It will be a successful 1st year in the NBE if my team...

[Jet915]

Creighton: sweet 16.

[friars321]

Staying on topic. I dont know how the other schools view PC this year, but Providence has been building since Cooley showed up, and going through the growing pains the last couple years. We finally have the transfers eligible, a team with talent and depth. Expectations:

1) Finish top 4-5 in BE regular season
2) Make its way into the top 25 at some point during the season
3) Definitely make the tourney in March
4) I look for 5-6 teams in the conference to make the tourny
5) Win 1 or 2 games in the tourny
6) Return all the key players. No transfers/early draft declarations...if this happens- 2014 could be special

[Daffron24]

If Marquette fans want to think the BE regular season championship is more important (I didn't even realize there was such a thing) that's their prerogative, but the BE was made at MSG and any hopes of future success to rival what it was will be made there as well. You may not want to admit it, but the BE Tournament champion far and away outshines anything that happened in the regular season. All of the fans of the original 5 will back this up I'm sure.

When they are discussing records and what team did what, they never mention regular season, they only mention the BET championships, it's all that ever mattered and I suspect and hope it is all that will matter going forward.

In the end, nobody and I mean nobody remembers who won the regular season. That's not to take away from whoever does it because they obviously have a great team, but this is an urban league and it has always been about who shines under the bright lights in NY.

I have been in this from the very beginning of the league and it's the truth whether the 5 schools with no actual BET tradition want to admit it. The recruiting pitch has always been come here and try and win this tournament, not come here and we will battle for the regular season crown.

In all honesty I'm even sure who you are talking about. I understand the tradition of the BE tournament and the tradition behind it, but the regular season is what gets you a great seed. Win the BE (at least in the past) you are getting a top 3 seed. Win the tournament and you will probably boost your seed 1 or 2 spots if you were a lock in the tourney or you'll get a lower seed if you weren't going to make the tournament. For me, and I'm sure others would agree, how far you advance in the tourney is bigger than a couple day tournament. Elite 8 or final four>>>>>> BE tournament championship. I'm sure recruits love the pitch about playing in one of the best tournaments and one of the best stadiums, but I'm sure they would rather here about your school making it deep in the tournament and getting that exposure.

[ElDonBDon]

True, unfortunately, MU really doesn't have any true BET tradition. However, when the BET got 11 teams in, MU was that 11th team, and beating WVU in the BET was what got us into the NCAAs.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I can remember BET champs, not the regular season champs though.

IMO, the regular season is for seeding in the conference tourney. The reason you play the season IS for the conference tourney. The regular season culminates in a conference tournament to determine who deserves to make it to the NCAAs, at least in principle. Indeed, that's the reason the NCAA grants an auto-bid for the conference champs, not the regular season champs.

Obviously making the FF or E8 is waaay better than a conference tourney any day of the week.

However, I do agree that winning the regular season is also meaningful and definitely warrants bragging rights.

These are my thoughts.

[FriarJ]

I'm talking to the Marquette fan who said they don't care about the BET. I personally think that's too bad and it will eventually hurt the conference. I can almost say with certainty if you asked any fan from UConn, Cuse, Pitt, Georgetown, Nova, SJU, SHU, and PC what their main thing they wanted outside of the NCAA it would be to win the Big East and none of them would ever be referring to a regular season champion which in all honesty I had never even heard of until you Marquette fans started saying you won it. I in all honesty thought it was just for seeding in the BET.

Honestly I can't be any clearer. Like I said the record books are clear. THE Big East Champion is always the winner of the BET. Marquette won the #1 seed. This is not meant to be demeaning or offensive. It is what it is and it is the major contributor to what made the BE great.

[hoyahooligan]

There's a big difference between the Big East and every other conference. In most conferences the Regular season crown is the most coveted and most fans do not care about the conference tournament crown.

I'm going to say false on this one. The conferences with multiple bids, sure. But there are 20 conferences out there that rely on their tournament championship to make the NCAA tournament. Believe me, if you ask a Horizon League fan, or SoCon, or any other 1 bid conference which they care more about I guarantee they would say tournament. Now, the Big East tournament certainly has the most tradition and prestige, but that's neither here nor there.

Well sure I meant real conferences not one bid conferences. I just meant among Major conferences.

[Demon22]

1. Don't finish last.

2. Develop the underclassmen - hoping for big things out of Garrett and Hamilton.

3. Beat a Top 25 team.

4. Finish .500 and get an invitation to the CBI.

5. If none of the above happen, replace the entire coaching staff.

6. Break ground on the new arena.

[hoyahooligan]

I'm talking to the Marquette fan who said they don't care about the BET. I personally think that's too bad and it will eventually hurt the conference. I can almost say with certainty if you asked any fan from UConn, Cuse, Pitt, Georgetown, Nova, SJU, SHU, and PC what their main thing they wanted outside of the NCAA it would be to win the Big East and none of them would ever be referring to a regular season champion which in all honesty I had never even heard of until you Marquette fans started saying you won it. I in all honesty thought it was just for seeding in the BET.

Honestly I can't be any clearer. Like I said the record books are clear. THE Big East Champion is always the winner of the BET. Marquette won the #1 seed. This is not meant to be demeaning or offensive. It is what it is and it is the major contributor to what made the BE great.

Marquette was not the #1 Seed. Georgetown was the #1 Seed. Marquette was the #3 seed. And Marquette fans don't care about the BET as much because 1) They're still new to the BE and 2) They've had very little success in the BET. No trips to the Final, 2 trips to the Semis. Seeing your team win the BET in MSG is one of the best things in the world. I put a BET title above everything but a final 4 or above.

[FriarJ]

I'm talking to the Marquette fan who said they don't care about the BET. I personally think that's too bad and it will eventually hurt the conference. I can almost say with certainty if you asked any fan from UConn, Cuse, Pitt, Georgetown, Nova, SJU, SHU, and PC what their main thing they wanted outside of the NCAA it would be to win the Big East and none of them would ever be referring to a regular season champion which in all honesty I had never even heard of until you Marquette fans started saying you won it. I in all honesty thought it was just for seeding in the BET.

Honestly I can't be any clearer. Like I said the record books are clear. THE Big East Champion is always the winner of the BET. Marquette won the #1 seed. This is not meant to be demeaning or offensive. It is what it is and it is the major contributor to what made the BE great.

Marquette was not the #1 Seed. Georgetown was the #1 Seed. Marquette was the #3 seed. And Marquette fans don't care about the BET as much because 1) They're still new to the BE and 2) They've had very little success in the BET. No trips to the Final, 2 trips to the Semis. Seeing your team win the BET in MSG is one of the best things in the world. I put a BET title above everything but a final 4 or above.

See I didn't even know. It must be the reason you state because as I said in the BE I know what you said is all that matters.

[MUBoxer]

I'm talking to the Marquette fan who said they don't care about the BET. I personally think that's too bad and it will eventually hurt the conference. I can almost say with certainty if you asked any fan from UConn, Cuse, Pitt, Georgetown, Nova, SJU, SHU, and PC what their main thing they wanted outside of the NCAA it would be to win the Big East and none of them would ever be referring to a regular season champion which in all honesty I had never even heard of until you Marquette fans started saying you won it. I in all honesty thought it was just for seeding in the BET.

Honestly I can't be any clearer. Like I said the record books are clear. THE Big East Champion is always the winner of the BET. Marquette won the #1 seed. This is not meant to be demeaning or offensive. It is what it is and it is the major contributor to what made the BE great.

Marquette was not the #1 Seed. Georgetown was the #1 Seed. Marquette was the #3 seed. And Marquette fans don't care about the BET as much because 1) They're still new to the BE and 2) They've had very little success in the BET. No trips to the Final, 2 trips to the Semis. Seeing your team win the BET in MSG is one of the best things in the world. I put a BET title above everything but a final 4 or above.

Ok not to be debbie downer here but really a final four or above? I mean come on. It's definitely better to advance to the second weekend or more in the tournament, the tournament is national. While the Big East tournament, despite being huge, doesn't draw even remotely the same amount of attention that the NCAA tournament does. I was there court side when Louisville won the BET and went out with a bunch of them after and they were going on about how it was great but they just don't want to choke in the NCAA tournament. So MU isn't the only ones thinking more on the NCAA tournament than BET.