Saying Goodbye To The Big East Tournament As We Know It

The Big East is playings its final conference tournament as the conference we grew up knowing. (wikipedia.com)

For years, the Big East Tournament has been a great appetizer to the NCAA Tournament a week later. Regularly holding the title as one of the most competitive and best conferences in college basketball, the Big East has for years put on a show in the world's best basketball arena: Madison Square Garden.

The Big East Tournament as we know it will come to an end Saturday with the final championship game with a stacked lineup of contenders. The new Big East will still have solid teams, yet is an interesting group, but it won't be the same.

One of the reasons that the Big East is so popular is the great matchups that form long before the title game. Starting as early as the quarterfinal rounds, nationally ranked teams and conference rivals have to begin the brutal march to Saturday, with no cakewalks thrown in. Take this year for example, as No. 1-seed Georgetown has to face a 22-win Cincinnati team in the quarterfinals today, while No. 19 Syracuse and No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 24 Notre Dame and No. 12 Marquette face off later in the day. By having so many talented teams playing each other in the early rounds really makes the title game wide open. Any of the teams just mentioned, not even including No. 2-seed Louisville, could win the Big East Tournament this year.

The conference tournament that gave us so many great moments (those Georgetown games in the 1980s, Kemba Walker's amazing tournament performance in 2011 to lead UCONN to the title and the Syracuse/UCONN six-overtime thriller in 2009 just to name a few) has one more chance to wow the country with great matchups and memorable performances. Let's hope the tournament give fans a high note or two to end the era on, because an underdog in the championship game, an overtime thriller or a few buzzer-beaters is what we've grown to expect from the Big East Tournament, and it would be a fitting way to say goodbye.

The motivation to win should be even higher in this final year. Whenever dealing with the breakup of a group (relationship, business, AC/DC cover band) you always want to be the one to walk out on top. There is a mountain of pride and bragging rights awaiting Saturday and the tournament's winner, who can always say it was the Big East champion in the final year of the "old" Big East. For those teams leaving for the ACC, this would be a great way to go out and a trophy to hold over the heads of those left behind. For a member of the Catholic 7, it proves your new conference will have legitimate contenders. Every team has a reason to win, and with the stakes this high, the competition should be fierce.

In the age of conference realignment, we should be used to change. Nearly every fan base in the country has been affected by it over the past three or four years. While change is natural, it is disappointing to have to say goodbye to some of the most thrilling and hyped moments of the sport, and the Big East Tournament was definitely one of those.

The Best Scoring Performances Inside Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden (via Wiki Commons)

On Wednesday night Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors set his career high at 54 points. This latest high scoring performance is just the latest in a long string of scoring outbursts inside Madison Square Garden.

There is nothing like it in the basketball world. Playing in the biggest city in America in front of a hostile crowd and knowing what type of players had been there before you. Since 1947, there have been 24 games where 50 or more points have been scored in MSG. “You know, I just enjoy playing here...it’s an electrifying place,” Kobe Bryant said after a game in the historic arena.

• Of those 24 games, Wilt Chamberlain had six of them. The most remarkable having been on November 16th, 1962. Chamberlain scored 73 points while hitting 15 of 19 free throws. That game set a record for most points scored in a game until Chamberlain broke it a few months later on March 2, 1962 with 100 points.

• The second highest scoring output by an individual at Madison Square Garden was done by Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers when he scored 71 points on November 15th, 1960. Baylor would go on to average 35 points that season along with 20 rebounds and four assists.

• Kobe Bryant scored 61 points on February 2, 2009. His efficient game included 61% shooting, 20-20 on free throws, and 3-3 shooting on 3-pointers.

• Bernard King went for 50 points three times in the same season. The first game on November 24th, 1984. King scored 52 points, grabbed seven boards, and dished seven assists. On Christmas Day, he set the record for points scored by a Knick inside MSG with 60. He went 19-30 from the field and 22-26 from the free throw line in a loss to the Nets. His last came on February 16th, 1985 with a 55-point explosion.

• Rick Barry of the San Francisco Warriors scored 57 points in a loss to the Knicks on December 14th, 1965. Barry shot 18-29 and had 15 rebounds. He got to the line 22 times and only missed once. The high scoring game ended at 144-137.

• Richie Guerin was the first player in the NBA to break 50 inside the arena. On December 11th, 1959 Guerin scored 57 points on extremely efficient 18 for 21 shooting. He took 26 free throws and made 21 of them. Just three years later, Guerin scored 51 points in a win against Boston.

• Michael Jordan scored 50 on November 1st, 1986. He made 15 of 31 shots and 20 of 22 free throws. On March 28th, 1995 he scored 55 points on 21 for 37 shooting. He shot 11 free throws and made 10. He also made three of his four attempts from the 3-point line.

• Stephen Curry, the newest member of this elite group, scored 54 points on February 27th, 2013. He also notched six rebounds and seven assists while shooting 18 for 28 overall and 11 for 13 from beyond the arc.

Stephen Curry shot chart (via NBA.com/Stats)

• LeBron James has scored 50 points or more in MSG twice in his career. The first on March 5th, 2008. His 50 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists led to a 119-105 over the Knicks. The second on February 9th, 2009. His well-rounded game ended with 52 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists.

• Jamal Crawford had 52 points on January 26th, 2007. He only shot four free throws but hit eight of 10 from 3-point range.

• During a triple overtime game, Richard Hamilton scored 51 on 19 for 37 shooting.

• On March 24th, 1990 Patrick Ewing had a legendary game with 51 points and 18 rebounds on 20 for 29 shooting. The Knicks lost to the Celtics 115-110. His second 50 point game at the garden was on December 1st, 1990. He scored 50 on 22 for 31 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds. The Knicks beat Charlotte 113-96.

• Allan Houston scored 50 on March 16th, 2003. He went 15 for 25 and hit 18 of his 18 free throws.

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Friday Mini-Roundtable: The NBA Arena To Have The Game Of Your Life

Stephen Curry had the best scoring game of his young NBA career Wednesday, scoring 54 points in a loss to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. (bostonherald.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among two or three of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Stephen Curry dropped 54 points in Madison Square Garden Wednesday, which lead us to think, in what NBA arena would you most want to have the best game of your career?

Alex:
Bright lights, big city. Those are the principles of picking out which NBA arena trumps others, and the stage doesn't get much bigger than Madison Square Garden. The celebrity factor is more in play in Los Angeles, even with Spike Lee sitting courtside for the Knicks, but there is a reason Steph Curry is the latest in a line of NBA stars to go off in MSG. The ambiance of playing in the nation's biggest city, amidst towering skyscrapers in the busiest of five boroughs, must have a unique feel. Sorry, Staples, you're great and all, but (to paraphrase Kanye West) Madison Square? We gon' be there.

Kyle:
I'm going to have to agree with Alex on this one. Depending on who you were a fan of growing up, that home court has probably always been a place you've dreamed of scoring 50 points in as your team won a big game. If you're like me and grew up in a city without an NBA team, the two biggest stages you thought of playing were Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center. Even if you grew up in an NBA city, it's hard to dispute that. Madison Square Garden wins not only because it's the most famous, historic basketball arena in the biggest city in America, but because of the environment. Sure there's going to be tons of Hollywood celebrities in LA, but there's an energy and hostility in MSG that few other arenas can produce. Those New Yorkers love their basketball. As a competitor, scorching the Knicks for 50 points in front of a ruckus crowd on the biggest basketball stage is as good as it gets.

For me, the only other NBA arena I would throw into consideration would be the Garden in Boston. There's something about the parquet floor and the history of that franchise that if I were a member of the Celtics, there might not be anything that could top a jaw-dropping performance on the home court with all that history looking down from the rafters.

The NCAA Tournament Returns To The Garden After A Too-Long Hiatus

After a 53-year break, Madison Square Garden will host a NCAA Tournament game in 2014. (nymag.com)

A mecca of basketball and the most popular postseason in sports (and I mean entire postseason, not one game like the Super Bowl) are going to be reunited in 2014, and it's been way too long.

The NCAA announced the sites for the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Tournaments this week and one name jumped off the list of venues who are getting the privilege to host. It's not one of the two Final Four sites, but the attention and atmosphere will rival anything Houston or Indy, respectfully, can do. It's Madison Square Garden, and it will be the home of the 2014 East Regional.

Why is this such a big deal? Well for one, the Garden is the most tradition-rich basketball venue with the capacity to hold an event like this, and it also happens to reside in New York City. What team would complain about traveling to NYC to play basketball in front of Spike Lee?

But part of what makes this reunion so special is that we've been waiting for this since 1961, which was the last time MSG hosted an NCAA Tournament game. How did the NCAA go 53 years without finding a way to host a tournament game in the Garden? It used to be a main-stay for the tournament, as Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president for men's basketball, said in the announcement.

"And we are excited about the tournament returning to the world's most famous arena," Gavitt said. "Only three arenas have hosted more tournament games than Madison Square Garden, despite it being more than five decades since the last time it hosted. That gives you a great sense of the historical significance of bringing the tournament back there."

It's not like MSG hasn't played a role in college basketball for half a century. The Garden has been home to the Big East Tournament and the NIT for many years, as well as serving as the home court for several St. John's games. 

But it's a shame it's taken this long for the "world's most famous arena" to pair up with the NCAA Tournament again, especially given the two's history.

A lot has changed since the last NCAA Tournament game held at MSG. The shorts will be longer and the game broadcasted in color, while the popularity of the game has skyrocketed since the 60s. Maybe 2014 will usher in a new era of NCAA Tournament games in the Garden, because another 50-year break is way too long.


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Nike-Sponsored Squads Set For Elite Event in 2017

Nike-sponsored schools will square off in a two-tournament event featuring college basketball's elite in 2017 (nikeblog.com)

It's not too early to look ahead to the 2012 college basketball season, which is three months away. But how about looking ahead to 2017?

Thanks to Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis, the best early-season college basketball tournament won't take place in Maui or Madison Square Garden. This tournament will take place in Portland, and the star power represented by the schools is fitting given the star power of the sponsor they are celebrating. 

According to Andy Katz of ESPN, Hollis was able to receive commitments from 16 Nike-sponsored programs to play in a two-tournament event held over four days in November 2017. This is in celebration of Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday, which is the following February.

The premise itself is enticing — having teams sponsored by the same company compete against one another — but it's the programs represented that will make college hoops fans' mouths water. 

The tournament will include a mix of blue bloods (Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Michigan St.), as well as power-conference representatives (Florida, Ohio St., UCONN, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma, Stanford and Oregon), and some choice mid-majors (Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Portland).

Let that sink in for a moment. No matter the combination of seedings, elite programs will have a hard road to win these two tournaments. Unlike other early-season tournaments, there is no Chaminade in the quarterfinals. Even the "mid-majors" are no one to mess with. This event is loaded from top to bottom.

That's what fans want to see. Why else would this event even be a topic of conversation five years early if it wasn't big? The third game of the year against Towson isn't circled on any calendars. If you think your team is better than Duke, and the team doesn't play in the ACC, then you're excited to play the Blue Devils and find out if you're right. 

This not only is a win for fans and for the teams — this should help boost the RPI at the end of the year — but imagine what this does for Nike. It's hard to say which is more impressive:  that Nike sponsors all of these teams or that, when Hollis came calling with the idea, everyone said yes. The king of sports apparel and marketing will have its name on the biggest regular-season basketball event of the year, maybe even the decade, while every player on the court wears its equipment. 

The only downside is this won't take place for another five years. It's unlikely these teams will plummet to mediocrity during the waiting period, so if this upcoming season is any indication, college hoops fans are in for a treat in 2017.


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