Van Pelt On Big East

[Goose85]

Briefly heard Scott Van Pelt on ESPN and he was saying Villanova shouldn't be a #1 seed and he is not sure why the committee gave so much love to the Big East.

He compared it to when the Mountain West had more teams than he thought they deserved a few years back, and how happy he was when they weren't successful proving him right.

He said he didn't think the Big East conference was that good this year, and doesn't think they will do much in the tourney. Nice job on the company line SVP.

[The Reptile]

Yet noting about wisconsin@madison making the most of the bottom dwellers in their unbalanced schedule. Totally fair and balanced.

[MU/Panther]

Has SVP even watch the Big East? Big East got love because they won key games in the non-conference
If UCLA wins in the tournament still does't mean they should have made the field.

[IrwinFletcher]

Doug Gottlieb was on the Score today. His line about Villanova was this.

"Villanova stacked wins against a mid-major laden Big East Schedule".

Maybe the guys at FS1 should rip on the ACC then and we can call it even.

[warriorfan4life]

I think a lot of people will be surprised at the level of basketball that the Big East plays. Having really ramped up my hoops watching over the past few weeks, there is no league that plays at a distinct higher level and many teams that are not as well coached or play as well together as Big East teams. For a team like Butler, whatever talent disadvantage they have against Texas will be more then compensated for by their superior effort and teamwork (and anyone that picks Texas over Butler has not watched them play over the past two months). I would be surprised if there were fewer then three Big East teams playing in the second weekend, and the only one that I have zero faith in is St John's (and they could win a rock fight against San Diego State in their opening game).

[79warrior]

Briefly heard Scott Van Pelt on ESPN and he was saying Villanova shouldn't be a #1 seed and he is not sure why the committee gave so much love to the Big East.

He compared it to when the Mountain West had more teams than he thought they deserved a few years back, and how happy he was when they weren't successful proving him right.

He said he didn't think the Big East conference was that good this year, and doesn't think they will do much in the tourney. Nice job on the company line SVP.


MadDog Russo on sirius was ripping the BE today also. Said Nova is not a 1 and the BE is not all that good. This is why I feel we needs post season wins. It goes not matter if our conference rip was #1. If we get smoked in the NCAA, then the critics will harp about how the conference is weak.

[MU/Panther]

Do any of these clowns watch college basketball untill after the super bowl is done? Wasn't there all these great articles about how well the Big East did in November, what has changed for some.

I'm a bit surprised in what Gottlieb had to say.

[Markedman]

So it was perfectly fine for Wichita State to get a 1 seed last year by going 34-0 in the MVC but Nova has no business getting a 1 by going 32-2 in the # 2 RPI league in 2015?

These media guys are just a joke

[MUBasketball]

Villanova:

#2 RPI
#24 SOS (Kentucky's is #25)
13-1 vs. RPI Top 50 (Virginia is 8-3 -- Arizona is 9-0, however they were 9-3 vs. RPI 101-200, while Nova was 13-0).

So, I'm confused. Numbers lie, apparently? These dumbass blowhards run their mouths and never back anything up with tangible evidence.

[Markedman]

They have decided that the top 50 wins against Big East teams don't really count ....because they are just Big East teams......or something like that......

[DCwarrior]

Even when Seth Greenberg gives Nova a compliment by saying they are really good and picking them to make the Championship game, he can't help but sneak in a dig at the Big East. He prefaced his Nova pick by saying a lot of people aren't aware of how good they are because they aren't seen much on TV.

[Mark Miller]

Most of this talk can be attribute to two things ...

1) ESPN protecting its turf;

2) Media "personalities" being opinionated to drive ratings.

The people in the room who do the actual seeding/selecting are the ones who get it.

[milwaukeejedi1]

Do any of these clowns watch college basketball untill after the super bowl is done? Wasn't there all these great articles about how well the Big East did in November, what has changed for some.

I'm a bit surprised in what Gottlieb had to say.
Gottlieb's always talks negatively about the Big East. On his show, he said the BE was comparable to the WCC and that it's not a power conference.

[kneelb4zerg]

Gottlieb's always talks negatively about the Big East. On his show, he said the BE was comparable to the WCC and that it's not a power conference.

I think this falls into the category of being opinionated for its own sake. That is just ridiculous.

[Markedman]

Didn't somebody compile total win-loss records of Big East against the other power conferences this season?

As I recall the conference was over .500 against most of them.

[MUBasketball]

Most of this talk can be attribute to two things ...

1) ESPN protecting its turf;

2) Media "personalities" being opinionated to drive ratings.

The people in the room who do the actual seeding/selecting are the ones who get it.

The problem is this thought gets perpetuated since most sports fans are mindless and believe whatever ESPN tells them. Big East needs to kick ass in this tournament.

[Nukem2]

The problem is this thought gets perpetuated since most sports fans are mindless and believe whatever ESPN tells them. Big East needs to kick ass in this tournament.
Yes, ultimately ya gotta walk the talk....

[kneelb4zerg]

Yes, ultimately ya gotta walk the talk....

Hasn't the big east done that all year long?

[AlexJesswein]

Hasn't the big east done that all year long?

For better or worse...tournament performance trumps all else

[Nukem2]

For better or worse...tournament performance trumps all else
Yep, that's the ultimate litmus test, FBOW.

[Mucrisco]

Yep, that's the ultimate litmus test, FBOW.

I had to look up what FBOW meant and I agree. For example, look at the thread where people listed Marquette losses that still haunt them.

[mufan2003]

Just this past Saturday, as I posted here, ESPN.com's own Eamonn Brennan broke down each major conference by "Locks," "Should Be In," and "Work Left To Do." All 6 Big East teams were "Locks." Someone should have shared that article with Scott Van Pelt.

Gottlieb might get the crown for "over-the-top" ridicule of the Big East. He had a problem with Georgetown's seed, Xavier's seed. Villanova, the 2nd overall #1 seed, he would have had Arizona as a #1 over Villanova. If he said Arizona over Wisconsin, at least that is removing the last #1 seed for the highest #2 seed.

[TrevorCandelino]

The only answer is to win. Right now the commentators are simply parroting a talking point - it's the unfortunate reslity of the new 24 hour TV/ online news cycle. Gotta talk about something.

Send teams into the second weekend and hopefully at least one into the third.

Do it this year, do it next year and the year after. Then this type of talk goes away.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

The only answer is to win. Right now the commentators are simply parroting a talking point - it's the unfortunate reslity of the new 24 hour TV/ online news cycle. Gotta talk about something.

Send teams into the second weekend and hopefully at least one into the third.

Do it this year, do it next year and the year after. Then this type of talk goes away.


You hit it on the head here, the Big East had a disappointing tournament last year so we need to play well this year to get that respect. I look at it this way, ESPN is to the Big East what the Badger fans are to Marquette. There is no need to listen to them because they have an agenda. The Big East could send all 10 teams to the tournament and they would find a way to down play it... Not even worth our time to care what they are saying. Another big opportunity comes when the Big East/Big 10 challenge begins, do well there and that will quiet folks too...

[TheSultan]

It goes beyond the BE. Gottleib is a CBS guy and CBS broadcasts BE games. Time will tell if their objections were accurate.

[MU/Panther]

Even when Seth Greenberg gives Nova a compliment by saying they are really good and picking them to make the Championship game, he can't help but sneak in a dig at the Big East. He prefaced his Nova pick by saying a lot of people aren't aware of how good they are because they aren't seen much on TV.

That's funny I havn't seen so much Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, DePaul, Providence, Creighton, Xavier & Butler basketball in my life the past two year. I'm sure I seen everyone of those schools games the past two years.

[Phantom Warrior]

My guess is only one of the six BE teams makes it to the Sweet 16 - Nova.

GTown is definitely over-seeded.

Not one of the other BE teams has been consistent this year. They are all good teams, but there is a reason no other BE teams got even as high as a #5 seed.

[TheSultan]

My guess is only one of the six BE teams makes it to the Sweet 16 - Nova.

GTown is definitely over-seeded.

Not one of the other BE teams has been consistent this year. They are all good teams, but there is a reason no other BE teams got even as high as a #5 seed.


I think Providence has a good shot too. When your best player is a point guard, good things can happen. And if seeds hold out, Oklahoma is ridiculously inconsistent.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Not one of the other BE teams has been consistent this year. They are all good teams, but there is a reason no other BE teams got even as high as a #5 seed.

Honestly, I think this is just buying into ESPN's anti-Big East bias. Look at Louisville getting a 4-seed and Butler getting a 6-seed:

Butler is 6-8 against the top-50, Louisville is 3-7. Both teams went 12-6 in league, but Butler did it in a tougher league. Yes, Louisville beat Virginia (without Anderson) but Butler has more top-25 wins and more 26-50 wins. The Bulldogs certainly shouldn't be two seed lines behind Louisville, especially a Louisville team without Chris Jones.

Does Georgetown have their knocks? Sure. But they also have zero losses outside the top-50. How is Oklahoma ahead of them with FOUR sub-100 losses? Yes, they have a better top-50 track record, but 4 is a ton of bad losses. Not saying Georgetown is underseeded, but none of the non-Big East teams on the 5 or 6 line can claim zero sub-50 losses and all of them played an easier schedule than the Hoyas.

Compare Providence's resume (with their #5 SOS) to Arkansas, Northern Iowa, Utah, or Louisville, all seeded ahead of them, and tell me why the Friars are as low as they are.

Xavier...well, I can't explain Xavier. They're overseeded, probably because of their appearance in the BET finals. St. John's I think they got about right.

I've been hearing ever since the bracket came out how the Big East is overrated, overseeded, and I just don't see it. Georgetown is about right. Maybe not them, but one of those three (Georgetown, Butler, Providence) should be on the 4-line and the other two should be on the 5-line. Our conference is very, very tough. Unfortunately, I think difficult draws (GT likely playing two road games, Butler seeding into a 3/6 instead of a 4/5) will cost us second weekend teams. I think 'Nova and Providence can get there, but don't like anyone else's odds.

Everyone is saying "this isn't your dad's Big East." Maybe it isn't, but every single ranking has it as a tougher league than the ACC, Big 10, SEC, or any mid-major out there. Honestly, the committee didn't give that the respect it deserves. 12-6 or 11-7 in this league is a pretty impressive accomplishment.

[mufan2003]

The only answer is to win. Right now the commentators are simply parroting a talking point - it's the unfortunate reslity of the new 24 hour TV/ online news cycle. Gotta talk about something.

Send teams into the second weekend and hopefully at least one into the third.

Do it this year, do it next year and the year after. Then this type of talk goes away.


I agree that is the only way to shut up the critics. In reality, in the NCAA tourney upsets happen and do not always reflect the worthiness of the team that lost or their seeding. Was Duke as a #2 seed last year, with Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood, an overseeded team because they lost to Mercer in their first game? No, that was a good Duke team and earned their #2 seed throughout the regular season. Mercer played their best game against Duke.

It has been popular to say Georgetown was overseeded, but are they if they finished 2nd (12-6) in the Big East, the 2nd best RPI Conference. Winning @Butler, giving Villanova 1 of their 2 losses by 20 points, only losing to Wisconsin by 3, nearly beating them. I think their lackluster showing in their big East Tourney game has created the perception they were overseeded. I think they make the Sweet 16 along with Providence and Villanova.

[milwaukeejedi1]

...several ESPN guys picking Villanova to reach the Final 4, http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2015/story/_/id/12487775/experts-picks-final-four-national-champion-ncaa-tournament

[MUBasketball]

Finally listened to a national guy with common sense.

Heard Kerry Miller from the Bleacher Report on 920. Host asked Kerry if 'Nova should have been shipped out west instead of Wisconsin. Kerry said no, 'Nova did more than enough to warrant their seed and location. Said there are two reasons people question 'Nova: 1) games are on Fox Sports 1 and people get their sports information from ESPN, and 2) they don't have a big name superstar on their team like the other top seeds. He finished by reiterating that Nova was deserving of their spot.