The tournament is finally just a few hours away – less than 12 as I write this. That means that we are less than 12 hours away from the two best days there are in sports. I can’t wait. As we get ready for the big day(s) here are a few thoughts I have on my mind:
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Tag: NCAA Tournament
I don’t pretend to be a genius, and since I am writing this a week before you are reading it I don’t have the benefit of having watched the conference tournaments or seeing the bracket. Despite that, I’ll fearlessly wade into it and make a few bold predictions about things as they may unfold. Take them as you will:
This upstart conference has been making noise for a few years now. This year they are especially strong, and have as many as far teams that could have a claim on a tournament spot, though they almost certainly won’t get that many.
This is not the best of times for the Pac-10. The ball out on the coast is fun to watch, but they are definitely having a mostly down year. Brighter days are ahead, but for now it just isn’t meant to be.
The Big East came into the season with a ridiculous amount of hype and they have, for the most part, lived up to it. The depth of the league wasn’t what it was supposed to be, but the top three teams are very good and could all win it without a huge surprise. If I had to pick one conference from which the winner will come it would be this one.
I can’t decide what I feel about the ACC. There are several teams I think are pretty good, but I’m not sure of any of them. The winner could very easily come from the ACC, but they could also be shut out of the Final Four. The conference isn’t as dominant as they looked like they would be before the season, but they are still very dangerous.
There is one word to sum up this conference – Brutal. I’m not convinced that any team here is worth a damn. It wouldn’t be an upset in my mind if this group’s tournament hopes were over by the end of the first weekend.
I am not generally that impressed by the Big 12. The fact that Kansas could win the regular season after being ravaged in the draft last year is partly a credit to their program, and partly a sign of the general weakness of the conference.
I’m heading down to Arizona for a few days to watch some spring training. I’m most looking forward to seeing Manny Ramirez in the Dodgers’ shiny new home in Phoenix. I’ll be back in time for the tournament in all of its’ glory, so while I am gone I wanted to leave you with a preview of what I expect. For each of the next seven days I am going to take a look at the best and worst of each of the seven major conferences’ tournament offerings (I have elevated the Mountain West because of how strong they are). On the last day before my return I will look at a random collection of thoughts and predictions about the beautiful lunacy called March Madness.
I’ve got this fascination with Big East basketball this year. Part of it has to do with the up and coming Syracuse Orange, another part has to do with the Luke Harangody-led Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and another part has to do with unpredictable clubs like the Providence Friars. But overall, the Big East has my full attention because five of the top-10 spots in the AP poll are occupied by Big East clubs.
Here’s the way it looks as of today: Continue reading “In College Hoop the Big East is Big this Year”
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