Decline

My affinity for Big East basketball began in Madison Square Garden. As a student at New York University, the only times I ever made it into MSG were for the horse show and St. John's games. Between 1998 and 2000, the games were electric. When Villanova travelled to New York, much of Philadelphia appeared to travel with them, and the stadium rocked to the partisan cheering. One Villanova-St. John's matchup was followed by a Fordham-George Washington match where we were invited down from our seats in the rafters to seats on the floor, but spent the second game too freaked out by the eerie silence to enjoy the better vantage point of the A-10 matchup.

Thus, I'm of a mixed mind about the Hoyas handing St. John's its worst Big East conference loss tonight. St. John's descent into the bowels of the Big East has been ignoble. Mike Jarvis' legacy has culminated in a team that looks as if it will struggle to keep pace with the horrid bulls of the University of South Florida.

Nevertheless, at the same time, Georgetown continues to impress. Vernon Macklin had a career game and promises to be an important part of the squad as the Hoyas roll through their tough Big East schedule. Ever since Macklin withered in the Memphis game after horribly missing free throws, we've paid special attention to his game and have only seen tantalizing flashes of his promise. It will be interesting to see if Macklin can build on this performance when Georgetown meets a Seton Hall team that has chalked off five straight conference wins (beating South Florida, Louisville, Providence, Cincinatti, and Rutgers).

Of other interest to me tonight are the widespread reports that Roy Keane has offered Charlton 4 million pounds for Andy Reid's services. With the notable exception of the New York Addick, most of what I have read from the Addick faithful seems aghast at the prospect of Reidy leaving. I, frankly, can't understand the sentiment. The captain certainly is a quality player, but he managed only 17 matches in a Charlton shirt in 2006-2007 and 23 this season before his latest injury that has sidelined him since December 15th. The prospect of turning Reid into 4 million quid seems to have far more utility to the team than the rather fleeting prospect that he'll be able to stay healthy in the squad's quest for automatic promotion. I doubt that anything will come of these reports, but should bags be packed, it'll not diminish the enthusiasm engendered in me by the result against the Potters.