March 21, 201115 yr I didn't think they could actually top last year's embarrassing performance, but this year certainly takes the cake. 11 teams. 9 seeded 6 or higher. 2 to the Sweet 16. Those two only advanced after playing 2 other Big East teams. Wow.
March 21, 201115 yr I'm sure we'll hear about how great the ACC is with 3 teams in. But yeah the Big East really is the Big Least according to Charles Barkley.
March 21, 201115 yr So it turns out all those teams beating each other up DID mean they were all mediocre and that conference wasn't actually deep.
March 21, 201115 yr QUOTE (danman31 @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 02:47 AM) So it turns out all those teams beating each other up DID mean they were all mediocre and that conference wasn't actually deep. 26-9 (Marquette with 4 of the losses) against teams that qualified for the tournament (outside of the Big East). 5 pre-season tournament champs. Poor performance in the tournament absolutely but not indicative of their whole body of work throughout the season.
March 21, 201115 yr Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Pretty pathethic, but anything can happen in the tournament. They were still by far the best conference to bottom this year, yet overrated at the same time.
March 21, 201115 yr Author QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 01:49 PM) They were still by far the best conference to bottom this year Absolutely they were not. Hell, neither Sagarin and Kenpom had them number 1. Edited March 21, 201115 yr by Buehrle>Wood
March 21, 201115 yr QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 02:06 PM) Absolutely they were not. Who was then? Hell, neither Sagarin and Kenpom had them number 1. Probably due to the fact that DePaul and South Florida were two of the worst schools from "major" conferences this year.
March 21, 201115 yr I think the top was fairly legit, at least relative to the rest of the NCAA. I don't think they had any real championship contenders, but the top teams (and UConn) had some pretty legit wins out of conference. Obviously most of them stunk in the tournament, but that can happen in a one-and-done format, especially since like everyone else they had flaws. That said, I do think the middle tier was over-hyped. Teams like St. John's, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Georgetown, Villanova and Marquette weren't nearly as good as the hype. It helps when you constantly get shots at resume building teams in conference that you wouldn't get in any other league. The bottom of the league gives you some easy wins, win a few against the other teams on your tier, steal one against UConn when Kemba has a bad game, catch someone like Louisville or Syracuse at home and suddenly you have a pretty impressive resume in the eyes of most even if you didn't have a particularly good year.
March 22, 201115 yr Notre Dame losing was due to a series of cold shooting games. I believe they came about because the starters got major fatigue at the end of the year due to Brey's unwillingness to play his bench during the season. The team only went 7 deep and the starting 5 averaged 30 minutes a game.
March 22, 201115 yr That's basically Ohio St as well, who didn't look tired and made a million shots this weekend...
March 22, 201115 yr QUOTE (knightni @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 07:13 PM) Notre Dame losing was due to a series of cold shooting games. I believe they came about because the starters got major fatigue at the end of the year due to Brey's unwillingness to play his bench during the season. The team only went 7 deep and the starting 5 averaged 30 minutes a game. That's what happens with a jump shooting team though. Not going to make the Final Four when your best players are shooters. A bad game is bound to happen.
March 22, 201115 yr QUOTE (knightni @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 07:13 PM) Notre Dame losing was due to a series of cold shooting games. I believe they came about because the starters got major fatigue at the end of the year due to Brey's unwillingness to play his bench during the season. The team only went 7 deep and the starting 5 averaged 30 minutes a game. You have to give credit to FSU though.
March 22, 201115 yr QUOTE (danman31 @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 08:05 PM) That's what happens with a jump shooting team though. Not going to make the Final Four when your best players are shooters. A bad game is bound to happen. A complete jump shooting team that doesn't play very efficient defense is just an awful combination in a one and done setting.
March 22, 201115 yr QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 21, 2011 -> 09:50 PM) You have to give credit to FSU though. Yeah, FSU was a scary matchup for ND. FSU has a top tier defense going up against a team the relies on jumpers. The perfect storm for a FSU romp.
March 22, 201115 yr QUOTE (zenryan @ Mar 22, 2011 -> 08:01 AM) Yeah, FSU was a scary matchup for ND. FSU has a top tier defense going up against a team the relies on jumpers. The perfect storm for a FSU romp. Which is the story of the tourney. Match ups are everything.
March 22, 201115 yr QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 22, 2011 -> 08:11 AM) Which is the story of the tourney. Match ups are everything. Exactly. I always did think the Big East was a bit overrated, but tournament performance isn't always the best judge of it. If A & M had beat FSU and one guy on Pitt doesn't make the stupidest decision, they all of a sudden could have 4 teams in the sweet 16 and the discussions are moot. (I do realize you can play the what if game with a lot of teams/conferences, just in a one-game elimination format, anything can and will happen)
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.