Former Syracuse Star, 'Melo, Closing In On Northeast Return

Carmelo Anthony has been tied to rumors involving both the Knicks and Nets for months now.  With the trade deadline fast approaching, it appears the Nuggets have a deal pending that will send Carmelo to the Nets.  This deal is pending because it will still be up to NJ to convince the one-time Syracuse star to sign a three year contract extension.  It is expected that Makhail Prokhorov will meet with Anthony this weekend in LA to try to get this extension in place.  It has been widely publicized that Anthony's goal was to become a Knick, and thus, NY Knick owner, James Dolan, will be meeting with him this weekend as well.  Because the trade deadline is 3pm Thursday afternoon, this weekend will be crunch time for his two suitors.

Here are the details of the tentative deal:

Nets get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Melvin Ely, and Renaldo Balkman from the Nuggets.

Nuggets get: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh, and FOUR First Round Draft Picks from the Nets.

This would truly be a BLOCKBUSTER!

For more on this story, check out FoxSports.com

Siena Falls Again, Losing Streak at Four

Siena took the court Wednesday night needing a win to get back to .500 in the MAAC.  St. Peters had beaten them in New Jersey earlier this season so Siena had sweet revenge on their minds.  Instead of rallying the troops, Siena's wheels came off late in the second half and let a seven point lead turn into a 10 point defeat.  In the loss, Rossiter lead Siena with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 assists, giving him yet another double-double.  With the loss, Siena drops to 7-9 and are tied with Canisius for the all important 6 seed, to avoid the play-in round game in the MAAC Tournament.

After the game, Coach Mitch seemed very disappointed in the way the game ended but did point out that all but 6 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less.  Siena has the talent to be in each game but needs to develop some confidence down the stretch.  Confidence will begin to bloom as soon as Siena is able to close out a few games in a row without relinquishing a lead!  Coach Mitch believes there is still time to right the ship before the MAAC Tournament.  Siena's remaining regular season games include Maine at home, Fairfield on the road and concludes with Marist at home.

From left, Siena's Rakeem Brookins is defended by Saint Peter's Ryan Bacon as he goes up for a layup during a basketball game at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Siena-can-t-find-its-offense-1017396.php#ixzz1EFaR9ZWx

Ambrose, UAlbany Power Past Stony Brook

Tim Ambrose continued his stellar season last night as his game high 22 points helped lead UAlbany past Stony Brook by a final score of 58-43.  Will Brown's Great Danes (13-15, 6-7 America East) climb into fourth place, now a game ahead of Stony Brook.  This was a nice home win for Albany, as they try to separate themselves from the lower end of the conference and improve their position in the stadings before the America East Tournament.

Ambrose, who scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half, finished seven of 12 from the field and was the team's only double digit scorer.  It is clear that Ambrose brings the offensive explosion Albany had been hoping for when he arrived in the Capital Region a few years ago.  With some help from his supporting cast, don't be surprised if Albany is able to make a little run come America East Tournament time!

UAlbany's Tim Ambrose, left, drives to the basket while Stony Brook's Bryan Dougher defends during the second half of UAlbany's 58-43 victory over Stony Brook on Monday night at SEFCU Arena in Albany. ( Philip Kamrass/Times Union )

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Ambrose-leads-way-for-Danes-1013688.php#ixzz1E47qzbgX

RPI Drops Both This Weekend

I was sitting in the stands late Saturday afternoon to watch as Cornell broke a 2-2 tie with an overtime game winner, handing RPI it's second loss in as many days.  Just a day earlier, RPI lost to Colgate, who had been struggling in the ECAC this season.  Back to the Cornell game, Cornell seemed to be in control most of the game, with RPI playing catchup throughout.  Cornell took a 1-0 lead which was evened up at 1-1 and then a 2-1 lead all before the end of the first period.  RPI answered with a goal in the 2nd period and the score stayed that way until overtime.  This highly contested match saw it's far share of penalty minutes, even in overtime (which you see very rarely).  The officials may have called the game a bit too tight, which in the end resulted in an Engineers loss.  It was a fun game to watch and a great atmosphere in the Houston Field House!  If you have not been out to see an RPI game this season, I suggest you find time to do so!  My next stop will be at a Union game so keep your eye out for a post from Union!  With 2 of the nations top college hockey teams in the Capital Region, local hockey fans are in for a fun finish to the season!

RPI fans (dressed in all white for the "white out") cheer for the equalizing goal in the 2nd period

Can the Big East Get 11 Teams into the Tournament?

According to Joe Lunardi with ESPN.com the answer is YES!  In his recent article "Kembo Walker's team now a No. 3 seed" he breaks down his bracket projections by conference.  With a big win last night over Connecticut, it is hard to argue that St. John's should be left out of the field this year.  They have now beaten #9 UConn, #3 Duke, #11 ND, and #13 Georgetown.  That is a pretty impressive resume and should be enough to get them in.  Keep in mind, St. John's is currently ranked 11th in the Big East so as hard as it would be to imagine a team with this resume being left out, each of the 10 teams above them appear to be just as deserving.  For this reason, I agree with Joe Lunardi's prediction that, pending a late season melt down, 11 Big East teams should make the Tournament this year!

Here is the breakdown (bubble teams in italics):

Big East (11): Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse, Louisville, West Virginia, Marquette, Cincinnati, St. John's

Big 12 (6): Texas, Kansas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas St., Baylor

SEC (6): Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia

Big 10 (5): Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota

ACC (5): Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College