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.

Friday Roundtable: Who Will Leave The Big East Next?

With conference alignment in full swing, we predict who will leave the Big East next. (businessinsider.com)

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

This week's question: Conference realignment continues putting schools on the move, and the Big East has been hurt the most by the changes. Who will be the next team to leave the Big East?

Shawn Deegan:
The mad dash of conference realignment is picking up once again and the Big East is the focal point for the NCAA. The conference’s schools are leaving left and right, and the next one to jump from the sinking ship will be the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati’s basketball team is currently sitting at 9-0 this season. The Bearcats also had a solid year in football this season at 9-3 and 5-2 in conference play. They have historically been a good program with an undefeated year in football in 2009-2010, and a run to the Sweet 16 last March. This is a quality program that will not be given any recognition for any accomplishments it may attain, because it resides in a conference without any prestigious schools left. Cincinnati is going to need to move as well if it wants to gain national accolades once again.

Kyle Davis: 
I agree Cincinnati probably has the most momentum and attractive teams at the moment that another conference would want, but I'm going to say UConn is the next to leave. UConn wanted out of the Big East when Syracuse and Pittsburgh jumped ship, but got left behind. Still, UConn probably has the biggest brand of the remaining Big East schools and has a lot of recent basketball and some football success. And even though the Connecticut market isn't huge, the school is still close to NYC and other metropolitan cities. With UConn's former conference opponents Syracuse and Pitt in the ACC, I could see the ACC bringing in the Huskies and one other school to round out the conference. UConn has said it wants to be in the ACC, and I think eventually their wish will come true.

Alex Skov:  
Georgetown foiled my original answer by deciding yesterday that it will leave the conference along with the six other Catholic institutions. You just couldn't wait a couple more days, could you, Hoyas?

Cincinnati and UConn certainly are the front runners to find better perches before their current Big East peers -- although South Florida will probably be on their heels, given the Bulls' basketball and football competitiveness earlier in the 2000s that has declined in recent years, which makes them a perfect target for a mid-major conference.

Of the leading schools, though, I think Cincinnati will abandon ship before UConn. Football drives conference realignment and the Bearcats' gridiron resume is much stronger than the on-again-off-again flirtation with success that can be found in Storrs. The sad reality is that a strong basketball program is just consolation, although the Bearcats will compete for a mid- to high conference finish no matter where they end up. Cincinnati also has the edge in geographical location -- a laughable notion at this point, considering the Big East's present alignment and Maryland's foray into the Big Ten -- because it sits nearer the middle of the country. Conferences that have been reticent to expand far beyond current borders, like the Big 12 (save West Virginia), will recognize this appeal. So will the Atlantic 10, a surging hoops-only league that would give a school like Cincinnati the chance to immediately contend for a conference title while shopping its football program elsewhere.


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What We Learned From The First Weekend Of College Basketball

Playing on an aircraft carrier is great, if the weather cooperates. It didn't for Florida/Georgetown and Ohio State/Marquette. (usatoday.com)

Nearly every team now has a game under its belt after the opening weekend of college basketball, but the important thing to remember is we've got a long way to go before March. Now is not the time to make brash assumptions about a team after 40 minutes of play, like that Kentucky's freshman system is a failure since they nearly lost to Maryland and now they're not longer title contenders and might not make the tournament even and it's that's probably the reason for the Mayan Apocalypse. OK, that's a bit of an over exaggeration, but you get the point. Instead, we're going to be rational and patient - two approaches many in the sports industry refuse to try - while explaining this opening weekend.

Playing outdoors doesn't always go smoothly:
The near perfection that was the first Carrier Classic last year in San Diego between UNC and Michigan State sent the expectations through the roof. Then reality settled in and we realized there's a reason basketball is played in a gym. 
Syracuse and San Diego State were able to play outside Sunday, but that's only because the game, originally scheduled for Friday night, was postponed due to rain. In the two other games set on aircraft carriers Friday, One game wasn't able to finish (Florida lead Georgetown 27-23 at the half) and the other (Ohio State vs. Marquette) wasn't even allowed to start due to weather and condensation on the courts. The experience is remarkable if the conditions allow it to be, but Mother Nature doesn't always let that happen.

Freshmen are still freshmen
ESPN college basketball writer Jason King tweeted Monday morning that eight of the top-10-ranked freshmen according to ESPN played over the weekend and collectively averaged 7.6 points. Probably the freshman performance most surprising to people in a negative way was Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, who scored just four points in 26 minutes. The No. 1 player in the 2012 class did grab nine rebounds, but expectations are high for the freshman, who is assumed to be a star from his first minute on the court. But let's not forget, this was his first taste of college basketball, against a good opponent, where the play is quicker and more physical. It's going to take time. Some adjusted quickly, like Baylor's Isaiah Austin, who scored 22 points in 17 minutes against Lehigh, but there's still going to be a learning period for freshmen to get adjusted. It doesn't mean that Noel or others are suddenly a wash; they just needs time to adapt and get comfortable in a new system.

Most Impressive Win: Kevin Ollie and UCONN
Kevin Ollie didn't have the easiest first game to prepare for as a collegiate head coach. Replacing Jim Calhoun with only a seven-month contract and having basically a new team from last year, Ollie's first test was No. 14 Michigan State and a future hall-of-famer in Tom Izzo while traveling to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Ollie had been Calhoun's pick for his replacement since his retirement, and Calhoun's judgement looks to be correct so far.
Ollie's Huskies left Germany with a 66-62 victory over the Spartans after shooting 46 percent from the field and from 3-point range. Guard Shabazz Napier is the biggest piece leftover from the Calhoun era, and he stepped up with a huge 25 points on 8-16 shooting.
UCONN was not expected to do much this season, being picked to finish ninth in the Big East, but this early win over a ranked opponent could be the kind of confidence this team needs to "overachieve" this season. Ollie just proved in his preparation that he deserves the faith his team needs to have in him, and that is a great way to spark a team starting a season.


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Five Games To Watch In College Hoops' Opening Weekend

Maryland is the first test on the schedule for Kentucky as the Wildcats look to repeat their title. (espn.com)

It's finally here. College basketball season is at our fingertips, with just four more months before March Madness. There's no easing into it either. Tough matchups are awaiting ranked teams from the start, and with a multitude of games to watch and only so many TVs in your house, here are five games (and two who nearly missed the cut) to watch this opening weekend. All times are eastern.

Maryland vs. No. 3 Kentucky - 8:30 p.m. Friday ESPN
Kentucky is the defending national champion, although most of that team isn't around to defend the title. New faces are running the show, and this is the country's first look at a Calipari team without a "can they win a title this way" question surrounding it. The Wildcats might not breeze through the season as easily as last year - that was a special team - but they will still be very talented and win a lot of games. The Cats' first test is against a Maryland squad that is on the way up. Coach Mark Turgeon's squad got some great news this week regarding transfer Dez Wells, which is a huge lift for the Terps. Maryland will give Kentucky their best shot to see what the Cats have so early in the season.


Marquette vs. No. 4 Ohio State - 7 p.m. Friday NBC Sports Network
The big names are gone for both teams as they try to find new identities. It might be easier for Ohio State, as even though the Jared Sullinger and William Buford era is over in Columbus, the Buckeyes still have plenty of firepower. Deshaun Thomas will pick up some of the scoring and the defense will always be strong as long as Aaron Craft is on the court. The Golden Eagles are looking for people to step up after losing their top two leading scorers, Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder. It will be interesting to see which team's role players step up early, as it could be a good sign for growth throughout the season.


No. 10 Florida vs. Georgetown - 9 p.m. Friday NBC Sports Network
Florida - along with Missouri - has been many people's best bet to compete with Kentucky for the SEC crown without star guard Bradley Beal. Kenny Boyton should have an excellent year, starting with this game against a young Georgetown team without any seniors and with little experience. But both the Hoyas and Gators will be wearing camo jerseys and playing on an aircraft carrier in honor of Veteran's Day, so that's worth checking out in itself. The Gators should walk away victorious, but a program like Georgetown is never truly down and will put up a fight.


Bryant University at No. 1 Indiana - 8 p.m. Friday Big Ten Network
The state of Indiana has been waiting for this game for months. The hype is as strong as the expectations are for the No. 1 team in the country. This should be an easy win for the Hoosiers, but it will still be fun to see everyone's preseason pick for Player of the Year in Cody Zeller and the rest of the team in action. Let's not forget how low the program was after the Kelvin Sampson sanctions a few years ago. Tom Crean has done a great job revitalizing the program, and now is the time to see how far the team can climb. 


No. 9 Syracuse vs. No. 20 San Diego State - 4 p.m. Sunday
This is probably the most evenly matched game of the weekend. The game was pushed back to Sunday afternoon due to rain on Friday on the aircraft carrier in San Diego, so now more of the country will be able to watch with fewer games to chose from on Sunday. The Orange were a National Championship contender last season, blowing through the Big East. That's the goal again this season (as it always is in Syracuse), although the talent might not be as strong as last season. And don't sleep on what Steve Fisher is doing at SDSU. They may not play in a power conference, but they have the skill and discipline to compete with Jim Boeheim's squad. We'll be seeing both of these teams in the NCAA Tournament in March.


Honorable mentions:
Indiana State at No. 13 UCLA - 11 p.m. Friday Fox Sports Net
Talented freshman Kyle Anderson has been cleared to play for UCLA, but the Bruins are still waiting on word of fellow frosh Shabazz Muhammad's eligibility. It's been a dark couple of years for this storied program, but this highly recruited and highly praised freshman class could give UCLA instant success. They've all come in with plenty of hype, now it's time to watch what they can do at the college level.

No. 14 Michigan State vs. UCONN - 5:30 p.m. Friday ESPN 
The Jim Calhoun tenure is over at UCONN, so now we get to see what Calhoun's protege Kevin Ollie can do. Even with Shabazz Napier, it will probably be a rough first season for the Huskies. On the other side, Michigan State is without Draymond Green, a Player of the Year candidate last season, but will always be skilled and well coached under Tom Izzo. The Spartans will turn around and face No. 7 Kansas on Tuesday, but they better not look too far ahead of the Huskies.


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Big East Preview: Syracuse And Notre Dame Will Challenge Louisville For The Big East Thrown

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Peyton Siva and Louisville have their eye on the Big East Title. (thesportsbank.net)

Favorite: Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals made it to the Final Four last year, and many are starting them out as the No. 2 team in the country in preseason polls. The main reason for this — besides seeing the coaching job Rick Pitino did last year — is senior point guard Peyton Siva. He only averaged 9.1 ppg and 5.6 assists, but Siva is the leader of this team and when he plays well, the Cardinals usually win. Louisville is having to replace last year's leading scorer Kyle Kuric and guard Chris Smith, but this is a balanced-scoring team who has a fairly easy schedule — except for traveling to Memphis and the rivalry game against Kentucky — heading into Big East play.

Dark Horse: Notre Dame

Notre Dame is returning all five starters from a team that went 22-12 last season. The Fighting Irish struggled at times a season ago, losing games they shouldn't have to Georgia and Rutgers, but Notre Dame also knew how to string big wins together. During a stretch in 2011-12, the Irish knocked off No. 1 Syracuse, No. 19 UCONN and No. 15 Marquette in a span of four games. Mike Brey's squad doesn't have nearly as challenging of a non-conference schedule this year, and should compete with Louisville and Syracuse for the top of the Big East.

Player of the Year: Peyton Siva, Louisville

Siva epitomizes the term "Most Valuable Player." He probably won't score the most points in the conference and have the best numbers, but Louisville is a much better team when he is on his game compared to when he struggles. Siva was selected as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, so he clearly has the conference — and the nation's — attention. If Siva can cut back on the turnovers this year (he averaged more than three per game last season) and continue to be a scoring threat, the award is his to lose.

Newcomer of the Year: Steven Adams, Pitt

Last year was a season to forget for the Pitt Panthers, and Steven Adams is a freshman that can help fade the memories of the 22-17 overall and 5-13 conference records in 2011-12. The 7-foot center from New Zealand was the No. 6-ranked player on the ESPN 100, and has been praised for his athletic ability. Adams has the build and athleticism to be a force in the paint from the first game he plays and that presence in the low post could be what Pitt needs to return to their successful ways in the Big East.

Coach of the Year: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Louisville is the clear favorite to win the conference, but they will have to take down the defending Big East champions in Syracuse, who went 17-1 in conference play last season under Boeheim. The Orange lost a talented group in Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters and Fab Melo, but now it is Brandon Triche and Rakeem Christmas' turn to run the show and a preseason ranking of No. 9 in the country shows this team not expected to falter. With the loss in talent from a year ago, if Boeheim's team can breeze through a semi-challenging non-conference schedule and lead this team to a conference championship or within a game or two of that mark, he will have a strong case for the award. This could be the last chance Boeheim has to win the award before Syracuse and Pitt move to the ACC.


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A Look Back on Jim Calhoun's Candid Interview Response That Became an Internet Sensation

At 2 p.m. Thursday, Jim Calhoun will hold his final press conference, where he will announce his retirement.

It takes more than a few words to describe Calhoun's coaching career and his legacy. National basketball writers have been tackling the task of summing up Calhoun's retirement; about his success and NCAA troubles, his likeability and his outbursts.

I'll let them handle it. Instead, as Calhoun steps up to the podium for the final time as UCONN's head coach, let's have some fun and take a look back on the question regarding his salary in 2009 that became an Internet sensation.

As much as this showed us about Calhoun - his candidness, his willingness to give advice ("Shut up") and more specifically how much money he makes - this was a good lesson for reporters looking for the scoop on UCONN stories that happen outside of the court. If a reporter wanted that angle, Calhoun wasn't going to help him with it. What Calhoun shows us in the video is why many people loved him.

Don't expect this dialog in today's press conference. Instead, it'll be a good reminder of what the basketball world will miss with Calhoun's retirement.


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High Transfer Numbers Show 'Me First' Culture

UCONN's Alex Oriakhi was one of the most highly-touted transfers this offseason (ctpost.com)

The days of watching your college team’s athletes wear their school’s jerseys for four years are gone.

Many of them follow the money to the NBA before their four years in college, but there is another epidemic sweeping college basketball. It’s one thing for a player to leave for the NBA when the potential and buzz surrounding his game is the greatest, but college programs also have to worry about players just looking for a change of scenery.

CBS Sports basketball writer Jeff Goodman posted a transfer list back in April that included more than 445 players. That number means, on average, more than one player on every team in NCAA Division I basketball will transfer this year. Unfortunately this isn’t new, and the elite programs are not exempt from players wanting to leave. Duke, UCONN, Kansas, Wisconsin and Michigan all had players transfer from their programs this offseason.

Some cases can’t be helped. A player doesn’t always mesh with their coach or fit in with the program or university. Sometimes, it’s better to part ways and let him try again somewhere else. But more likely it seems that players transfer because they want to play right away. That is what Virginia head coach Tony Bennett believes and told the Washington Post last April.

“It’s an epidemic, without a doubt,” said Bennett in an interview with the Washington Post. “I think players have always been anxious to play, I really do. But when they thought, ‘I don’t know if this is the right place,’ the advice was always ‘Wait your turn. Stay put.’ But the times of waiting and being patient, well, it’s a different time.”

It’s the new culture of college basketball. Players want to show off their skills with the hopes of being noticed by an NBA scout, and to do that you have to be on the court. But what about using your first year or two to play behind a great player at your position to study and learn from him? The value of learning and battling for positions is lost in today’s game.

It’s hard to pinpoint the cause in the culture change. The rise of AAU basketball, where players flood to the spotlight and personal stats are more important than team victories, most likely played a factor. John Calipari and Kentucky’s method of winning with freshmen has probably played a role as well. If underclassmen see other underclassmen playing right away, and having success, then they strive for that too.

Another rule that contributes to the high number of transfers each year is the one that allows players who will graduate from their university to transfer, and play right away, with one year of eligibility remaining. This offseason, 28 of the transferring players on Goodman’s list have graduated and are transferring to use their remaining year. This is a rule that new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has recently come out to share his opposition while touring Big 12 schools before the football season starts.

“Not one of my favorite rules,” said Bowlsby in a Kansas City Star article last week when visiting the University of Kansas. “I think it kind of has the taste of a hired gun. And … more often than not, there’s somebody that’s been there for three or four years, that’s been waiting for their chance to play. And now they’re gonna be taken out by somebody that’s playing a last year from another school.”

Bowlsby made these comments during football season, but his words can easily be applied to basketball.

Regardless of which is the biggest factor, the high number of transfers doesn’t look to be declining anytime soon. School pride and prestige ranks lower than personal stats in a player’s hierarchy, and until that changes, hundreds of athletes will find new homes each year.

So when you see a player finish his four years of playing at one university, cherish it. He is a dying breed. 


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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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