The STF Big East Report: What of A.J. Price?

I could think of a witty intro, I 'spose, but right now my back hurts and a girl at my job who unfortunately has a "y" in her name where any self-respecting person might place an "i" is bothering me, so I'm just gonna jump right in, like Gene Simmons at an orgy:

TEAM WITH THE BEST WEEK: LOUISVILLE

The logic here says UConn, but I picked UConn last week, and I'm trying to maintain some semblance of originality in these postings. Louisville actually hasn't lost since a loss to those Huskies; while their Georgetown victory was covered in my last post (much to my personal chagrin), they've run the table since then, including an impressive victory over 'Cuse on Big Monday (per se, that victory wasn't "impressive" - 'Cuse isn't necessarily a lock for the postseason; but with the talent they have, they are capable of surprising bigger and better teams, so I was as glad as a Hoya fan can be to see the red and white come out with this one).

TEAM WITH THE WORST WEEK: RUTGERS

This is a joke. Why even mention them anymore? They're 2-12 in conference. You know what's even sadder? I accidentally spent a portion of my 21st birthday weekend at Rutgers, before Schiano made them relevant again (my birthday's in the fall, so you got a bunch of shopping days left). It was brutal, because I was at a conference basically designed for nerds, trying to pretend not to be one while clearly, every mounting piece of evidence around me said I was (and still does). Anyway, I wanted to pick the Knights here so that for the remainder of the BE's regular season, I can pick a team who is hurting their Tournament stock.

PLAYER WITH THE BEST WEEK: A.J. PRICE

We need to discuss Price's legitimacy for Big East Player of the Year here. Everyone wants to get on Harangody's jock, which is all well and good (I'm sure Harangody's jock is an enjoyable place to be, certainly moreso than former Irish baller Troy Murphy's). But here's the thing - the major win separating ND from the top of the Big East is the Georgetown game (holla!), and Hibbert ate him up in that one. This is the same Hibbert who basically disappeared in the Memphis loss, among other games. So, right there, for me at least, Harangody is out. Hibbert, as noted, has been inconsistent; a "POY" has to be consistent, so he's gone. Price: 15 points and 6 dimes a game, maturing before his time, and right this second I'm expecting UConn vs. GU / UConn vs. UL as the Saturday night 9pm tip in a few weeks at The Garden (depending on the brackets). My vote, as if anyone gives a half-ass what I think, goes to Price.

THE SKED

Pittsburgh vs. ND - Thursday, 2/21: Could be a good chance for Pitt to crawl their way back to relevance.
'Cuse vs. ND - Sunday, 2/24: I think 'Cuse is taking this one, giving more ballast to my anti-Harangody argument.
Marquette vs. 'Nova - Monday, 2/25: At least we don't have to debate who's more attractive between Jay Wright and Tom Crean, eh?

GENERALLY IRRELEVANT FAMILY GUY QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Those are some bad roaches" - Brian
"I blame the schools." - Hotel Worker

Indeed. The more I've really thought about this, the quality of the Big East this year is somewhat unacceptable. Georgetown lost Green, and Pitt's had injuries (as did UL at the beginning), and granted - Connecticut is peaking. But has anyone looked at a map recently? The Big East is situated in one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in America. You ever been to a pickup game in New York? (I used to buy fake IDs by the West 4th courts, FYI) These klds can ball. Shouldn't more end up at SJU, or SHU, etc? Why do I feel like all the ballers are residing in the West? Why does that Biggie lyric remain locked in my head - "That don't mean a (expletive) can't rest in the West, see some nice breast in the west?" Did I just equate Kevin Love to Ricky Roe from Blue Chips? I think I did. Still, it seems to me the quality of ball in the Big East should be even higher than it is, or at the very least, the gap between top and bottom should be more of a thin line. Hmm. I'm likely making absolutely no sense. If that's the case, forgive me - I've been up since 6am. If you too think Bobby Gonzo should be grabbing better perimeter guys than he's got, well, holla.

COMING IN MARCH: THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT 'LIVE BLOG'

COMING IN LATE MARCH: TALES OF VEGAS FROM SWEET SIXTEEN WEEKEND