http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...t-rasheed-sulaimon-sexual-assault-allegations Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and the university on Monday declined specific comments on a report that Rasheed Sulaimon, who was dismissed from the team in January, was alleged to have sexually assaulted two women during the 2013-14 academic year. Krzyzewski dismissed Sulaimon from the team Jan. 29, saying the junior guard "repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations." Sulaimon is the first player dismissed from Duke's team under Krzyzewski. According to the report, published Monday in the Chronicle, the Duke student newspaper, Sulaimon was accused of sexual assault by two women, who told others of the incidents but did not file complaints with Duke's Office of Student Conduct or the Durham Police Department.
http://nypost.com/2015/03/01/jayvaughn-pinkstons-stunning-decision-that-saved-villanova/ JayVaughn Pinkston’s stunning decision that saved Villanova Jay Wright got the news and immediately sought out JayVaughn Pinkston. This was four years ago last December, the coach receiving the news the school has suspended his star freshman — who wouldn’t play a single game his first year on campus — for the spring semester after he was charged with two counts of simple assault and harassment following a fight at an off-campus apartment. He was expecting Pinkston, a McDonald’s All-American from Brooklyn, to say he wanted to look at his options, perhaps transfer. He would have his pick of top Division I programs. But as the two drove around Philadelphia, Pinkston stunned his coach. “He immediately said he was staying,” Wright recalled. “There was no discussion.” Pinkston, a co-captain on this season’s team, said: “I felt since they were loyal to me, I had an obligation to give it back.” He was loyal to Wright and Villanova then and remains that way, loyal to whatever Wright has asked of him, to carry the scoring load early in his career and cede the spotlight later on. Pinkston’s numbers this season — 9.9 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists — won’t land him on any of the all Big East teams. The chiseled 6-foot-7 do-everything forward will be in the background, when teammates like Darrun Hilliard III, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu get honored next week. But ask any of his teammates about the year he’s having, all the sacrifices he’s made, in terms of shot attempts and minutes, and they can’t stop raving about the team’s unquestioned leader, how hard he plays, how good he’s been on the defensive end, how’s he’s set the tone for another huge regular season. “Without Jay, this train doesn’t go,” Hillard said. “Jay is the key for everything. He elevates us all. He’ll never complain about that stuff. He’ll never be selfish. He’ll never be arrogant. All he cares about it is if the team is winning. Without that mind-set, a lot of guys wouldn’t have that mind-set. Jay has that mind-set, so everybody on the team has that mind-set. That’s one of the greatest assets he brings to the locker room.” Pinkston’s past reared its ugly head last week when the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office filed a petition contending Pinkston, 23, violated the terms of his Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, which would have expunged the charges from his record. Wright said Pinkston “is doing the best he can” to adhere to the conditions of the program, requiring 375 hours of community service, and payment of more than $11,000 in restitution and court costs. On the court, Pinkston doesn’t think he’s done anything anybody else wouldn’t do, because sixth-ranked Villanova is winning, and winning a lot. The Wildcats are 27-2 entering the final week of the regular season, the Big East regular-season champions for the second straight year, and in the running for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. That’s why he’s such a beloved figure. “He’s the senior, [his teammates] know he’s a New York guy who’s used to being the star, and yet he’s done everything for everybody else his senior year,” Wright said. “He’s played great defense, set great screens, made the extra pass. He’s the best teammate you can ever have. “He’s our leader. He’s well respected on this campus, not just as a player, but as a person. He’s going to have a great professional career, wherever that is.” Looking back, Wright said it shouldn’t have surprised him Pinkston didn’t bolt. Loyalty drew Wright to Pinkston during his recruitment. He played for four different high school coaches at Brooklyn’s Bishop Loughlin, and while talented teammates transferred, and he was often recruited by prep schools and other New York City powerhouses, he never left. “That was the most impressive characteristic about him,” Wright said. And it remains that way. Pinkston stayed and carved out a sensational career at Villanova. He will have played in three NCAA Tournaments. He will graduate this spring, with a degree in liberal arts and a concentration on communications, perhaps reach a Final Four. He wants to coach when his playing days over, give back to people who have given so much to him. It all began with that mature decision not to run from adversity — the kind of decision few kids make these days.
I hate seeing stuff like this, I don't care who it is. I take no pleasure from seeing something like this but isn't it amazing how it has already passed? if this happened basically anywhere else it would be a front page huge media story but K will have nothing of it. He is a master at PR.
By the way, congrats to UVa for winning their 2nd straight ACC reg season title. First non Carolina/duke team to do it since NC State back in the mid 70s.
If St. John's wins at marquette, they are a LOCK for the tournament. 21 wins and a winning record in this conference should be enough for any team
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/03/02/3665570/no-4-villanova-leads-formidable.html No. 4 Villanova leads formidable Big East into home stretch CINCINNATI — No. 4 Villanova has clinched the top seed in the Big East tournament, the team to beat all season long in one of the nation's toughest basketball conferences. There's still a lot at stake as the Big East opens the final week of the regular season. Villanova (27-2, 14-2) has put itself in consideration for a top seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats have won 10 in a row and are so good at shooting the 3-pointer that everyone — even unbeaten Kentucky — would rather avoid them. A 78-66 win at Xavier on Saturday showed how formidable they've become. "We played a solid 32 minutes, had what looked like a good win for us," Xavier guard Myles Davis said, after Villanova rallied and pulled away in the final 8 minutes with defense and a flurry of 3s. "They're a good team and they proved it. They stuck with it." And they're not the only good team in the Big East heading into tournament time. Joining Villanova in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday were No. 21 Butler and No. 24 Providence. St. John's and Georgetown got votes, meaning half the league earned consideration. Seven of the 10 Big East teams have been ranked at some point during the season. DePaul and Marquette are the only teams that haven't received poll votes during the season — Xavier got notice for three weeks. Four Big East teams rank among the top 25 in the latest RPI, tied with the ACC for second-most of any conference. Only the Big 12 has more with five. The Big East ranks second in conference RPI, a reflection of its strength top-to-bottom. In its second season as a reconfigured, basketball-only conference, the Big East has found its footing. "I thought last year in our league, we had good young teams," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "This year, those teams got older." And much better. Butler had to overcome the loss of coach Brandon Miller, who took a leave of absence for medical reasons in October. Assistant Chris Holtmann has filled in and kept the Bulldogs (21-8, 11-5) right behind in the conference race. Providence (20-9, 10-6), Georgetown (18-9, 10-6), St. John's (20-9, 9-7) and Xavier (18-12, 8-9) also are looking at NCAA tournament bids as they get ready for the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden, which starts Wednesday, March 9 with the four lowest-seeded teams playing. The Musketeers figure they're on solid footing if they win their final regular season game on Saturday at Creighton, and then at least one more in the conference tournament. "I think definitely think we need to win this game," Xavier's Davis said. "I don't want to feel that if we don't win it, that's it. But we need to beat Creighton." Villanova needs to make a strong closing push as well in order to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats, who close with a game at Creighton on Tuesday and at home against St. John's on Saturday, feature a starting lineup with two seniors and three juniors. The Wildcats went 29-5 last season, losing to eventual national champion UConn in the NCAA tournament. They're experienced and know what it takes to pull out games at the end. "You find a way, after playing together for a while, to finish games," Wright said. "I think that's our greatest strength. At halftime, we don't have to adjust anything. We just tell our guys let's focus on these things that we have to do better, and they go it because they've been there before. These guys have been in so many big games."
the BE has 3 ranked teams w/ 2 in the 20-25 range- formidable! somehow after losing by 20+ pts to 'Nova then beating powerhouse Marquette Providence moved up in the rankings. It's a joke, the BE is vastly overrated b/c of silly computer #s.
Chris Jones, UNC, 'Cuse (at least they manned up about it) and now this? Good grief, more crap out of that good-for-nothing A.C.C. Outside of UVA what a horrible year it's been in the A.C.C. even by their at-all-cost standards. Take it from Willie & Wayland: "Mama's don't let your daughters grow up to be ACC co-eds."
tough year in the ACC w/ what has happened at duke, Louisville and Syracuse. Interesting that 2 of the 3 schools involved were BE teams including what SU did as part of the BE.
Groping. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported the alleged Chris Jones rape/assaults occuring on February 22: A.C.C. Tonight's tilts: (1) Kentucky at Georgia - Bulldogs have been swept by South Carolina. UK to hit the big 'three oh' (4) Villanova at Creighton - This is 2015, not 2014. (20) West Virginia at (9) Kansas - Jayhawks defeat Huggin's pressure 'D' at home. (10) Maryland at Rutgers - Arrive early RU fans, this could be over before halftime. (21) Butler hosting Georgetown - G'town slipping, 4-4 in their last 8. (19) North Carolina at Georgia Tech - The Traveling Willinghams head south to take on the stinger-less Yellow Jackets. Other NCAA Division I Games: Rhode Island at Dayton - A10 1st place on the line. Rhode Island with the size/depth advantage. Iowa at Indiana - both come in at 19-10. Ole Miss at Alabama - if only this were football… Army at Navy - Patriot League tourney, 1st round. Loyola (MD) at Holy Cross - Crusaders host Patriot League tourney 1st rounder. NC State at Clemson - Wolfpack beat UNC, then lose to lowly BC. Michigan at Northwestern - Big 10 also-rans. Texas A&M at Florida - Aggies looking to notch win #21. Auburn at Missouri - SEC sub .500 club dogfest.
While Louisville may have once been a Big East team, I don't see what that has to do with the Chris Jones thing. Maybe the ACC made Louisville worse in this regard, if you're going by conference. I don't recall any Louisville players sexually assaulting or raping women while they were in the BE. Join the ACC and they had to keep up with the Joneses, pun intended. Basically, it's silly to say it has to do with the conference, but if it does, it says a lot more about the ACC than it does about the BE.
It's retroactively trying to seal the Big East barn door closed after the horse has already left for the ACC . It's also known as groping. ----"I smell a tar heel"
You can't go by "this one beat that one, and this team beat that one", blah, blah, blah. Basketball isn't football or baseball. Match ups dictate out comes in this game by the largest of margins. BYU is good, they beat a top 5 team on the road. I watched the game. They have talent. They have deficiencies. They have strengths. If they play anyone in the NCAA tournament like they played Gonzaga, someone may get upset. Sucky teams don't win against any top 5 team on the road! Period! Spinning it any other way is stupid. I didn't say they are the next big thing. Luck had nothing to do with that win at Gonzaga! That is all.
You act as if Coach K held her down, even pulled her clothes off, when none of us know anything of the entire situation. NOTHING!!! It will all come out. As of right now even Suliamon isn't in any legal trouble. This isn't a reflection of Duke's program. UNC's fake classes is worse
The Big East........ Is a conference that is way over rated. Villanova is good, Butler is decent, St.Johns is ok. To say this conference is as good now ( because of RPI rank # 2) as it was before it lost all those really good teams to the ACC is stupid! To believe in this ranking system (RPI) is dumb. The RPI has way too much weight in tournament seeding and placement. I'd rather a bunch of AP guys have more say so than the RPI. The ACC is the deepest conference in America, top ( heavy ) to bottom ( average ), than any conference. Match ups in the tournament will justify one side of this argument or the other. But it doesn't change the fact that player for player, coach for coach, team for team, which conference is best. The ACC is the top. Period!
What makes UNC's so tough? They didn't beat anyone who is anymore tournament bound than Duke did. Duke beat everyone they played. UNC didn't. So because UNC lost non conference games, their schedule was tougher? I don't think so.
