Jay Wright: This is the Best BE

[Silk31]

The NCAA Committee wouldn't be so nice as to put us in a bracket as a 7 seed where we would play in NYC again now would they????

 

[Waquoit]

All I know is that the one time UConn played on FS1, it was the highest rated college BB game of the week on the network. Only one BE game all month was rated higher, most others were less than 1/3 as high.

 

[Pudge]

Beat a single digit seed in the NCAA tourney then come back and tell us how good the conference is.
2015
6 Butler. Win: 11 Texas. Loss: 3 Notre Dame.
6 Xavier. Wins: 11 Ole Miss, 14 Georgia State. Loss: 2 Arizona.
1 Villanova. Win: 16 Lafayette. Loss: 8 NC State.
6 Providence. Loss: 11 Dayton.
4 Georgetown. Win: 13 Eastern Washington. Loss: 5 Utah.
9 St. John's. Loss: 8 San Diego State.
2014
3 Creighton. Win: 14 Louisiana-Lafayette. Loss: 6 Baylor.
2 Villanova. Win: 15 Milwaukee. Loss: 7 UConn.
11 Providence. Loss 6 UNC.
12 Xavier. Loss 12 NC State.

That's a 7-10 record for the vaunted the Big East conference.

Let's stop this foolishness. The Big East poster is obviously blinded by his predicament.

YEAR 3
Until a Big East Program has a serious March run & proves they are a bonafide National Champ contender ... this is all hot air. They have not proven anything. I see a Providence with a November win over Arizona; two wipeout losses by Villanova; a solid Xavier team; and more iffy play below. Knocking Tulane while praising Seton Hall or DePaul is just nuts.

 

[BigEast]

I absolutely agree the Big East needs to produce in March. It's not enough to just get half the teams in the league in like they do and likely will do again this year, they actually need to win a few more games.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The bottom of the Old Big East (circa Miami/VTech/BCU) was terrible. The 2005-2012 Big East was the best basketball conference in history.

No question. Off the top of my head, I remember

2009: Big East had 3 #1 seeds (UConn, Pitt, Louisville)
2011: Big East got 11 (out of 16) teams into the Tournament. Eleven!

 

[BigEast]

Sorry to the guy earlier, I was wrong we don't have three top 10 teams today.

8. Providence
10. X
11. Nova
18. Butler

Three top-11 teams. Doesn't roll off the tongue as easy.

 

[baldinghusky]

Sorry to the guy earlier, I was wrong we don't have three top 10 teams today.

8. Providence
10. X
11. Nova
18. Butler

Three top-11 teams. Doesn't roll off the tongue as easy.

To the original point of the thread, this isn't exactly a feat that is out of character for the Big East. There is no way in hell, at this point, at least, the 2015/2016 BE is better than 2009 or 2011 (and didn't the BE have a year in the mid-80s where it was Nova, St. John's, and Georgetown in the final four? can't imagine current BE will top that, but that will remain to be seen).

 

[BigEast]

To the original point of the thread, this isn't exactly a feat that is out of character for the Big East. There is no way in hell, at this point, at least, the 2015/2016 BE is better than 2009 or 2011 (and didn't the BE have a year in the mid-80s where it was Nova, St. John's, and Georgetown in the final four? can't imagine current BE will top that, but that will remain to be seen).

Agree, the Big East has been consistent throughout it's history right through today in having highly ranked teams.

 

[NewEnglandCB]

I would take a wait and see approach to this. I'm not sold on the Big East yet. Villanova and Providence are legit. Kris Dunn is PC's best player since Ryan Gomes and that was 11 years ago. I'm impressed they were able to recover from the lost of Ricardo Ledo a couple seasons ago. Xavier and Butler just got exposed recently. I'm not sold on Seton Hall. Georgetown hasn't recovered from the BE break up. Creighton only had one good season (first BE season) and is rebuilding. Marquette is also rebuilding but has a bright future ahead of them. St. John's and DePaul are still....St. John's and DePaul. Overall I agree we should wait and see what happens in March.

On a side note I really think UConn Men's program should start a basketball series with Providence. No matter what huskies/friars fans say there is and always will be a rivalry. The head to head record between the two schools are pretty close ( UConn up by 10 I think). This series would really benefit the New England community.

 

[Waquoit]

Unless all 10 make the dance, he's still wrong. But I am amused by your bragging about how good your bottom is.

 

[Waquoit]

Left behind? You really can't help yourself

 

[Fishy]

It's not a reasonably discussion.

These aren't particularly good teams in what's a very down year for college hoop. There might be three or four very good teams nationally and then a lot of driftwood.

Butler, Providence, Xavier and Georgetown are very ordinary teams - which one of them would stay on the court with a vintage Gtown/Pitt/UConn/SU/UL/Nova team? (Spoilers - none of them.)

 

[UConn990411]

You're always gonna get shark for defending an indefensible position.

Oh, and UConn post-Big East has still been wildly more successful than anyone in the NBE, so you can take your fake apology and shove it.

 

[UConn990411]

You seem to be missing the fact that "top to bottom" includes the top of the conference. And the difference between the top of the conference now versus before is, well, astronomical.

By any metric, Jay Wright's comment is incorrect.

 

[champs99and04]

I have long said this is a very open season. Basically, there are six teams that have a bit of separation but not a single one from the BE, and honestly even those six aren't juggernauts. That said, I do think this is such an open year the top 5-6 BE teams have as good a shot as any of the teams 7-whatever of winning the NCAAT.

Basically it comes down to Jay Wright making a silly statement and Fishy being right about anyone who tries to argue for it. The best years of the BE recent, or not, had teams to be feared nationally. Historically great teams used to reside in the BE. I'm not talking about programs but individual teams. I don't see that this year in the BE.

Who are these six teams? Maryland, OU, Kansas, UNC, Virginia, and Michigan State? I'll give you a maybe on Maryland, Kansas, UNC, and Virginia. I don't think Oklahoma and Michigan State are any better than the top of the Big East (and yeah, I know Oklahoma smoked 'Nova).

 

[BigEast]

It's not a reasonably discussion.

These aren't particularly good teams in what's a very down year for college hoop. There might be three or four very good teams nationally and then a lot of driftwood.

Butler, Providence, Xavier and Georgetown are very ordinary teams - which one of them would stay on the court with a vintage Gtown/Pitt/UConn/SU/UL/Nova team? (Spoilers - none of them.)

I wouldn't group Georgetown this year with Prov/Butler/X. Georgetown will be a bubble team at best. It's just silly to list the #8 and #10 team in the country on January 4th and call them ordinary. I guess if it makes you feel better, it's just not reality. Providence has arguably the best player in the country who will be a lottery pick, who plays in a way that is not ordinary in any way, shape, or form.

The "things were better in the old days" is the dullest Grampa Simpson "In my day" take there could be. How Kris Dunn would match up against Scoop Jardine - who knows and who cares. It's an unprovable notion that they did 15 years ago too. "These teams could never hang with Rony Seikly and Patrick Ewing". Ehh, sure.

 

[Fishy]

Providence, Xavier and Butler are absolutely ordinary - not even in the orbit of being great.

 

[mauconnfan]

I wouldn't group Georgetown this year with Prov/Butler/X. Georgetown will be a bubble team at best. It's just silly to list the #8 and #10 team in the country on January 4th and call them ordinary. I guess if it makes you feel better, it's just not reality. Providence has arguably the best player in the country who will be a lottery pick, who plays in a way that is not ordinary in any way, shape, or form.

The "things were better in the old days" is the dullest Grampa Simpson "In my day" take there could be. How Kris Dunn would match up against Scoop Jardine - who knows and who cares. It's an unprovable notion that they did 15 years ago too. "These teams could never hang with Rony Seikly and Patrick Ewing". Ehh, sure.

Truth is PC has their best team in ages and will make some noise, maybe 16 or 8 with some good bounces. Nova may win your conference but teams that shoot 50% of their shots behind the arc don't do that well consistently. Xavier looks really good and has a lot of the necessary pieces but they are Xavier, 16 at best. If Butler was as good as you say they wouldn't be 0-2 in the league, don't care who they played. Town looks talented enough at times but are missing something and it seems it may be the coach after all this time. The rest are, well about as good as PC was for years. Maybe a little hope for the dance but definitely a potential NIT winner.

But to think any of these teams could compete with the elite of the past is really a dope. Good league, solid and one of the best but leave it there.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

NBE is not an excellent conference. OBE was excellent. You are less than that. I want you to do well but wish you didn't have the name of the greatest conference in history. Or at least, if you use that name that you don't represent it as one and the same as the one that had 3 teams in 1 final four. And that was the stupid, false thing Wright said.
Funny thing is our conferences are comparable. We think our conference sucks and are afraid it will be the death of us. You think your's is excellent. JJay thinks it's as good as any real BE year.
It's funny...or sad.

Hold up. How in hell is the AAC and the Big East are comparable? You can't be serious...

 

[Jerry1714]

Sorry to the guy earlier, I was wrong we don't have three top 10 teams today.

8. Providence
10. X
11. Nova
18. Butler

Three top-11 teams. Doesn't roll off the tongue as easy.

It is the first week in January, but I guess this is the only time in the year you get to be excited.

 

[Jerry1714]

Hold up. How in hell is the AAC and the Big East are comparable? You can't be serious...

Remember last year when you trolled all year telling us how great the NBE would do in the tournament and how Nova was a legit national title contender? That worked out well for you.

Glad you are back.

P.S. Kenpom has the NBE 5th and AAC 7th.