The Big East: A FBCB Story

[Comey]

In the spring of 1982, nine like-minded schools came together. Frustrated with their own lack of success in a region that is bursting at the seams with basketball fandom, they decided to band together, and form a conference. It was the first new conference formed in the thirty-two years since the current incarnation of the NCAA came to be. The conference, ranging from Boston to Philadelphia, would be named the Big East.

[Comey]

Here is a look at the schools, their history, and where they stand now.

Boston College (Prestige: 24): Four postseason appearances. The Eagles' last definitive winning season was in 1960, when they fell in the first round of the NIT. In fact, all four postseason appearances have been in the NIT, and all four were first-round losses. They are coming off a 10-19 season, which is an improvement from a 6-23 year in 1979.

Connecticut (36): Made their first NCAA appearance a year ago, when they were a part of the Yankee Conference. Several NIT appearances over their time, they have been an up-and-down program. They were solid in the early 1950s, when they went to seven NITs in nine years, back when the NCAA only allowed 32 teams into the championship tournament. They went five years without the postseason, and have had sporadic success since.

Georgetown (36): The Hoyas are coming off an 18-14 season that saw them advance to the third round of the NIT. They have one other postseason appearance, a rather inexplicable showing in the 1977 NCAA Tournament, after a 17-12 season. They have been a doormat for years, but appear on the rise now.

Pittsburgh (21): The Panthers are a laughingstock, having never reached the postseason, and only registering one double-digit win season since 1973. They have had one winning season since 1950, and that came in 1953. And it was 16-13. There is a lot of work to do in Pittsburgh.

Providence (35): They reached the Elite Eight (going 28-3) in the first year of the NCAA Tournament, and a Sweet Sixteen apperance in 1959. Since that 27-5 campaign, they have slid into the realm of the insignificant. They did reach the NCAA in 1977, going 19-11. But only two NIT bids go along with that postseason apperance over the last 20 years. They are coming off a 10-19 year, and don't have much in the cupboard.

Seton Hall (32): The Pirates put together back-to-back postseason appearances in 1976-77 but have not been able to sustain that success. They have two NCAA appearances to their name (1967, 1976), but are a far cry from that, with 8, 10 and 13 wins their last three seasons.

St. John's (37): The Johnnies used their NYC connections early on, going 30-0 in the 1950 regular season, before losing in their opening game. They reached the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in their next two years, and made the postseason for the first nine seasons of NCAA play. Unfortunately, they have fallen from their first six seasons, where they averaged 27 wins a year. They did reach the Sweet Sixteen in 1979 and finished 21-11, but followed that up with 21 wins over the next two seasons combined. The Johnnies, like everyone else in the new conference, are looking to jump-start their program.

Syracuse (38): The Orangemen reached the postseason four out of five years in the mid-70s, with a victory in the NCAA tournament in 1976, and a 23-8 record. They finished 15-14 a year ago, but appear to be backsliding to old times, when they went twenty-three years without a postseason.

Villanova (39): The Wildcats are coming off an 8-21 season, but have recent success, with five postseasons in the last seven years. The school is hoping that Aubrey Meyer, the assistant from Princeton who arrived last year, can turn them around. The Wildcats did have a surprise Final Four appearance in 1952, and Philadelphia is starving for a consistent winner.

[Comey]

The National Landscape

While I plan on not breaking the fourth wall too often, there should be a look at how the nation shapes up as this enters the 1982-83 season.

100 Prestige Teams (4)

NC State
Southern California
Texas A&M
Western Kentucky

Oregon (98)
BYU (97)
UTEP (96)
Austin Peay (93)
Baylor (93)
Eastern Kentucky (93)
Maryland (91)

California (87)
Virginia (87)
Arizona (85)
SMU (85)
UCLA (84)
Texas Tech (83)
Kansas (82)
Washington (82)
Princeton (76)

Those can be considered the most consistent programs in the country. Four conferences, the ACC, Ohio Valley, Pac-8, and WAC have the highest prestige. The Ivy League and Southwest Conference are on the next tier. There are 73 Independents, a figure that may or may not change over the course of time.

The best teams in history could be the 1950-51 UCLA Bruins, which went 34-0 and won the championship by 20 over San Francisco. Or it could be the UCLA Bruins of the following season, which also went 34-0. Several teams have entered the tournament undefeated since, but have not won the title. A few teams have been one-loss champions, including the 1953-54 UCLA team (their four-year run was 133-2, and both losses were to Dayton, one in the 1953 Final Four, the other the following season). North Carolina went 38-1 and beat Nebraska 85-59 for the 1970-71 championship. Kansas went 36-1 the following season, beating BYU 83-57. Texas A&M went 36-1 the next season, beating Kansas 94-91.

Most recently, Western Kentucky put forth a dominant run of 136-13 over four years, including a NCAA title and a loss in the title game. The Ohio Valley Conference is the hot conference in the nation, playing home to Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky, the best rivalry in the nation, an all-OVC title game (WKU crushed Tennessee Tech), and the current defending NCAA champs, Austin Peay.

Texas A&M may be the current dynasty overall, with three straight FInal Fours. Kansas State reached four straight Final Fours from 1964-67. UCLA is the current king, with five straight from 1950-54, and six in seven years.

In terms of wins, UNC has 914 wins (914-199); WKU (897) and NC State (894) will reach 900 this year. UTEP (873) could with a solid season. Kansas has been to more Sweet Sixteens (25) than anyone (UTEP has 23, UNC and NC State with 22). Kansas has also been to more Final Fours than anyone, with 12. UTEP and UNC have been to 11, while UCLA has been to ten. North Carolina and UCLA both have six titles, while UTEP has four. Texas A&M and Kansas both have three. Nobody else has more than one. That group includes WKU, BYU, Austin Peay, Baylor, Clemon, Kansas State, Penn, Arkansas, Dayton, and Jacksonville (who has only advanced to the Sweet Sixteen once, and parlayed that 1956 run into a legendary title run).

Alabama has three NIT titles, while American and Vandy have two.

There are two tournaments, a 64-team NCAA and a 32-team NIT. The NCAA was a 32-team tournament until roughly 1960.

Last point: Nobody is allowed to declare. Everyone stays. I prefer dynasties and seeing players grow. I like those stories more.

And now, on with the show.

[Comey]

1982-83 Season

The career leader in points, as Big East play begins (nobody before the conference being formed is counted) is Barney Ellis of Providence, with 1482. Ellis averaged 22.2 PPG last year at a 42% clip. He is only a 64% FT shooter. This does not bode well for Providence.

Preseason Rankings (Top Ten)

1. BYU (32 1st)
2. Baylor (33)
3. Oregon
4. Western Kentucky (7)
5. Virginia
6. NC State
7. Southern Cal
8. SMU
9. Washington
10. Maryland

Nobody from the Big East is ranked, rather predictably. No team received a single vote.

Preseason Big East Team

PG: James Goolsby, Boston College (JR)
SG: Barney Ellis, Providence (SR)
SF: Douglas Walker, Syracuse (SR*)
PF: Johnnie Lathrop, Georgetown (JR*)
C: Alonzo Davies, Syracuse (JR*)
(Note: Only 12 All-Americans have been produced by Big East teams in 32 years.)

Highest (senior) pro prospect: Ellis (not in Top 50 in class)
Highest ceiling: C Joe Wold, Connecticut (SOPH)
(Note: Only Villanova has had a single top-five draftee. In 32 years, Big East teams have produced 19 first-round picks at the professional level.)
Rising: Villanova
Falling: Georgetown

Preseason Predictions
1. Providence - Deeper by default, with the league's top scorer in Ellis. (NCAA)
2. Syracuse - Solid (for league standards) starting group, led by Walker, Davies. (NIT)
3. Boston College - Deep disruptive backcourt leads Eagles. (NIT)
4. St. John's - The league begins to drop here. Solid 4/5 for Johnnies, though.
5. Georgetown - Hoyas could do well if they come together.
6. Villanova - Got some youth in the pipeline now, at least.
7. Connecticut - Very mediocre team in Storrs.
8. Seton Hall - One player in Carlos Gasper, who is a bridge to frosh Jefferson Wilson
9. Pittsburgh - The cupboard is barren. Reno Harrison and Gary Leahy are awful.

[Comey]

December 1, 1982

Top Ten
1. BYU (4-0, 65 1st)
2. Southern Cal (5-0, 1)
3. NC State (5-0, 6)
4. Maryland (5-0)
5. Nebraska (4-0)
6. Baylor (3-1)
7. East Tennessee State (4-0)
8. Oregon (4-1)
9. Western Kentucky (3-1)
10. North Carolina (5-0)

Big East: Syracuse and Seton Hall have started at 3-1, though Syracuse, with their 55 RPI, definitely looks better (Seton Hall's is 159). UConn is 2-1; Pitt, BC and St. John's are all 1-2, while Georgetown is 1-3. Villanova is 0-4, while Providence only has a 0-1 mark.

[muns]

Sweet. Nice Start Comey.

Looking forward to PITT's move up and not have that laughingstock mark.

[Comey]

January 1, 1983: BYU fell to #16 Austin Peay 105-101 in double overtime. They fell from the top spot to #2, which is respectable.

1. Southern Cal (12-0, 40 1st)
2. BYU (12-1, 32)
3. Western Kentucky (12-1)
4. NC State (11-1)
5. Maryland (11-1)
6. SMU (7-1)
7. Baylor (7-2)
8. California (10-1)
9. Nebraska (9-1)
10. Clemson (11-1)

Conference RPI: The Big East is 21st out of 21 conferences, but only one-hundredth of a spot behind the West Coast Conference. So, they have that going for them.

Big East: Syracuse continues to lead the way at 7-3, though their RPI (190th) has them masquarading as frauds. BC ended the month well to get to 6-5. UConn is 6-4. St. John's is 5-7, while Providence is 4-5. Seton Hall is at 4-4, Pitt at 3-7, Georgetown 2-9, and Nova 1-8. So far, the Big East is the Big Least.

Marquee Games:
BC fell at #10 Clemson, 79-48
Georgetown lost all of their games, but they faced teams that, while not great, all have winning records
Pitt held their own at home against #3 Western Kentucky, losing 77-65
Providence lost the Battle For The City, falling to Brown 62-46 at home
Villanova's lone win is at George Washington, 62-53

Player Notes:
Providence SG Barney Ellis is sixth in the nation in PPG, averaging 20.7.
Georgetown C David Cavanaugh is 16th nationally with 10.4 RPG.

[Comey]

January 1983

January 4: The first-ever Big East game takes place with Seton Hall beating Villanova 72-62. There is a bit of trivia.

		 Final	 1st	 2nd	 Total	 		 
 	 Villanova	    25	 37	 62	 	 
 	 Seton Hall	    33	 39	 72	 	 

 Villanova
 Playe             Pos     MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS	 
 Dave Evans	 C	 31	 5-8	 0-0	 4-4	 1	 4	 2	 0	 2	 1	 4	 14	 
 Rudy Furtado	 PF	 34	 3-7	 1-3	 1-2	 1	 7	 0	 0	 1	 1	 3	 8	 
 Scott Hollander	 SF	 23	 3-5	 0-0	 0-0	 1	 3	 0	 1	 0	 2	 5	 6	 
 Omer Stamper	 SG	 31	 6-11	 3-7	 2-4	 0	 1	 2	 2	 0	 0	 3	 17	 
 Donn Smith	 PG	 19	 2-6	 1-4	 0-0	 0	 2	 1	 0	 0	 1	 4	 5	 
 Chris Mendoza	 PG	 19	 0-2	 0-1	 2-2	 0	 1	 3	 0	 0	 0	 0	 2	 
 John Weidman	 C	 13	 1-2	 0-0	 0-0	 1	 2	 0	 0	 2	 0	 2	 2	 
 David Goldman	 SG	 14	 1-2	 0-0	 0-0	 1	 2	 2	 1	 0	 1	 1	 2	 
 Dalton Saechao	 SF	 12	 1-5	 1-5	 0-0	 0	 1	 0	 0	 0	 1	 0	 3	 
 Clay Newport	 SG	 1	 0-1	 0-1	 2-2	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 2	 
 Duane Williams	 PF	 2	 0-0	 0-0	 1-2	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 1	 
 Totals	 	  	 22-49	 6-21	 12-16	 5	 23	 10	 4	 5	 7	 22	 62	 
 	 	  	 .449	 .286	 .750	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 

 Seton Hall
 Player        Pos	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS	 
 David Coelho	 C	 23	 0-3	 0-0	 0-1	 1	 4	 1	 0	 0	 0	 4	 0	 
 Troy Coney	 PF	 31	 5-8	 0-0	 3-4	 8	 13	 1	 2	 0	 1	 1	 13	 
 Rubin Walsh	 SF	 28	 7-12	 3-4	 2-3	 2	 4	 3	 1	 0	 2	 4	 19	 
 Jefferson Wilson	 SG	 30	 3-7	 2-5	 1-2	 0	 2	 1	 0	 1	 0	 3	 9	 
 Carlos Gasper	 PG	 34	 5-7	 3-5	 1-3	 3	 7	 3	 0	 0	 3	 2	 14	 
 Chris Cheney	 SF	 18	 0-4	 0-0	 3-4	 0	 1	 1	 1	 0	 2	 1	 3	 
 Josh Felix	 SG	 9	 2-5	 1-2	 0-0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 1	 0	 5	 
 David Scott	 PF	 16	 2-4	 1-1	 0-0	 0	 4	 1	 0	 0	 1	 1	 5	 
 Isaiah Firth	 C	 8	 2-4	 0-0	 0-0	 1	 2	 0	 0	 1	 0	 1	 4	 
 Daniel Schmitz	 SF	 2	 0-1	 0-0	 0-0	 0	 2	 0	 0	 0	 1	 0	 0	 
 Stevie Simon	 PF	 2	 0-0	 0-0	 0-0	 0	 1	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 
 Totals	 	  	 26-55	 10-17	 10-17	 15	 40	 11	 4	 2	 11	 17	 72	 
 	 	  	 .473	 .588	 .588	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 

January 6: The rest of the first Big East slate:
Pitt 60, Boston College 44
UConn 63, Georgetown 59
St. John's 60, Syracuse 52

Providence's first game comes on the 8th, beating Georgetown 76-62.

January 17: BYU (17-1) retakes the top spot, despite Southern Cal (19-0) staying undefeated. They did so on the strength of beating #18 UTEP.

January 24: Southern Cal (20-1) retakes the top spot despite losing to #7 Oregon at home, 70-68. This is because BYU fell at New Mexico, 77-76, on a three with :02 left. Western Kentucky, over whom BYU already owns a 93-64 win, is getting major votes at the #3 spot.

Meanwhile, a quarter of the way into the Big East season, this is how the standings look.

1. St. John's: 4-1, 9-9 overall
2. Syracuse: 4-1, 13-5
3. Seton Hall: 3-2 8-8
4. Providence: 3-2, 8-8
5. Georgetown: 3-3, 5-13
6. Connecticut: 3-3, 9-8
7. Villanova: 2-4, 3-13
8. Pittsburgh: 1-4, 4-13
9. Boston College: 1-4, 8-10

[Comey]

Top 10
1. BYU (20-2, 58 1st)
2. Southern Cal (21-1, 4)
3. Western Kentucky (22-2, 10)
4. NC State (18-1)
5. Baylor (17-2)
6. Oregon (17-4)
7. Virginia (16-3)
8. Washington (17-4)
9. SMU (17-2)
10. Maryland (17-3)

No Big East team is in the rankings, and for good measure. They're all awful.

Player Accolades
Barney Ellis, Providence: Leads the nation in scoring, at 23.3 PPG. Alonzo Davies (Syracuse) is 23rd, at 19.2.
David Cavanaugh, Georgetown: Is 20th in the nation in rebounds, with 9.9 per game.

Standings

St. John's: 6-1, 11-9 overall
Syracuse: 6-1, 15-5
Georgetown: 5-3, 7-14
Providence: 4-3, 9-9
Seton Hall: 3-4, 8-10
Connecticut: 3-4, 9-10
Boston College: 2-5, 9-11
Villanova: 2-5, 3-15
Pittsburgh: 1-6, 4-15

February 7: BYU fell to Arizona, 77-74, and Southern Cal fell twice at Cal and Oregon State, making way for WKU to take the top spot. BYU fell to second.

Meanwhile, St. John's completed a season sweep of Syracuse, beating the Orangemen at the Carrier Dome, 63-55. They now have a one-game lead in the conference.

Bubble Watch: Nobody is in. This would happen when the top RPI is 112, and the record of that team is 10-14.

February 14: BYU falls by one at UTEP, then at Utah by three, 87-74. Their five losses are by a total of 12 points. Meanwhile, St. John's has a two-game lead on Georgetown, as Syracuse faltered again.

February 21: WKU, losers of three straight, dropped to #2. NC State (22-3) ascends to the top spot. Meanwhile, St. John's lost to Seton Hall (11-13) 68-61. That makes them 11-2 in conference, one game ahead of Syracuse (9-3, 19-7) and Georgetown (9-4, 11-15). Villanova, meanwhile, has moved up to 5-8, 6-18 overall. According to the Bubble Watch, nobody is still in. Syracuse's RPI is 134.

[Comey]

March 1983

Top Ten
1. NC State (24-3, 72 1st)
2. Western Kentucky (26-5)
3. Oregon (22-6)
4. BYU (23-6)
5. Southern Cal (24-5)
6. SMU (23-3)
7. Virginia (20-6)
8. Maryland (21-6)
9. Baylor (20-6)
10. Clemson (22-6)

Projected #1 seeds
West: Oregon
Midwest: BYU
South: NC State
East: WKU

Big East Standings
St. John's (12-2, 17-11)
Syracuse (11-3, 21-7)
Georgetown (10-5, 12-16)
Providence (7-7, 13-13)
Villanova (7-8, 8-18)
Connecticut (5-9, 11-16)
Seton Hall (5-9, 11-15)
Boston College (5-9, 12-16)
Pittsburgh (2-12, 5-22)

Bubble Watch: Nobody is in. But Syracuse is one of the last teams out. So, there's that.

Player Accolades:

Barney Ellis, Providence: Second in the nation at 22.9 PPG.
David Cavanaugh, Georgetown: 12th in the nation in rebounding at 10.2.
Charles Chambers, St. John's: 24th in the nation in rebounding at 9.6.

[Comey]

Big East Tournament

1. St. John's vs Connecticut/Pittsburgh
4. Providence vs 5. Villanova
3. Georgetown vs 6. Seton Hall
2. Syracuse vs 7 Boston College

Play-in Game
Connecticut 81, Pitt 72

Quarterfinals
Connecticut 74, St. John's 56. Down goes the champ.
Providence 68 Villanova 64. The Wildcats hit their stride in the second half, but fell short.
Boston College 75, Syracuse 66. Syracuse fails to capitalize on their good fortune.
Georgetown 64, Seton Hall 53. I don't really know what to say about this.

Semifinals

8 Connecticut (5-11, 13-18) vs 4 Providence (8-8, 15-14)
7 Boston College (6-10, 14-17) vs 3 Georgetown (11-5, 14-17)

This does not bode well for the long-term viability of the league.

Semifinals
Providence 77, Connecticut 75: Barney Ellis scores the final of his 40 points on a layup with a second left, keeping Providence from blowing a 15-point lead. Ellis: 40 points, 6 rebounds, 8 turnovers.
Georgetown 72 Boston College 61: Hoyas used 19 from Jeffrey Patterson to beat the Eagles.

Championship:
3 Georgetown (11-5, 15-17) vs 4 Providence (8-8, 16-14)

Georgetown 72, Providence 63: The Hoyas held Barney Ellis to 13 points on 5-17 shooting, and five turnovers, and had four in double-digits to win the inaugural Big East crown, and a NCAA bid.

Final Season Poll
1. NC State (28-4, 72 1st)
2. BYU (25-6)
3. Oregon (24-6)
4. Western Kentucky (26-6)
5. Southern Cal (25-6)
6. Baylor (23-7)
7. Clemson (26-7)
8. SMU (23-6)
9. North Carolina (25-8)
10. California (23-7)

NCAA Tournament

Georgetown is the 16-seed in the West, getting BYU in the first round. Pretty sure that doesn't look too good for the Hoyas.

Top Seeds: BYU (West), Oregon (Midwest), NC State (South), WKU (East)

Meanwhile, both St. John's and Syracuse reached the NIT. Cuse is the 2-seed in the East, while St. John's in the 5th seed in the same region. The Orangemen get Kentucky, while St. John's gets Western Michigan.

Final Four Predictions:
West: Southern Cal (2)
Midwest: Texas Tech (4)
South: Austin Peay (2)
East: North Carolina (3)

[Comey]

NIT Round 1: And that was that for the Big East.
Western Michigan 85, St. John's 69
Kentucky 69, Syracuse 61

NCAA: BYU was methodical, holding Georgetown to 39% shooting, 0-10 from 3, and generating 18 turnovers, winning easily, 76-47.

West: BYU's run ended in the second round, with a 83-68 loss to ninth-seed North Carolina A&T. That made it Southern Cal's to lose, which they didn't. The Trojans beat 3-seed SMU 89-71 and 4-seed Maryland 69-60, to advance to the Final Four.

Midwest: Top-seeded Oregon marched through everyone to reach the Final Four. They drubbed Northern Arizona 100-74, Illinois 98-70, Texas Tech 93-85, and 6-seed Morehead State 84-73 to get there.

South: Eastern Michigan was the talk of the tournament, as the 16-seed took out top overall seed NC State in the first round, 54-53. They reached the Sweet Sixteen after knocking out Arkansas by twenty. UTEP crushed their dreams, however; Richard Wood fouled Mel Ide with :00.2 left, and Eastern Michigan up 70-69. Ide stepped to the line, swished two free throws, and ended EMU's ride, 71-70. The Miners' elation was short-lived, as seventh-seeded Kansas came through with a 87-78 win, getting the Jayhawks to the Final Four.

East: The Citadel, seeded 15th, beat Cal in the first round. They fell to Drexel, who lost, at the buzzer, to #3 North Carolina, on a three by Benedict Wysocki. The Tar Heels then upended top seed Western Kentucky (who beat oddly perennial nemesis, Penn, in the second round), 68-67, to reach the Final Four.

Final Four:
Southern Cal 89, Kansas 81
Oregon 91, North Carolina 69

National Championship:
Oregon 71, Southern Cal 60

Awards
No Big East player made All-American

Big East Conference Awards
 Award	Receipient	Team
 Player of the Year:	C Alonzo Davies	Syracuse Orange
 Freshman of the Year:	SF Stan Redman	Boston College Eagles
 Coach of the Year:	Charlie Gullett	St. John's Red Storm

 1st-Team All League
 C	Alonzo Davies	         Syracuse Orange	 
 PF	Mitchel Basile	         Boston College Eagles	 
 SF	Douglas Walker	         Syracuse Orange	 
 SG	Barney Ellis	         Providence Friars	 
 PG	Douglas Burlingame	 Syracuse Orange	
 
 2nd-Team All League
 C	David Cavanaugh	         Georgetown Hoyas	 
 PF	Richard Jankowski	 Syracuse Orange	 
 SF	Leonard Owens	         Connecticut Huskies	 
 SG	Jeffrey Bridgewater	 Syracuse Orange	 
 PG	Dominick Hughes	        Georgetown Hoyas	 
 
All Freshman Team
 C	John Weidman	         Villanova Wildcats	 
 PF	 	 	 
 SF	Stan Redman	         Boston College Eagles	 
 SG	Larry Shipp	         Georgetown Hoyas	 
 PG	Jefferson Wilson	 Seton Hall Pirates	 

[Comey]

1983 Preseason Top Ten
1. Western Kentucky (68 1st)
2. North Carolina (1)
3. Washington (1)
4. Oregon (1)
5. Southern Cal (1)
6. Tennessee Tech
7. Maryland
8. NC State
9. Nebraska
10. Baylor

The Pac-8 has three of the top five, and five (Cal 14th, Stanford 19th) in the top 20, with UCLA receiving votes. The ACC has three of the top ten and five (Clemson 13th, Virginia 16th) in the top 20, and Duke and Wake Forest receiving votes. The Ohio Valley has three in the top 11 (Eastern Kentucky 11th), two more in the top 25 (East TN State 15th, Morehead State 22nd), and two others receiving votes in Murray State and Austin Peay.

No Big East team received a vote, nor do they have a draftable player in the current class. Parker Fletcher, a JUCO recruit for St. John's, is 33rd in the junior class.

Big East Predictions
1. St. John's: Four solid starters led by newcomer Parker. Should break through this year.
2. Providence: Deeper than most realize. Will build on last year's experience (NIT).
3. Syracuse: Tough frontcourt, a lot of inexperience in the backcourt.
4. Villanova: Growing pains for rising stars in the backcourt in Green, Mendoza and Murray.
5. Connecticut: Huskies need PF Joe Wold to make the leap to stardom.
6. Boston College: Small but quick, PG James Goolsby makes this ship go.
7. Georgetown: Have to replace too much from last year's squad.
8. Pittsburgh: A few kids to grow on, but still nowhere near where they need to be.
9. Seton Hall: Only one senior, only one junior, and a LOT of sophomores and freshmen.

Preseason All Big East Team
PG: James Goolsby, Boston College (SR)
SG: Parker Fletcher, St. John's (JR)
SF: Brian Anderson, Providence (SR)
PF: Alonzo Davies, Syracuse (SR)
C: Darrell Hernandez, St. John's (SR)

Preseason Player of the Year: PF Alonzo Davies, SR, Syracuse
Preseason Rookie of the Year: SG Parker Fletcher, St. John's (JUCO)
Coach On The Hot Seat: None

Rising: Villanova
Falling: Georgetown
Best Backcourt: Boston College
Best Frontcourt: St. John's
Best Ballhandler: Danilo Sproul, Providence
Best Shooter: Parker Fletcher, St. John's
Best Passer: Justin Getz, Georgetown
Best Offensive Post: Alonzo Davies, Syracuse
Best Perimeter Defender: Quentin Burns, Pittsburgh
Best Post Defender: Donnie Pena, Boston College
Best Shot Blocker: Joe Searle, Providence
Best Rebounder: Charlie Chambers, St. John's

[Comey]

November 1983: Western Kentucky immediately fell, losing 66-65 to Charlotte in the second game of the year. That knocked them from the top spot after a week. Washington ascended to the top spot, and held it for the rest of the month.

For our heroes, things are beginning to look up a little more. St. John's gave #17 BYU all it could handle, losing 72-71 in the quarterfinals of the Coaches Invitational. This was considered to be the biggest tournament in the country, with Southern Cal, Eastern Kentucky, Kansas, and Clemson also in attendance. Boston College made it to the semifinals of the GDS Classic (where they were blown out by powerhouse East Tennessee State). Providence finished third in the Island Invitational. Syracuse didn't have as much luck in the Preseason NIT, losing to the same Charlotte team that beat WKU. UConn and Pitt didn't have the same kind of tournament experiences, going winless in their pools.

Records
St. John's 3-2
Villanova 3-1
Boston College 2-3 (had to play two top-five teams, #4 E TN St and #3 Maryland back-to-back)
Providence 2-1
Seton Hall 2-2
Georgetown 2-2
Connecticut 1-4
Syracuse 0-1
Pittsburgh 0-3

Conference Leaders
Scoring: Parker Fletcher, St. John's: 23.7 (14th nationally)
Rebounding: Earl Herd, Syracuse: 11.0 (24th)
Assists: Josh Felix, Seton Hall: 3.3
Steals: James Goolsby, Boston College: 2.8 (15th)
Blocks: Jared Sherwin, Providence: 2.3

[Comey]

December 1983: Tennessee Tech ends Washington's three-week run atop the polls, taking over on December 5th. Washington didn't lose, but Tech earned the nod anyway. Western Kentucky fell again, this time to Kansas, dropping them to 20th.

December 5 Top Ten
1. Tennessee Tech (7-0, 53 1st)
2. Washington (5-0, 11)
3. Maryland (7-0, 7)
4. East Tennessee State (9-0)
5. Nebraska (5-0, 1)
6. California (6-0)
7. North Carolina (5-1)
8. Stanford (4-0)
9. Oregon (5-1)
10. NC State (7-1)

It's funny, if this happened in real life, you have to wonder if basketball ever would have grabbed a foothold in the Big East. The game is owned by the Bible Belt and in the west. Only two teams in the Northeast are in the top 25...Penn, and St. Joe's. The Big East's RPI is up to 16th, but they have a long way to go to catch the leaders, the Ohio Valley, Pac-8, and ACC.

December 2: They aren't what they once were, but UConn slays a dragon in knocking off Kansas State, 62-61. State is a former national power who has not been in that air for years. However, they are still a perennial NCAA team. Very good win for UConn (one of only two to this point), and a great win for the conference.

December 19: Syracuse is receiving votes! The 5-1 Orangemen have eight of them, which makes them 29th in the country. Villanova, meanwhile, goes to 8-3 with a win over Michigan State. Sparty is not good (4-6), and they aren't a power in this universe. But the third-straight win over a somewhat quality opponent (East Carolin and Tennessee are the others) has the kids wondering what they can do in conference time.

December 26: So much for that. No team is receiving a vote. But they are getting better. Four teams have RPIs above 79. St. John's is 50th. Not bad.

[Comey]

January 2, 1984

Top Ten
1. Tennessee Tech (13-0, 44 1st)
2. Washington (12-0, 27)
3. Nebraska (12-0, 1)
4. North Carolina (12-1)
5. Stanford (13-0)
6. Maryland (13-1)
7. Western Kentucky (11-2)
8. Oregon (12-2)
9. BYU (13-1; only loss is to Syracuse)
10. Murray State (13-0)

The OVC has five teams in the top 15.

Standings
1. Villanova (9-4)
2. St. John's (8-4)
3. Providence (8-4)
4. Syracuse (7-3)
5. Georgetown (5-7)
6. Boston College (4-8)
7. Connecticut (4-9)
8. Seton Hall (4-6)
9. Pittsburgh (2-9)

Even though the conference seems to be emerging, the growing pains are still evident. Syracuse fell to Holy Cross (who is 9-3, but still). Villanova fell to 5-12 Manhattan, 82-73. BC fell to 2-12 Rhode Island, 51-40, UConn at 3-9 Yale by 12. Providence, however, did take The City, beating Brown 66-54.

Statistical Leaders
Scoring: Alono Davies, Syracuse: 20.4 (15th nationally). Parker Fletcher is averaging 24.0, but does not qualify, due to an injury that sidelined him for several games. He would be fourth in the nation otherwise.
Rebounding: Joe Searle, Providence: 9.2
Assists: James Goolsby, Boston College: 3.5
Steals: Goolsby: 2.7 (8th)
Blocks: Davies: 3.3 (10th)

Despite Davies' production, and his height (7'0), he is only the fourth-best prospect at his position among seniors in the conference. The only players who rank as position-specific seniors are Brian Anderson (SF, 49th) and...that's it. Fletcher is seventh among SG in the junior class, so there's that to look forward to...next year.

[Comey]

Big East: Conference Play: First Quarter

1.3.84
Seton Hall 63, Syracuse 57

1.5.84
UConn 86, Pitt 80
Providence 60, Georgetown 53
Villanova 73, St. John's 57

1.7.84
Boston College 77, Georgetown 69
Seton Hall 69 UConn 58
Villanova 89, Pitt 74
Providence 64, Syracuse 53

1.9: Washington falls to 5-9 Northeastern at home, falls to #4. UNC moves from 4th to 2nd.

1.10
Boston College 70, Pitt 52

1.12
UConn 68, Villanova 58
Seton Hall 76, Georgetown 69
St. John's 74, Providence 70

1.14
Boston College 65, Villanova 55
UConn 86, Georgetown 65
Pitt 51, Seton Hall 49
Syracuse 66, St. John's 48

Standings
Boston College (3-0, 7-9)
Seton Hall (3-1, 7-7)
Connecticut (3-1, 7-10)
Providence (2-1, 11-5)
Villanova (2-2 11-6)
Syracuse (1-2, 9-5)
St. John's (1-2, 9-7)
Pittsburgh (1-3, 3-12)
Georgetown (0-4, 5-11)

Top 10:
1. Tennessee Tech (17-0, 72)
2. UNC (16-1)
3. Nebraska (15-0)
4. Maryland (16-1)
5. Western Kentucky (14-3)
6. Washington (14-2)
7. UTEP (13-1)
8. Oregon (14-3)
9. Stanford (15-1)
10. Penn (16-1)

Leaders
Scoring: Parker Fletcher, St. John's: 22.7 (5th nationally)
Rebounding: Joe Searle, Providence: 9.5
Assists: John Higley, Pittsburgh/James Goolsby, BC: 3.1
Steals: James Goolsby, BC: 2.4 (8th)
Blocks: Alonzo Davies, Syracus: 3.5 (T-5th)

[Comey]

(Note: For those who feel this is too light on writing, and sticking to mainly fact-reporting, stay tuned. I'm a couple of seasons ahead of this writing, and as I have begun finding more out about this universe, the more I've been covering the nation as a whole. So, please, bear with me, as the me of yesteryear struggled with the format for a little while.)

[Grover]

Originally Posted by Comey

(Note: For those who feel this is too light on writing, and sticking to mainly fact-reporting, stay tuned. I'm a couple of seasons ahead of this writing, and as I have begun finding more out about this universe, the more I've been covering the nation as a whole. So, please, bear with me, as the me of yesteryear struggled with the format for a little while.)

Format is always the post difficult part of a dynasty for me. You're doing fine. Can't wait to see things get more fleshed out though. It'll be good to read your writing again.

[Comey]

Thanks, Justin. I appreciate that a lot, especially from you. It has been at least four years since I have done any concrete writing. I like where I am now, something you guys will see in a week or so. And I like where I'm going. I have to add a few more elements. But this is the first time in forever I have enjoyed this kind of writing. I've even been active in the online league community for the first time in awhile.

I have enjoyed your political conquest stuff, even though I can't make heads or tails of what's going on. But I'm a faithful reader.

[Comey]

Big East Conference, Second Quarter

1.17
Syracuse 74, Villanova 62

1.19
Boston College 68, Connecticut 60
Providence 73, Pitt 51
St. John's 60, Seton Hall 32

1.21
Boston College 74, Providence 65
Connecticut 77, St. John's 75
Villanova 74, Georgetown 47
Syracuse 66, Pitt 58

Nationally: #3 Nebraska suffers its first loss of the season 80-71 at Kansas State. The same Kansas State that lost to Connecticut.

1.24
Georgetown 70, Syracuse 61 (first conference win for the Hoyas)
St. John's 63, Pitt 61

1.26
Seton Hall 52, BC 42 (first conference loss for BC)
Villanova 73, Providence 67

1.28
St. John's 64, BC 37
Syracuse 74, UConn 66
Pitt 62, Georgetown 56
Providence 69, Seton Hall 42

Standings
Boston College (5-2, 9-11)
Syracuse (4-3, 12-6)
Seton Hall (4-3, 9-9)
Villanova (4-3, 14-7)
Providence (4-3, 13-7)
Connecticut (4-3, 9-12)
St. John's (4-3, 12-8)
Pittsburgh (2-6, 4-15)
Georgetown (1-6, 6-14)

I...wow. What a clusterf....this is anybo...mostly anybody's league.

Top 10
1. Tennessee Tech (20-1, 64 1st; lost at Austin Peay, 92-89)
2. Maryland (20-1, 8)
3. North Carolina (18-3)
4. Washington (18-2)
5. Western Kentucky (17-4)
6. Oregon (16-4)
7. Nebraska (18-1)
8. East Tennessee State (19-5)
9. Pennsylvania (19-1)
10. UTEP (15-3)

Leaders
Scoring: Parker Fletcher, St. John's: 21.8 (7th)
Rebounds: Joe Searle, Providence: 8.9
Assists: John Higley, Pitt: 3.1
Steals: James Goolsby, Boston College: 2.3 (13th)
Blocks: Alonzo Davies, Syracuse: 3.4 (8th)

Pro Prospects: Darrell Hernandez (St. John's) is up to 24th among senior centers, while Alonzo Davies is 35th. Charlie Chambers (St. John's) is up to 16th among power forwards, while Joe Searle is 20th. That said, nobody in the conference, at least in this class, is believably draftable.

(Looking at next year, UTEP has four players in the top 15.)

[Comey]

Big East - Conference Play, Third Quarter

2.2
Syracuse 56, BC 47
Villanova 55, Seton Hall 46
Providence 65, UConn 53
Georgetown 64, St. John's 46 (MAJOR upset)

2.4
Syracuse 65, Seton Hall 46
Villanova 70, St. John's 67
Pitt 59, UConn 48 (drops the Huskies to 4-5 in the conference)
Georgetown 59, Providence 49

Nationally: TN Tech lost at Western Kentucky 76-58. They did not drop in the polls, staying on top. But WKU moves up to #2. Also, the nation's leading scorer is a guard for Wake Forest, whose name happens to be James Kimmel. His friends call him Jimmy.

2.9
Villanova 75, Pitt 54
Georgetown 72, BC 56 (BC has lost 4 of 5 since starting 5-0 in BE play)
UConn 68, Seton Hall 55
Syracuse 56, Providence 46

2.11
UConn 76, Villanova 67
BC 62, Pitt 33 (44-19 at the half)
Georgetown 69, Seton Hall 57 (Hoyas winners of 5 of 6 since 8-game losing streak)
Providence 61, St. John's 61 (Chuck Northern's buzzer-beating 3 shocks Jonnies)

Standings
Syracuse (7-3, 15-7)
Villanova (7-4, 17-8)
Boston College (6-4 11-3)
Providence (6-5, 15-9)
Connecticut (6-5, 11-14)
Georgetown (5-6, 10-14)
St. John's (4-6, 12-11)
Seton Hall (4-7, 9-13)
Pittsburgh (3-8, 6-17)

Bubble Watch: Right now, Villanova is on the right side of the bubble watch, despite their horrible 168 SOS. It is the worst among any team included in right now. Syracuse is considered safely in at the moment. Nobody else is considered in. Columbia (14-8) is the last team in the field right now, while UC Santa Barbara (15-10) is the first team out.

Top Ten
1. TN Tech (23-2, 71 1st)
2. Western Kentucky (21-4, 1)
3. North Carolina (20-4)
4. Maryland (21-3)
5. Oregon (19-5)
6. Washington (20-4)
7. Nebraska (21-2)
8. East TN State (22-5)
9. NC State (19-5)
10. Penn (21-3)

Top Seed Projections
East: 1. Maryland 2. Washington 3. East TN State 4. Penn
South: 1. TN Tech 2. NC State 3. Stanford 4. Texas Tech
Midwest: 1. WKU 2. Nebraska 3. UTEP 4. Princeton
West: 1. North Carolina 2. Oregon 3. Oklahoma 4. Southern California

[tgray649]

Great read Comey, good to see you again

[Comey]

Big East - Conference Play, Fourth Quarter

February 20: WKU replaces TN Tech on the top line after Tech fell to Eastern Kentucky on the road.

2.14
Syracuse 76, St. John's 68

2.16
Villanova 59, Boston College 53
UConn 79, Georgetown 62
Seton Hall 67, Pitt 47

2.18
Connecticut 68, BC 55
Providence 61, Pitt 52 (have lost four in a row)
St. John's 60, Seton Hall 51
Villanova 67, Syracuse 57

February 27: WKU falls to Morehead State on the 23rd, putting TN Tech back on the top spot.

Top 10
1. TN Tech (26-3, 45 1st)
2. Western Kentucky (24-5, 27)
3. Maryland (24-4)
4. North Carolina (22-6)
5. Oregon (21-6)
6. Washington (22-5)
7. Southern Cal (20-6)
8. Nebraska (23-4)
9. NC State (21-6)
10. Penn (23-4)
No Big East team has received a vote. Villanova likely would have, had they had an undefeated week. But...

On the injury front, Boston College lost two key parts to their team. Starting guard Stan Redman tore his ACL; the sophomore is out for the rest of this season. He averaged 12.1 points a game. David Thompson, a senior starting guard, broke his cheekbone going for a layup. He is out for two and a half weeks, which likely means his season, and his career, is over. The three-guard lineup BC employs is now disrupted considerably, and a chance for a solid finish to the season is likely gone.

2.21
Providence 50, BC 41
Syracuse 73, Pitt 56

2.23
St. John's 79, UConn 68
Villanova 81, Georgetown 76

2.25
Seton Hall 59, BC 50 (BC has lost four in a row)
Syracuse 77, Georgetown 69
St. John's 80, Pitt 72 (Pitt has lost six in a row)
Providence 63, Villanova 50

Standings
Syracuse (10-4, 18-8)
Villanova (10-5, 20-9)
Providence (9-5, 19-9)
Connecticut (8-6, 13-15)
St. John's (7-7, 15-12)
Seton Hall (6-8, 11-15)
Boston College (6-8, 11-17)
Georgetown (5-9, 11-17)
Pittsburgh (3-12, 6-12)

Heading into the final week, Syracuse and Villanova are firmly in the NCAA tournament, while Providence is likely assured of a NIT bid, at least. The league probably won't get more than two teams into the tournament, and if Syracuse or Villanova bow out early in the conference tournament, they could still lose their spot.

NCAA Projections
East: 1. Maryland 2. Nebraska 3. Penn 4. East TN State
South: 1. TN Tech 2. NC State 3. Southern Cal 4. Stanford
Midwest: 1. WKU 2. Washington 3. Arizona State 4. Oklahoma
West: 1. UNC 2. Oregon 3. BYU 4. Arizona
Syracuse: 9 seed, East
Villanova: 11 seed, Midwest

[Comey]

Big East Play - Final Week

2.28
St. John's 68, BC 50

3.1
Syracuse 70, UConn 65
Pitt 72, Georgetown 58
Providence 71, Providence 38

3.3
Villanova 64, Seton Hall 52
Syracuse 84, BC 75 (BC finishes having lost six in a row; Cuse clinches top seed)
St. John's 79, Georgetown 47 (after winning five in a row, Georgetown loses five in a row)
UConn 71, Providence 58

Final Reguar Season Standings
Syracuse (12-4, 20-8)
Villanova (11-5, 21-9)
Providence (10-6, 20-10)
St. John's (9-7, 17-12)
Connecticut (9-7, 14-16)
Seton Hall (6-10, 11-17)
Boston College (6-10, 11-19)
Georgetown (5-11, 11-19)
Pittsburgh (4-12, 8-21)

Big East Tournament Pairings + First Round Predictions
1. Syracuse - Bye
2. Villanova vs 7. Boston College: The two teams split the regular season, but with BC losing two starters this late in the year, it is difficult to see how they can overcome the Wildcats. PICK: Villanova
3. Providence vs 6. Seton Hall: The Friars own two blowouts of the Pirates, including a 71-38 demolishing at SH last week. The Friars seem to be a nightmare matchup for the Pirates. Therefore, you can't buck the trend. PICK: Providence
4. St. John's vs 5. UConn: St. John's has gotten hot again. A team that is wildly inconsistent is capable of playing with anybody...or losing to anybody. UConn beat the Red Storm in the first meeting, but St. John's beat them convincingly two weeks ago. The question here is, which Red Storm shows up? This is the upset pick. PICK: Connecticut

Final Regular Season Poll
1. Western Kentucky (27-5, 71 1st)
2. Tennessee Tech (27-4, 1)
3. Maryland (26-4)
4. North Carolina (24-6)
5. Oregon (23-6)
6. Washington (23-6)
7. Nebraska (24-5)
8. Stanford (25-6)
9. Southern Cal (20-8)
10. NC State (21-8)

Stat Leaders
Scoring: Parker Fletcher, St. John's: 21.0 (9th nationally)
Rebounding: Joe Searle, Providence: 9.3 (T-45th)
Assists: John Higley, Pittsburgh: 2.9
Steals: James Goolsby, Boston College: 1.8 (T-42nd)
Blocks: Alonzo Davies, Syracuse: 2.9 (T-17th)

[Comey]

Originally Posted by tgray649

Great read Comey, good to see you again

Thank you. I hope you continue to read. Some stuff is about to pick up.

[Comey]

Big East Tournament

Play-In Round: Pittsburgh vs Georgetown: Pitt raced out to a 37-27 halftime lead, and stretched it to 50-31 with 12:07 left. They thought it was over at that point, and allowed the Hoyas to get it to five (56-51), before locking down a 65-56 win. Jude Caceres was the POTG with 15 points and eight boards, along with a pair of blocks. Freshman PG Joe Ong scored 14 with 5 boards for Georgetown, whose season ends at 11-20.

Quarterfinals
Syracuse vs Pitt: A close game (45-39) at the half was bown open by Syracuse, who used 40 points by POY candidate Alonzo Davies, en route to a 99-71 victory for the top seed. Eric Kahle scored 21 for Pitt, who ends their year at 9-22.

Connecticut vs St. John's: Parker Fletcher went for 32 (with no assists, no rebounds, only two free throws and a foul out), which was enough for the Red Storm in overtime over the Huskies, 86-80. In a game that saw 53 fouls, Arlen Maxie's 12 points and 5 boards off the bench (he also fouled out) were a huge difference. Joe Wold had 25 points and 8 boards for the Huskies, who finish 14-17. St. John's will face Syracuse in the next round, in a do-or-die for the Johnnies.

Villanova vs Boston College: The Wildcats overcame a halftime deficit, taking over in the second half behind freshman guard Demetrius Green (17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists). Geoffrey Williams added 20 for the Wildcats, who shot 56% from the field. James Goolsby had 16 points for BC, who finish 11-20.

Providence vs Seton Hall: The Friars completed a sweep of the higher seeds with another romp of the Pirates. The Friars, who won by 33 a week ago, rolled 79-37 behind 21 from Danilo Sproul. Nine different players scored for the Friars. Eight players scored for Seton Hall, but none had more than nine. The Pirates finish 11-18.

Semifinals, with picks
1. Syracuse vs 4. St. John's (Syracuse won both season games): The Johnnies are a Jekyll-and-Hyde team. When they win, they win big. When they lose, it's usually poor shooting and a lack of defense. Syracuse has been a difficult matchup for the Red Storm. Parker Fletcher shot a combined 8-for-31 in the two games. He can't bring that again. It's hard to beat a team three times, but the Orangemen have their number.
PICK: Syracuse

2. Villanova vs 3. Providence (Series split 1-1): This is for a NCAA bid. If Villanova wins, they're in. If Providence wins, they might take Nova's spot. It isn't likely that both get in. So, the stakes have never been higher. This will be a better of the backcourt, which makes Geoffrey Williams the Wildcats' center, a huge wild card. If he can do what he did in the first round, the Wildcats will win. If he's a non-factor, the Friars will march on. The pick is that he will, and the kids will grow up.
PICK: Villanova

[Comey]

Big East Semifinals
Syracuse vs St. John's: Syracuse held Parker Fletcher to 5-15 shooting (18 points), and used 22 from counterpart Jeffrey Bridgewater, as they steamrolled the Johnnies, 89-60. St. John's committed 22 turnovers and shot just 6-24 from 3. Syracuse shot 15-26 from deep, getting five from Bridgewater and four from Teddy Kingston (14 points in 15 minutes). St. John's (18-13) will now await their fate for the NIT, while Syracuse all but guaranteed themselves a NCAA bid.

VIllanova vs Providence: The Wildcats held serve throughout, racing to an early lead, and held a nine-point lead from halftime on. Demetrius Green scored 14, and Donn Smith 16 with six assists, as Nova secured a likely NCAA berth. Providence got 17 from Bruno Harris, an unlikely starter after Charles Northern was hurt in their quarterfinal game. The 17 was a career high for Harris, starting the first game of his career. Providence (21-11) awaits the NIT, where they will likely be a high seed.

Elsewhere, Virginia upset top-seed Maryland, getting into the ACC final as a 5-seed. They will play North Carolina...Temple could steal a bid in the East Coast Conference. Their are projected as in the tournament, with their championship opponent, St. Joe's, the only apparent lock. Top-seed Hofstra, who fell to the Owls in the semis, must await their fate...the toughest ticket in the nation, the Ohio Valley Tournament, saw Western Kentucky beat Eastern Kentucky 68-48 in the title game. The conference could get seven of their eight teams into the Big Dance...Furman upset top-seed Citadel, 65-62, in the Southern title game...most conferences will be adopting a conference tournament within the next three seasons. Right now, there are only five.

Finals - Prediction
1. Syracuse vs 2. Villanova: Well, the monkey is off each of their backs. This game is for the conference, and for seeding in the Big Dance. With a win, Syracuse could secure a six-seed. Villanova is probably capped at an 8. The two split their series. Cuse didn't make their shots against Villanova in Philadelphia, making 39% and turning it over 13 times. Geoffrey Williams and Demetrius Green put the Wildcats on their backs, scoring 17 each in the 67-57 Villanova victory. In Syracuse's victory, Alonzo Davies went off for 20, Franklin Lampley for 16. For Syracuse to win, they need balance. Davies has to have a good game, but so does at least one guard. Otherwise, Villanova will be able to fight a one-front war. For Villanova, the key is Green. If the likely Freshman of the Year shows up, Villanova has a much better chance of winning. If he doesn't, it can be said that the Wildcats are done.
PICK: Syracuse. Davies over The Kids. Villanova's time is coming, but this is the time of the Orangemen.

[Comey]

Big East Finals
Syracuse vs Villanova: There was never any doubt. Richard Jankowski scored 14 and registered nine boards, leading five Orangemen in double figures for a 75-66 win, and their first Big East championship. Alonzo Davies also scored 14, while the backcourt of Franklin Lampley and Michael Jackson scored 13 each (to have a name like Michael Jackson in 1984...). Geoffrey Williams scored 17 with 8 boards for Villanova, while Donn Smith had 14. Demetrius Green, who was expected to be a barometer of Villanova play in this game, was. He scored just five points on 2-5 shooting, and fouled out.
Big East Championship: Syracuse 75, Villanova 66

Selection Show: Syracuse might have been underseeded, getting the 9 in the West. They will face Cal (18-10). Arizona State (24-4) got the top seed in the West. Villanova got the 10-seed in the South, where they'll face 21-9 Baylor. If they win, Oregon likely looms. Western Kentucky is the top seed in the south (and in the entire bracket).

#1 seeds
West: Arizona State
Midwest: UNC
South: Western Kentucky
East: TN Tech

Picks:
East: 1) TN Tech over 3) Southern Cal (Darkhorse: #5 Penn)
South: 1) Western Kentucky over 3) NC State (Darkhorse: #6 BYU)
Midwest: 3) Washington over 1) North Carolina (Darkhorse: #7 UTEP)
West: 2) Stanford over 4) East TN State (Darkhorse: #3 Nebraska)

NIT: Providence is the two-seed in the NIT South, while St. John's is in as the #3 seed. Kind of frustrating they are in the same region, but that's how it shook out. Providence will face Michigan State, while St. John's gets San Francisco. The 4-5 game in that very region? Kentucky-Duke.

[muns]

Pitt needs a hell of a recruiting class here. Whoa is me over there.

[Comey]

First Round, NIT:
Michigan State 80, Providence 70. The Spartans (17-14) didn't play particularly well. They just had better team offense, and more field goals. Statistically, both hit 44%...Michigan State did go 10-22 from behind the arc, but made ten less free throws. William Helwig scored 21 for Sparty, while Glenn Dickens and Joe Searle scored 11 each for the Friars, whose season ends at 21-12.

St. John's 91, San Francisco 56. The Red Storm, behind Henry Prouty's career-high 24 and 9 boards, led a rout of the Dons. The Johnnies led 37-15 at the half, 53-23 with 15 minutes left, and pummeled the Dons throughout behind 15 3s and a 40-28 rebounding edge. St. John's will face Michigan State in the next round.

First Round, NCAA:
WEST: (8) California 78, (9) Syracuse 69: Cal held the Orangemen to 40% shooting and used supreme team offense to keep the pace, and hold the victory. The loss is doubly painful, as top-seeded Arizona State fell to #16 Long Beach State, the first time in a decade that has happened. Bennie Shortridge scored 21 in 20 minutes off the bench to lead the Golden Bears. Robert Whitt scored 16 and added eight rebounds to lead Syracuse, who close their campaign at 23-9.

SOUTH: (10) Villanova 78, (7) Baylor 76: Villanova managed to get some breathing room on a quick 7-0 with three minutes left, and held that cushion with solid defense and clutch free-throw shooting. They also held a 38-18 edge in free throw shooting, as Baylor committed 33 fouls. The Wildcats played mostly error-free getting eight turnovers and 15 assists in their 23 field goals. Geoffrey's 16-10 paced four double-digit scorers; Demetrius Green scored 15 despite going just 3-7 from the field. Olin Smith scored 25 for Baylor. The Wildcats, who registered the first NCAA victory in conference history, get second-seeded Oregon in the second round on Sunday. Baylor finishes 21-10.

[Comey]

NIT Second Round
Michigan State 70, St. John's 65. Sparty eliminated both Big East members with a back-and-forth pull away. Gary Engler's 22 points and 11 rebounds led MSU, while Darrell Hernandez (11-12) and Henry Prouty (12-10-7) led the Red Storm. Parker Fletcher scored 16 for St. John's, who ends the year 19-14.

NCAA Second Round
Saturday: Long Beach State continued their amazing journey; the 16-seed upset 8th-seed California 76-74, gaining entry to the Sweet 16. Joining them in Cinderella's court is Lamar. The fifteenth seed in the Midwest, who beat Oklahoma in Round 1, took out 7th-seed UTEP 83-64 behind Colby Whaley's 18 and 12 boards. Lamar, who finished 8-21 last year are 21-11, and in the Sweet 16 for the first time.

Sunday: UC Santa Barbara, the 12-seed in the West, will be Long Beach State's opponent in the Sweet Sixteen. They upset East Tennessee State 78-77 behind Garry Daniels' 25 points, including a three with six seconds left that gave UCSB their final cushion. Gregory Fahey's shot fell off the rim as time expired.

SOUTH: (10) Villanova 69, (2) Oregon 61: Villanova bled the basketball out of Oregon, holding them to 38% shooting and shooting 23-27 from the line, in upsetting the Ducks and getting to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 1952-53 season. That was their Final Four campaign. Geoffrey Williams scored 16 and registered 14 rebounds, as The Kids move on to face #6 seed BYU in the next round. They are the first Big East team to reach the Sweet Sixteen since the conference began play last season.

		 Final	 1st	 2nd	 Total	 		 
 	 Villanova	 25	 44	 69	 	 
 	 Oregon     	 27	 34	 61	 	 

 Villanova
 Player       	Pos	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS	 
 Geoffrey Williams C	 33	 4-7	 0-0	 8-9	 5	 14	 1	 1	 1	 2	 4	 16	 
 John Weidman	PF	 34	 3-8	 1-2	 2-2	 1	 6	 2	 1	 1	 1	 2	 9	 
 Omer Stamper	SF	 29	 4-8	 1-5	 2-3	 2	 7	 3	 2	 0	 2	 1	 11	 
 Demetrius GreenSG	 32	 3-11	 2-6	 3-4	 0	 2	 2	 2	 0	 6	 1	 11	 
 Donn Smith	 PG	 28	 2-8	 1-3	 4-4	 1	 1	 2	 0	 0	 0	 2	 9	 
 Chris Mendoza	 SF	 15	 1-2	 0-0	 2-3	 1	 1	 0	 1	 0	 1	 2	 4	 
 Steven Murray	 PG	 8	 2-4	 1-3	 0-0	 1	 2	 0	 1	 0	 1	 0	 5	 
 Dalton Saechao	 C	 11	 0-2	 0-1	 2-2	 1	 2	 3	 1	 1	 0	 2	 2	 
 Scott Hollander SG	 4	 0-0	 0-0	 0-0	 1	 1	 0	 1	 0	 1	 0	 0	 
 Ross Cleaver	 PF	 6	 1-2	 0-0	 0-0	 1	 2	 0	 0	 1	 0	 0	 2	 
 Totals	 	  	 20-52	 6-20	 23-27	 14	 38	 13	 10	 4	 14	 14	 69	 
 	 	  	 .385	 .300	 .852	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 

 Oregon
 Player	    Pos	           MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS	 
 Kevin Dee	 C	 20	 3-6	 0-0	 1-2	 1	 3	 1	 2	 1	 1	 5	 7	 
 Eddie Corliss	 PF	 26	 2-11	 0-0	 0-0	 5	 7	 3	 1	 0	 3	 3	 4	 
 Jeramy Jones	 SF	 28	 2-4	 1-2	 1-3	 0	 3	 3	 0	 2	 2	 4	 6	 
 Rudy Brisco	 SG	 35	 7-15	 3-8	 5-5	 1	 3	 4	 1	 0	 3	 2	 22	 
 Edward McCurry PG	 28	 2-4	 0-2	 0-0	 5	 8	 3	 0	 0	 2	 3	 4	 
 Cameron PartridgePF	 27	 1-8	 0-1	 0-0	 2	 8	 2	 0	 2	 1	 3	 2	 
 Ray Fleury	 C	 13	 2-5	 0-0	 3-5	 1	 2	 0	 0	 1	 0	 1	 7	 
 Caron Griffis	 SG	 19	 2-4	 1-3	 0-0	 0	 2	 1	 1	 0	 2	 0	 5	 
 Joseph Flores	 SF	 2	 1-1	 0-0	 2-2	 0	 0	 0	 0	 1	 0	 0	 4	 
 Andrew Beaver	 PG	 1	 0-0	 0-0	 0-0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 0	 
 Stephen Heredia	 C	 1	 0-0	 0-0	 0-0	 0	 0	 0	 1	 0	 0	 0	 0	 
 Totals	 	  	 22-58	 5-16	 12-17	 15	 36	 17	 6	 7	 14	 21	 61	 
 	 	  	 .379	 .313	 .706	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 

[Comey]

NCAA Tournament - Sweet Sixteen

MIDWEST: (6) BYU 69, (10) Villanova 51: Final Four darkhorse BYU showed Villanova a glimpse of what it takes to play on this level Thursday night, holding the Wildcats to just 16 first-half points, en route to a 69-51 rout. The Cougars (25-8) were led by PG Joe Roberts' 15 points. The Cougars held a 36-26 rebounding advantage and held the Wildcats to just ten free throws, and 8-25 from three. Omer Stemper led Villanova with 13, who finish 25-11. BYU will face top-seed Western Kentucky, who destroyed Kansas 63-29, in the regional final.

WEST: Long Beach State's run continues. Lazaro Dixon's 15-footer as time expired gave the 49ers a shocking 74-73 win over #12 seed UC Santa Barbara. They will face #2 seed Stanford, who steamrolled #3 Nebraska 102-68, in the Elite Eight.

MIDWEST: Lamar's run came to an end, as sixth-seeded Virginia routed the Cardinals, 66-52. They will face ACC foe North Carolina for the regional final.

EAST: Chalk holds, as Tennessee Tech and Maryland will face off. Tech beat #4 Arizona 80-70, while the Terrapins held off #3 Southern Cal 53-50 in a tight defensive struggle.

Elite Eight

WEST: Long Beach State came close, but in the end, #2 Stanford had a little too much firepower for the 49ers. The Cardinal pulled away for a 63-55 win.

SOUTH: Western Kentucky, the tournament's top seed, returned to the Final Four for the first time since they won the national title five years ago, beating #6 BYU 56-48.

MIDWEST: #6 Virginia, who were blown off the floor in the ACC title game by North Carolina, upset the Tar Heels on Marco Austin's desperation fall-down three at the buzzer. The prayer gave the Cavaliers a 71-69 victory, leaving the Tar Heels standing in stunned silence as the Cavs jumped wildly around the court.

EAST: Tennessee Tech steamrolled Maryland, 68-50, giving the OVC two Final Four teams. Tech and Western Kentucky were the consensus top two teams all year.

Final Four:
Stanford (29-6) vs Western Kentucky (31-5)
Virginia (26-12) vs Tennessee Tech (31-4)

[Young Drachma]

OVC with two Final Four teams. what a world!

[Comey]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

OVC with two Final Four teams. what a world!

They are, along with the ACC, the kingpin of the nation. I'd rank, in terms of national presence...

1) OVC
2) ACC
3) Pac-8
4) WAC
5) ECC
6) SWAC
7) Big 8
8) Ivy
9) SEC
10) Big East

That's how it looks, as of right now. The OVC became THE kingpin in the 70s. The ACC and ECC are rising up, along with the Pac-8.