BIG East Conference Tournament
At Madison Square Garden, New York City
In a Conference that seems like a lock for 7 surefire Big Dance clubs, you can bet there will be some fireworks on display at the Garden. Georgetown is the cream of the crop here, if only because they’ve been close before, and they have a powerful and efficient style of play. This tournament is full of really good teams, and that’s why it’s great TV starting on Wednesday.
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Syracuse (ESPN, noon)
Game 2: No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Providence (ESPN, 2:30 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 7 Pittsburgh vs. No. 10 Cincinnati (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Seton Hall (ESPN, 9:30 p.m.)
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 13
Game 5: No. 1 Georgetown vs. Game 1 winner (ESPN, noon)
Game 6: No. 4 UConn vs. Game 2 winner (ESPN, 2:30 p.m.)
Game 7: No. 2 Louisville vs. Game 3 winner (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Game 8: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Game 4 winner (ESPN, 9:30 p.m.)
SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 14
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN, 7 p.m.)
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (ESPN, 9:30 p.m.)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 15
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (ESPN, 9 p.m.)
Bubble Teams: Some silly “experts” have put West Virginia on the bubble, but I’m willing to bet my microwave that the Mountaineers are already in the Big Dance. That leaves Syracuse and Villanova as the two clubs fighting to quite possibly be the 8th Big East team invited to the Dance. 8 teams, yeah, that’s a strong conference, even if they don’t have any one team in the Top 8. Syracuse and Villanova are essentially playing a winner-in/loser-out game on Wednesday morning at Noon. With both teams riding the bubble like a Disney Land roller coaster, there’s no way the loser gets in. Even more important, to assure their spot in the NCAA Tourney, the winner of that match-up could have to win their Thursday game as well. That’s a showdown against Big East regular season champion, Georgetown. Syracuse or ‘Nova should get in with just one win, but a win over G-Town would guarantee their place in the Dance. I like UConn to get back to their mid-season winning ways, and make a run at this thing, but that’s just me.
What to Expect: Expect crazy to happen, expect upsets to be commonplace, and for one good team to end up taking the top spot in the Big East. I wouldn’t be surprised if two of the top four seeds lose in their 2nd Round match-up. Syracuse could easily top Georgetown while West Virginia, Marquette, and Pittsburgh, among other teams; all have a great chance of taking the Big East free-pass. Don’t count out seeds 9-12, either. All have upset ability, and all could get fired up to knock off a powerhouse. In a conference with 9 pretty good teams, small seeds can turn into big trees.
Players to Watch: Joe Alexander is a beast for the West Virginia Mountaineers, and he’s been playing very well as of late. The big man has played huge in the biggest games, putting up 32 on UConn, 32 on Pitt, and 29 on St. Johns in the Mounties last 3 games. Joe = Beast. Donte Greene is a great freshman, and while he’s inconsistent, he can also give the ‘Cuse a chance to win any game. Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris both have big time upside as playmakers for the Orange as well. Scotty Reynolds is a big time playmaker for Villanova, the overall team-play from Louisville is fun to watch, and a guy by the name of Luke Harangody is a special college player from Notre Dame. Harangody has that will to win that helps make NCAA Hoops one of the best sports on earth.
Sleeper: Syracuse is my sleeper, because over the years, Coach Boeheim and his crew of athletic 2-3 defense playing hoop stars have proven that they can snipe their way past opponent after opponent when the games matter most. Syracuse has had their ups and downs this year, but that’s because of their youth. As the season comes to an end, rookies aren’t rookies anymore, and the youngsters have finally started to learn what it takes to make a 2-3 seem like intense man-to-man. Syracuse is just 2-7 against the Top 25, but they have a chance, if only because they are Syracuse.
