About a year ago the word on the mean streets of Twitter had the Big East Conference six feet underground. It was dead they said, with an emphasis on their demise being put on the lack of depth in the league. Fast-forward and things have changed a bit.
It is assumed that at-least five Big East teams are going to get in the NCAA Tournament. That is a far cry from death. That’s not the end of the story of the rebirth of the old league in its new, basketball-only form. Villanova is a top-five team in the country, the league is now considered either the second or third best by many, and the Madness that is March will be vital to bringing the Big East Conference back from the dead.
While the NCAA Tournament will be the event that possibly solidifies the resurgence of the conference, it is the Big East Tournament itself which the league has always used to help garner national respect and entertain the nation. Now, while the bread has always been buttered in its own tourney, there is very little tradition for this version of the Big East. Alas, new history has to start at some point and March 11 seems like as good a time as any.
With that being said, let’s get you prepped for the Big East Conference Tournament in the easiest of ways as possible. Come with me, friend, through The Student Section’s primer for a little dancing that will happen inside the mecca that is Madison Square Garden.
Players to Watch
D’Angelo Harrison: While his running mate, Sir’Dominic Pointer, has been getting a lot more of the praise lately, St. John’s has always been Harrison’s team. After all, this portion of the preview is called “Players to Watch” and not “Important Player Guy Who Does It All.” Over his four years with St. John’s Harrison has gone from a volume shooter with iffy behavior to a volume-shooter who is extremely fun to watch. Harrison has one of the most important abilities in a tournament format — he can literally put a team on his back and carry it to victory.
LaDontae Henton: Another Providence Friar gets a bit more of the recognition, but that’s not because he’s far and away his team’s best player. Henton is a man-beast. An eater of worlds if you will. Henton is currently averaging just over 20 points per night and has quietly been one of the league’s best players this season.
Ryan Arcidiacono: Because I want my nickname for him “Ryan Alotofvowelos” to stick. I mean, he is only a junior, but I am hoping Nova’s run over the next week helps push that through before I have to worry about him joining the rare eighth-year senior club (I am kidding, obviously) and ruining any nicknames I have lined up for the guy. Also, it is worth noting that Arcidiacono’s play helps dictate the how easily the Wildcats can whoop on teams.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera: Georgetown’s main-man in-charge. Smith-Rivera isn’t super efficient, but he does have the ability to go off — which is pretty important in elimination-game settings. It’s also important for the Hoyas that he gets a game or two in after he missed their last game of the regular season. Rust is not an optimal attribute heading into the Big Dance.
Kellen Dunham: The Big East has transformed from a super physical league to one that is talent-heavy with guards. Butler is no exception to that rule, and with history showing us it does neat things during the Madness, Dunham would be the player to carry the Bulldogs to crazy success. Coming off his second-straight 16-points-per-game regular season, Dunham’s individual success will be vital to the Bulldogs’ prospects.
Storylines
The biggest is the fact that — sans miracle runs — the Big East has five NCAA Tournament bids locked with a chance for a sixth (Xavier). Right now they are all playing for (better) seeding in the Big Dance. That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot at stake for anyone in the Dance now, though. Oddly enough, however, the best thing that could happen for this league is for one of the teams outside of the locked-in five to win the tournament and steal the automatic bid. I mean, six is more than five.
Another storyline to keep an eye on is more of an idea. As in, can the league recapture the Big East Tournament magic that fueled its success for many years? The ratings have been down since the move from ESPN to FOX Sports 1, but a portion of that has to do with being in fewer homes than the mothership in Bristol. Something like some Big East postseason magic, though, can help put the league back on the map and back in the hearts and minds of college basketball fans.
Random Storylines
The league has some of the best dressed coaches in all the land. Yeah, yeah — the ACC probably has the best coaches from top-to-bottom of any league in the nation, but the Big East is not far behind. Moreover (but not as importantly), there isn’t a league that has as many coaches who look like they are about to fire your VP at a Fortune 500 Company more than the Big East. Between Jay Wright looking as dapper a movie star, to the always-thinning Ed Cooley quickly making a name for himself with his wardrobe, all the way to Steve Lavin being one of the few humans on the planet who can pull off the sneakers with a suit look, the Big East is fashionable. Important in the grand schemes of things? No, but whatever.
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Seton Hall had a very weird season. The Pirates started off well, went through some tumultuous times, and now no one knows if Kevin Willard has lost his team or if they are comprised of crazy people. Not many coaches have done more with less than Willard too. With the idea being that he is starting to bring in better and better recruits, this particular postseason is important in the sense that he can ill-afford having the program implode upon itself before it gains a chance to really get going.
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Xavier head coach Chris Mack is known for YouTube fun, being good at what he does, and having the rare ability of seeming like a great guy. However, his team isn’t as good as it has been in the past. That doesn’t mean the Musketeers aren’t in-store for a little tournament run or anything, but the selfish part in me hopes that Mack and his squad can keep it together, because the YouTube archives are better when he is relevant.
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This is unlikely to happen, but it will also be interesting to see how (if) some coaches deal with questions about Jim Boeheim. Considering that Syracuse was once one of the best programs in the old version of the league, there is a solid chance someone might ask a coach about everything going on. Granted, if any do end up being asked they are likely to give us coach-speak — which means we get less-than-valuable insight. Still, there is a slight, slight chance that one of them goes off and a weird, inter-conference rivalry can be born between the Big East and the ACC. I know. I am really grasping for some “WWE versus WCW in the mid-’90s” type of thing here, but it would be neat.
What about DePaul?
Yeah… what about them?
Predictions
It is hard to bet against Villanova at this point. I could honestly see five other teams winning this, because they are all capable of getting hot, but Nova has been as consistent as the day is long. Granted, there are no easy roads to the Big East Tournament finals, so anything could happen, yet betting against Jay Wright, Ryan Alotofvowels (patent pending) and the rest of the Wildcats seems unwise.
I will, however, be rooting for DePaul, Marquette, Creighton and the like to make a magical run and turn the league upside down, steal a bid from another conference and have us all wondering: “How in the hell did Oliver Purnell just get an extension?”