College Hoops: Big East

I am Orso'Grande.

Ahhhh, the Big East. Because the Lords of the ACC desperately want to have a football conference (go figure), the Big East is bigger and better than ever. Last year seven (count ‘em, SEVEN) teams now in the Big East went to the Tournament. More than that, eight or even NINE could have gone, but for the intra-conference smash-mouthing (think Rutgers over Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament) that took place. Every year the Big East gets more like the ACC sometimes has been, and is supposed to be in every fan’s dreams.

Just as I did for the ACC, I’m picking one team to win the Conference (UConn) but a different team (Villanova) to go farthest in the Big Dance. Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, Cincinnati, and West Virginia will round out the Big East infestation in the NCAAs. Taquan Dean of Louisville is the Player of the Year.

The regular season schedule makes the ridiculous arrangement in the ACC look almost rational. There’s just no way to explain it, and you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Did you know, for example, that the Scarlet Knights never do play UConn, and play ‘Nova only once, and get to do that at the RAC? I couldn’t make that up. But it gets better: The boys from the banks of the old Raritan get to play St. Johns not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES!

So: Look for great basketball, look for ‘Cuse to get upset at least twice, and look for Rutgers to end up with a better record than they deserve.