Phillipe Craig:’ Big East far from least
It’s almost tournament time, and that means ‘Selection Sunday’ is just around the corner.’ There are bound to be some surprises, both with who’s in and out, but what should not surprise anyone is where the lion’s share of teams will come from.
For me it’s down to two of the big boys: the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East, with both placing at least five teams. One has a chance of getting seven in, and I’ll give a slight edge to the Big East. ‘
The Big East is the deepest conference, as evidenced by bubble team Providence recently knocking off Associated Press No. 3 Pittsburgh. These teams beat each other up and are better at the end of the year for it. Entering Sunday, the Big East had five teams in the top 10 – all tourney locks – with non-ranked Syracuse and West Virginia also making strong cases. Even Georgetown is still hanging on by a thread. I hate the ‘East coast’ media bias as much as anyone, but this year you have to give props where they are due.
‘
Keith Cordero Jr:’ Bubble won’t burst for ACC
The Conference getting the most teams in will be the ACC, with eight teams. Led by North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest at the top, the ACC is very strong and matches up well with the Big East.
Maryland, a bubble team, has quality wins over No. 2 UNC, No. 8 Michigan State, Michigan, and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech has wins over No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 19 Clemson and a respectable one-point loss at No. 17 Xavier. Miami, which might barely miss the tournament, also has quality wins against Wake Forest and Boston College (twice).
The ACC is very deep this year, as five teams are ranked and have 20 or more wins.
Phillipe is right. The Big East is good, but the ACC has a legit shot to get nine teams in if Miami can sneak into the tournament.
I like the Big East, but teams like Georgetown and Notre Dame, which are supposedly on the bubble, have played so inconsistently all year they don’t deserve a bid.
‘
Ronnie Turner: Big East better than the rest
Usually around this time, the national media is telling us the Big East Conference is college basketball’s best conference.’
Something tells me the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will attempt to do the same by giving the Big East eight bids to the Big Dance.
For starters, let’s consider the six teams that are definitely headed to the tournament: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Louisville, Villanova, West Virginia and Marquette. Georgetown, Cincinnati, Providence and Notre Dame will fight it out for the two remaining bids.
Truth be told, Georgetown (6-10 Big East) and Notre Dame (7-10) aren’t deserving of at-large bids. Providence (10-7) has a big win over Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati should reach 20 wins by beating South Florida and Seton Hall in its final two games. Providence and Cincinnati will probably snag the remaining at-large bids.
The ACC could also land eight bids, but Maryland will probably be the odd team out, leaving that conference with seven bids.
‘
Judge Dredd: Judge Dredd still working on sarcasm
What’s this, Fighting Words contestants? No picks from powerhouse conferences, such as the Southland Conference or the Horizon League?
Laugh, you bastards! Judge Dredd discovered this thing called sarcasm, and chose to employ it for the first time in Fighting Words. It is funny because the Southland Conference and Horizon League are not powerhouses.
Judge Dredd is new at this whole having emotions or a sense of humor thing, since he, unlike regular humans, has a grenade for a heart and a heavy metal mixtape instead of a medulla oblongata.
But seriously, the Big East is Judge Dredd’s pick for the conference that will send the most teams to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, Judge Dredd has a hunch that either Connecticut or Pittsburgh will run the table in the Big Dance.
‘
Verdict: Well, both Phillipe and Ronnie picked the Big East, however, Judge Dredd has to give this round to Ronnie for delving into the conference rankings.
