Who will make it to the Big Dance?
Are we really looking at a conference getting in one-eighth of the teams in the NCAA tournament?
The Big East, this season, has 12 teams and, astonishingly, eight of them have winning records in conference, at least 16 wins and RPIs that are under 70. This is the deepest set of quality performers this side of the G-Unit (and maybe even deeper now that The Game has been kicked out).
What we do know is that five teams are a lock for the tournament. Boston College, Syracuse, Connecticut, Villanova and Pittsburgh all will be dancing regardless of what happens in the final week of the season. Notre Dame, Georgetown and West Virginia still have some work to do, but all should feel good about their situation for different reasons.
Notre Dame owns wins over Boston College, Villanova, Connecticut and Georgetown. They could have clinched a berth on Sunday with a win over UCLA, but the Bruins instead solidified their own dance ticket by shooting 58 percent from the three-point line in a rout in South Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame owns a 16-9 record and an RPI of 53. The Irish do not get the ball inside nearly enough to big Torrin Francis, who is an absolute beast. When Chris Thomas is shooting the ball well, this team is tough to beat, but his tendency to force way too many bad shots is what’s keeping this team on the bubble.
Regardless, Notre Dame is going dancing and will probably be looking at a No. 8, 9 or 10 seed. This team is so Jekyll and Hyde that a first round exit in the No. 8 versus No. 9 game is just as likely to happen as a Sweet 16 run that includes a win over a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed.
Georgetown’s tournament chances have gone from securely dancing to having a ticket to the NIT after a three-game losing streak.
The Hoyas sit at 70 in the RPI, 5-5 in their last 10 and flat out choked against an undermanned St. John’s squad.
The Hoyas have been one of the best stories of the year as John Thompson III has done a great job of resurrecting the once proud program his dad built.
The lone quality win for this team is at Villanova, which for right now I just don’t see getting it done. The Hoyas are hanging their hat on an 8-6 conference record in what is the deepest conference in America. Georgetown has an unheralded group of players, but Brandon Bowman can get it done. The 6-foot-8-inch junior from Santa Monica, Calif. is leading the team in scoring with almost 16 points a night and is second on the team in rebounds with 6.5 a game.
Georgetown has to at least get a win over Providence (an unlikely win at Connecticut though would clinch a berth) and probably two wins in the Big East tournament to secure a bid.
Currently, West Virginia is the Jamie Foxx of the group — everything it’s doing is turning into gold. The team started 2-6 in the Big East and had thrown in a loss to Marshall to that streak as well. Since then, the team’s run off wins in six of seven including two wins against Pittsburgh.
In the win at Pitt, the Mountaineers found themselves down 14 with nine minutes to play and then their inside/outside threat Kevin Pittsnogle (he’s friends with Hank Snuffaluffagus) went crazy scoring, 20 points in the final nine minutes of game. It also helped that the Mountaineers’ defense held the Panthers without a field goal.
West Virginia also owns wins over George Washington and at LSU and N.C. State in non-conference and has an 18-8 overall record.
Coach John Beilan has done a miraculous job this season, but knows his team must win on Saturday at Seton Hall, and in the opening round of the Big East tournament.
A loss in either game will probably leave the Mountaineers on the outside looking in at all the fun.
In the Zone
Gonzaga, Pacific and Southern Illinois could all be in the No. 4-6 seed area when the bracket is released a week from Sunday. It will be extremely interesting to see how these Mid-majors handle being the favorite rather than the underdog.
Chevy Troutmen is one of my favorite players, not because he’s talented, but he might be the smartest, toughest player in Division I. He stands 6-foot-4-inches tops, but will be a first team all Big East selection at power forward because no one in the country is better at pump faking, drawing contact and finishing. You’ll see him on Sunday’s playing in the NFL (not a typo) in a couple of years.
That being said, the Panthers make Mike Tyson look like a pillar of stability. Yes, they have the best collection of road wins in the nation (Syracuse, Boston College and Connecticut), but they also have lost to Bucknell and St. John’s. Is it just me or does Charlie Villanueva look like Uncle Fester from the Adam’s Family?
Having watched Danny Granger University, I mean New Mexico, four times now and talking to a couple of buddies that played against them, I believe they are one of the best 64 teams in the nation, but they probably won’t get in because my intramural team played a tougher schedule then the Lobos. It’s too bad because Granger deserves to be seen on a national stage.
Two basketball tournaments in person, gambling, free alcohol, skiing; I wonder if the casinos take odds on me not being able to survive all this.
Can someone please explain to me why Billy Packard gets to continue to call games? Seriously, I don’t think he watches anybody but the Big East, Big XII and Big Ten and he still swears by the fact that the Big Ten is a top conference. Hey Bill, it’s not a down year if its happened five years in a row.
Illinois was the best team in the nation in the pre-conference portion of the year, they won’t win it all because the consistently inferior opponents haven’t challenged them since.
If you meet a couple of guys named Ken and Preston Jonesky the 43rd, just walk away. Eighteen assists and zero turnovers in one game, please watch Filly Rivera of UTEP in the WAC or NCAA tournament because he is the best open floor point guard in the nation, although Filly Rivera sounds more like a horse than a top flight point guard, but that’s just my opinion.
Note to Gary Williams, when you figure out your Maryland team, will you let the rest of us know?
