Big East Championship/ Separation Saturday open thread

ALERT: Lenn Robbins of the NY Post says Harkless is going pro. Will update as we get news.

Since most of the regular readers here are basketball fans, I know and you know that we will all be watching a bunch of hoops now - even if St. John's players are home, watching the PSAL games at Carnesecca (like our man Quinn is, and as Moe Harkless is). They're keeping tabs on recruit prospect Thaddeus Hall and on Isaiah Whitehead.

Meanwhile, there's a Big East Tournament final tonight. The Cincinnati Bearcats vs Louisville Cardinals, both in heinous Adidas versions of "red" that look like Syracuse Orange.

The Bearcats started showing the cracks in the Syracuse Orange armor - a defensive player of the year who is a big man but can't rebound, a team that jacks up a lot of jump shots, and a team that, apparently, can be sloppy with the ball - perhaps even "arrogant" with their talent.

The Bearcats are aggressive, they can defend, and Yancy Gates and crew are playing really good fundamental ball. Like St. John's, they're on a slow rise from the morass of scandal. Personally, I think we should be behind Mick Cronin's crew. Also, his daughter - his "good luck charm" - is really adorable.

Louisville has some New York talent, a kind of exciting style, and the ability to be really good on a good day. And the ability to be really bad on a bad day.

Also around the web:

+ Providence hired Chris Driscoll, on the AD's recommendation. He tried to convince Providence's Gerard Coleman to pretend to be injured to help get Keno Davis fired. He's also been steering Nerlens Noel. Dirty. Read Pete Thamel's article.

+ Pat Knight - Bob Knight's son - has his Lamar Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament. You may have seen his epic postgame rant. You may think it had some effect on getting his team to win the Southland Conference tournament. (Personally, I think that was a bully tactic, throwing his team under a bus in a hissy-fit.)

+ In the Atlantic 10, St. Bonaventure - that team that beat St. John's at Carnesecca last year - beat U Mass to get to the A-10 finals against Xavier.

+ And former Connecticut AD Jeff Hathaway announced something we already knew - the selection committee has selected their at-large teams by this point, with teams that can be dropped if an unexpected, not-in-tournament-field team wins their conference. That would be teams like St. Bonaventure.

Thoughts on the day's action? I'll be around to drop some comments about Cincy/ Louisville, feel free to chime in as well.

And I'll launch open threads for anyone who wants to talk hoops during the NCAA Tournament.