Big East Notes : Several Teams Are House Hunting

There appears to be a housing crisis around the Big East, where a number of teams are either busting out of their little campus buildings or tiring of their less personal municipal digs.

Despite its nearly new and very cozy 6,500-seat duPont Pavilion, Villanova is looking to play more games at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. And last summer, Pittsburgh approached St. John’s about moving their home-and-away series off-campus to the Pittsburgh Civic Arena and Madison Square Garden. St. John’s declined. “I don’t think Pitt has that great of a following here,” Athletic Director Jack Kaiser said.

Kaiser also confirmed that the Redmen were contemplating a move to the suburbs for a few games at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. “We have the majority of our alumni coming from Nassau and Queens,” he said. “It would be very convenient for them.”

“Ultimately, we’d like to be their home court,” Coliseum General Manager Neil Sulkes said. Look for the DePaul and Villanova games to be played there next season. Should St. John’s accept, the Redmen could call three places home.

Despite selling out every Big East contest this season at the 16,016-seat Hartford Civic Center, Connecticut plans to move a number of home games back to campus when its $28 million UConn Sports Center (8,028 seats) is finished, as early as next season. Tired of the unresponsive fans at the Civic Center, Athletic Director Todd Turner said, “I want to play as many games on our campus, when our students are there, as possible.” Money isn’t always everything.

Last-place Boston College may lack a state-of-the-art team, but its $25 million Silvio O. Conte Forum deserves a feature in House Beautiful. From the parquet floor to the sky boxes, from two Sony Jumbotron screens to statistical computers courtside, this is it. If Conte seated more than 8,604, the Celtics would be dying to play there. Sadly, when Conte is dedicated Feb. 18, the Eagles will still be 0-4 at home in the Big East and facing Georgetown.

The fans at Villanova have started chanting “SAT, SAT, SAT” to any and all opposing players on the free-throw line, even to Georgetown senior Jaren Jackson. Did John Thompson mind?

“Not when my shooter is valedictorian of his high school class,” he said. Jackson led the way at Walter Cohen High in New Orleans and with 27 points in the win Sunday.

A small band of Hoya fans repaid the Wildcat followers. Each time 13-9 Villanova got to the line, they chanted, “NIT, NIT, NIT.”

If Rollie Massimino ever tires of basketball, one suspects he could make it on Madison Avenue. He always has a motto as handy as a cigar. “Certain words are critical in our program,” Massimino said. “Last year it was ‘Find a Way.’ My motto now is, ‘We can’t stop the train.’ ” With no outside shooting, a 7-3 center who at one stretch hit just 12 of 42 shots and a league-low 43.2 percent team field-goal percentage, the Wildcat choo-choo needs more than slogans.

Last year, Big East teams averaged 3.8 blocks per game. Syracuse led the league with 4.6 an outing. This year the league average is up to 4.7, thanks to the Hoyas’ 10.6 rejections a game. With 202 blocks in 19 games, Georgetown will shatter the NCAA season mark of 233 set by Navy in 1986. It took David Robinson and the Midshipmen 35 games to do it.

Supervisor of officials Art Hyland clarified the difference between college and NBA shot-blocking rules. In the pros, he said, if you block or pin the ball after it hits the backboard, it’s automatic goaltending. In college, if the ball is still in an upward arc off the backboard, it can legally be blocked.

The Hoyas’ Alonzo Mourning may lead the nation with 5.6 a game, but the freshman says Coach Thompson considers shot-blocking “an emergency defensive play.” Yeah, right.

Tommy Lasorda’s pep talk and nationally televised presence on the bench did nothing to aid the Wildcats in their 69-55 loss to the Hoyas. And it may get his old buddy, Rollie, in trouble with the league office. A preseason memo sent out to the coaches by Comissioner Dave Gavitt stated that non-university personnel -- such as boosters, car dealers and celebrities -- were not to sit with the team during league contests.

Massimino was returning a favor. He had served as a celebrity bat boy for the world champion Dodgers last summer.