The Fan Hub

It’s February. Which means we’re only a month away from the best spectacle in sports. In honor of anticipated glee, let’s make some bold predictions about the rest of the Big East season.

5. The South Florida bandwagon takes a major hit after tomorrow.
I partially get it. South Florida is 6-3 in conference play, good for fourth in the Big East. People are excited for a Cinderella story. But enough is enough. USF has one win over a top 50 RPI team (a one-point victory over Seton Hall). That's it. They've been the beneficiary of an easy schedule and have played better than expected.

Yet, that doesn't mean they're making the tournament. This fact will become abundantly clear when the Bulls play Georgetown this Saturday. USF has played horribly against good teams this year (28-point loss to Kansas, 20-point loss to Marquette). The Hoyas are looking to prove to doubters that they're contenders. USF's a bad road team and Georgetown's a good home team. This looks a blowout to me. USF, it was fun while it lasted.

4. Pitt will win the Big East tournament.
Kidding, kidding. Okay, only 95 percent kidding.

St. John’s Red Storm guard/forward Moe Harkless (4) scores during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

3. St. John’s Moe Harkless will be a household name by this time next year.
Right now, there seem to be four frontrunners for the Freshman of the Year award: Indiana’s Cody Zeller, Michigan’s Trey Burke, and Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Austin Rivers’ inconsistency hasn’t warranted such recognition). Zeller will likely win for bringing relevance back to Indiana and rejuvenating the program, Burke is simply fun to watch, and Davis is the most hyped freshman entering next year’s NBA draft.

I think it’s time we add Harkless to the discussion. It’s difficult to seriously consider a guy playing on a below-500. team that has no chance of entering the Big Dance this year. Yet Harkless is impossible to ignore. He does everything well: on average he puts up 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 steals. And he’s performing well in the most adverse of conditions; his coach Steve Lavin has been out most of the year, St. John’s lacks any depth (they barely have a seven-man rotation, and Harkless averages 36 minutes a game), and the Red Storm are incredibly young (they currently have an all-freshman starting five).

With a healthy coach, a new recruiting class, and a little more experience, St. John’s will improve next year, and Harkless’ name will garner more attention. I had the opportunity to watch Harkless live in Durham (against Duke) and he put on a show in a hostile environment (30 points, 12 rebounds), nearly leading the Red Storm back from a 20 point deficit. There are fewer stages bigger in college basketball than Cameron. I can only imagine what Harkless could do in next year’s tournament.

2. Notre Dame misses the tournament.
A win over a number one team does not secure a tournament birth. Nor does a win on the road against a struggling UConn squad. Notre Dame simply fails to impress me. Perhaps it's their lack of talent. Perhaps it's their 67 RPI. I could easily see the Irish getting leveled by Marquette before losing to middling teams like West Virginia, DePaul and Rutgers. You've been warned.

1. UConn will advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
After four consecutive losses, pretty much everyone is writing off UConn. and even questioning whether the Huskies will make the tournament. Try as they might to sway my convictions, the Huskies still haven’t given me reason to jump off their bandwagon.

Has UConn been underperforming lately? Absolutely. Does that give me reason to discount the Huskies? Absolutely not. First of all, three of their last four losses have been by less than three points. Second of all, and more importantly, they are so extremely talented. They have a supremely skilled offensive star (Jeremy Lamb), a young big man with the ability to take over games (Andre Drummond), and one of the best coaches in college basketball history (Jim Calhoun). That's a recipe for success. As I've said all season, UConn's hopes hinge on Shabazz Napier's performance. When Napier plays poorly (he hasn't had a field goal in his past two games, both losses), it becomes much more difficult for the Huskies to win. It might be blasphemy, but perhaps it's time to hand the reins over to freshman Ryan Boatright, who turns the ball over less and is a more efficient scorer.

This year's team does bear an obvious parallel to last year's squad. Last year, UConn started out quickly (10-0), then proceeded to play poorly in conference play (5-4). This year, the Huskies started out quickly (11-1), then proceeded to play poorly in conference play (4-5). I’m certainly not saying that UConn is going to defend its national title, but I am saying that the Huskies have been in this situation before, and have handled themselves well. There is hope.