2011–12 Big East Conference men's basketball season

2011–12 Big East Conference men's basketball season
League NCAA Division I
Sport Basketball
Duration December 27, 2011
through March 3, 2012
Number of teams 16
Total attendance 2,943,956 [1]
Average attendance 10,823 [1]
TV partner(s) Big East Network, ESPN
Regular Season
Champion Marquette (14–4)
Season MVP Jae Crowder (MARQ)
Tournament
Champions Louisville
  Runners-up Cincinnati
Tournament MVP Peyton Siva (LOU)
2011–12 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#2 Syracuse 17 – 1   .944     34 – 3   .919
#11 Marquette 14 – 4   .778     27 – 8   .771
Notre Dame 13 – 5   .722     22 – 12   .647
Cincinnati 12 – 6   .667     26 – 11   .703
#15 Georgetown 12 – 6   .667     24 – 9   .727
South Florida 12 – 6   .667     22 – 14   .611
#17 Louisville† 10 – 8   .556     30 – 10   .750
West Virginia 9 – 9   .500     19 – 14   .576
Connecticut 8 – 10   .444     20 – 14   .588
Seton Hall 8 – 10   .444     21 – 13   .618
Rutgers 6 – 12   .333     14 – 18   .438
St. John's 6 – 12   .333     13 – 19   .406
Pittsburgh 5 – 13   .278     22 – 17   .564
Villanova 5 – 13   .278     13 – 19   .406
Providence 4 – 14   .222     15 – 17   .469
DePaul 3 – 15   .167     12 – 19   .387
† 2012 Big East Tournament winner
As of March 31, 2012[2]; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011–12 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the 33rd season of competitive basketball played by the Big East Conference, since its inception in 1979, and involved its 16 full-time member schools. The season officially opened on December 27, 2011, when Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh, 72–59, and St. John's defeated Providence, 91–67, and ended on March 3, 2012, with a 61–58 victory for Rutgers over St. John's.

Marquette captured the first of two consecutive regular season titles after Syracuse was forced to vacate 9 wins from the 2011-2012 season,[3] and third outright, with a conference win-loss record of 17–1, which tied Connecticut in 1995–96 for most regular season conference wins in conference history.[4] The Orange also received the no. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament, and a bye into the quarterfinals, along with 2nd-seed Marquette, 3rd-seed Notre Dame, and 4th-seed Cincinnati. Georgetown, South Florida, Louisville, and West Virginia rounded out the top eight, and all received a bye into the tournament's second round. Play began at noon on Tuesday, March 6 in Madison Square Garden, when 9th-seed Connecticut defeated 16th-seed DePaul, 81–67.[5] Play ended on Saturday, March 10, when Louisville defeated Cincinnati, 50–44, for their second Big East Championship.[6]

The Big East led all conferences in having nine teams selected to the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.[7]

The 2011–12 season marked the Big East's seventh and final season as a 16-team basketball league, with the departure of West Virginia to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012–13 season.

Preseason

Coaching changes

Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, one Big East program hired a new coach, following the dismissal or resignation of their former coach:

Conference predictions

At Big East media day on October 19, the conference released their predictions for standings and All-Big East teams.[10][11]

Predicted Big East results

Big East Coaches[10] Big East Writers[12] Rivals.com[13]
T-1. Connecticut (7*) Syracuse (6) Connecticut
T-1. Syracuse (5) Connecticut (8) Syracuse
3. Louisville (3) Louisville (2) Pittsburgh
4. Pittsburgh (1) Pittsburgh Marquette
5. Cincinnati Marquette Louisville
6. Marquette Cincinnati Cincinnati
7. West Virginia West Virginia West Virginia
8. Villanova Villanova Villanova
9. Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
10. Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown
11. Rutgers Rutgers Rutgers
12. St. John's St. John's DePaul
13. Seton Hall Seton Hall Seton Hall
14. South Florida South Florida St. John's
15. Providence DePaul Providence
16. DePaul Providence South Florida
*first place votes

Preseason All-Big East teams

First Team Second Team Honorable Mention
Ashton Gibbs, G., PITT
Jeremy Lamb, G., CONN
Darius Johnson-Odom, G., MARQ
Tim Abromaitis, F., ND
Kris Joseph, F., SYR
Kevin Jones, F., WVU		 Yancy Gates, F., CIN
Alex Oriakhi, F., CONN
Peyton Siva, G., LOU
Scoop Jardine, G., SYR
Maalik Wayns, G., VILL		 Andre Drummond, C., CONN
Shabazz Napier, G., CONN
Cleveland Melvin, F., DEP
Jae Crowder, F., MARQ
Augustus Gilchrist, F., USF

Big East Preseason Player of the Year: Ashton Gibbs, G., Pittsburgh
Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year: Andre Drummond, C., Connecticut

Preseason national polls

AP[14] Coaches[15] Athlon Lindy's Sporting News[16] Fox Sports[17] CBS Sports[18] Rivals.com[19] Blue Ribbon
Cincinnati 22 21 18 17 21 16 23
Connecticut 4 4 4 8 4 4 3 3 5
DePaul
Georgetown
Louisville 8 9 8 12 16 9 8 16 13
Marquette 21 22 17 21 22 14 22
Notre Dame RV
Pittsburgh 11 10 10 6 11 10 10 9 8
Providence
Rutgers
St. John's RV
Seton Hall
South Florida
Syracuse 5 5 5 9 6 5 4 6 4
Villanova RV RV 25
West Virginia RV RV

Watchlists

On October 3, the Wooden Award preseason watch list included ten Big East players. The watchlist was composed of 50 players who were not transfers, freshmen or medical redshirts.[20] On November 7, the Naismith College Player of the Year watchlist of 50 players was announced, which included nine Big East names.[21]

Wooden[20] Naismith[21]
Tim Abromaitis, ND Green tick Green tick
Andre Drummond, CONN Green tick
Ashton Gibbs, PITT Green tick Green tick
Scoop Jardine, SYR Green tick
Darius Johnson-Odom, MARQ Green tick Green tick
Kevin Jones, WVU Green tick Green tick
Kris Joseph, SYR Green tick Green tick
Jeremy Lamb, CONN Green tick Green tick
Alex Oriakhi, CONN Green tick Green tick
Peyton Siva, LOU Green tick Green tick
Maalik Wayns, VILL Green tick

Regular season

Season summary & highlights

Midseason watchlists

On January 17, the Wooden Award midseason watchlist was released, and included four Big East players.[29] The list was composed of 25 players, reduced from the preseason list of 50. There were no newcomers to the list from the preseason. In addition, seven Big East players who were on the preseason list did not appear at midseason: Tim Abromaitis, Andre Drummond, Ashton Gibbs, Scoop Jardine, Alex Oriakhi, Peyton Siva, and Maalik Wayns.[29] On February 29, the Naismith Top 30 was announced, and included newcomer Syracuse guard Dion Waiters.[30] Meanwhile, Abromaitis, Drummond, Gibbs, Jeremy Lamb, Oriakhi, and Siva, who were on the preseason list, did not appear at midseason.

Wooden[29] Naismith[30]
Darius Johnson-Odom, MARQ Green tick Green tick
Kevin Jones, WVU Green tick Green tick
Kris Joseph, SYR Green tick Green tick
Jeremy Lamb, CONN Green tick
Dion Waiters, SYR Green tick

Composite matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.

  Cincinnati Connecticut DePaul Georgetown Louisville Marquette Notre Dame Pittsburgh Providence Rutgers St. John's Seton Hall South Florida Syracuse Villanova West Virginia
vs. Cincinnati – 0–10–10–10–11–10–10–10–11–01–10–11–01–00–21–0
vs. Connecticut 1–0 – 0–11–01–01–01–10–11–01–00–11–10–12–00–10–1
vs. DePaul 1–01–0 – 1–02–01–01–00–11–00–12–01–11–01–01–01–0
vs. Georgetown 1–00–10–1 – 0–11–10–11–00–20–10–21–00–11–00–11–0
vs. Louisville 1–00–10–21–0 – 1–01–00–21–00–10–10–11–02–00–10–1
vs. Marquette 1–10–10–11–10–1 – 1–00–10–10–10–10–10–11–00–20–1
vs. Notre Dame 1–01–10–11–00–10–1 – 0–10–11–11-00-10–10–10–10–2
vs. Pittsburgh 1–01–01–00–12–01–01–0 – 0–11–00–11–02–01–00–11–1
vs. Providence 1–00–10–12–00–11–01–01–0 – 0–11–01–02–02–01–01–0
vs. Rutgers 0–10–11–01–01–01–01-10–11–0 – 0–11–11–01–01–02–0
vs. St. John's 1–11–00–22–01–01–00–11–00–11–0 – 1–01–01–01–00–1
vs. Seton Hall 1–01–11–10–11–01–01–00–10–11–10–1 – 1–01–01–00–1
vs. South Florida 0–11–00–11–00–11–01–00–20–20–10–10–1 – 1–00–21–0
vs. Syracuse 0–10–20–10–10–20–11–00–10–20–10–10–10–1 – 0–10–1
vs. Villanova 2–01–00–11–01–02–01–01–00–10–10–10–12–01–0 – 1–0
vs. West Virginia 0–11–00–10–11–01–02–01–10–10–21–01–00–11–00–1 –
Total 12–6 8–10 3–15 12–6 10–8 14–4 13–5 5–13 4–14 6–12 6–12 8–10 12–6 17–1 5–13 9–9

Statistical leaders

The regular season team, individual, and attendance figures include all conference and non-conference games played from November 7, 2011 through March 3, 2012.[31]

Team

Scoring Offense
Rk Team Games Points PPG
1Marquette31235976.1
2Syracuse31233575.3
3DePaul30223174.4
4West Virginia31222571.8
5Villanova30214971.6
Scoring Defense
Rk Team Games Points PPG
1South Florida31177357.2
2Georgetown29171059.0
3Syracuse31186760.2
4Cincinnati31189261.0
5Notre Dame31191361.7
Scoring Margin
Rk Team Offense Defense Margin
1Syracuse75.360.2+15.1
2Marquette76.165.6+10.5
3Georgetown69.259.0+10.2
4Cincinnati69.161.0+8.1
5Louisville69.462.0+7.4
Free Throw Percentage
Rk Team FTM FTA Pct
1Villanova514678.758
2Marquette543750.724
3Notre Dame447626.714
4Pittsburgh389551.706
5Providence488692.705


Field Goal Percentage
Rk Team FGM FGA Pct
1Syracuse8661844.470
2Georgetown7111542.461
3Marquette8181779.460
4Connecticut7591671.454
5Pittsburgh7831730.453
3-Pt Field Goal Percentage
Rk Team 3FGM 3FGA Pct
1Seton Hall213588.362
2Providence154426.362
3Georgetown167476.351
4Cincinnati228652.350
5Syracuse195568.343
Rebounding Margin
Rk Team Avg Opp Avg Marg
1Pittsburgh36.929.1+7.7
2West Virginia38.131.6+6.5
3Georgetown36.130.6+5.6
4Villanova39.534.9+4.6
5Connecticut37.734.1+3.5
Offensive Rebounds
Rk Team Games No. Avg/G
1West Virginia3145414.7
2Pittsburgh3144314.3
3Villanova3041713.9
4Cincinnati3141913.5
5Louisville3141313.3


Defensive Rebounds
Rk Team Games No. Avg/G
1Villanova3076725.6
2Connecticut3076025.3
3Louisville3178025.2
4Georgetown2971424.6
5Providence3175524.4
Blocks
Rk Team Games No. Avg/G
1Syracuse312257.3
2Connecticut302016.7
3Providence311635.3
4Louisville311474.7
5Georgetown291374.7
Assists
Rk Team Games No. Avg/G
1Marquette3152817.0
2Syracuse3149616.0
3DePaul3046315.4
4Pittsburgh3146815.1
5West Virginia3145914.8
Steals
Rk Team Games No. Avg/G
1Syracuse313029.7
2Louisville312869.2
3Marquette312828.8
4Seton Hall302588.6
5Rutgers312558.2

Individual

Scoring
Rk Name GP Pts Avg/G
1Kevin Jones, WVU3161920.0
2Darius Johnson-Odom, MARQ3054918.3
3Jae Crowder, MARQ3154717.6
4Jeremy Lamb, CONN3052717.6
5Maalik Wayns, VILL2747317.5
Rebounding
Rk Name GP Reb Avg/G
1Kevin Jones, WVU3134611.2
2Herb Pope, HALL2929810.3
3Yancy Gates, CIN252369.4
4Jack Cooley, ND302769.2
5Gorgui Dieng, LOU312839.1
Assists
Rk Name GP No. Avg/G
1Vincent Council, PROV302267.5
2Jordan Theodore, HALL302006.7
3Shabazz Napier, CONN301775.9
4Junior Cadougan, MARQ301645.5
5Peyton Siva, LOU291575.4
Steals
Rk Name GP No. Avg/G
1Fuquan Edwin, HALL30923.1
2Jae Crowder, MARQ31752.4
3Russ Smith, LOU30692.3
4Cashmere Wright, CIN31612.0
5Dion Waiters, SYR31591.9


Blocks
Rk Name GP No. Avg/G
1Gorgui Dieng, LOU31983.2
2Fab Melo, SYR28873.1
3Andre Drummond, CONN30792.6
4Dane Miller, RUT31511.6
5Herb Pope, HALL29461.6
Field Goals
Rk Name FGM FGA PCT
1Jack Cooley, ND141227.621
2Fab Melo, SYR90158.570
3Nasir Robinson, PITT146260.562
4God'sgift Achiuwa, SJU109196.556
5Andre Drummond, CONN140262.534
3-Pt Field Goals
Rk Name 3PM 3PA PCT
1Hollis Thompson, GTWN54118.458
2Lamar Patterson, PITT3277.416
3Toarlyn Fiztpatrick, USF3687.414
4LaDontae Henton, PROV43107.402
5Darius Johnson-Odom, MARQ69172.401
Free Throws
Rk Name FTM FTA PCT
1Bryce Cotton, PROV8696.896
2Maalik Wayns, VILL125140.893
3Anthony Collins, USF5463.857
4Ashton Gibbs, PITT8397.856
5Jeremy Lamb, CONN90109.826

Attendance

Rk Team Home Gms. Home Att. Avg. Home Away Gms. Away Att. Avg. Away Neut. Gms. Neut. Att. Avg. Neut. Total Gms. Total Att. Avg.
1 Syracuse 19 448,736 23,618 10 141,933 14,193 2 16,770 8,385 31 607,439 19,595
2 Louisville 20 430,052 21,503 11 160,957 14,632 0 0 0 31 591,009 19,065
3 Marquette 16 242,205 15,138 11 145,954 13,269 4 17,066 4,266 31 405,225 13,072
4 Connecticut 17 214,873 12,640 10 146,339 14,634 3 5,146 1,715 30 366,358 12,212
5 Pittsburgh 18 182,968 10,165 11 142,781 12,980 2 32,926 16,463 31 358,675 11,570
6 Georgetown 16 180,530 11,283 10 147,312 14,731 3 7,200 2,400 29 335,042 11,553
7 West Virginia 16 158,887 9,930 10 111,890 11,189 5 40,882 8,176 31 311,659 10,054
8 Notre Dame 17 135,975 7,999 10 121,025 12,102 4 41,214 13,738* 31 298,214 9,940*
9 Villanova 15 133,839 8,923 11 125,039 11,367 4 9,658 4,829** 30 268,536 9,591**
10 St. John's 17 133,129 7,831 12 125,713 10,476 2 9,036 9,036† 31 267,878 8,929†
11 Cincinnati 18 145,235 8,069 12 115,055 9,588 1 4,439 4,439 31 264,729 8,540
12 Seton Hall 16 121,587 7,599 11 114,796 10,436 3 6,504 3,252‡ 30 242,887 8,375‡
13 Providence 17 134,007 7,883 12 108,950 9,079 2 1,375 688 31 244,332 7,882
14 DePaul 16 123,832 7,740 11 89,353 8,123 3 8,275 2,758 30 221,460 7,382
15 South Florida 16 61,590 3,849 13 147,679 11,360 2 n/a n/a 31 209,269 7,216§
16 Rutgers 18 96,511 5,362 10 104,860 10,486 3 862 862§§ 31 202,233 6,974§§
  TOTALS 272 2,943,956 10,823 175 2,049,636 11,712 43 201,353 5,922^ 490 5,194,945 10,800^
* – does not factor one neutral game played, vs. Georgia, in the 2011 CBE Classic, which does not have an attendance figure on record.[32] Averages are therefore calculated based on the three neutral games and 30 total games with attendance figures.
** – does not factor two neutral games played, vs. Saint Louis and Santa Clara, in the 2011 76 Classic, which do not have attendance figures on record.[33][34] Averages are therefore calculated based on the two neutral games and 28 total games with attendance figures.
† – does not factor one neutral game played, vs. Texas A&M, in the 2011 2K Sports Classic, which does not have an attendance figure on record.[35] Averages are therefore calculated based on the one neutral game and 30 total games with attendance figures.
‡ – does not factor one neutral game played, vs. St. Joseph's, in the 2011 Charleston Classic, which does not have an attendance figure on record.[36] Averages are therefore calculated based on the two neutral games and 29 total games with attendance figures.
§ – does not factor two neutral games played, vs. Old Dominion and Penn State, in the 2011 Hall of Fame Tip-Off, which do not have attendance figures on record.[37][38] Overall average is therefore calculated based on the 29 games with attendance figures.
§§ – does not factor two neutral games played, vs. Illinois State, in the 2011 Cancún Challenge, and vs. Stony Brook, in the 2011 Holiday Festival, which do not have attendance figures on record.[39][40] Averages are therefore calculated based on the one neutral game and 29 total games with attendance figures.
^ – due to games without attendance figures, overall averages are therefore calculated based on the 34 neutral games and 481 total games with attendance figures.

Postseason

Big East Tournament

For the fourth straight year, all 16 teams in the conference participated in the Big East Tournament.[41] Under this format, the teams finishing 9 through 16 in the regular season standings played first round games, while teams 5 through 8 received a bye to the second round. The top 4 teams during the regular season received a bye to the quarterfinals. The five-round tournament spanned five consecutive days, from Tuesday, March 6, through Saturday, March 10, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

2012 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament seeds and results[41]
Seed School Conf. Over. Tiebreaker[42] First Round
Tuesday, March 6		 Second Round
Wednesday, March 7		 Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 8		 Semifinals
Friday, March 9		 Championship
Saturday, March 10
1. ‡†Syracuse 17–1 31–2 BYE BYE #9 CONN – W, 58–55[43] #4 CIN – L, 68–71[44]
2. †Marquette 14–4 25–7 BYE BYE #7 LOU – L, 71–84[45]
3. †Notre Dame 13–5 22–11 BYE BYE #6 USF – W, 57–53OT[46] #7 LOU – L, 50–64[47]
4. †Cincinnati 12–6 24–10 1–1 vs. USF/GTWN; 0–1 vs. SYR; 1–1 vs. MARQ;
1–0 vs. ND; 1–0 vs. GTWN		 BYE BYE #5 GTWN – W, 72–702OT[48] #1 SYR – W, 71–68[44] #7 LOU – L, 44–50[6]
5. #Georgetown 12–6 23–8 1–1 vs. USF/CIN; 0–1 vs. SYR; 1–1 vs. MARQ;
1–0 vs. ND; 0–1 vs. CIN		 BYE #13 PITT – W, 64–52[49] #4 CIN – L, 70–722OT[48]
6. #South Florida 12–6 20–13 1–1 vs. CIN/GTWN; 0–1 vs. SYR;
0–1 vs. MARQ; 0–1 vs. ND		 BYE #14 VILL – W, 56–47[50] #3 ND – L, 53–57OT[46]
7. #Louisville 10–8 26–9 BYE #10 HALL – W, 61–55[51] #2 MARQ – W, 84–71[45] #3 ND – W, 64–50[47] #4 CIN – W, 50–44[6]
8. #West Virginia 9–9 19–13 BYE #9 CONN – L, 67–71OT[52]
9. Connecticut 8–10 20–13 1–1 vs. HALL; 0–2 vs. SYR; 0–1 vs. MARQ;
1–1 vs. ND; 1–2 vs. GTWN/CIN/USF; 0–1 vs. LOU;
1–0 vs. WVU; 2–1 vs. SJU/RUT; 2–0 vs. PITT/VILL		 #16 DEP – W, 81–67[5] #8 WVU – W, 71–67OT[52] #1 SYR – L, 55–58[43]
10. Seton Hall 8–10 20–12 1–1 vs. CONN; 0–1 vs. SYR; 0–1 vs. MARQ;
0–1 vs. ND; 1–2 vs. GTWN/CIN/USF; 0–1 vs. LOU;
1–0 vs. WVU; 1–1 vs. SJU/RUT; 1–1 vs. PITT/VILL		 #15 PROV – W, 79–47[53] #7 LOU – L, 55–61[51]
11. Rutgers 6–12 14–18 1–0 vs. SJU #14 VILL – L, 49–70[54]
12. St. John's 6–12 13–19 0–1 vs. RUT #13 PITT – L, 59–73[55]
13. Pittsburgh 5–13 17–15 1–0 vs. VILL #12 SJU – W, 73–59[55] #5 GTWN – L, 52–64[49]
14. Villanova 5–13 13–19 0–1 vs. PITT vs. #11 RUT – W, 70–49[54] #6 USF – L, 47–56[50]
15. Providence 4–14 15–17 #10 HALL – L, 47–79[53]
16. DePaul 3–15 12–19 #9 CONN – L, 67–81[5]
‡ – Big East regular season champions, and tournament No. 1 seed.
† – Received a double-bye in the conference tournament.
# – Received a single-bye in the conference tournament.
Overall records include all games played in the Big East Tournament.

Highlights

NCAA Tournament

The official tournament selection process took place on Sunday, March 11, and the following nine Big East teams received bids into the tournament:[7]

Seed Region School First Four Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet 16 Elite Eight Final Four Championship
4 West Louisville n/a #13 Davidson – W, 69–62 #5 New Mexico – W, 59–56 #1 Michigan State – W, 57–44 #7 Florida – W, 72–68 #1 Kentucky - L, 61–69  
1 East Syracuse n/a #16 UNC Asheville – W, 72–65 #8 Kansas State – W, 75–59 #4 Wisconsin – W, 64–63 #2 Ohio State – L, 70–77    
3 West Marquette n/a #14 BYU – W, 88–68 #6 Murray State – W, 62–53 #7 Florida – L, 58–68      
6 East Cincinnati n/a #11 Texas – W, 65–59 #3 Florida State – W, 62–56 #2 Ohio State – W, 81–66      
3 Midwest Georgetown n/a #14 Belmont – W, 74–59 #11 NC State – L, 63–66        
12 Midwest South Florida #12 California – W, 65–54 #5 Temple – W, 58–44 #13 Ohio – L, 56–62        
7 South Notre Dame n/a #10 Xavier – L, 63–67          
9 South Connecticut n/a #8 Iowa State – L, 64–77          
10 East West Virginia n/a #7 Gonzaga – L, 54–77          
9 Bids W-L (%): 1–0 (1.000) 6–3 (.667) 4–2 (.667) 2–2 (.500) 1–1 (.500) 0–1 (.000) TOTAL: 14–9 (.609)

After winning the 2012 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Louisville continued its winning streak all the way to the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was defeated by Kentucky, who then defeated Kansas for the national championship. Louisville guard Peyton Siva, forward Chane Behanan, and center Gorgui Dieng were named to the West All-Regional team,[56] with Siva tapped as the Most Outstanding Player of the region. Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine was named to the East All-Regional team.[57]

National Invitation Tournament

After not receiving a bid to the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Seton Hall was selected as a top seed to the 2012 National Invitation Tournament. They defeated Stony Brook in the first round before losing to Massachusetts in the second round.[58][59]

Rankings

Legend
    Improvement in ranking.
  Drop in ranking.
RV Received votes, but were not ranked.
AP AP Poll.[60]
C ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.[61]
2011–12 Big East Conference Weekly Rankings
Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 FINAL
Cincinnati AP 21 20 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV n/a
C 22 20 RV RV RV RV RV 18
Connecticut AP 4 4 4 8 9 9 8 9 8 17 13 24 RV n/a
C 4 4 4 10 9 10 9 9 8 16 11 19 RV RV
DePaul AP n/a
C
Georgetown AP RV RV 18 16 16 12 9 11 10 9 14 12 10 9 11 13 15 n/a
C RV RV 21 17 16 12 9 11 12 10 14 11 9 8 12 14 15 17
Louisville AP 9 8 7 6 5 4 4 4 11 14 23 RV RV 24 19 17 19 RV 17 n/a
C 8 7 7 6 4 4 4 4 10 15 21 25 25 23 18 17 18 RV 18 4
Marquette AP 22 21 16 16 11 11 10 14 20 25 21 17 15 18 12 10 8 9 11 n/a
C 21 19 17 16 11 11 10 13 20 24 22 18 15 19 13 10 7 9 11 10
Notre Dame AP RV RV RV 23 20 20 23 RV n/a
C RV RV RV RV 25 18 19 23 RV RV
Pittsburgh AP 10 9 17 17 15 15 15 22 RV n/a
C 11 9 16 17 14 14 13 22 RV RV
Providence AP n/a
C
Rutgers AP n/a
C
St. John's AP n/a
C RV RV
Seton Hall AP RV 24 RV n/a
C RV RV RV RV
South Florida AP n/a
C RV
Syracuse AP 5 5 5 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 n/a
C 5 5 5 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5
Villanova AP RV RV RV RV n/a
C RV RV RV
West Virginia AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV n/a
C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV

Awards and honors

Conference awards and teams

The following individuals received postseason honors after having been chosen by the Big East Conference coaches.

2012 Big East Men's Basketball Individual Awards
Award Recipient(s)
Player of the Year[62] Jae Crowder, F., MARQUETTE
Coach of the Year[62] Stan Heath, SOUTH FLORIDA
Defensive Player of the Year[63] Fab Melo, C., SYRACUSE
Rookie of the Year[62] Moe Harkless, F., ST. JOHN'S
Scholar-Athlete of the Year[64] Tim Abromaitis, F., NOTRE DAME
Most Improved Player[63] Jack Cooley, F., NOTRE DAME
Sixth Man Award[63] Dion Waiters, G., SYRACUSE
Sportsmanship Award[63] Jason Clark, G., GEORGETOWN

The Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Scholar Athlete of the Year awards were announced on Tuesday, March 6, after the post-game interviews of the first session of the first round of the Big East Tournament. The remainder of the individual awards were announced on Monday, March 5, while the All-Big East Men's Basketball Teams were announced on Sunday, March 4.[63][65] Awardees are chosen by a simple ballot, in which coaches are not allowed to vote for their players or themselves (in the case of the Big East Coach of the Year). Coaches voted for Big East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year from the first team and all-rookie lists, respectively.[65]

Marquette senior forward Jae Crowder was named Player of the Year. Crowder finished the regular season averaging 17.6 points per game, third in the conference, while ranking ninth in the conference in rebounds (7.9 per game). He also ranked second in the Big East in steals (2.4 per game) and recorded seven double-doubles for a Marquette squad that finished second in the conference.[31] South Florida head coach Stan Heath was named Coach of the Year, after leading the Bulls to their first winning conference record (12–6) in the school's seven seasons in the league.[62] Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis, a graduate forward, became the first player to receive the Scholar Athlete of the Year award for the third year in a row. He was limited to two games in 2011–12 due to injury.[64]

Defensive Player of the Year Feb Melo, a sophomore center from Syracuse, led the conference in blocks, averaging 3.7 blocks per game during the conference season.[63]

St. John's freshman forward Moe Harkless was named Rookie of the Year, after averaging 15.5 points per game, second highest among conference freshmen and sixth among freshmen nationally, and 8.5 rebounds per game, also second among Big East freshmen.[31][62]

Other awardees included most improved player Jack Cooley, a junior forward from Notre Dame, who went from playing 10.3 minutes per game in 2010–11 to leading the conference in field goal percentage (.621) and finishing fourth in rebounds per game (9.2) in both conference and non-conference play in 2011–12.[63] Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters was honored with the Sixth Man Award, coming off the bench but serving as the Orange's second-leading scorer (11.9 points per game) and team leader in steals (1.9 per game).[63] Finally, Georgetown senior guard Jason Clark received the Sportsmanship Award.[63]

2012 All-Big East Men's Basketball Teams[65]
First Team Second Team Third Team Honorable Mention All-Rookie Team
Jeremy Lamb, G., CONN
Jason Clark, G., GTWN
Jae Crowder†, F., MARQ
Darius Johnson-Odom, G., MARQ
Kris Joseph, F., SYR
Kevin Jones, F., WVU		 Sean Kilpatrick, G., CIN
Jack Cooley, F., ND
Jordan Theodore, G., HALL
Scoop Jardine, G., SYR
Maalik Wayns, G., VILL		 Henry Sims, C., GTWN
Vincent Council, G., PROV
Herb Pope, F., HALL
Dion Waiters, G., SYR
Darryl Bryant, G., WVU		 Cleveland Melvin, F., DEP
Hollis Thompson, F., GTWN
Kyle Kuric, G/F., LOU
Ashton Gibbs, G., PITT
Moe Harkless, F., SJU		 Andre Drummond, C., CONN
Chane Behanan, F., LOU
Jerian Grant, G., ND
LaDontae Henton, F., PROV
Moe Harkless, F., SJU
D'Angelo Harrison, G., SJU
Anthony Collins, G., USF
† - denotes unanimous selection

On the All-Big East Men's Basketball Teams, notable members of the first team included Clark, who was given no all-conference consideration prior to the start of the season, and Crowder, who was an honorable mention in the preseason. Crowder was the only unanimous selection for the first team, teaming up with Marquette guard Darius Johnson-Odom, who was also named to the first team, to form the highest-scoring pair in the conference. In conference games, Crowder finished fourth with 18.0 points per game and tied for first with 2.9 steals per contest. Selected as an honorable mention was Pittsburgh guard Ashton Gibbs, who was selected to the preseason first-team and was named the Preseason Player of the Year.[11] Meanwhile, St. John's placed two players on the All-Rookie Team, guard D'Angelo Harrison and forward Moe Harkless, who were the top two freshman scorers in the conference.[65]

National awards and teams

Players

West Virginia forward Kevin Jones was recognized as a consensus Second Team All-American after being named to the second team All-American lists by the Associated Press,[66] the USBWA,[67] and the NABC,[68] while the Sporting News named him to their third team.[69] In addition, Marquette forward Jae Crowder was selected as a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press[66] and the Sporting News,[69] as well as to the third team by the NABC.[68] The NABC also named Syracuse forward Kris Joseph to their second team.[68]

Award finalists

On March 6, the Wooden Award final ballot was released, and included three Big East players.[70] The list was composed of 15 players, reduced from the midseason list of 25. Marquette forward Jae Crowder was the newcomer to the list, while two Big East players who were on the midseason list did not appear on the final ballot: Darius Johnson-Odom and Jeremy Lamb.[70] No Big East players were among the four finalists for the Naismith Award, announced on March 19.[71]

Wooden[70] Naismith[71]
Jae Crowder, MARQ Green tick
Kevin Jones, WVU Green tick
Kris Joseph, SYR Green tick

Kentucky forward Anthony Davis was chosen as both the 2012 Wooden Award and 2012 Naismith Award recipient.[72][73]

Coaches

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey was selected for the Jim Phelan Award for the nation's top head coach.[74]

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 "Big East Conference Overall Statistical Leaders". BigEast.org. Retrieved 03-03-2012. Note: Attendance figures account for all regular season games played at a team's home arena. Games played away or at neutral sites, or during the preseason or postseason are not counted, to prevent redundancies.
  2. ↑ "Big East Conference Standings - 2011-12." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-31-12.
  3. ↑ "'yracuse to vacate wins, lose 12 scholarships; Boeheim suspended". 2015-03-07. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  4. 1 2 "Syracuse matches Big East record for victories in win". Associated Press. ESPN.com. 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  5. 1 2 3 DePaul vs. Connecticut – March 6, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Louisville vs. Cincinnati – March 10, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  7. 1 2 "2012 NCAA tournament selections". ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  8. ↑ McNamara, Kevin (2011-03-11). "PC makes it official: Keno Davis done as head coach". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  9. ↑ Katz, Andy (March 22, 2011). "Providence picks Ed Cooley as coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Connecticut, Syracuse Tie For First Place In Preseason Coaches’ Poll". Big East Conference. October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Pittsburgh's Gibbs Selected BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year". Big East Conference. October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  12. ↑ "The results of the Big East writers preseason men's basketball poll". The Post-Standard. 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  13. ↑ "League preview: Big East". Rivals.com. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  14. ↑ "NCAA Division I: AP Top 25 (Oct. 28)". ESPN.com. 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2011-10-28.
  15. ↑ "NCAA Division I: ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (Oct. 20)". ESPN.com. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2011-10-20.
  16. ↑ Sounds crazy, but Duke must address some issues, Sporting News, retrieved 10-26-10
  17. ↑ Preseason Top 25: Duke a clear No. 1, Fox Sports, retrieved 10-26-10
  18. ↑ Final preseason Top 25 (and one): It's the work of the Devils, CBS Sports, retrieved 10-30-10
  19. ↑ Rivals.com 2010-11 Preseason Top 25, Rivals.com, retrieved 11-04-10
  20. 1 2 "John R. Wooden Award Announces Men’s Preseason Top 50 List". John R. Wooden Award. 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  21. 1 2 "SEC Talent Rules in 2011-2012 Naismith Preseason Watch List". Naismith Award. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  22. ↑ "Kris Joseph, late run carry Orange to NIT Season Tip-Off title". Associated Press. ESPN.com. 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  23. ↑ "Marquette wins Paradise Jam title despite blowing 14-point lead". Associated Press. ESPN.com. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  24. 1 2 "Rick Pitino Wins 600th as No. 8 Louisville Cruises". WBKO. November 11, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Syracuse basketball coach fired amid sex abuse investigation". CNN. November 27, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Jim Calhoun to be suspended in 2011–12". ESPN.com. 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  27. ↑ "UConn downs Pitt in Jim Calhoun's return to keep tournament hopes alive". ESPN.com. ESPN.com. 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  28. 1 2 3 Waters, Mike (2012-03-03). "Syracuse puts bow on best regular season in school history with win over Louisville". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  29. 1 2 3 "John R. Wooden Award 2011-12 Midseason Top 25 Candidates Announced". John R. Wooden Award. 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  30. 1 2 "Naismith ‘Midseason 30’ list released". NCAA. 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  31. 1 2 3 "Big East Conference Overall Statistical Leaders". BigEast.org. Retrieved 03-03-2012.
  32. ↑ Box Score – Notre Dame vs. Georgia. ESPN.com. Published 11-22-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  33. ↑ Box Score – Saint Louis vs. Villanova. ESPN.com. Published 11-25-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  34. ↑ Box Score – Villanova vs. Santa Clara. ESPN.com. Published 11-27-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  35. ↑ Box Score – Texas A&M vs. St. John's. ESPN.com. Published 11-18-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  36. ↑ Box Score – Seton Hall vs. St. Joseph's. ESPN.com. Published 11-18-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  37. ↑ Box Score – South Florida vs. Old Dominion. ESPN.com. Published 11-19-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  38. ↑ Box Score – South Florida vs. Penn State. ESPN.com. Published 11-20-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  39. ↑ Box Score – Illinois State vs. Rutgers. ESPN.com. Published 11-22-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  40. ↑ Box Score – Stony Brook vs. Rutgers. ESPN.com. Published 11-17-2011. Retrieved 03-11-2012.
  41. 1 2 2012 Championship Bracket BigEast.org. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  42. ↑ "CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING FORMULA" (PDF). bigeast.org. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  43. 1 2 Connecticut vs. Syracuse – March 8, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  44. 1 2 Cincinnati vs. Syracuse – March 9, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  45. 1 2 Louisville vs. Marquette – March 8, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  46. 1 2 South Florida vs. Notre Dame – March 8, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  47. 1 2 Louisville vs. Notre Dame – March 9, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  48. 1 2 Georgetown vs. Cincinnati – March 8, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  49. 1 2 Pittsburgh vs. Georgetown – March 7, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  50. 1 2 Villanova vs. South Florida – March 7, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  51. 1 2 Seton Hall vs. Louisville – March 7, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  52. 1 2 Connecticut vs. West Virginia – March 7, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  53. 1 2 Providence vs. Seton Hall – March 6, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  54. 1 2 Villanova vs. Rutgers – March 6, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  55. 1 2 Pittsburgh vs. St. John's – March 6, 2012 – Box Score. ESPN.com. Published 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  56. ↑ Leung, Diamond (March 24, 2012). "Michigan State's Draymond Green honored for NCAA tournament performance". MLive.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  57. ↑ Waters, Mike (March 25, 2012). "Ohio State's Jared Sullinger named East Region's Most Outstanding Player". The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  58. ↑ "Seton Hall 63, Stony Brook 61". Associated Press. ESPN.com. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  59. ↑ "UMass 77, Seton Hall 67". Associated Press. ESPN.com. March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  60. ↑ "AP Top 25". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  61. ↑ "USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  62. 1 2 3 4 5 "Marquette's Crowder Named BIG EAST Player of the Year". Big East Conference. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Melo Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year". Big East Conference. 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  64. 1 2 "Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis Named American Eagle Outfitters BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year". Big East Conference. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  65. 1 2 3 4 "Marquette Places Two On All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  66. 1 2 "2011-12 AP All-America Teams". Washington Examiner. March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  67. ↑ "USBWA NAMES 2011-12 ALL-AMERICANS". Sportswriters.net. March 12, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  68. 1 2 3 "Rivers Named NABC Third Team All-America". GoDuke.com. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  69. 1 2 "Anthony Davis named Sporting News' 2012 College Basketball Player of the Year". Sportingnews.com. March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  70. 1 2 3 "2011-2012 Men’s John R. Wooden Award Final Ballot". John R. Wooden Award. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  71. 1 2 "Anthony Davis Vies to Become First Player from Kentucky and Second Freshman Ever to Win the Naismith Trophy". Naismith Award. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  72. ↑ "Davis wins Wooden National Player of the Year Award". WKYT-TV. 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  73. ↑ Miller, Mike (2012-04-01). "Anthony Davis wins Naismith, closes in on awards sweep". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  74. ↑ "Mike Brey Named Jim Phelan National Coach Of The Year". University of Notre Dame. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
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