I miss the Big East basketball

[senorpalmer]

I can't bring myself to care about playing over half the teams in this league. Miami, BC, Wake, FSU, GTech, VTech, NCSt, Clemson...it feels like playing DePaul, Rutgers and USF over and over again to me. There is star power near the top no doubt but for the second year running, this league just hasn't been very good (even with the membership change from last year). Last year's league got 6 out of 15 teams into the tournament and it seems like the conference is going to struggle to match that total this year. I wanted to be excited and enthusiastic for this new era but thus far it has failed to click with me, I just can't force it. I'm hopeful it will get better and it certainly has potential to, but something that has been near and dear to me for what feels like forever has admittedly lost some luster to me in the last two years.

 

[ithacat]

I can't bring myself to care about playing over half the teams in this league. Miami, BC, Wake, FSU, GTech, VTech, NCSt, Clemson...it feels like playing DePaul, Rutgers and USF over and over again to me. There is star power near the top no doubt but for the second year running, this league just hasn't been very good (even with the membership change from last year). Last year's league got 6 out of 15 teams into the tournament and it seems like the conference is going to struggle to match that total this year. I wanted to be excited and enthusiastic for this new era but thus far it has failed to click with me, I just can't force it. I'm hopeful it will get better and it certainly has potential to, but something that has been near and dear to me for what feels like forever has admittedly lost some luster to me in the last two years.

I loved the Big East, but I only really cared about playing Georgetown, Nova, and the Johnnies from the old sect. Add UConn and Pitt..,but that's it.

 

[senorpalmer]

I loved the Big East, but I only really cared about playing Georgetown, Nova, and the Johnnies from the old sect. Add UConn and Pitt..,but that's it.

Marquette and West Virginia were often quality opponents who could be factors at a national level. Even Cincinnati was arguably a more interesting opponent than most if not all of Miami, BC, Wake, FSU, GTech, VTech, NCSt and Clemson.

 

[Bayside44]

Marquette and West Virginia were often quality opponents who could be factors at a national level. Even Cincinnati was arguably a more interesting opponent than most if not all of Miami, BC, Wake, FSU, GTech, VTech, NCSt and Clemson.

VT has Marquette's coach, give it a year or two and it's basically gonna be the same thing.

 

[senorpalmer]

VT has Marquette's coach, give it a year or two and it's basically gonna be the same thing.

I've heard this one before. I don't believe in counting chickens before they're hatched. Marquette was a good program before Buzz, he inherited a good situation and sustained it. He's entered a new situation that has never seen any sustained success in basketball. I'll believe that VTech can matter in basketball when I see it, until then they're snooze central.

 

[Bayside44]

I've heard this one before. I don't believe in counting chickens before they're hatched. Marquette was a good program before Buzz, he inherited a good situation and sustained it. He's entered a new situation that has never seen any sustained success in basketball. I'll believe that VTech can matter in basketball when I see it, until then they're snooze central.

Greenburg was ok...Virginia has a lot of players and he has a system that basically works. Miami basically is a Big East team, Larannaga is a CYO guy from The Bronx.

 

[senorpalmer]

Greenburg was ok...Virginia has a lot of players and he has a system that basically works. Miami basically is a Big East team, Larannaga is a CYO guy from The Bronx.

Greenberg's biggest accomplishment was getting the program to a point where their record looked good on paper and yet couldn't get in to the tournament on multiple occasions.

Miami was a Big East team but they were one of the less interesting ones during their time as Big East members. They did have a few nice years under Leonard Hamilton in the late 90's-early 00's but then once they moved to the ACC they regressed to the point where they've been a tournament team twice in 10 years. They did have a nice season 2 years ago and it would be nice if they could sustain something closer to that level, but in two years as co-members Miami looks more like old Big East Miami.

 

[Bayside44]

Greenberg's biggest accomplishment was getting the program to a point where their record looked good on paper and yet couldn't get in to the tournament on multiple occasions.

Miami was a Big East team but they were one of the less interesting ones during their time as Big East members. They did have a few nice years under Leonard Hamilton in the late 90's-early 00's but then once they moved to the ACC they regressed to the point where they've been a tournament team twice in 10 years. They did have a nice season 2 years ago and it would be nice if they could sustain something closer to that level, but in two years as co-members Miami looks more like old Big East Miami.

On Seth I know - said he was OK. Won some, not enough.

Miami beat us...to each their own but since round robin play ended in the Big East time just marched on.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

You got BE BB today.

 

[jec1521]

I think a lot of what we miss in the old BE was being the "Top Dog" of the conference. We obviously didn't win it every year, or even close, but SU started the BE, and had the most prolonged success out of any of the programs. I just get the feeling that no matter how good we are in the ACC, we will always be behind Duke and UNC, at the very least.

 

[Orange Rust Belt]

You got BE BB today.

Agreed. Sprinkle in some Paul Harris and Dejuan Blair and I may just get a little teary eyed in nostalgia.

 

[senorpalmer]

On Seth I know - said he was OK. Won some, not enough.

Miami beat us...to each their own but since round robin play ended in the Big East time just marched on.

Miami beat us because we're not very good this year.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer on this stuff. I just need to see more from the competition to be excited about it. Potential is there but does nothing for what I've seen to date.

 

[Bayside44]

Miami beat us because we're not very good this year.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer on this stuff. I just need to see more from the competition to be excited about it. Potential is there but does nothing for what I've seen to date.

Those 3 games from Duke mean nothing? UVa #2, UNC is an all time program (and that was a great game there). Our 2 NC State games went to the buzzer. These games are played on packed on campus arenas, but to each their own I suppose...I got sick of us being the meal ticket for the Big East.

 

[Madbiker]

I don't. Hate Pitt's style of play. Hate the push and shove D. ACC ball is so much more free flowing.

 

[senorpalmer]

Those 3 games from Duke mean nothing? UVa #2, UNC is an all time program (and that was a great game there). Our 2 NC State games went to the buzzer. These games are played on packed on campus arenas, but to each their own I suppose...I got sick of us being the meal ticket for the Big East.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. Games against the upper tier are nice no doubt, but it feels like they pop up as occasional bright spots on an otherwise dull slate. Playing in front of bigger crowds in on campus arenas does little for me if it's against a mediocre or bad team. We've played nail-biters against bad teams in the past, even lost to bad teams, and that will happen again, it doesn't make them any more intriguing as opponents. NC St I will give some credit for being on the cusp of being intriguing though, they have three straight tournament appearances in bubble territory and are on the bubble again this year. But perhaps I was spoiled by watching SU play in a group of teams where you could get 5-6 teams every year who were top 20 material and capable of making runs in March (and it wasn't always the same teams making the good showings each year), followed by another 3-4 who could be tournament material. If this league could get to the point where it's putting 7-8 teams in the tournament on a consistent basis that would make a difference in level of interest (for me at least).

 

[cuseguy]

I figured I'd dislike he ACC. I didn't realize how much.

 

[Bayside44]

Different strokes for different folks I guess. Games against the upper tier are nice no doubt, but it feels like they pop up as occasional bright spots on an otherwise dull slate. Playing in front of bigger crowds in on campus arenas does little for me if it's against a mediocre or bad team. We've played nail-biters against bad teams in the past, even lost to bad teams, and that will happen again, it doesn't make them any more intriguing as opponents. NC St I will give some credit for being on the cusp of being intriguing though, they have three straight tournament appearances in bubble territory and are on the bubble again this year. But perhaps I was spoiled by watching SU play in a group of teams where you could get 5-6 teams every year who were top 20 material and capable of making runs in March (and it wasn't always the same teams making the good showings each year), followed by another 3-4 who could be tournament material. If this league could get to the point where it's putting 7-8 teams in the tournament on a consistent basis that would make a difference in level of interest (for me at least).

UL, Duke, UNC, Notre Dame, UVa - there are your 5 top 20 programs. Pitt, NCSU, Miami are your bubble.

 

[HOFCeluck]

DePaul, Rutgers, south Florida, seton hall.

 

[senorpalmer]

UL, Duke, UNC, Notre Dame, UVa - there are your 5 top 20 programs. Pitt, NCSU, Miami are your bubble.

You got me on the top 5 part, though I've agreed that the top tier is indeed quality and not where the problem lies. Not excited by the present mid tier though that you reference. I'll be surprised if more than one of those teams gets a bid.

 

[samspann1]

I'm already converted ... we still play some of the old teams (Nova, St. Johns), and whenever I wax nostalgic about the OBE I just read a few articles about Seton Hall or watch a replay of SU-v-Pitt (any year will do). Give me finesse over rock-fight/thug-ball anytime.

Other than Duke and UNC, where is the "finesse" in the ACC?

 

[DoctorBombay]

You know where men could be men and play like it. Now we are in the sisters of my saint marys choir league where ticky tack fouls is the norm unless its against Rak.

Im not a fan of the ACC , the announcers, the location of the conference tourney, the way the games are called, the lack of rivalries, the calls that favor Duke and UNC at home, just the way of life is not like the rough and rugged Big East.

Listening to the announcers for games kills it for me. They dont know the players names, they show favortism towards teams, just all in general very bad.

We gone

First World problems.

 

[clayman32]

Nostalgia deludes

 

[reedny]

Other than Duke and UNC, where is the "finesse" in the ACC?

Well the only team I think is clutch and grab besides Pitt is Clemson. LV plays full-court pressure D but at least you don't come out of the game looking like you got into a car accident (T-Rob from today's game). BC, V-Tech, Wake, UNC, Duke, Virginia ... not any thug teams there. G-tech had some brutes, but they didn't get away with hak-a-Rak on every play like Pitt did today.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I hate Pittsburgh. The biggest complaint I have in the entire landscape of college athletics is that they are in the same conference as us. I would take UConn 100 times before I would even consider Pitt. Our conference change was seriously sullied by the inclusion of those turd stains.

 

[Meatball56]

Let's not forget the Big East tournament and the Garden. If it comes back to the Garden, maybe then I can heal a little. But the BE Tourney leading into Selection Sunday leading in to Day One of Madness was always my favorite week of the year. Especially being at the Garden.