Big East: League ties record with eight bids

The Big East Conference began play in 1980. Two years later, the Georgetown Hoyas were in the NCAA championship game, losing to North Carolina on Michael Jordan’s 17-foot jumper.

Two years after that, Georgetown returned to the title game and captured the 1984 NCAA crown. In 1985, three Big East teams invaded the Final Four, stamping the Big East as a league to be reckoned with, especially when Villanova upset Georgetown for the national championship.

In recent years, the Big East has claimed more national titles – Connecticut in 1999, Syracuse in 2003 and Connecticut again in 2004. Last year, Georgetown, the Big East’s first ever Final Four entrant, returned to the Final Four for the first time since 1985.

In 2006, the Big East set a record for the most teams from the same conference to receive NCAA bids with eight. This year, the Big East tied its own record. In addition, four Big East teams have been seeded 4th or higher and six are seeded 6th or higher. Seven are seeded 7th or higher.

Here’s a rundown of all eight Big East teams in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Georgetown:  No. 2 seed/Midwest region
Record: 27-5
First round: vs. UMBC on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.

Road map to the Final Four: Georgetown won its second straight Big East regular season championship, but the Hoyas’ run to back-to-back Big East Tournament titles got waylaid by the surging Pittsburgh Panthers. Still, Georgetown remains a threat to return to the Final Four.

The Hoyas have four players who started last year, giving them more tournament experience than any team in this year’s field. Seniors Jonathan Wallace, whose late-game 3-pointer capped Georgetown’s comeback against North Carolina in the 2007 East Region final, is an underrated backcourt leader. Few teams outside the Big East have seen a center like the 7-foot-2, 270-pound Roy Hibbert. DaJuan Summers and Jessie Sapp are veteran starters. Patrick Ewing Jr. won the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year award. The recent return of freshman guard Chris Wright from a foot injury provides more quickness in the backcourt.

Once Georgetown dispatches UMBC, the Hoyas will face a scary second-round game against either Gonzaga or Davidson. Georgetown matches up well with No. 3 seed Wisconsin. Kansas is the major road-block to the Final Four.

Predicted exit round: Elite 8

Louisville: No. 3 seed/East region
Record: 24–8
First round: vs. Boise State on Friday in Birmingham, Ala.

Road map to the Final Four: The hottest team in the Big East lost its last two games heading into the NCAA Tournament. Louisville’s 9-game win streak ended at Georgetown on the last weekend of the regular season, then the Cardinals got upset by Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament’s quarterfinals.

No matter. Louisville coach Rick Pitino will have his team ready for the Big Dance.

Louisville struggled early in the season, but came on strong after senior center David Padgett returned from what was thought to be a season-ending knee injury. Padgett earned first-team All-Big East honors, while junior wing Terrence Williams made the second team.

Louisville should cruise into the Sweet 16 where the Cardinals’ likely opponent would be Tennessee. Louisville has the talent to stay with Tennessee and the Cardinals play better defense. North Carolina, playing in Charlotte, would have the edge in the regional final.

Predicted exit round: Elite 8

Connecticut: No. 4 seed/West region
Record: 24-8
First round: vs. San Diego on Friday in Tampa, Fla.

Road map to the Final Four: Connecticut had some disturbing late-season losses. The Huskies lost a revenge game to Providence on March 6 and then got upset by West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

Connecticut depends heavily on junior guard A.J. Price, who developed into an All-Big East performer this season. Forward Jeff Adrien led Uconnwith 14.8 points per game, but Price averaged 14.7 points, 5.9 assists and shot 34.5 percent from 3-point range.

Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 center, emerged as a sophomore. Thabeet led the Big East with 141 blocks and improved his offense with 10.5 points per game.

Connecticut drew an interesting seed. The Huskies open with San Diego, which has to travel cross country, and then face either Drake or Western Kentucky in the second round. UCLA figures to end UConn’s run.

Predicted exit round: Sweet 16

Pittsburgh: No. 4 seed/South region
Record: 26–9
First round: vs. Oral Roberts on Thursday in Denver

Road map to the Final Four: Pittsburgh was seeded 7th in the Big East Tournament, but after winning the conference championship, the Panthers are now a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The reality is the Panthers were always a top four seed in the NCAAs. At least they were back in December when Levance Fields was knocking down clutch shots to beat Duke at Madison Square Garden. Then Pitt lost Fields for eight weeks with a toe injury and guard Mike Cook for the year with a torn ACL.

Fields took a while to get his mojo back after coming back in the final month, but the junior guard looked back in the flow in New York. The 3-guard backcourt of Fields, Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin is a trio of typical blue-collar, lunch-pail Pittsburgh guys.

Up front, DeJuan Blair (12.3 points, 9.5 rebounds) was the Big East’s freshman of the year and forward Sam Young (18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds) was a first-team selection and the conference’s Most Improved Player. Pitt must keep Young and Blair out of foul trouble.

Pitt’s on a roll. If the Panthers stay on that roll with a first-round win over Oral Roberts and into the second round against either Michigan State or Temple, they would get Memphis in the Sweet 16. Watch out, Tigers.

Predicted exit round: Elite 8

Notre Dame: No. 5 seed/East region
Record: 24–7
First round: vs. George Mason on Thursday in Denver

Road map to the Final Four: Notre Dame can score a lot of points. The Fighting Irish averaged 80.7 points per game this season. Four Notre Dame players took at least 75 shots from 3-point range this season and all four made over 39 percent of those shots.

The difference with this Notre Dame team is the inside game of Luke Harangody. The sophomore center led the Big East in both scoring and rebounding and was a runaway winner of the Big East’s Player of the Year award.

But Notre Dame has to score points. Notre Dame’s defense is sometimes just a rumor. Notre Dame is also very dependent on the 3-pointer even with Harangody posting up in the paint.

The Notre Dame guards can also be pressured. Thus, Notre Dame’s loss to Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament surprised few conference insiders.

Notre Dame should be able to out-score George Mason, but Washington State will force the Irish into a grind-it-out wrestling match.

Predicted exit round: Second round

Marquette: No. 6 seed/South region
Record: 24–9
First round: vs. Kentucky on Thursday in Anaheim

Road map to the Final Four: Marquette is a confusing team. The Golden Eagles use a three-guard lineup with Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews. But Marquette’s best 3-point shooters are forwards Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald.

James is a point guard who shot 41.3 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from 3-point range and who still took the second-most shots on the team and the most 3-pointers.

McNeal is the defensive ace; the 2007 Big East Defensive Player of the Year and still the best on-the-ball defender in the league. Yet, McNeal, a 27.1 percent 3-point shooter, also led Marquette in scoring at 13.6 points per game.

No wonder Marquette coach Tom Crean never stops pacing up and down in front of the Golden Eagles bench.

Still, Marquette will be a tough matchup. Kentucky will miss Patrick Patterson against Marquette’s weak post players. Stanford’s Lopez twins will prove to be too much.

Predicted exit round: Second round

West Virginia: No. 7 seed/West region
Record: 24-10
First round: vs. Arizona on Thursday in Washington D.C.

Road map to the Final Four: West Virginia won four of its last five regular season games and then knocked off Providence and Connecticut in the Big East Tournament before losing to Georgetown in the semifinals.

The reason for West Virginia’s late-season surge is the play of junior forward Joe Alexander. Alexander provides an athletic inside-outside scoring threat in contrast to the perimeter shooting of Alex Ruoff and Darris Nichols.

West Virginia will be a threat to any team it faces. Consider that WVU’s four losses since Feb. 1 have come at Pittsburgh, at Villanova, at Connecticut and to Georgetown in New York City.

If West Virginia can hold off Arizona, watch the Mountaineers match 3-pointers with Duke in the second round.

Predicted exit round: Second round

Villanova: No. 12 seed/Midwest region
Record: 20-12
First round: vs. Clemson on Friday in Tampa, Fla.

Road map to the Final Four: Villanova just squeaked into the NCAA field after thumping Syracuse in the first round of the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats lost to Georgetown in the quarterfinals and had to sweat out the next three days.

The truth is Villanova is just so-so. Villanova beat only one team ranked in the RPI’s Top 100 – Syracuse twice.

Scottie Reynolds is a dynamic scorer. Corey Stokes played great in New York. But Villanova doesn’t have anyone who can stop Clemson’s James Mays.

Predicted exit round: First round

Mike Waters’ predicted Final Four:

North Carolina
Texas
Kansas
UCLA

National champion: North Carolina

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