SB Nation reviews the Big East...commentary

[robinreed]

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2014/11 ... -usa-today

SB Nation has done what some might call a critical job regarding the Big East. The article is a Q&A with CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, and USA TODAY's Nicole Auerbach. After reading the article however I don't see any deliberate falsehood or overwhelming bias on the part of the sportswriters.

When ask about the quality of the Big East Parrish answered thusly.
Gary Parrish: It's obviously nowhere near what it used to be, and that's too bad. Total casualty of realignment. It no longer compares to any of the so-called power-five leagues, and it's arguably no better than the American Athletic Conference. So these aren't the best of times, obviously.

When ask about the teams most likely to go dancing he predicted Villanova but stated:
Georgetown can be good, but I don't see a roster built for greatness. The Hoya's are probably a borderline Top 25 team, at best. But I do think they'll make the NCAA Tournament. And I really like D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera.

When ask who will rise and who will fall Nicole said:
Xavier will have the biggest rise, and Creighton will have the biggest drop. But that's life without Doug McDermott -- which I think makes all college hoops fans a little sad. I know I'll also miss all the times people mixed up Greg and Doug McDermott's names on teleconferences.

She commented thusly on the number of BE teams dancing:
I think four teams sounds about right, but I'm not sold on St. John's just yet. People were high on them last year entering the season, too. Particularly after getting the news that JUCO transfer Keith Thomas would be ineligible ... I just can't get on board with the Johnnies just yet.

Perhaps the most prescient comment will be the least loved on this board. Parrish commented:
The league is still good ... in its own way. But if the question is whether we'll look up in 10 years and see a better version, honestly, I doubt it. Everything is so football-driven now, and it's difficult to grow as a league without football schools. This is the tough reality for the Big East. It's unfortunate. But the power-five will continue to separate themselves going forward with TV contracts and money, and I'm not sure how anybody could intelligently suggest otherwise.

We start play this weekend. Best of luck to all our members except when they play the Muskies.

[NJRedman]

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2014/11/14/7185273/big-east-season-preview-roundtable-gary-parrish-cbs-sports-nicole-auerbach-usa-today

SB Nation has done what some might call a critical job regarding the Big East. The article is a Q&A with CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, and USA TODAY's Nicole Auerbach. After reading the article however I don't see any deliberate falsehood or overwhelming bias on the part of the sportswriters.

When ask about the quality of the Big East Parrish answered thusly.
Gary Parrish: It's obviously nowhere near what it used to be, and that's too bad. Total casualty of realignment. It no longer compares to any of the so-called power-five leagues, and it's arguably no better than the American Athletic Conference. So these aren't the best of times, obviously.

When ask about the teams most likely to go dancing he predicted Villanova but stated:
Georgetown can be good, but I don't see a roster built for greatness. The Hoya's are probably a borderline Top 25 team, at best. But I do think they'll make the NCAA Tournament. And I really like D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera.

When ask who will rise and who will fall Nicole said:
Xavier will have the biggest rise, and Creighton will have the biggest drop. But that's life without Doug McDermott -- which I think makes all college hoops fans a little sad. I know I'll also miss all the times people mixed up Greg and Doug McDermott's names on teleconferences.

She commented thusly on the number of BE teams dancing:
I think four teams sounds about right, but I'm not sold on St. John's just yet. People were high on them last year entering the season, too. Particularly after getting the news that JUCO transfer Keith Thomas would be ineligible ... I just can't get on board with the Johnnies just yet.

Perhaps the most prescient comment will be the least loved on this board. Parrish commented:
The league is still good ... in its own way. But if the question is whether we'll look up in 10 years and see a better version, honestly, I doubt it. Everything is so football-driven now, and it's difficult to grow as a league without football schools. This is the tough reality for the Big East. It's unfortunate. But the power-five will continue to separate themselves going forward with TV contracts and money, and I'm not sure how anybody could intelligently suggest otherwise.

We start play this weekend. Best of luck to all our members except when they play the Muskies.

It just shows how ignorant and ill informed these sports writers actually are. They say that the P5 or FB 5 as we like to call them will always be ahead of us, yet fail to realize we were better than the SEC last year, and are on par with the Pac-12. These two are hacks.

[hoyahooligan]

Gary is a hack. Nicole's pretty good.

[stever20]

Sorry Redman but to 99% of folks, the SEC year last year- with 2 final 4 teams is far superior to what the Big East did. Pac 12 had 6 teams in the tourney, with the lowest seed being a 10. 3 teams making it to the 2nd weekend and 1 elite 8 team better as well. We had no one make it out of the 1st weekend. You can whine all you want but the fact is that March is what matters, and last year we did not perform at all in the month of March.

[NJRedman]

Sorry Redman but to 99% of folks, the SEC year last year- with 2 final 4 teams is far superior to what the Big East did. Pac 12 had 6 teams in the tourney, with the lowest seed being a 10. 3 teams making it to the 2nd weekend and 1 elite 8 team better as well. We had no one make it out of the 1st weekend. You can whine all you want but the fact is that March is what matters, and last year we did not perform at all in the month of March.

Who cares what 99% of folks think? The SEC, a 14 team league got 3 teams in. You're all about the #'s, how is it if we get 3 in consistently we're screwed but the SEC does it and they are a great BBall league? The bottom of the SEC is straight garbage. One or two teams do not make a conference. Just because UK and UF are top programs doesn't mean the SEC is a top conference. We had as many top 100 teams as they did and they have four more teams than us.

SEC:

UF-1
UK-7
UT-37
Mizz-50
Ark-67
LSU-68
UGA-72
Ole Miss-88
Vandy-121
Bama-128
USC-139
A&M-147
Auburn-160
Miss St-239


Big East:

Nova-8
Creighton-17
Providence-46
X-56
GTown-75
SJU-82
Marquette-94
Seton Hall-136
Butler-154
DePaul-157

[R Jay]

Stever, you've bemoaned the Big East for only getting 4 teams since the Tournament began, using that to argue why this conference is in trouble in the future. Now you want to argue that the SEC is a major power, but they only got 3 teams in... By all of your arguments that puts them in the same boat you claim we're in.

[DudeAnon]

Sorry Redman but to 99% of folks, the SEC year last year- with 2 final 4 teams is far superior to what the Big East did. Pac 12 had 6 teams in the tourney, with the lowest seed being a 10. 3 teams making it to the 2nd weekend and 1 elite 8 team better as well. We had no one make it out of the 1st weekend. You can whine all you want but the fact is that March is what matters, and last year we did not perform at all in the month of March.

Don't say "we", you are not part of "we", you would sell out the Big East in a second.

[stever20]

Getting 3 in the tourney is fine if you perform in the tourney. The tourney is what everyone remembers about the year, not how good your 7th place team is. Folks on here focus WAY too much on depth. Fact is most folks, and the press focus on how good the top teams are. Regular season in the NCAA Basketball is close to meaningless. You can bemoan that all you want, but that really is the facts. All Nov-early march is to get ready for those 3 weeks. SEC is remembered by the press as having a great year last year- not only because of Kentucky and Florida- but Tennessee as well quite frankly.... Big East is remembered for having a terrible year last year because didn't get a single team in the 2nd weekend even. SEC won 12 games in the tourney- the most of any conference last year. Big East won 2 games, tied with the MWC for 8th most.

Now, you can complain all you want about the press focusing on March, but reality is that is how it is, and it isn't going to change any time soon.

[Xudash]

The BE has money, so no P5 advantage as far as that goes.

I believe our recruiting speaks for itself. I was reading my very slick Xavier magazine this evening - the one for athletics. It included reviews of our new recruits. At least two or three mentioned wanting to play for a basketball school, not for a football school that treats basketball as a second citizen.

For the X millionth time: I doubt there is a person on this rock that believes that our version of the Big East will ever achieve what the prior version achieved. However, with the 10 schools we have, with the markets in which we operate, with our media partner, and with the Madison Square Garden deal, there is no reason why we cannot be very successful year in and year out.

Xavier fought and scratched for national relevance coming out of the A10.

Butler had to do that coming mainly from the Horizon.

Gonzaga did it from Spokane and the WCC.

Compare any and all of that to what we have, then take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.

[DC Denizen]

The BE has money, so no P5 advantage as far as that goes.

I think you might want to check the numbers on that assertion.