I don’t think anybody will ever get 11 tournament bids again, but let’s change the question around a little.
Do we think that the Big East can threaten to get 11 bids? Can they make it so compelling that we have to ask the question?
I think they can. What has happened in the Big East is that they have sort of returned to a “power and glory” stage that they used to enjoy in the 80′s. Practically everybody in the Big East is good. This means there are a few things happening every year that will make the “threat for 11″ real.
1. Each team pounds every other team. So, every win and loss in conference is considered quality. You win, you beat a quality team. You lose, well, you lost to a quality team.
2. Every game outside of the Big East can be won. When they play non-conference opponents, the style of basketball is so rugged that they can easily win those games. So, a non-conference schedule doesn’t mess with rankings and RPI too much before the Big East schedule starts.
3. Most of the bigger-name teams have enough star names to keep people interested. Those same stars are the ones people are watching when the team gets shut down. So, a team that is not AS good, like, Providence, can beat up on a better team like, say, Syracuse, and get points for that JUST because they shut down a superstar. It raises the profile of both teams.
Am I going to say they’ll get 11 bids this year? NO! Will I go for nine? Sure.
UCONN
Georgetown
Louisville
Notre Dame
Pitt
St. John’s (what a great job by Steve Lavin)
Syracuse
Villanova
West Virginia
And there you have it. I know Marquette got left off the list, but they aren’t quite as compelling as some of the other teams. Let’s see what happens come tournament time.
