How big is November 8 for the Big East?

[stever20]

The thing is- a lot of times those games are against the teams you're battling against for the final positions. So head to head becomes crucial..

I don't think the committee at all bases selections based on TV. I mean- look at last years 1st 4 teams while Kentucky was left out. If it was based on TV- Kentucky is there.

The tourney recently has focused more on the body of work than the last part of the season. Great case in point was Villanova a few years ago that fell apart end of the year but still got a 9 seed.

Also- end of the day, you have to have a certain number of wins. I mean let's say you go 8-5 OOC and 10-8 in conference. That's 18-13. If you lose in the say 3/6 game you're 18-14. Not many teams with that record get into the tourney.

[DumpsterFireA10]

Good luck to all the Big East teams in their openers.

I'm going to watch a lot.

A legit basketball league...good for you guys. I hope we top the homeless teams.

[SJUREDMEN85]

My starting 5 for this game: PG Branch (Jordan will get 20minutes at minimum, just wouldn`t start him in his first coll. game again a defensive team like Wisconsin.) SG Harrison, SG Hooper

SJU.... My understanding is that Hooper was a 2 star recruit who was lightly recruited out of high school who got no playing time at Harvard before he transferred to St. John's. Before you tell me he can shoot let me remind you that there is a long list of players that can shoot the lights out but are mediocre players because they are liabilities on defense.

Why do you believe that he is a Big East quality player if he couldn't get time playing for Tommy Amaker's Harvard team against non scholarship players?

The thing is I`m not worried about his defense. I`d start him and if he`s shooting lights out from behind the arch then I`ll take it especially against a def team like Wisconsin, if he`s hitting then the defense will have to come out and won`t be concentrated of Sampson and Sanchez down low.
If he`s not hitting then at the 16minute mark put in pointer.

[SJUREDMEN85]

I'm taking the Johnnies to win-they are loaded and I hope they show it that night if Wisconsin doesn't slow the game down too much. Even if the game does slow down I'm taking the Johnnies.

They are long and so deep this year, what I`d love to see this year is the defense do full court pressure all 40minute just like the Nolan Richardson teams in Arkansas in the 90s.
We have the depth, someone gets tired well that`s ok because someone will come off the bench and won`t take a step backwards. If they get beat then our last line of defense is Obekpa, only the top shot blocker from last year.

[TheHall]

The thing is- a lot of times those games are against the teams you're battling against for the final positions. So head to head becomes crucial..

I don't think the committee at all bases selections based on TV. I mean- look at last years 1st 4 teams while Kentucky was left out. If it was based on TV- Kentucky is there.

The tourney recently has focused more on the body of work than the last part of the season. Great case in point was Villanova a few years ago that fell apart end of the year but still got a 9 seed.

Also- end of the day, you have to have a certain number of wins. I mean let's say you go 8-5 OOC and 10-8 in conference. That's 18-13. If you lose in the say 3/6 game you're 18-14. Not many teams with that record get into the tourney.

You could be right but I just hope not. This type of importance on the early season OOC is normally reserved for mid-major conferences. That's why they invented the bracket-buster series to help teams in those conferences get a few more "quality wins". The thinking was that if those schools scheduled a tough OOC early but lost (like they usually do) they would still have a chance to fight it out amongst themselves for a few bids. I just think it's too over the top to say that's where the majority of our league's team's are at all of a sudden. Only a few bubble teams in the power conferences usually worry about November wins & losses (almost always VT lol!)

[stever20]

The thing is- a lot of times those games are against the teams you're battling against for the final positions. So head to head becomes crucial..

I don't think the committee at all bases selections based on TV. I mean- look at last years 1st 4 teams while Kentucky was left out. If it was based on TV- Kentucky is there.

The tourney recently has focused more on the body of work than the last part of the season. Great case in point was Villanova a few years ago that fell apart end of the year but still got a 9 seed.

Also- end of the day, you have to have a certain number of wins. I mean let's say you go 8-5 OOC and 10-8 in conference. That's 18-13. If you lose in the say 3/6 game you're 18-14. Not many teams with that record get into the tourney.

You could be right but I just hope not. This type of importance on the early season OOC is normally reserved for mid-major conferences. That's why they invented the bracket-buster series to help teams in those conferences get a few more "quality wins". The thinking was that if those schools scheduled a tough OOC early but lost (like they usually do) they would still have a chance to fight it out amongst themselves for a few bids. I just think it's too over the top to say that's where the majority of our league's team's are at all of a sudden. Only a few bubble teams in the power conferences usually worry about November wins & losses (almost always VT lol!)

It's the bubble teams that have to worry. I mean, we're going to have a league where 5th and 6th place teams are like 10-8 or 9-9. If you only go 8-5 OOC, you better be 11-7 in conference to feel comfortable at 19-12. It's gonna be hard to go 11-7 quite frankly. That's why you have to do so well OOC.

Also- I give you as an example last year Cincy and Providence....
Cincy last year was 12-1 OOC and 9-9 in conference play. 1-1 in the BET.
Providence last year was 8-4 OOC and 9-9 in conference play. 0-1 in the BET.
Cincy got in not even as a last 4 team out.
Providence was NIT bound- and only a 4 seed to boot. If Providence had won at least 1-2 of the 4 games they lost by a total of 9 points, they probably are in the tournament. I mean, instead of being 17-14 they're 19-12. Lot different there.

[TheHall]

It's the bubble teams that have to worry. I mean, we're going to have a league where 5th and 6th place teams are like 10-8 or 9-9. If you only go 8-5 OOC, you better be 11-7 in conference to feel comfortable at 19-12. It's gonna be hard to go 11-7 quite frankly. That's why you have to do so well OOC.

Also- I give you as an example last year Cincy and Providence....
Cincy last year was 12-1 OOC and 9-9 in conference play. 1-1 in the BET.
Providence last year was 8-4 OOC and 9-9 in conference play. 0-1 in the BET.
Cincy got in not even as a last 4 team out.
Providence was NIT bound- and only a 4 seed to boot. If Providence had won at least 1-2 of the 4 games they lost by a total of 9 points, they probably are in the tournament. I mean, instead of being 17-14 they're 19-12. Lot different there.

I think that's what I've been saying, like potentially Prov, BU, or SHU. But reading this thread it seems like most believe the entire league has that same early pressure, like with the Hoyas. I'm like damn right I hope they beat Oregon to a bloody pulp (it'll help SHU if we beat them down later) but come on they'll be dancing in march and whatever happens from there is the madness!

[Chalmers0]

Not November 8th, but Xavier gets a just outside of the Top 25 Tennessee squad at home the following Tuesday. While these games are far from make or break for the Big East, they definitely make it possible to set a tone for the season.

[Bill Marsh]

Prediction: St. John's beats Wisconsin

St. John's is in excellent position to win a first game of the season because their trip to Europe gave them a chance to get organized early and get a head start on most other teams. In addition, they have everybody back, so this is a continuation of last year, not breaking in a new bunch.

In contrast, Wisconsin has a bit of rebuilding to do. They lost 3 starters from last year's team, who were their top 3 rebounders and 2 of their top 3 scorers. They are not bringing in any recruits who are considered immediate impact players on the front line. Wiscy did not play particularly well away from the Big Ten last year (9-5), losing to every good team they played OOC. Their defense is effective at at keeping scoring down primarily because they play a deliberate, ball control style which keeps scoring down for both teams. Their on ball defense is especially effective at stifling 3-point shooting. Teams that run and teams that can score inside can be effective against them. Sounds like St. John's to me. It will be interesting to see how the new rule affects their defensive play.

[hoyahooligan]

Prediction: St. John's beats Wisconsin

St. John's is in excellent position to win a first game of the season because their trip to Europe gave them a chance to get organized early and get a head start on most other teams. In addition, they have everybody back, so this is a continuation of last year, not breaking in a new bunch.

In contrast, Wisconsin has a bit of rebuilding to do. They lost 3 starters from last year's team, who were their top 3 rebounders and 2 of their top 3 scorers. They are not bringing in any recruits who are considered immediate impact players on the front line. Wiscy did not play particularly well away from the Big Ten last year (9-5), losing to every good team they played OOC. Their defense is effective at at keeping scoring down primarily because they play a deliberate, ball control style which keeps scoring down for both teams. Their on ball defense is especially effective at stifling 3-point shooting. Teams that run and teams that can score inside can be effective against them. Sounds like St. John's to me. It will be interesting to see how the new rule affects their defensive play.

Of course Wisconsin also took a foreign trip this summer (to Canada) so that kind of cancels out that advantage. I also disagree with the type of team that gives Wisconsin trouble. They lost to Ole Miss in the tourney but that was the only fast team they lost to. Almost all the other loses were to teams who's pace was in the 200s Only 2 other schools they lost to played faster than the 200s and they were both in the 100s.

Their record against fast teams last year (pace ranking higher than 100) was 3-1.