Cure for Big East-itis
By Bruce Marshall
Much like last year, Big East-itis seems to be taking over much of the college basketball media. And nowhere is this phenomenon more apparent than at ESPN, which admittedly is riding the Big East horse in the college hoops race these days with its comprehensive (suffocating?) coverage of the conference. Even some highly-informed and usually-objective sources such as analyst Jay Bilas, whose allegiance (as a Duke grad) would figure to be with the ACC, have apparently converted to the Big East religion, highlighted by an exchange last weekend with on-air cohort Hubert Davis, another ACC product (North Carolina) who was trying to make a case for some SEC entries into the Big Dance at-large discussion. Yet Davis' argument was cut off an dismissed by Bilas, who was convinced that the track record of Davis' SEC teams had no comparison to the Big East sides Bilas was championing.
Since when has Jay Bilas channeled Andy Katz, anyway?
Perhaps we should rename ESPN's infatuation with the conference as Andy Katz-itis instead, as no one at the network seems as predisposed to sing the conference's virtues as Katz, another pundit whose background (as a Wisconsin grad) suggests his allegiance should be elsewhere. Katz has at least retained a shred of objectivity in recent weeks by nominating Kansas as the top team in country. Otherwise, however, Katz continues to beat the Big East drum, although sometimes we wonder if he is instead some sort of college coach groupie, reveling in his contacts with almost every coach in the land. Katz' observations are minus much "x and o" talk and heavy on reports from coaches, maintaining rapport with whom seeming to be Katz' main objective. But, hey, we don't begrudge Andy for landing such a gig, which also includes the ability to occasionally chum around with President Obama, who has invited Katz to participate with Reggie Love and others in the famous Obama pick-up basketball games while also being invited to the White House last March for the president's NCAA tourney selections. Other than the White House, Katz indeed has a more conventional hoops pipeline, although gleaning anything interesting or enlightening from the majority of coaches can be a challenge.
(Living in Las Vegas for the past year, we're still waiting to hear anything illuminating from UNLV HC Lon Kruger, who, like many coaches, has mastered the art of not saying anything too interesting controversial, which is actually something of a skill in itself. But Kruger, who is a fine gentleman, need not talk a great game anyway, because he does a darned good job coaching it, just the opposite of several coaches we know, those that Andy Katz seems to place on a pedestal from elsewhere in the country).
Though sometimes missing the mark, Katz at times passes along some interesting info and scoops, but when it comes to projecting the NCAA field, we don't take him as seriously as we do the "father" of Bracketology, "St. Joe's" Lunardi, the Philly native who seems to have a bit more objective take on things. Although we still prefer our own TGS projections for the Big Dance.
But the Big East-itis that has infected ESPN shows no sign of abating, especially when respected sorts like Bilas have been converted. Indeed, the entire college rating apparatus has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Big East, as enough pundits keep promoting the conference to influence other pundits, who in turn influence computer rankings that produce the redoubtable "RPI" (Ratings Percentage Index) and "Strength of Schedule" ratings that have seemed strangely skewed toward big East teams in recent years. The RPI isn't an animate object, sitting in front of a TV set while munching on a pizza and evaluating all of the teams in the country. It's just a computer formula relying on data from people who are overly influenced by guys like Jay Bilas and Andy Katz. Thus, a Big East contender can beat another Big East contender (say, like Marquette beating Louisville earlier this week) and benefit more than an SEC contender beating another SEC contender (such as Mississippi State twice beating Ole Miss),because they guys feeding the data are so influenced by Bilas, Katz, and other Big East cheerleaders at ESPN. Which is probably why a nine-loss team such as Georgetown can still (as of Wednesday this week) be ranked 14th in the RPI and regarded by almost everybody as a shoe-in for the Big Dance, while a nine-loss Ole Miss is on the very periphery of the "bubble" and sitting at a 54th-rated RPI.
Sometimes we even wonder about a side such as Syracuse, which we have liked a lot since we first saw it in November, but upon inspection have to wonder what it has really accomplished outside of the Big East. Early-season wins over then-ranked Cal and North Carolina now have big question marks; the Bears were without one of their top scorers, Theo Robertson, that night in November, and subsequently took it in the chin several more times as the Pac-10 struggled mightily in non-conference play; the Heels eventually collapsed in the ACC part of their schedule. Neither Cal nor UNC has been in the rankings in nearly two months. Syracuse's only other semi-significant non-league win came at the expense of Ivy League leader Cornell. No Kansas or Kansas State or Kentucky yet on the Orange schedule. West Virginia could only split vs. Big Ten toughies Purdue and Ohio State. Pitt's best non-conference win was probably against Wichita State; the Panthers were also bounced by 16 vs. Texas, which has since cooled considerably vs. Big XII opposition. Villanova beat Maryland back in early December, escaped narrowly in Puerto Rico in December vs. George Mason and Dayton, and lost vs. Temple. Marquette beat Xavier in the Orlando Old Spice Thanksgiving Tourney at the Milk House, but lost to Florida State in that same event and was also bounced a couple of weeks later by Wisconsin. Louisville lost at Freedom hall vs. Charlotte and Western Carolina and was beaten at UNLV, as well as at Kentucky. Georgetown squeezed past Butler but lost at home (in its campus gym, no less) vs. Old Dominion. Notre Dame has no significant non-conference wins, and was hammered in its toughest non-Big East test against Northwestern. Credit UConn for taking on Duke and Kentucky, although the Huskies lost to them both, as well as losing at disappointing Michigan. Indeed, Cincinnati might own the best pair of Big East non-league wins, topping Vanderbilt and Maryland long ago in the Maui Classic, although the Bearcats lost vs. Gonzaga in the finale at Lahaina and were subsequently beaten by city rival Xavier, as well as UAB.
When adding things up, there look to be more damaging non-conference losses than wins on the Big East results chart, with the only significant intersectional wins being those pair by Cincy in Maui, Villanova's win over Maryland, West Virgnia rallying late to nip Ohio State, Georgetown's 1-point escape vs. Temple and its close win over Butler, and perhaps Marquette over Xavier. That's it.
We have an idea for the future of the Big East and the increasingly-disenfranchised members of the league that we'll present before our big NCAA Tourney Preview issue March 15. In the meantime, however, we think there's a cure for Big East-itis, or Andy Katz-itis if you insist.
Just look at this season's results!
MIDWEEK UPDATE
A quick glimpse at some highlights (and lowlights) from earlier this week...
Bubble Trouble...It's getting to be nervous time for a few teams hovering in the danger zone. Minnesota can surely kiss its at-large hopes goodbye after an ugly 83-55 Tuesday night loss at Michigan, which has disappointed this season (not even John Beilein can win with a team that can't shoot from the perimeter). Although a few Big Ten observers believe the Wolverines could be a pesky darkhorse in next week's Big Ten Tourney at Conseco Fieldhouse. Illinois is officially in trouble after losing on Tuesday at Ohio State; if the Illini can't beat Wisconsin this weekend, they enter the Big Ten Tourney with 13 losses, which is probably too many to secure an at-large bid. Despite getting some not-so-discreet aid from the officials (we were humored by Vandy HC Kevin Stallings halftime comments to ESPN's Jeanine Edwards, when the coach indirectly took a swipe at the refs by saying "We usually get to the free throw line" while referencing the non-calls), Florida is now on a 3-game losing streak after losing on Tuesday vs. Vanderbilt, and will be on a 4-game skid entering next week's SEC Tourney at the Sommet Center if it can't beat Kentucky this weekend. We hope for Billy Donovan's sake that he brings the same refs to Rupp Arena who worked the Vandy game after only 10 fouls (which was unbelievable if you watched the game) were called on the Gators vs. the Dores. Wake Forest is now on a 4-game slide after Wednesday night's close loss at Florida State and is in danger of playing itself out of the at-large picture if it can't beat Clemson on Sunday at Winston-Salem. Georgia Tech's at-large hopes could hinge on a Saturday win over Virginia Tech; the Yellow Jackets have already played themselves out of a first-round bye in the ACC Tourney with 7 losses in 8 ACC road games, including Tuesday's setback at Clemson.
Still breathing...Don't look now, but Notre Dame keeps winning without Luke Harangody, who missed his fifth straight game Wednesday night at South Bend vs. UConn. But the Irish won for a third straight time, 58-60, as Mike Brey seems to have stumbled upon a winning formula by slowing the pace and getting others involved in the offense, namely G Tory Jackson, who has emerged as the Irish go-to threat minus Big Luke after scoring 22 vs. the Huskies. A win Saturday at Marquette gets ND to 21 wins and 10-8 in the Big East, and we dare say locks up an at-large bid. Rhode Island officially ended Charlotte's at-large hopes with an 80-58 win on Wednesday night at Kingston, temporarily reviving the Rams' flickering Big Dance hopes. Also lurking on the edge of the bubble is Memphis, quietly surging down the stretch with 6 wins in its last 7 games, including a crucial 70-65 triumph at UAB on Wednesday night behind 18 points from Doneal Mack and 17 from Elliott Williams. Reversing either of the close losses to Kansas and Tennessee in non-conference play would probably have Josh Pastner's team in safe territory, but UM has at least given the Selection Committee something else to think about in C-USA.
Player of the night (Wednesday): Tory Jackson, G, Notre Dame... After a slow first half (when he scored only 2 points) that reflected some awful offense by the Fighting Irish (who missed 26 of their first 34 shots), Jackson completely dominated the second half against UConn, scoring 20 points in the final 20 minutes of a crucial 58-50 win by the Irish that pus them close to securing a Big Dance at-large bid. The 5-11 senior has emerged as Notre Dame's go-to threat in the absence of injured C Luke Harangody, with Jackson scoring 16 ppg his last four games, while hitting 61% from the floor in the process.