Springsteen, Allmans & Big East Semis on a Busy Friday
Tonight in the Big Bad City, Springsteen
Tonight in the Big Bad City, Springsteen
Maryland landed 6-8 power forward Charles Mitchell of Marietta, Ga., Thursday but his addition to the Terps doesn’t impact their top targets for 2013: twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison.
“Would it be bad if I said I didn’t know who that was?” Aaron Harrison Sr. asked SNY.tv when informed of Mitchell’s commitment.
Mitchell also considered Tennessee, Florida State, Seton Hall, Florida, Memphis and Cincinnati. He joins 6-9  Eastern Shore forward Damonte Dodd, Houston center Shaquille Cleare and Massachusetts forward Jake Layman in Maryland’s 2012 recruiting class. Mitchell and Dodd figure to play behind Cleare, the Rivals No. 9 center in the Class of 2012.
With Syracuse and Cincinnati set to face
NEW YORK — On several occasions this season, Cardozo High School coach Ron Naclerio has suggested to his former pupil, James Southerland, that he needed to add some arc to his jump shot.
“He kind of line-drived it and it was just off by a millimeter,” Naclerio told SNY.tv Thursday afternoon. “And thank God, it seemed like he raised his arc today.”
Raised his arc and his game in a big-time spot.
The 6-foot-8 Southerland scored all 10 of his points in the final eight minutes as No. 1 Syracuse held off No. 9 UConn, 58-55, in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals to advance to a semifinal showdown with Cincinnati on Friday night. Thanks to a game-winning shot from Cashmere Wright and a season-high 23 points from Yancy Gates, the No. 4 Bearcats advanced with a 72-70 double-overtime win against No. 5 Georgetown.
NEW YORK — Jim Calhoun got in a not-so-subtle dig at Iona coach Tim Cluess following UConn’s 58-55 loss to Syracuse Thursday.
In talking about his team’s NCAA Tournament credentials, Calhoun said UConn had played 22 top 100 teams compared to four for Iona.
“So I heard the coach of Iona saying don’t put one of these Big East teams in?” Calhoun said. “We’ve played four teams in the top 100. I’m sure he is a great coach and I have a lot of respect for what he’s done certainly. But you’ve got to kind of tighten those laces up…I think 22 out of 32 top 100 teams is probably a pretty good schedule.”
NEW YORK — This is Scoop Jardine’s final Big East Tournament and he isn’t going to let anything — not talk of failed drug testing or even diminished playing time — distract him and his teammates from their ultimate goal.
That, of course, is to keep on winning right through Saturday night’s Big East championship game and deep into late March.
Asked about the latest news swirling around the team — the allegations by Yahoo! sports that at least 10 players since 2001 have tested positive for banned substances — Jardine said such reports only motivated his team.
“It don’t bother us because it’s not us,” Jardine, the Orange’s senior point guard, said following No. 1 Syracuse’s 58-55 victory over No. 9 UConn in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden.
NEW YORK –– The NCAA on Thursday disputed Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s timeline on when Syracuse self-reported the drug-testing issues first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
“This was reported five years ago, and we’re waiting for them to…finish the process,” Boeheim said following Syracuse’s 58-55 victory over UConn in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden.
The NCAA said it received Syracuse’s selft-report on October 27, 2010.
