Jan 11 2009
Big East Basketball Hurting Itself In The Long Run
If you look in the Top 25 in College Basketball you will find out that nine of the teams listed come from the Big East and you would say isn’t that great. Well hold on it does have it’s good points and also it’s bad points. It is true it is always great to have your program recognized as one of the best in the country, but sometimes that also comes back to bite you. Through the years Big East basketball has been some of the best around and many teams have made NCAA appearances and done well in the tournament. The biggest problem I see with all the great teams coming from this conference is they are not as fresh as other teams entering the tournament.
By having to play so many quality teams in your own conference it makes it tough when you do get to the Big Dance in the NCAA Tournament. Sure you are ready for any type of competition that it has, but you are just not as quick as you would be if you had a much easier schedule or conference to play it. With playing the best in the country night after night you never get to rest your starters much. Take a conference with only one or two top teams it means your top stars have more rest and are ready to play in the NCAA tournament come March. This is a big advantage and helps out in the end.
UCONN was the last school to win the NCAA Championship from the Big East and that was before it got much tougher. With Louisville entering the mix right now it will be even tougher. So, in truth Big East Basketball is probably the best in the country, but also their worst enemy in some respects.
