With UConn playing the way they are now, I believe their chances would be good.

 

UConn was 9-9 in league play. Grantend they have been playing well but I think they have no chance in a best of 5 with Duke.

I have serious doubts about that; they couldn't come close to beating St. John's. I know that one of their better players wasn't injured at that time and that it was at MSG, but for Duke to lose that game how they did and to realistically believe they could beat EVERY team in the Big East in a best out of five series is as equivalent to me believing in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny.

 

With Michigan nearly coming back as far behind as they were yesterday and for the game to end the way it did provides enough of a statement that Duke isn't better than the whole Big East. JMO though.

 

Another thing that I believe is that people are looking at Pitt losing to Butler as the red flag or surprise, which shouldn't be happening if it is. Everyone, including most Big East fans knows that Pitt is overrated just about every year.

 

I don't think the St John's loss that Duke had is a benchmark as to how a 5 game series would play out. Duke played that awful that one time this year and that was it. Do you really think you would see that type of effort from Duke against St John's more than once in a five game series? Just goes to show you better be ready to play and the Duke team that showed up for that St John's game disappeared. In a 5 game series it is highly likely for a team to get beat by 20 and then win by 20 the next game.

 

I still think the Big East is the best conference but that is due to quantity not quality. No sold on the Big 10 but it is probably the second best conference. SEC and ACC are obviously top heavy this year.

 

None of it matters in the long run since it is a single elimination tourney. Even though the Big East is extremely disappointing in the tourney so far and the bashing is warranted are we over valuing overall conferences based on a single team's performance in a single game elimination tournament?

 

If Duke wins it all and defeats UNC in the Final Four I still couldn't call the ACC the best conference.

 

I also agree with Koun Dog that there isn't a team in the Big East that could beat Duke in a 5 game series. I haven't agreed with Koun Dog on anything in the past this needs to be noted.:thumb:

Another thing that I believe is that people are looking at Pitt losing to Butler as the red flag or surprise, which shouldn't be happening if it is. Everyone, including most Big East fans knows that Pitt is overrated just about every year.

 

I agree! That Butler beat Pitt is really no surprise. Something about Butler, they bring it on when they get to the Big Dance. Not just last year making it to the final game, but previous years where they got further that what was expected.

 

Whatever the outcome, I am pumped that both Marquette and Butler are in the Sweet 16! (grad from both)

The tournament performance doesn't change my opinion. The Big East was the best conference. And, as has been noted, they've had a disappointing tournament. However, outside of Pitt and U of L (and maybe Notre Dame), I don't see any terrible losses. In Pitt's case they lost to the national runner-up from last season. Notre Dame lost to a FSU team that is long, athletic and suffocating defensively (I can't think of a worse matchup for a team like the Irish) and they got one of their best players back.

 

St. John's lost their leading rebounder just prior to the tournament and lost to a good Gonzaga team that almost always plays well in the tournament.

Georgetown wasn't the same after the injury to its PG, and VCU has looked really good (they handled Purdue just as easy as G'town).

 

Of all their teams, Villanova is the one I was iffiest on. I questioned whether they deserved to make the tournament.

 

And, the argument that they got two teams in only because they played each other could just as easily be reversed to say they would have had 4 had they not had to play head-to-head. Nobody knows.

 

The fact that they lacked any elite teams has been noted.

 

It is what it is. A strong, deep conference that lacked elite teams at the top and that has shown itself in the Big Dance.

 

Certainly the Big East expected to perform better.

I, for one, still think the Big East was far and away the best conference in the country this past season.

The strongest argument for the Big East is the teams that finished 9th and 11th are left and the team that was 9th is playing a "road" game against a team with 2 losses and the game is a pick and the team that finished 11th is only getting 4 against the team that won the ACC outright.

 

""It's not a true road game, but it is in their home state and its a 2 hour drive from their campus. Their is info though that the biggest home court advantage is because of refs and not location.

I tried to use bigeast as a word in Words with Friends on my iphone and it just said, "PLEASE".

The strongest argument for the Big East is the teams that finished 9th and 11th are left and the team that was 9th is playing a "road" game against a team with 2 losses and the game is a pick and the team that finished 11th is only getting 4 against the team that won the ACC outright.

 

""It's not a true road game, but it is in their home state and its a 2 hour drive from their campus. Their is info though that the biggest home court advantage is because of refs and not location.

 

Or that could be the argument that they were vastly overrated and who knows if other conferences had that many teams in how far they would have gotten.

Or that could be the argument that they were vastly overrated and who knows if other conferences had that many teams in how far they would have gotten.

 

:thumb:

The tournament performance doesn't change my opinion. The Big East was the best conference. And, as has been noted, they've had a disappointing tournament. However, outside of Pitt and U of L (and maybe Notre Dame), I don't see any terrible losses. In Pitt's case they lost to the national runner-up from last season. Notre Dame lost to a FSU team that is long, athletic and suffocating defensively (I can't think of a worse matchup for a team like the Irish) and they got one of their best players back.

 

St. John's lost their leading rebounder just prior to the tournament and lost to a good Gonzaga team that almost always plays well in the tournament.

Georgetown wasn't the same after the injury to its PG, and VCU has looked really good (they handled Purdue just as easy as G'town).

 

Of all their teams, Villanova is the one I was iffiest on. I questioned whether they deserved to make the tournament.

 

And, the argument that they got two teams in only because they played each other could just as easily be reversed to say they would have had 4 had they not had to play head-to-head. Nobody knows.

 

The fact that they lacked any elite teams has been noted.

 

It is what it is. A strong, deep conference that lacked elite teams at the top and that has shown itself in the Big Dance.

 

Certainly the Big East expected to perform better.

 

Spot on...

Or that could be the argument that they were vastly overrated and who knows if other conferences had that many teams in how far they would have gotten.

 

Then why do the people that are far better at judging teams than the committee have UNC -4 against the 11th place BE team?

Then why do the people that are far better at judging teams than the committee have UNC -4 against the 11th place BE team?

 

And what did they have Morehead State/Louisville and Pitt/Butler?? I guess they didn't know...

And what did they have Morehead State/Louisville and Pitt/Butler?? I guess they didn't know...

 

Thay aren't going to be right every time, but they are better than anyone else. That was a weak argument.

 

The 9th place Big East team is in the Elite 8 by the way.

Thay aren't going to be right every time, but they are better than anyone else. That was a weak argument.

 

The 9th place Big East team is in the Elite 8 by the way.

 

They are also the Biog East tourney Champs as well. Don't forget that also.

They are also the Biog East tourney Champs as well. Don't forget that also.

 

They were also a 3 seed in the tourney so its not like a big east scrub is running thru the tournament.