March Madness begins in the Big East on Tuesday at MSG

Rutgers takes center stage in the Big East Tournament on Day 1 as they head the nightcap against #11 Cincinnati.  Rutgers, the #14 seed is coming off back-to-back losses, the first at home to rival Seton Hall and the second an embarrassing loss on Saturday to #18 Pittsburgh.

Rutgers actually catches a favorable draw in the first round missing UConn and Seton Hall (teams that dominated the Knights) and drawing a struggling Bearcats team that has lost 3 straight and 7 of their last 9 games.  Rutgers and UC met in early January in the first conference game for the Scarlet Knights.  Rutgers took a five point halftime lead but Mike Rosario went cold in the second half (0-7), and the Bearcats battled back for a 65-58 victory.

The game will feature the two favorites for the Big East Rookie of the Year award in RU's Dane Miller and UC's Lance Stephenson.  The award will be announced early in the day, and no doubt each will try to one-up each other in the battle of the conference's best freshmen.

This year's first round games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks (ESPNU and ESPN2), and the Rutgers game will be the 2nd game of the evening session (tip is scheduled for 9:00, but it'll be more like 9:30).  Though I've heard many complaints that having all 16 Big East teams in the tournament is irrationale, I like it.  Every team gets a fair and equal chance to make the NCAA tournament.  Win and your in.  Lose and go home, or wait for Selection Sunday to seal your fate.  Every game is as important as the next and you'll see the players in the 12 vs. 13 games playing just as hard as thoughs in the Championship Game.

For a college basketball fan this is the best 2 weeks in sports.  Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for some March Madness.

And without further adieu, my first round predictions:

#14 Rutgers over #11 Cincinnati:  Miller and Stephenson play to a draw, but Rosario lights it up at MSG.

#9 USF over #16 Depaul:  USF is playing for an NCAA bid, no way Dominique Jones let them lose to the Blue Demons.

#12 UConn over #13 St. John's:  Has there ever been a scarier #12 seed in the history of conference tournaments?

#10 Seton Hall over #15 Providence:  They just met over the weekend with SHU winning in Providence.  The result will be the same at MSG and will end the Friars season with 11 straight losses.

Brian Leonard+Charity+Bowling= Me getting to use this awesome Kingpin Video...Enjoy

With all the stories about athletes these days brandishing guns, abusing substances, and being involved in scandalous assaults and affairs, it's a breath of fresh air to hear about Brian Leonard's Rally at the Alley last week..  The benefit at Chelsea Piers in New York City was to support the Embrace Kids Foundation.

The Embrace Kids Foundation assists children with cancer and blood disorders in the New Jersey and New York City area by providing individualized tutoring, emergency financial assistance, counseling and social services and inspirational and holiday events. Embrace Kids is based out of New Brunswick, NJ, home of Rutgers University.

The event was a huge success as Leonard's friends from his days at Rutgers and those from his pro days showed up to support the kids.  Included among the many were Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, as well as NFL stars Cedric Benson (Bengals), Anthony Fasano (Dolphins), and RU standouts Gary Gibson, Shaun O'Hara, and Ray Rice. 

It's no secret that Brian is my favorite Scarlet Knight of all-time (with Ray Rice #1b), and it's story's like this that make Leonard great. 

In an unrelated (and unconfirmed) note, Brian bowled a perfect game without throwing a single ball as the pins fell each time he approached the lane out of fear.

Brian Leonard:  the man, the myth, the legend.

4.48 don't mean nothing if you don't have game speed....

With a good performance today at the NFL Combine, former Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty may have just vaulted himself into the first round of the NFL Draft.  With fellow Scarlet Knight Anthony Davis considered a lock to be a first round pick, McCourty's selection in the top 32 would mark the first time that Rutgers had two players drafted in the first round.

McCourty looked to be in great physical shape at the combine, and looked to have put on some muscle since the college season ended.

McCourty was a top performer in the 40 yard dash, broad jump, 3-cone drill, and the 20 yard shuttle.  Here's how he fared:

40 yard dash:  4.48 (t-5)

Broad jump:  10'6" (t-5)

3-cone drill:  6.70 (t-2)

20 yard shuttle:  4.07

In most mock drafts, McCourty is considered a late first round/early second round prospect.  Hopefully his solid performance at the Combine, as well as his game film from last year will show the NFL Scouts that McCourty is more than just a cover corner.  He's a guy that can do it all, including on special teams and against the run.

It would be a great statement for not only Davis and McCourty to go in the first round, but for the Rutgers program overall.  Not many college teams will be able to say that they produced two first rounders in 2010, but RU might be one of them.  If you would have told me that 5 years ago I would have punched you right in the babymaker.  Just another huge stride for Greg Schiano and this program. 

More photos » Mike Groll - AP

Devin McCourty looks to climb up the NFL Draft Boards with a good performance at the NFL combine. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

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With the start of the NFL Combine yesterday, and the beginning of the hands-on events on Saturday, I figured it would be a good time to check-in and see what the prevailing thoughts are surrounding the two Rutgers players that were invited to the event:  OL Anthony Davis and CB Devin McCourty.

Here is NFL.com's analysis of McCourty:

Overview

McCourty is an average sized cornerback with good athleticism. He runs well but doesn’t have premier speed out on and island. McCourty is a tough, competitive player that understands angles and route progressions. He is an active secondary defender that gets his hands on lots of balls but doesn’t always make the interception. McCourty has great hips, agility and balance to turn and stay in the receiver’s hip pocket. He does get overpowered at times versus larger receivers in block protection and on jump ball situations but he appears to know his limitations and is a defender. McCourty is a good football player that will likely contribute quickly at nickel back and special teams (returns as well as coverage units) in his rookie season.

 

Strengths

McCourty is a durable corner. He possesses great athletic ability combined with impressive instincts. Is an experienced prospect. Has the work ethic necessary to maximize his skill-set at the next level. Is a highly competitive defender. Has been productive during his career. Special teams standout as both a returner and on coverage units.

Weaknesses

McCourty has somewhat of a slight build and can be taken advantage of by taller, more physical receivers. Must improve his block protection in order to be more productive in run support. Only possesses average ball skills, will drop some catchable balls and won’t make many circus plays.

 

While I agree with most of the analysis of McCouty, I disagree about his need to be more productive in run support.  McCourty was among the top tacklers for Rutgers last season (and until very late in the season, was actually #1), and many of his tackles were directly attributed to his penchant for finding the ball carrier and making the initial stop.  I've heard varying reports regarding McCourty's draft position (anywhere from 1st round-5th round), and he has a lot to gain at the combine (especially since he is competing in so many events).  If he can put some good numbers together, McCourty should sky-rocket up the draft boards.

Here is NFL.com's analysis of Anthony Davis:

Overview

Davis is a prototypical left tackle in that he is a good foot athlete and has bulk as well as long arms that allow him to get a fit and control opponents as he steers them on by the pocket. He is not a natural knee bender and will let his pads get too far forward as he extends to sustain his blocks. He can slide and shuffle with an edge rusher and has the body control and foot agility to react and adjust to counter moves. He has shown a tendency to gain too much weight and will need to be monitored. He has strong hands and upper body and can swallow opponents up on the run block but does not finish his blocks off as much as he could. He will need some time to develop but could end up as a starting left tackle in a couple of years.

 

Strengths

Davis has the outstanding combination of size and athleticism necessary to play left tackle at the next level. Displays impressive strength eating up opponents off the ball. Excels in pass protection utilizing his long arms to effectively react and adjust while protecting the blindside. Displays really nice hand use.

Weaknesses

Lacks great initial quickness when exploding out of his stance in the running game. Davis is not a natural knee bender. Would like to see him finish strong on a more consistent basis. His self discipline is questionable after he struggled with weight issues in college

I pretty much agree with the analysis here.  Davis has had weight issues in college, and his one game suspension, and demotion to 2nd team during the past summer could turn some teams off.  But Davis has the natural size and gifts that should enable him to become a solid 10 year starter on the offensive line.  And remeber, he's only really a "senior" so his upside and potential is enormous.

In my personal opinion, the NFL combine is pointless.  These guys have been playing for years, and the coaches and scouts have those tapes and be making their decisions off of how they perform in game environments, as opposed to how they perform in a controlled environment.  When do you ever see a RB work to get straight to top speed and run in a straight line down the field.  Never.  They need to have the vision/patience to find the hole, and the elusiveness to avoid the first few tacklers to get into the open field.

My opinion aside, the Combine gives McCourty and Davis a chance to increase their buzz.  Davis is looking to solidify himself as a Top 5 overall pick, while McCourty is hoping to make the leap to the first round.  Davis and McCourty have come from different paths to get to this point, but both have the opportunity to see solid playing time and make an impact in their rookie seasons in the NFL.  No matter what happens, they'll do Rutgers University proud as Rutgers and Coach Schiano will have 2 more players that they can call "Knights in the NFL".

Update:  SI's Don Banks just released his lastest mock draft and has both McCourty and Davis in the first round.  Rutgers has never had two players selected in the first round before.

The Big East has unveiled the 2010 Big East schedule.  Thankfully Rutgers won't be opening on Labor Day this year.

Here's the Scarlet Knights full schedule:

Thu., Sept. 2    Norfolk State
Sat., Sept. 11    at Florida International
Sat., Sept. 25    North Carolina
Sat., Oct. 2    Tulane
Fri., Oct. 8    CONNECTICUT (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Sat., Oct. 16    Army (at the New Meadowlands)
Sat., Oct. 23    at PITTSBURGH
Wed., Nov. 3    at USF (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Sat., Nov. 13    SYRACUSE
Sat., Nov. 20    at CINCINNATI
Fri., Nov. 26    LOUISVILLE (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)
Sat., Dec. 4    at WEST VIRGINIA (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)

My initial thoughts:

- I like the fact that we open against Norfolk State (instead of getting our doors blown off by mediocre teams like UNC and Fresno State), but I hate the fact that it's a Thursday night game.  The game isn't going to be televised on ESPN, so what's the point of having it on Thursday night.

- Rutgers and UConn will open the Big East season on Friday, October 8th on the banks of the Raritan.

-The Rutgers-Army game on October 16th will be played at the New Meadowlands.

- A Wednesday night game on ESPN.  What is this, the MAC?

- Rutgers will play for the 2nd consecutive year on the day after Thanksgiving, and for the second straight year, they'll take on Louisville on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2.  Hopefully this year they'll schedule the game for a little later start than 11 AM.

-The Big East tends to backload the schedule and it worked like a charm this year as they got a dream match-up of Cincy/Pitt for the Big East title to close out the season.  The Big East has scheduled Pitt/Cincy and Rutgers/WVU to close out the final week of the season this year, hoping for a defacto championship.  Let's hope Rutgers can oblige.

Overall, not too bad of a schedule for Rutgers.  They'll get extra days off before some of their bigger games (North Carolina, South Florida, West Virginia), and never have 2 road games back-to-back within a weeks time. 

 Gary Brackett looks for his 2nd Super Bowl ring today...

In case you haven't heard yet, there's a pretty big game going down today in the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints meet the Indianapolis Colts tonight in Miami in Super Bowl XLIV, in a highly anticipated match-up of elite quarterbacks and big play offenses.

Rutgers will be represented in the Super Bowl for the 4th straight year by former Scarlet Knight standouts Gary Brackett and Eric Foster.  Brackett is the Colts middle linebacker and defensive captain, an undersized and underappreciated force who makes all the plays.  Foster, the author of the "chop" in Piscataway, is a back-up defensive tackle.

In the last three Super Bowls, a Scarlet Knights player has walked away as champion. In 2007 Gary Brackett earned a Super Bowl ring with the Colts as they defeated the Bears 29-17.   In 2008 Shaun O'Hara and the New York Giants knocked off the previously undefeated New England Patriots.  In '09 Darnell Stapleton earned his ring as an offensive line starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now I'm not a betting man (well at least not since they shutdown my sportsbook account), but if I was, I'd have to go with the Saints 31-27.  Dwight Freeney's injured ankle and my man-crush for Drew Brees lead me to see a big 3 TD game from the Saints QB, and the Super Bowl MVP.

Enjoy the game everyone!

If you haven't heard the news yet, Gary Emanuel, Rutgers defensive line coach, has left the program to become the co-defenisive coordinator at Purdue.  Emanuel was an assistant at Purdue from 1997-2004 before coming to the Banks.

Coaches come and go, but for some reason, the Star Ledger Staff thinks that this is a bad thing.  Or at least that's what it seems like from the little information that they actually present in this article.  Every year dozens of coaches change positions for different reasons.  Some leave for better jobs, some are fired, some leave to coach at a school that they have prior connections to.  In this day and age in college football, keeping a staff together is like trying to keep me away from an open bar:  can't be done.

Losing a coach is not a desired event for a university, but it doesn't mean that coaches are jumping ship because they don't think the team can win, or they don't get a long with the head coach.  College football is a business and these guys are simply advancing their careers.  Wide receivers coach Brian Jenkins left after the bowl game to become the head coach at Bethune-Cookman.  Former recruiting coordinator Joe Susan left last week to become the head coach at Bucknell.  If you have good coaches on your staff, they are going to be afforded opportunities to move ahead with their careers.  Why would anyone expect them to turn those opportunities down?

So, "How much turnover is too much when it comes to college football coaching staffs?".  Who knows, since the Star Ledger, does nothing to help us answer that question. 

Rutgers has won some major recruiting battles today (more on that later), but a major decision on how good this class ends up could come at 6:00 PM this evening.  That's when Leto High's (Tampa Bay, Florida) Jeremy Deering will make his college choice between Rutgers and Florida State.

Deering is rated as the 19th best "athlete" in this recruiting class, and has been courted by as many as 30 different schools.  Hopefully the loss of Bobby Bowden from Florida State will the be the tipping point for RU.  The Scarlet Knight coaching staff put in their final recruiting pitch to Deering last week:

Last Thursday, two Rutgers coaches flew to Tampa to spend the day with Deering, including watching him at track practice, before taking him to Lee Roy Selmon's for dinner to hear their final pitch.

 

 What looked like a weak recruting class for Rutgers going into the day is turning into quite the catch.  A committment by Deering would be the icing on the cake.

Go to TBO.com at 6PM for live coverage of the press conference.