Tues 1/14 BE Game Thread (2 Games).

[Vill]

I'm in the camp that is thrilled to have Creighton in the Big East. CU fans are representing here and have bought more tourney tickets than anyone. Will the Jays drop off next year? Of course, no different than Georgetown without Porter. In the long term, I think Creighton and their support help elevate the league.

[HaRdWoOd]

The thing I don't think Creighton fans realize is that guys like McDermott are once in a program players. We had Mullin who won the Wooden Award, led SJ to a Final Four, is regarded as possibly the greatest or among the greatest pure shooters ever, NBA HOF, Dream Team gold medal winner with team USA playing alongside Jordan, etc. Everyone has that one...then they leave and it becomes a fond memory. I think Creighton can still get good players but they will never have another McDermott.

It's very important to realize that McDermott is the rare exception not the rule. He was a 2 star recruit. How often do 2 star recruits become Wooden Award winners? How often do they become the best player in your history? He may very well be the only one ever. And how many times does a player like that stay all 4 years? In this day in age, VERY rarely. His father is the head coach...if the coach was some random guy he would have left after 2 years. Your recruits will not be the son of your coach going forward. So if you are lucky enough to find a gem, they will promptly leave after 1 year or 2 at most. I don't think it's going too far to be concerned what Creighton will be with no McDermott or even Gibbs going forward. You can't come from the MVC to the Big East acting like a 5 star general with tons of medals and scars from war without earning it. In the MVC that's what Creighton was, but you need to understand you are now in a conference with teams who have made 25+ tournament appearances with Final Four's, Elite 8's, Sweet Sixteens, and championships on their resume. This is a different beast. Also remember you are playing with probably your best team you will have while SJ, SHU, Butler, and Marquette are either rebuilding or in very down years. That won't be the case for long. Prove that you guys are more than a 4 year Wooden player and you can reload year after year and make top 25 appearances still, and no one will question you. We WANT you guys to by the way...it's good for the conference so don't take it personally.

Xavier had the same questions but they earned it the old fashioned way...by reloading year after year, almost always being ranked, almost always going deep in the tourney, and consistently scheduling and beating big time teams. And this has nothing to do with sour grapes about SJ doing terrible by the way. I know you guys want us to do well just like I want you guys to do well unless we play each other. Butler gets a slight pass because we still don't know what the real effect Stevens leaving will have. They still went to back to back national championship games and lost a heartbreaker to Kansas. Obviously there are still questions with them rebounding from their coaching loss, but they also haven't been the type of program to rely on 1 player so much like McDermott.

Lavinwood, no disrespect but St Johns fans shouldnt lecture anyone about being relevant in their conference. This isnt the 1980's anymore. When I think of St Johns, I think of Chris Mullins, Lou Carnesecca, feathered hair, IROC Camaros, Pacman and Porky's movies.
When I see St Johns this year, I see a team on paper that looks very similar to San Diego St. One team is in the top 10, the other is under-acheiving at the bottom of the BE. As long as the Johnnies are rolling Steve Lavin out there every year, I like the chances of everyone else in the league. St Johns has been the poster child for irrelevancy in the 2000's. Frankly, I am more concerned about St Johns that Creighton.

[TrueBlueJay]

By the way - Creighton scored 53 points on 30 possessions in the 1st half. That equates to 1.76666 points per possession, which if you are unfamiliar are stats that are almost unreal. 1.2 is great. - 1.76666 is ridiculous.

Shooting 60% from 3 will do that. It was unreal to watch.

As much as I hope to be wrong, I think Villanova will have their hands full with Creighton Monday night. I also think the VU-DePaul game on Saturday will be much closer than most expect it to be. DePaul looked decent at Marquette the other day and looked much better last night against SJU than I expected.

And I think Creighton is in for a dog fight Saturday night at Providence. After having played so many good games in a row and having the Villanova game looming scares the crap out of me. I trust the players and the coaches to be dialed in for the Friars but I think it is going to go right down to the wire. Life on the road is tough.

[mpwalsh8]

... snipped ...

But that's just part of the charm of the NYC area. The Boss George Steinbrenner on the Yanks...that's what NY is. Brash, blunt, and about being #1. That's the very identity of the area...gritty, the biggest stage, biggest city in America, the hustle and bustle, etc. We argued to make the spire on the WTC a bit taller just so we could be called the city with the tallest building in America. That's what we are...love it or hate it. It's just in the blood I don't know. Yes the prices are outrageous, but doesn't that tell you something? People are willing to pay $2,000 for an apartment the size of most kitchens in the suburbs or $800k just to live in a ranch 45 minutes outside NYC for the proximity. It has a draw to it. Our skyline is the most famous in the world and if you win here you are an instant legend. I only live 50 miles from Manhattan, but I still get goosebumps on the train the second the skyline appears in the distance. Even driving 30 minutes away you can see the WTC and Empire State Building clear as day from 25-30 miles out...it's amazing. Just knowing the history, all the famous people, all the success, the big stage, the culture, and just the brand of the city...it's very impressive. That's why so many songs are written about NYC and not other cities. We are just a loud, straight-talking, cocky group of people...but living in or in the shadows of the greatest city in America does that to you. So I agree with you that there are lots of cocky people. Here on LI your coolness factor is based on your proximity to NYC. I know it may sound ridiculous but it's true. It's hard to explain but that's just how this area is. It's very annoying to have bad teams in that kind of atmosphere with the negative media and all, but when you succeed here, nowhere else can match that.

Ugh. This is the exact same attitude that I found in too many people from NYC while at Villanova. I never understood it but I am not from NYC and have never lived there. I've been to NYC a bunch of times and have a lot of friends in the area but I never have gotten the appeal of NYC and why people from NYC feel the need to tell you how great NYC is and why it is infinitely better than everywhere else on the planet.

I travel a fair amount for work and have been fortunate enough to visit quite a few of the major US cities plus a lot of international ones too: Washington DC (I grew up in northern VA), Philly, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, LA, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Portland, London, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Stockholm (by far my favorite city in Europe), Copenhagen, Tokyo, Sydney, Toronto, and others I am sure I have forgotten. About the only cities I'd prefer to spend time in less than NYC are LA and Houston.

For me, Paris and NYC are similar - not very welcoming to people who aren't local and way overrated from a visitor's perspective. I'm sure others disagree but that is my take and I've been to each more than half a dozen times, NYC probably more.

[xu155]

I'm in the camp that is thrilled to have Creighton in the Big East. CU fans are representing here and have bought more tourney tickets than anyone. Will the Jays drop off next year? Of course, no different than Georgetown without Porter. In the long term, I think Creighton and their support help elevate the league.

I'm right with this guy. I'm happy to be in a conference with Creighton as well. I don't see them weighing down the league any time soon. I think most would agree with this sentiment. This thread and others are the result of people saying they hope McDermott can coach after his son and some shooters leave, and CU fans reacting to that. A lot of overreation both ways.

Let's not forget that the alternatives for Creighton were Dayton, SLU, etc. While Saint Louis may be able to sustain some success, I'll take Creighton every time.

[DudeAnon]

Is there any fear Big Mac will leave after little Mac leaves?

[whiteandblue77]

Is there any fear Big Mac will leave after little Mac leaves?

None at all, Bruce Rasmussen had been stalking Chewey since before he went to Iowa State. Big Mac has the longest leash in the Big East.

[Bluejay]

Is there any fear Big Mac will leave after little Mac leaves?

None. He had a miserable experience at Iowa St and isn't looking to go through that again.

I want to take a minute here to thank the Villanova and Xavier posters for their support. Sure, we will be down some next year after losing our all american just like Georgetown is down this year after losing theirs. But I see us competing long term. To get lectured or dismissed by St John's or Butler fans like Edrick is pretty hard to take right now for rather obvious reason. What I know is that if my Jays were in last place, I wouldn't go around talking about how St Johns and Butler are horrible. Instead, I would be more concerned about my own program's last place standing.

Lavinwood and Edrick - it might be wise to refrain from the discussion of our demise until you at least win a single conference game.

[DudeAnon]

I hope he stays, but if he does well enough there will be temptation. I have seen it time and time again: Matta, Miller and Stevens. And with his kid gone the temptation will be stronger.

[GumbyDamnit!]

Jays fans pay no mind to Lavinwood or others trying to bring CU down a couple of pegs. This is a classic example of a fan having feelings of low self worth for their own program. If SJU fans are having a miserable time, one of the easiest ways to cope is by trying to bring others down to their level so they feel better about themselves. You guys have a terrific program--you don't have to justify anything. I love watching your team play and am absolutely psyched for Monday nights game at Nova. The team is well coached, has the best player in the country, packs it's home court, is ranked and looks primed to get a 3-5 seed in the tourney (maybe 2 if you end up winning the league). Other fans should be thanking you CU for carrying the BE banner so well. From a Nova fan let me say thank you for helping the BE be a better conf.

It's half of a season DamnIt. Are you crowning them already. Not hating on CU, of course I'm happy to have them on board, but that's b/c they were an outstanding program already. But let's not act like they're a top 5 program today, heck all the schools are carrying the BE banner together. I'm sure ACC fans are happy Pitt's ranked too, but I doubt they are overly praising them already. If CU goes to the NCAAT and does some real damage they will earn a lot more credit, until then let's see how they finish their 1st regular & post season in BE. Remember they are one of the few legitimate "win-now" teams (as opposed to potential-driven teams>SJU) in the BE this season, after this it's rebuilding time for them.

Hall, you've lost me again... Maybe we aren't singing off the same sheet music here. Where did I say that CU was a Top 5 team, a team that is going to win the league and make it to the FF? They have the potential for each, certainly, but that was not part of the discussion at all. And, yes, the ACC should be praising Pitt because other than the old BE schools, that league would be struggling BIG TIME this year. The same could be said for us. Without CU and XU, we would not be as good of a conference. If we only had Nova in the Top 25, I think it would bring the overall strength of our conference into question. And to clarify, what I mean by "carrying the banner" is a team that is representing the conference very well. Creighton is ranked in the Top 20; KenPom has them at 6. Show me once in the last 15-20 years that either DePaul, Seton Hall, St. Johns, or Providence has done that? I don't say that as a way of putting down those 4 but rather just to show that what they are accomplishing this year is not all that common, and this Creighton team isn't just some flash in the pan team. This team is legit. And if you think they are going to end up out of the Top 3 in the conference by year's end then you have a questionable basketball eye/sense. I thought that CU would struggle at times in conference this year, but I don't think so any longer. My only suggestion Hall is to not start jumping into the Lvinwood line of thinking that CU is only good b/c of DM and they'll be relegated to the bottom of the league soon enough. You always talking about: "not being a h8er." You should follow your own advice.