Has Big East Teams On for Something Big in Big East Basketball?

Posted by admin on March 9, 2010 · Leave a Comment

What’s the pecking order in Big East basketball?

The Big East could send seven or eight teams to the NCAA tournament next week, but conference teams first must pass through the grinder of the conference tournament. And with the biggest of stages at Madison Square Garden and the biggest of leagues with 16 teams and five days of play, the Big East tournament may be the signature conference tournament in college basketball.

Syracuse enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed, but how do you size up all of the league’s contenders? Is Connecticut really not one of the 10 best teams on the league? Is Pitt a stronger contender than West Virginia or Villanova? The Big East includes all 16 teams, but we’re only asking you to rank the league’s top 12 teams.

Meanwhile, UConn’s only chance to dance this year is to win the Big East Tournament. That’s not likely, but look for the Huskies to at least roll past the Red Storm today.

In the opening round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York, our selection is on the Connecticut Huskies minus the points over St. John’s.

These two teams met earlier this season, and the Huskies easily won by 16 points as nine-point home favorites. UConn poured it on in the second half after taking a three-point lead into intermission.

Led by Jerome Dyson’s 21 points, and Stanley Robinson’s 18 on 7-of-9 shooting, the Huskies converted 29-of-51 field goal attempts and frustrated St. John’s with 10 blocked shots.

There’s no doubt that UConn has had an up-and-down season, and lately there’s even been a bit of turmoil as coach Jim Calhoun is not starting several of his better players, given the lackluster performance to end the season at South Florida (a 75-68 loss). But there’s still a lot of talent at UConn, and much more than resides at St John’s.

Moreover, off that upset loss to South Florida, UConn now falls into a 142-91 ATS Tourney system that plays on teams priced from +3 to -12 points, who are off an upset loss as a favorite of -8 points or less, if they’re matched up against a foe with a win percentage of .333 (or better).

This system cashed last Saturday with Wright St over Detroit (a 69-50 blowout win), and I look for another easy victory here. Lay the points with UConn.