By Justin Worsley
Marquette, Notre Dame and Georgetown stepped up when it mattered most this season, in the Big East conference tournament.
Each team won as underdogs as #22 Georgetown got the ball rolling today when they shocked #3 Syracuse, 91-84 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
For an encore performance, Marquette had what was probably their biggest victories of the season when they upened #10 Villanova 80-76.
After two upsets, fans everywhere expected the tournament to return to normalcy after Notre Dame stepped onto the court against #16 Pittsburgh. Instead, Notre Dame walked off with a 50-45 victory.
In the final Big East game of the night, #6 West Virginia needed a buzzer-beater shot by Da'Sean Butler to avoid being upset as well. The Mountaineers won by a score of 54-51.
Despite losing in the opening round, Syracuse could still take a top seed in the upcoming NCAA National Basketall Tournament, and have lost something more than the game, senior forward Arinze Onuaku fell awkwardly on his knee as he was trying to defend a shot. Onuaku, who has had knee problems throughout his entire career, including a knee surgery last spring, will undergo a MRI on Monday.
The potential loss of Onuaku could cripple Syracuse, who normally rotates seven players on the court.
"He's a key part of our team," said Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim. ""He's had a great year and is a tremendous player. We all hope he will be fine."
The Hoyas, who relied on 27 points by junior forward Chris Wright, will face Marquette in the tournament semifinals tomorrow at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
West Virginia went to the wire with Cincinnati. With the score tied 51-51 with less than a minuted to go, Cincinnati had a costly turnover late, which opened the court for West Virginia and they didn't look back.
"We practice to get into intense and tough situations every day," said Butler after the win.
West Virginia will play Notre Dame tomorrow at 9 p.m. on ESPN. For more information, visit espn.com
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