Yesterday was a great day of College Basketball. The Big East, Big 12, and Mountain West had several great games.
Big East
First off, the Big East needs to re-format this tournament. Having the double bye has proven to be a hindrance more than bonus as the teams receiving the double bye are 2-6 in the two years of existence. This year the 1-4 seeds won only one game, and that was on a buzzer beater by West Virginia. Contrast that lack of success with the Big 12 where you saw all 4 top seeds advance and I think there is something there. It could be rust, it could be good teams like Marquette, Georgetown and Notre Dame get a game in to get comfortable and are fully ready to go by the time they play the top four teams. Whatever it is, it needs to change.
Additional Thoughts:
- Good game by Georgetown, in their loss late in the season to Syracuse they were looking like they found some soft spots in the zone late in the second half and those were exploited all day yesterday.
- The loss by Syracuse means very little. In the NCAA tourney they will not have to face a Big East team until the elite 8 at the earliest. Their defense and high-powered offense will absolutely blow through the first two rounds.
- Marquette looks better than Villanova. I am not sure what it is but Nova does not look as good as last year. They will also benefit from getting away from Big East teams.
- Notre Dame is fun to watch with the slower style. They share the ball extremely well and actually play some defense now. They could be an interesting draw in the tourney, any up-tempo team will not want anything to do with them in the early rounds. They could really be a double digit seed to make a run to a elite 8. They have learned to play slow with a lead, which is tougher than a lot of people realize and if they get behind they can speed up the tempo for spurts since that is what they are use to. Teams that can play various styles can be very tough.
- I still have no idea how good West Virginia actually is.
Big 12
Yesterday was a good showing for the Big 12 as all four top seeds advanced. Having all of your big boys advance will give the conference more attention with two great semifinal matchups(Kansas-Texas A&M, Kansas State-Baylor) and a very good final. Cinderellas are fun and all, but I like watching the big boys.
Additional Thoughts:
- I am not sure on Kansas right now. They are very good, will likely get to the final four, but I am not getting a similar feeling about this team like I had with the national title winner. Favorites should feel like favorites, and Kansas just feels like a really good team.
- Kansas State does not lack athleticism. Their athletes will overpower teams in the first two rounds. I think a run past the elite 8 is doubtful because they foul too much, fall asleep on defense and could struggle in a half court game.
- I am falling in love with Baylor. I like a lot with this team. Good shooting, shotblocker, good rebounding, good guards. I really hope Baylor and Kansas make the final so I get a chance to see more of both teams.
Mountain West
I watched snippets of the Mountain West yesterday because I have seen none of this conference. New Mexico and BYU will be getting really good seeds, likely a 3 for New Mexico and a 4-6 for BYU. Both teams look good, but it is tough to compare the competition BYU and New Mexico get in their conference going against teams like Air Force when Syracuse is playing Georgetown and Villanova is playing against Marquette. This is not BYU or New Mexico’s fault, but this is the eye-factor that hurts the non-BCS conferences. New Mexico and BYU may pass the eye test but their opponents in the conference do not making it really tough to seed these teams against Villanova, West Virginia, Kansas State, Baylor, Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State and Georgetown.
Big 10
The Big 10 gets going with its top four seeds today. The conference could really benefit by getting all four top seeds to advance just like the Big 12 had. The conference regular season was a virtual tie with the top three teams Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue tied and Wisconsin actually split with all three of those teams. I feel whoever gets the Big 10 conference tourney win should get the conference’s best seed this year since all four are so close. That won’t happen, but it should.
ACC
Unless Duke and Maryland can find a way to meet each other in the final this tourney has no buzz. None. I could not care less.
When is the last time the ACC was this boring?
SEC
I care about the SEC this year less than the ACC. Maybe we can have Duke and Kentucky play for fun?
Pac 10
Crickets Chirping…. Crickets Chirping…. I would be shocked if this conference gets a team into the second weekend, although Cal can score, there is nothing to watch here.
FanSided