I didn't notice the players complaining as much as the fans, to be honest. And only one or two calls were off. If you watch a lot of games, you know players everywhere, on every team and in every game, complain about calls WAY too much. I don't know what to make of Kendall. It's awfully frustrating to watch him, though, I will say that.

I think we'll be okay against Washington. Can't see this team having another bad game at home.

"Well, those Mountaineers are finally ranked. It's also put up or shut up time tonight @ Georgetown."

Actually, WVU was ranked earlier in the year for 2 weeks. Georgetown shut up the young guns from WVU. But, so did Louisville against Pitt. So, All is ok with the world





For for the delay in commencing " not hearing the end of it". Actually, there is no reason to boast about WVU's 17th victory against a top 25 team in the last 4 years. It was just another day at the park for WVU's young guns.

I am quite impressed with what WVU has done this year. Only got to see highlights of the WVU/Seton Hall game but the Mountaineers seems quicker than they had been all year.

How bout Louisville winning at Pitt and Marquette this past week?

I think overall the Big East and its teams have improved more than any other conference as the season's progressed. After last year's amazing teams and stars, it was expected for the 1st half the year that most Big East teams wouldn't possess the same punch as last year. Now, it seems many teams such as WVU, Louisville, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse and Notre Dame are playing outstanding basketball to compliment PIttsburgh and Marquette. The NCAA tourney could be very interesting.

Could the Big East get 8 teams into the tourney again? Its not out of the realm of possibilities.

It's nice to think about the possibilities that would set up having the Big East earn 8 bids, but there would have to be a lot of things to line up for that to happen. It's also a nice gesture that 6 Big East teams are ranked (in at least one of the two polls right now) but that doesn't mean or say much. Although 8 teams are in position for a tournament run, 1-3 of these teams are bound to stutter over the next few weeks. And although Villanova has a great out-of-conference resume, some of the other teams don't have that to fall back and will still need to finish strong.

I'm curious how the committee will treat the Gonzagas, Drexels & Winthrops this year compared to the mid-of-the-pack BCS conferences. It unfortunately seems like every year there is 1 Big East team (Cincinnati 06, Notre Dame 04 & 05) that expects to get in, but doesn't because of a quality mid-major that wasn't expected to get into field. (Air Force 06, Utah St 06, Northern Iowa 05 come to mind)

I expect the BE will come up on the short end on bids this year where teams with records that might have gotten in in the past will be left out. It's not considered a real strong conference this year and last year when they supposedly were strong, they didn't do much. Conversely, more mid-majors are going to get in because of their strong performance last year.

I'm thinking 7 for sure and maybe 8.

The Big East placed the most teams in the top 25 this week with 6.


Locks:

1) Pitt 23-4 ( fighting for a 2 or 3 seed)
2) Georgetown 20-5 ( fighting for a 2 to 3 seed)
3) Marquette 21-7 ( 3 to 4 seed)
4) Louisville 19-8 ( 4 to 6 seed)
5) West Virginia 20-6 ( 5 to 8 seed)
6) Notre Dame 20-6 ( 5 to 8 seed)

Probable:

7) Villanova 18-9 Nova's RPI of 16 is too high to ignore.

Bubble

Syracuse 19-8 If the Cuse gets 21 wins, it would be impossible to keep the Orange out of the NCAA.



I see 7 without questioin with a GREAT chance of 8 teams getting an invite.



http://www.bigeast.org/sports/m-baskbl/big...askbl-body.html

Agreed that the BE has improved tremendously as the year has gone on. Witness Georgetown, now being described as a 'legit' Final 4 contender by many and Louisville. Even Depaul has an OUTSIDE chance of being considered, at least. I am looking forward to the BE Tournament, although I am praying Mr. Gray's ankle is all healed before then for my Panthers! Based on what I have been rerading and hearing, the injury is bad and he likely won't play in this Saturday's game at Georgetown. So, it will be exciting....we'll either get killed or surprise the country with a close win.

Let's Go Pitt!

i really don't think the mountaineers are a lock yet. if the season ended today, they'd be in for sure. but they're 48 in the rpi and a loss tonight against my friars coupled with their very poor road resume would leave them with some work to be done.

it's too early for some of those teams to be "locks". if we (providence) run the table and finish at 10-6 in conference (four winnable games), then all of a sudden even we would be in the mix despite our current rpi in the upper sixties.

WVU's ranked 18 in the Coaches poll and 22 in the AP poll. They are a lock. WVU's 2-4 on the road. have That's certainly poor, but many other teams have similar road records. Louisville is just 3-3. WVU's easily a lock.

That was impressive -- but Marquette essentially gave away that game -- make two, three more free throws at the end the lead would have stood. But it was fun to see M'waukee kid Jerry Smith make the game winning three at the buzzer for the Cards.

Louisville has a fairly easy schedule now -- all bottom of the standings teams. They'll definitely get the first round bye at MSG. Pitt and G'town too. Dunno which team will be the 4th.

Pitt was able to beat Seton Hall last night for many reasons, but mostly because they didn't have a big man. This is the first that I'm hearing that Aaron's injury is serious (and that he could miss Saturday's game), and if that's the case, it'll take lights out shooting and quick defense to beat Georgetown. Pitt did play sloppy at times during last night's game which would really hurt this Saturday.

I agree with Faydman, WVU and Notre Dame would probably be in if it were today, but the selection show isn't today and a lot can happen in the next couple weeks.

THat is true for many teams. For instance, Pitt is most likely a 3 or 4 seed now. However, with a couple losses down the stretch and in the BET, Pitt could end up a 6-9 seed if it goes on a losing streak.

Anything is possible.

WVU is certainly not a "lock" to get in. After their loss to Providence last night, their RPI has dropped to #53. They just went from in front of the bubble to right in the middle of it. And with a visit to Pitt coming up next, another loss would drop them just outside of the bubble. I think WVU is going to need to win 2 more games in the regular season and/or the big east tourney to get in.

LOCK

......yeah.....just like WVU was the #1 football team this past season.

If you don't already use obsession cologne , I'll buy you some. It would be perfect gift for you.

P.S.

I don't need another stalker. I have like 30 of them.

LOL!

Do you honestly think Pitt could fall to a 6-9 seed???? Even if they drop the last three games and first one in the BE tourney, they'd be 24-8, and that's not 6-9 seed territory. Do you remember that they are currently 4th in the RPI and the ONLY team in a major conference that is undefeated on the road^ So if they lose at G-town and Marquette, they still finish 6-2 on the road in the BE that you are so highly touting. So you need to rethink that whole statement. Bottom line, it's a greater lock that Pitt is AT LEAST a 5 seed than it is a lock that WVU gets in. Now, beat us next Tuesday at the Pete, and then you've got a lock.

If Pitt loses finishes 24-8 with a 4 game losing streak, Pitt will be a 6-8 seed.

Will that happen?

NO

The point is anyting can happen. Pitt's on its way to a 2 or 3 seed. WVU's on its way to a 9-11 seed. Barring a complete collapse, both teams will reach those seeds.


That was my point. Sorry that made you ultra defensive.

You are funny. Your pattern is so clear: When someone disputes your statements, he is being 'defensive.' When folks occasionally agree with somethiing you say, they are 'doing damage control.' When YOU share your thoughts and opinions, you are educating your "stalkers."

Pitt appears that it'll be playing without Aaron Gray tomorrow against Georgetown. Although, we would have liked to seen a better Gray-Hibbert matchup than Round One, it will have to wait til the Big East Tourney if we may be so lucky. I'm excited to see the remaining Panthers fill in the roll in Gray's absence as several players will need to step up and be active. Georgetown is clearly the favorite, but I do think Pitt is capable of pulling off a victory, but it will have to work hard & play smart to do so.

Any thoughts? I love how this game seems secondary to OSU/Wisconsin this weekend.

What decade is this? Georgetown in control of the Big East? Nice win for the Hoyas.

I've only seen two of each team's games and Georgetown has seemed to have more going for it in both. Pittsburgh's little celebration with more than ten minutes left was ill advised.

With a Ewing running the floor and blocking shots, what decade is this??

Great win for the Blue & Grey

Congrats to Georgetown on its win.


Ewing is athletic and good. Lets hope he keeps his cool about him. He took a cheap shot at WVU's Joe Alexander during the G-town-WVU game in DC as Alexander had his backed turned while talking to WVU's head coach during a dead ball.

That is surprising since Thompson 2 and most of the Gtown players are class acts. On the next play down the court my boy Alexander proceeded to dunk over Ewing with authority on a fast break to bring the 5,000 WVU fans ( all in the upper levels) to their feet. One of the few good plays WVU on a long night. WVU lost by 19 but it was good to see Ewing get put in his place by the the Big East's best dunker- Alexander. The sophomore sensation could be the Big East's top player by next year if he continues to develop. He grew up in China and Taiwan and only has played 4 years of organized basketball. He's easy on the eyes which makes for fun viewing too.


Joe Alexander:




http://www.msnsportsnet.com/profile.cfm?id=101103


Article in the New York Post on Alexander " No ordinary Joe":

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02072007/sport...enn_robbins.htm

Marquette has picked the wrong time to start losing -- 4 of their last 5 now. And get to host Pitt on Saturday. Well, MU beat 'em out at The Oakland Zoo earlier -- should be able to do it again in M'waukee. And, it's much better to lose those games in February rather than in March.

Whoever said Pitt's celebration with 10 minutes left in the game against the Hoyas was right on. That's the major problem with this team: they seem to lose interest at the strangest times. At the beginning of the year, everyone in Pittsburgh was touting this team as the best in the "Howland/Dixon era" with a great chance of getting to the Final Four. They started to believe their own press, and it doesn't help that Dixon is the quintessential spin doctor, saying only positive things about them to the press. I am not sure what he tells them behind closed doors, but I hope he's a little tougher than he lets on.

Critical game at home tomorrow against WVU...it will be a shame if Gray can't play much on senior night. I actually like our chances at Marquette....

Something to that effect with Pitt. I think the word I would use is that they seem so unfocused during certain stretches. At times, they'll be aggressive and go after everything and at other times, it's like they a mental delay.

If you listen to Sports Radio, they do talk about teams of the past, like Florida last year that had a 3 game losing streak at the end of February before winning 11 straight. For fans of teams that aren't Maryland, Georgetown, Ohio State, Louisville or <insert team with big winning streak> right now, that's promising to hear as a sign of hope for the next few weeks.

Bring on the Backyard Brawl!

Huge game for Both Pitt and WVU tonight. Pitt's in a chase for the BE title and WVU needs a big win to bolster their NCAA bubble resume.

Well hello there Orange ...

GREAT win for Pitt at the Pete last night. After a lackluster first half and a pep talk by senior Aaron Gray, the Panthers came out and played like they are capable of playing in the second half. Even at the start of the game, although the shots weren't falling and some passes were awful, they started with more intensity than I have seen in a long time. That finally reaped its rewards as the game went on. To hold Frank Young to 2 points for the game was awesome. And if I were a WVU fan, I would wonder what has happened to Joe Alexander. He was awful.

I think WVU is firmly on the bubble. The Oakland Zoo, however, had different thoughts and starting chanting "N-I-T" toward the end of the game. I thought that was pretty funny....

Yes, the chants of "NIT" was registering last night. JA has disappeared in the last 5-7 games. The lack of playing organized basketball until he was 17 years old seems to have caught up with him. He looks lost in some games and brilliant in others. This offseason he will be able to watch films of games for the first time in his life to see how to improve his game so he's not a liabilty in the flow of the offense. I think next year as many believe he will blossom into the tremendous player everyone is forecasting and a possible lottery pick.


Congrats to Pitt. They were the better basketball team this year withut question. PItt has the talent to make a National Championship run.

WVU has two somehow win 2 more games ( Cincy & 1 in the BET) to go to the NCAA IMO. Should be a great tourney in the World's Most Famous Arena!

PItt has the talent to make a National Championship run.


[/quote]

Agreed....but do we have the smarts and the hearts? The inconsistency in applying the talent is what scares me, and what has most Pittsburgh media saying they will be lucky to make it to the Sweet 16. But it wouldn't be Pittsburgh if people were optimistic!

It's the 30th anniversary of Marquette's 1977 NCAA championship -- they're celebrating tomorrow in M'waukee. And they're expecting all the players from that team to be at the MU vs. Pitt game -- Bo Ellis, Butch Lee, Jerome Whitehead, et al. That Seventies Show

Maybe it will give the current team the kick in the butt they need to close out the season with a W as the head into the tourney -- (and pull Dominic James aside and drill into his brain that he can't make 3s -- so stop trying to make 3s)

Glad Syracuse has gotten its act together to virtually secure an NCAA tourney berth this season.

Tournament Pairings got announced today...

Wednesday, March 7 - First Round (ESPN)
Noon - No. 8 DePaul vs. No. 9 Villanova
2:00 - No. 5 Syracuse vs. No. 12 Connecticut
7:00 - No. 7 West Virginia vs. No. 10 Providence
9:00 - No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 St. John's

Thursday, March 8 - Quarterfinals (ESPN)
Noon - No. 1 Georgetown vs. 8/9 winner
2:00 - No. 4 Notre Dame vs. 5/12 winner
7:00 - No. 2 Louisville vs. 7/10 winner
9:00 - No. 3 Pittsburgh vs. 6/11 winner

Louisville and Notre Dame definitely had performed above expectations

Pitt has the potential to avenge earlier losses to Marquette and Louisville which is on it's side of the bracket.

West Virginia needs some wins the most. Villanova and Syracuse will probably need to win it's first round game to feel safe.

I doubt the Big East Tournament will be as unpredictable as last year with G-Mac carrying Syrcause to the the tournament title, but who knows.

Syracuse beat Connecticut last time the met... West Virginia fell to Providence. I need these results to be repeated again in order for the Orange to make the tournament.

Should be a great tournament, although I truly think Georgetown is the prohibitive favorite. They just seem to the most consistent team in the league, even with the loss at the Carrier Dome. As a Pitt fan, I shuddered when I saw the bracket. It's all about match-ups, and it's pretty clear that the Panthers match up horribly against Marquette, even against their freakin' bench. Who is David Coubillan and why did he have to come into my life???

I suppose as a UConn fan I should be happy we got the only half decent team we beat all year. There haven't been true signs of turning the corner and most UC fans anticipate a quick exit in the BE and NIT. We'll happily turn the page on this season and be rooting for BE teams in the NCAAs!

'Cuse and UCONN matchups are always great matchups. UCONN basically has to win the big east tourney to go dancing.

Well the third time might be the charm for Pitt (as long as MU gets past St. John's in the opener). Tough to beat a team three times in the same season. (not to digress, but I certainly fondly remember when my Badgers were defeated four times by MSU back in 2000 -- 2 in the regular season, once in the Big Ten tourney, and then once more in the Final Four).

As for Cubillan -- that was a clutch game. MU plays that three-guard offense, and with one of them out (McNeal) someone else had to step up. McNeal will probably miss the BET with his thumb injury, so expect to see even more Cubillan.

According to an article I read yesterday, even the NIT is not guaranteed to UConn. I didn't realize that it had become a more official extension of the NCAAs. It's now dependent more on rankings than on who can put some people in the stands and has a .500+ record.

Daaaamn. Syracuse, West Virginia, AND 'Nova won.
I needed some separation this week, esp. between the 'Cuse and West Virginia.
Both Syracuse and West VA could lose next round, too...

Well, all I can do is cheer on the 'Cuse...

Why? Syracuse seems to be a lock for the tournament, while WV seems to have to win 1-2 more games.

Agreed. Syracuse is in. WVU needs a win today vs. Louisville - and even that might not get them in. Mountaineers may need to reach the BE finals to be assured a bid.

IN

Georgetown
Louisville
Pitt
Notre Dame
Marquette
Syracuse
Villanova

Most likely in

WVU ( 22-8) - after last night's win, WVU is a probable for making the tourney. A win over Louisville all but punches the ticket and gives them a 8 or 9 seed.


Out:

Providence & DePaul

WVU played its heart out tonight, battling back from an 18-point deficit and taking L'ville to double OT. Will it be enough to convince the committee? I dunno, Gym. Whether we get the bid will likely depend what happens in the other conference tournaments.

All Top 4 seeds advance to the semis. Notre Dame plays Georgetown in the first game and Pitt takes on Louisville in the second one. So far, the games have been high-scoring and fun to watch. West Virginia, in the loss, looked really good. I really think they are performing as good if not better than a lot of bubble teams.

I don't think we'll get an at large bid

I turned the game on with a couple minutes to play in regulation and I don't understand how they allowed the L'ville basket at the end of the game to tie it up

that looked like a travel to me

JB coached poorly in the 2nd OT> I can't believe he stuck with the same lineup in the last of regulation, 1st OT, and 2nd OT. Louisville subbed and had two players foul out. While on the surfance that should have been a great thing. However, it allowed for fresh legs to come in for the Cards as WVU was out of gas in the 2nd OT as JB didn't sub in some very good players. Kind of baffled as why he chose not to sub.