny."

Villanova's toughest challenges to finishing as the league's first unbeaten team include consecutive road games at Georgetown (Feb. 6) and West Virginia (Feb. 8) along with trips to Pittsburgh (Feb. 21) and Syracuse (Feb. 27).

Player of Year already a slam dunk?

The Big East season isn't even to the halfway mark yet, but St. John's coach Norm Roberts already has pegged his choice for the league's player of the year: Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds.

"He's a terrific leader," Roberts said. "He wants to take big shots, make big plays. When you're as talented as he is, the game slows down. He's a terrific player and probably right now the player of the year in our conference."

Reynolds is fourth in the league in scoring, fifth in 3-pointers made, ninth in 3-point percentage, 11th in free-throw percentage and 12th in steals. More importantly, his play has led the Wildcats to a 17-1 record and the nation's No. 4 ranking.

Just another night in the league

On Jan. 14, Providence beat DePaul, 79-62. Then, three days later, Marquette beat Providence, 93-63. So, of course, on Wednesday, when DePaul played Marquette, the Blue Demons ... won?

DePaul upset Marquette, 51-50, on Mike Stovall's shot with seven-tenths of a second remaining. It was the Blue Demons' first victory under interim coach Tracy Webster and ended their 24-game Big East losing streak.

At least one person wasn't shocked.

"It didn't surprise me," Providence coach Keno Davis said. "The parity in college basketball ... the difference between ourselves, DePaul and Marquette, there's a difference but not so great if you're not playing your best basketball you can't be beat."

Webster, who was an assistant at Kentucky, Illinois and Purdue, said he's finding out there's nothing quite like league play in the Big East.

"Not to put down any other conferences," Webster said. "But [in the Big East] you don't have a night off. You have to make sure you're prepared at all times."

Not missing a beat

Cincinnati has never finished higher than eighth in the Big East, but the Bearcats were picked to finish seventh this season. A big reason for that was the addition of heralded freshman Lance Stephenson.

On Wednesday, Stephenson didn't play against South Florida because of a sprained ankle, but the Bearcats still had enough firepower to get the victory over the Bulls. Since ending a three-game Big East losing streak, the Bearcats (13-6, 4-3 Big East) now have back-to-back wins against Notre Dame and USF.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin is hopeful Stephenson can play Sunday at Louisville.

"He [Stephenson] was mad enough that he wasn't playing [against USF]," Cronin said. "He will be off again [Thursday] and it will give him 48 hours. We will re-evaluate him again. We won't put anyone out there on one leg. He will do anything he can to play at Louisville, but it is tough to say."

Looking ahead

On Saturday, Connecticut (12-6, 3-3 Big East) – without Coach Jim Calhoun – plays host to No. 1 Texas. "It's a game we're looking forward to," said UConn assistant George Blaney, who has taken over the head coaching duties while Calhoun is on medical leave. "It's Jim's team, it's not my team. The players have to adjust to a different style – whether I yell or don't yell – but the way we play, we should be playing the same way." ... The Big East's top rivalry continues Monday, when Georgetown visits Syracuse. The Hoyas have not won in the Carrier Dome since 2002. "It clearly is one of the top rivalries in college basketball," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "Just the history, the players, coaches and games that have taken place. Meaningful games." The teams also will play Feb. 18 at Georgetown. ... Notre Dame, with 2008 Big East Player of the Year and this year's preseason player of the year Luke Harangody, visits Reynolds, the leading candidate for this year's player of the year, and Villanova on Wednesday. ... USF's loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday dropped the Bulls to 12-62 all-time in the Big East. USF has never won back-to-back Big East games since joining the league five years ago. Playing without injured forward Gus Gilchrist has not made it any easier. "It's almost like players are trying to take a possession off here or there to catch their breath," USF coach Stan Heath said. "It [Gilchrist's absence since Dec. 8] has been costly. It does tend to wear on you mentally and physically."

Contact FanHouse senior writer Brett McMurphy at brettmcmurphy@gmail.com