All of college basketball went back to their respective corners this week to begin to conference "half" of the season. The second stanza of the song pulls teams back from their national streetbrawl to more familiar neighborhoods. And while these "court gangs" are still looking for their ultimate prize, a kind of bond forms.
The old-schoolers might have a sense of what I'm saying. At a younger age, you might have had some beef with some other kid from two doors down. But when some other band of misfits came messing around on your turf, you guys put down the petty arguments and defended your block. And I bet that if you take a minute, you'll find pride in those neighbors of yours that have done well for themselves, in some respect.
It's pretty similar in those pack of conferences that dot the country. From coaches, to players, to even some fans, an affiliation with a group of teams can be just as gratifying as rooting for an own school, especially when your squad doesn't quite cut it in the postseason department.
This could garner a lot of attention for that one team making into the Dance from the Metro Atlantic, SWAC, or Big West conferences. Groups including as many as 14 universities can only pin their hopes on one school to instill shock in a nation and pride in their region.
Even looking at the big guns, most multi-bid leagues see 12-team status as a nice round number. But then there are our friends from the Big East, who can't seem to wait until their next buffet binge. These guys continue to push their stomach's limit.
In terms of modern power conferences, the SEC set the standard back in 1990, but since inviting in Arkansas and South Carolina, they've stuck at 12 schools. The same is true for the Big 12 (and the more recent addition of the ACC), while the number 11 has satisfied Big 10 tastes.
Not the Big East. When the existing members welcomed Rutgers, West Virginia, and Notre Dame into their basketball family in 1995, the league ballooned to a whopping 13 schools. The conference loosened its belt a bit more as they inhaled Virginia Tech just after the turn of the millennium.
Heading into this season, the conference seemed to lose a bit of its hefty stature. Miami, Va Tech, and Boston College all bolted for the ACC, leaving behind a more mediocre, 11-team conference. Oh, but there were no worries in the Northeast. Just like Takeru Kobayashi before he sets foot on Coney Island, this was the fast before the gorgefest.
Enter Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, DePaul, and South Florida. Five teams looking for a step up, a bigger stage, and a bit of history. Trust me, they got it now. Even before a ball hit the floor, people everywhere rubbernecked to stare at a 16-team juggernaut. This week, the giganto-league began its mark on human society. And like its peers, the group is out to show other blocks that it's the roughest, toughest, baddest gang around.
But what do you do with a conference that's so huge. Get to the Sweet 16? How could you they ever be shut out? Make Final Fours? There's too much talent in-league for long droughts. Win national titles? Sure, but that's too easy.
Now, if it were up to me, I'd provide the type of challenge that would be suiting of a conference this magnificent, this grandiose, or this glutinous.
There's only one goal for a collection of teams that's this stacked with talent, from the last bench player all the up to the coach. Can they get at least 10 teams into the NCAA tournament?
Before this year, it didn't seem like an option for achievement. Even with 14 teams in a conference, it's almost impossible to make sure that 71% (10/14) of your league participants were worthy of NCAA tournament status. The new infusion of talent, plus a decrease in the percentages (10/16 or 62.5%), makes the scale tip much more in your favor.
That leads me to make a prediction that by 2015, the Big East will get double-digit teams into at least one Big Dance.
"Come on. You're kidding, right? You can't possibly think this will happen when seven is the most a conference has sent to the tournament since it expanded to 64 teams in 1985?"
It's true. No conference has put more than seven in a tourney the past 20 years. But one of those leagues was the Big East (seven out of night back in 1991). There are better programs in the small conferences today. However, that doesn't stop the big powers from continually throwing in six to seven squads each year.
I understand that this proclamation defies all logic. Even with a down year in a couple of major conferences, it would still be a gigantic stretch for this scenario to happen. Then again, we are talking about an event that likes to choose its participants based on tough schedules and quality wins or losses. A league with teams that are seen as powerhouses, whether in the regular or postseason, definitely helps that image.
Just as teams can go 7-9 in the ACC and have the possibility of squeaking into the Dance, you now have to make the same case for the Big East. Entering this first week of conference play, nine teams already stacked up nine or more wins. Twelve squads had at least eight victories. Those results combined with a 7-9 or 8-8 could turn the heads of the tournament selection committee in a future setting.
Oh yeah, and don't forget that conference party at Madison Square Garden every year. The Big East tournament may not always provide the big payoff for a .500 record team, but it can really help. For a perfect example, look back at West Virginia's run last season.
So, to Mike Tranghese and the rest of the Big East (of the Mississippi) conference, this is your mission. Should you choose to except it, the ultimate goal will be more than one championship. It will amount to history. Plus, if you get that many teams in, at least one of them has to reach the Final Four. Right?
Leave a Comment