Mighty Big East = No Show

Submitted by Michigan4Life on

The Big East widely considered to be the best conference in the country didn't show up for the NCAA tournament. No more than 3 Big East teams will advance to Sweet 16.  Big Ten has a legitimate shot of getting 3 teams(OSU, Purdue and Wisconsin) making it to the final 4.  Big 10 are 6-2 in the NCAA tourney so far. The so called mighty Big East are 8-6(including Cincy/UConn game) for the tournament.

Mitch Cumstein

March 19th, 2011 at 11:29 PM ^

Doesn't this pretty much happen every year? 

 

Edit:  Also, I negged you for thinking the b10 can only get 3 teams in the final four.  I'm pretty sure we can get 4, including Michigan.

blueheron

March 19th, 2011 at 11:37 PM ^

It's worse than it might appear at first glance.  So far, the Big Ten has held serve (that is, won when expected to win) in every game.  Illinois got them a +1 (winning when not expected) yesterday.

Contrast that to the Big Least:

* -1 (a big one) for #4 Louisville losing to #13 Morehead State

* -1 for #6 Georgetown losing to #11 VCU

* -1 for #1 Pitt losing to #8 Butler

* -1 for #6 St. John's losing to #11 Gonzaga

* They get a +1 for #11 Marquette beating #6 Xavier.

Net: -3

Again, imagine what would happen (in the coastal media) if the Big Ten screwed the pooch like that.

kaptainkurk27

March 19th, 2011 at 11:46 PM ^

The B1G is top heavy while the big east has depth but no true powerhouse, so who's to say which is the better conference. The possible matchup between ND and Purdue might be a better way to judge, or possibly an OSU Syracuse matchup in the elite eight

kaptainkurk27

March 20th, 2011 at 12:09 AM ^

First off the Big East has 16 teams, so the bottom should be weaker. Even then I'm not sure what would put Iowa and Indiana over the other three. If you're comparing out of conference schedules, the only significant victories (or near victories) are Iowa over Alabama, USF over VCU and BYU over USF in double overtime. The rest is pretty much chumpy teams or losses, which doesn't really seem to indicate that any team is definitely better

South Bend Wolverine

March 20th, 2011 at 1:18 AM ^

Not to be a jerk, but to say they are big, so their bottom will be weaker is a silly defense of the Big East.  Yes, their bottom should be weaker, but their top should be stronger - the size argument cuts both ways.  If you randomly selected 5 teams to pull out of the Big East, and then had the B10 & the BE play each other B10/ACC Challenge style, does anyone really wonder who'd win that?

maizedandconfused

March 20th, 2011 at 10:14 AM ^

You want to randomly select 5 teams and you are sure the B10 would come out on top...

Matchup wise the B10 vs BE is this..

(assuming you picked the "middle of the pack")

  • GTown vs. Illinois
  • UConn vs. PSU
  • Villanova vs. MSU
  • Northwestern vs. Marquette
  • Minnesota vs. Seton Hall

I dont see any guarentees on that list..

Also, Syracuse beat both MSU and UM. I get that a 1 seed lost, on a last minure bonehead foul, but this is march madness. It wouldnt suprise me in the least to see both UConn and ND make the final 4, and I wouldnt count out Syracuse considering their sweet 16 bracket is located in Newark NJ

I feel you might be singing a different tune if 3/4 of the final 4 are from the BE..

mfan_in_ohio

March 19th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^

Not only did Georgetown and St. John's get beat, they got whupped.  Georgetown lost to a VCU team that shouldn't have been in the tournament, and lost by almost 20.  St. John's lost by 15 to a Gonzaga team that got destroyed by BYU.  The Big East better hope that Notre Dame wins tomorrow.  I wouldn't count on it.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 12:08 AM ^

This is a shortsighted statement, considering two BE teams play each other to get to S16. Possibly could have 2 got more teams in if this didn't happen. Not great showing, but still the best conference, with Pitt, Lou only big upsets, and still the most fun to watch.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^

Didn't expect much from GU or St. John's, and their early departure is no surprise, as they were over seeded and overrated, with GU really struggling and St. Johns a fairly good team on the rise, but with a bunch of holes. But overall I think the BE is the deepest conference, with a great many styles of play, some translating to the tourney and some not so much, and I love to watch their regular season and tourney due to a their laundry list of teams that really compete at a solid or very high level.

dahblue

March 20th, 2011 at 12:33 AM ^

I think the BigEast is a solid and deep conference, but it has (no doubt) performed poorly this tourney.  4 upset losses (including a #1 and #3 seed) on the first weekend???  It's not like Louisville lost to Kansas or Georgetown to OSU.  They lost to lesser teams (and somewhat convincingly).

I think we're seeing that it probably was overrated this season.  Did all those teams deserve to make it in?  Yes, but the losses to lesser teams show that it's not a superpower.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 12:48 AM ^

Agreed. I never thought is was a superpower, as each and every team has its flaws this year, which is obvious from this tourney. For me, it's more of a top to bottom thing, and an athletes thing. The B10 has a couple really good teams, while the BE has a bunch of really solid teams.

Edward Khil

March 20th, 2011 at 1:12 AM ^

They're "deep" because there are 16 teams.  It sounds to me as if you're trying to justify all the hours you wasted watching basketball games involving teams from a second-rate conference.

"Styles of play" "translate" to the tourney like this: two teams play each other, and one wins.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 1:23 AM ^

No, they are deep because they have 11 solid teams, out of 16. Also, for me, the BE's brand of basketball is far more aesthetically pleasing than the B10's. More good teams and more fun. Hence, not a waste of time, for me.

Mitch Cumstein

March 20th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^

I tend to think the pac 10 games are the most fun to watch, followed closely by the high level ACC games.  I guess its all just a matter of opinion.  I do think the b10 is just as good as the Big East from top to bottom though.  The Big East has 16 teams.  11/16 and 7/11 are almost the same fraction (.68 vs .63) so both conference got about the same chunk of teams into the tourney.  Also, your point about Conn playing Cincy is valid, although it also guarantees that one of the two makes the S16.  So it works both ways.  Either way, I don't think the Big East is this unstoppable force that the talking heads at ESPN make it out to be.  Teams at the top of good conferences are solid and can beat teams at the top of other good conferences, independent of where they are from.

Michigan4Life

March 20th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^

Top Big East teams lost to lower rated teams like VCU and Morehead State.

 

Big Ten > Big East and the computer shows it.  Human thinks that Big East are tough because there are 16 teams but there are no dominant team like OSU. I would say OSU, Wisconsin and Purdue would finish 1-2-3 in the Big East IMO.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^

I don't care what the computer says, I think the BE is a more exciting and more talented conference as a whole, and if M is not playing, I take them over the B10 games every time. Also, Purdue and Wiscy are middle to slightly upper BE teams. OSU this year, probably 1 or 2.

Michigan4Life

March 20th, 2011 at 12:27 AM ^

but human does.

 

Big East is not a more talented conference than Big 10. Big 10 is better than Big East, period. This is not a homer in me talking. Yes, OSU, Wisconsin and Purdue would finish top 3 in Big East.  If you combine both Big 10 and Big East, Michigan would finish 7th-8th IMO.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 12:42 AM ^

Hey, it's just my opinion. Like M last year with Marquette, I think that teams like Purdue and even more so Wiscy would have a hard time with the multitude of styles in the BE, namely the many teams with a run and gun mentality. I think Wiscy is largely successful in the B10 year in and year out because the B10 plays one style: slow. And they can build a team with that in mind. Slow is a very good style for the tourney also, but I still think the individual talent in the BE trumps the B10 and the BE is a more interesting and competitive and parody filled conference.

Also, computers lie. They lie their ass off.

JBE

March 20th, 2011 at 2:06 AM ^

*parity. No matter what the late night spelling, the Big East is a more interesting, and, I feel, better conference. But this is a blog of a team in the B10, and I know we have to attack other conferences because we always feel persecuted by the media, so I will fade back into the woodwork and agree to disagree. But when I watch basketball I value excitement and competitiveness over tourney wins. I also like future NBA stars.