No. 22 Georgetown cruises in Big East tournament opener | College basketball

NEW YORK — Jason Clark and Greg Monroe scored 16 points each, and No. 22 Georgetown built a big first-half lead before handling everything South Florida star Dominique Jones could offer in a 69-49 victory Wednesday in the Big East tournament.

Chris Wright also had 15 points for the eighth-seeded Hoyas (21-9), who were likely already in the NCAA tournament but now have the chance to improve their seeding with a deep run in the tourney. They'll play No. 1 seed Syracuse in the quarterfinals Thursday.

The two conference heavyweights have split their 12 meetings in the Big East tournament.

Georgetown built a 14-point first-half lead relying mostly on defense, which was good even by coach John Thompson III's stringent standards. South Florida (20-12) didn't score for nearly eight minutes, and Jones couldn't find open looks as the Hoyas rotated over to guard him.

Notes

• UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero has a tough enough job this week without imagining it being even more challenging.

The NCAA is discussing whether to expand the 65-team men's basketball tournament, a topic with no shortage of controversy and opinions. Guerrero, the chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, said expansion isn't on the minds of those who will select the 2010 tournament field this weekend.

"I can't speak for any of the other committee members, but I don't think there's anyone thinking about what might happen in the future," Guerrero said Wednesday.

• Anthony Johnson scored 34 of his career-high 42 points in the second half, leading Montana back from a 22-point deficit and into the NCAA tournament with a 66-65 win over Weber State in the Big Sky tournament championship. Derek Selvig had 12 points and Brian Qvale pulled down 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies (22-9), who will return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since last winning the Big Sky in 2006.

• Dallas Green deflected a potential game-winning shot then sank two free throws with 7 seconds left as Robert Morris earned its second straight NCAA bid with a 52-50 victory over Quinnipiac in the Northeast Conference final.

This will be Robert Morris' (23-11) seventh trip to the NCAA tournament.

• George Mason says its men's basketball team will host a first-round game in the CollegeInsider.com tournament next Tuesday. The opponent has not been announced yet.