#5 Butler +6.5 vs #1 Syracuse (ov/un 138.5) Thurs 7:05 ET

[jwinslow]

The only team left standing is the team who hasn't played a single-digit seed. If they were as great as their ranking, the results wouldn't look like this:

10 > 2 > 15
14 > 3
5 > 1 > 16/8
6 > 3 > 14
11 > 6
11 > 6

vs

2 > 11, 10 & 15



The 8 > 9 game is pretty meaningless.

 

[BlufftonBuckeye]

Just a brief interjection, I do agree with '27 on the point that you should be fans of TEAMS, not blindly rooting against a conference. As much as it annoys us when someone, like '27 mentioned, thumps their chest after a different team from their conference beats tOSU or Penn State or Wisky, it is just as annoying when someone will revel in a conferences struggle, as if it makes THEIR team better. When in fact, it doesn't.

However, I'm surprised that you, '27, don't like it when people hate a conference. I mean, if I turn on a bowl game, I'm rooting against the SEC every time.

And Jwinslow made the correct point a few posts back by stating, (paraphrased) The BE had a great regular season, and an atrocious tourney. One does not discount the other. However, the games played in March are more important then the rest, and that is where the BE has fallen.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Seriously? You're trying to argue that the big east was as good as most thought two weeks ago?
It doesn't nullify it, but it certainly adds a level of context.

Personally, I have no ill feelings towards the big east like I do with SEC football, but they certainly proved to be a bit overrated when they lost that many tourney games to lower seeds. It doesn't mean they suck, but they certainly weren't as incredible as believed.

bullshit. it's basketball. the level of parity in college basketball is at an all time high right now. Cornell played nearly even with Kansas during the regular season.

here's what I know about the Big East.....Syracuse earned a #1 seed in the Big East Tournament. They were rewarded with 2 byes, and then Georgetown....who was ranked #22 at the time and playing their best basketball with the return of their leading scorer.

give me another conference that had their #1 seed playing a ranked opponent as their first game in the conference tournament.

fuck it.....give me another conference 1 seed that played anybody as good as Georgetown AT ALL.

Duke played: Virginia, Miami, Georgia Tech
Kansas played: Texas Tech, aTm, Kansas St
Cal played: Oregon, UCLA, and Washington
Ohio St played: Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota
Kentucky played: Alabama, Tennessee, Miss St

So Kansas, the best team in the country, played 1 team better than Syracuse's 8th seed.....and it was in their finals.

But wait.....Kansas lost to UNI, so clearly they aren't the best team in the country. The tourney erases all the talent, skill, and regular season accomplishments.

So let's see who the best conference was, since the Big East clearly wasn't deserving......THEY HAD UPSETS IN THE TOURNEY!!!!!

Big 12? Nope, Kansas lost in the 2nd round. Oklahoma St got upset in the first. As did Texas. A&M couldn't even handle a watered down Purdue. Missouri won one game, but lost to the Big East, and we all know they suck. They didn't lose to WVU, they lost to the Big East. CONFERENCE WARS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kansas St and Baylor are still repping though.

SEC? They have the best team left in the tourney. Tennessee is still hanging on. Vandy lost in the first round, though...along with Florida. That's a no.

Pac 10? Washington put on a good show and Cal won the game they were supposed to. Not enough evidence though.

ACC? Already covered them. Duke is scheduled to have their first game of the tourney this Sunday....it should be a thrill for those guys to finally play a meaningful game. Maryland barely fell, while Wake and GTech repped pretty well. Could be them!

Big 10? MSU is still around. Purdue too (for a few more hours). And of course the crown jewel is getting ready to emerge from the toughest bracket ever assembled. Sconsin shit the bed against a 12 seed from the Ivy League, though. Hmmmmm.

I guess it's either the ACC or the Big Ten. And since the Big Ten won the ACC/B10 challenge, it looks like the Big Ten is the greatest conference evar this year! YAY CONFERENCE WARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

However, I'm surprised that you, '27, don't like it when people hate a conference. I mean, if I turn on a bowl game, I'm rooting against the SEC every time.

I hate on the SEC because of their shithead fans....but I'm not going to root for the Big Ten in bowl games because my favorite team is in the Big Ten. I was right there cheering for Ohio, Robert Morris, and St Mary's. It's the tourney, I want all upsets except for whoever Syracuse and Ohio State are playing.

 

[BayBuck]

here's what I know about the Big East.....Syracuse earned a #1 seed in the Big East Tournament. They were rewarded with 2 byes, and then Georgetown....who was ranked #22 at the time and playing their best basketball with the return of their leading scorer.

[censored] it.....give me another conference 1 seed that played anybody as good as Georgetown AT ALL.

We are talking about the same Georgetown who got pummelled by OU in the NCAA first round the next weekend, right? Carry on...

 

[jwinslow]

bullshit. it's basketball. the level of parity in college basketball is at an all time high right now. Cornell played nearly even with Kansas during the regular season.

Did I say they weren't the best conference? Nope. I said they weren't as good as we thought, which seems incredibly hard to refute though you're trying your hardest.

No one saw

...6 big east teams losing in the first weekend, especially when each loss was against a high seed.

...only 1 team surviving the round after the high seed matchups.

...etc


If their poor tourney was a surprise (it doesn't have to be unfathomable to be surprising), then I'd suggest that they weren't as good as we thought.

They were rewarded with 2 byes, and then Georgetown....who was ranked #22 at the time and playing their best basketball with the return of their leading scorer.

Leading us to believe they were better than a week 1 loss to Ohio, right?

 

[Meyer]

oh christ, give the [censored]ing conference superiority [censored] a rest.

yes, the big east sucks. Ohio is totally better than Georgetown. Syracuse without Onuaku should be expected to win 4 games a night. blah blah blah.

are you guys that uptight about who ESPN says is the best conference?

Are you?

 

[bkochmc]

I've got the real answer... it's all about the money!

NCAA Tournament: It's about money, too | BuckeyeXtra

NCAA Tournament: It's about money, too

Friday, March 26, 2010 2:50 AM
By Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Ohio State men's basketball team is playing for more than glory these days.

The Buckeyes also are competing for financial gain - theirs and their Big Ten brethren's.

For each victory they and fellow Big Ten teams accrue in the NCAA Tournament, they will earn an additional $20,227 for each of the next six years.

That's based on a formula that this year awards a conference $222,502 for each team it has in the tournament and the same amount for every victory its teams earn through the national semifinal round. There's no additional benefit for winning the national championship.

The Big Ten divides its proceeds evenly among its 11 members.
"At this time of year, we're all rooting for the other teams in our conference," said Ben Jay, OSU's senior associate athletic director for finance and operations.

Already this March, the Big Ten has accumulated 12 units, as they are called. Minnesota got one for making the field. Wisconsin earned two for winning its first-round game. Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue have earned three apiece for reaching the regional semifinals.

"We want Michigan State and Purdue to be successful because they add to our bottom line," Jay said. "That's important because we need this as a revenue source."

Yes, I know the fans don't care how much each school gets in terms of revenue, but it is an interesting perspective from a university standpoint.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Did I say they weren't the best conference? Nope. I said they weren't as good as we thought, which seems incredibly hard to refute though you're trying your hardest.

No one saw

...6 big east teams losing in the first weekend, especially when each loss was against a high seed.

...only 1 team surviving the round after the high seed matchups.

...etc


If their poor tourney was a surprise (it doesn't have to be unfathomable to be surprising), then I'd suggest that they weren't as good as we thought.
Leading us to believe they were better than a week 1 loss to Ohio, right?

Oh. So all this Big East bashing is because they weren't the OMG BESTEST OF THE BESTEST OF THE BESTEST, they were only the best....with small letters. You expect me to believe that?

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

We are talking about the same Georgetown who got pummelled by OU in the NCAA first round the next weekend, right? Carry on...

I'll put up $1,000....you do the same. Straight up, who wins between Georgetown and Ohio if they played again tomorrow in Pittsburgh? I'm taking Georgetown.

 

[Mr_Burns]

I've got the real answer... it's all about the money!

NCAA Tournament: It's about money, too | BuckeyeXtra

Yes, I know the fans don't care how much each school gets in terms of revenue, but it is an interesting perspective from a university standpoint.

Interesting. I'm curious to see if each conference splits the earnings evenly like the Big Ten does. Does anyone know if they have to? If not, it would be easy to imagine the Gonzagas, St Marys, Northern Iowas of the world keeping the money, building their program, thus winning their conferences more frequently and going deeper in the NCAA Tournament. (Naturally, accruing more and more money in the process.)

 

[jwinslow]

I'll put up $1,000....you do the same. Straight up, who wins between Georgetown and Ohio if they played again tomorrow in Pittsburgh? I'm taking Georgetown.

Translation: you thought - and still do - that Georgetown was better than that (losing to ohio), so much so that you'll bet a very large amount.

Thanks for making my point for me.

was the big east as good as most thought? nope... that's why the criticism goes past that and rightfully so.

it wasn't? why? because the tournament decides what was valid from the regular season? that doesn't make much sense.

 

[jwinslow]

The big 12 does nor equally divide the tv revenue, so I'm guessing equal shares are not required.

There's also the possibility that a smaller conference wouldn't want to force their flagship school's hand. If you severely cut into their revenue to promote equality, they'll be more inclined to try and join a bigger conference.

Interesting. I'm curious to see if each conference splits the earnings evenly like the Big Ten does. Does anyone know if they have to? If not, it would be easy to imagine the Gonzagas, St Marys, Northern Iowas of the world keeping the money, building their program, thus winning their conferences more frequently and going deeper in the NCAA Tournament. (Naturally, accruing more and more money in the process.)

 

[BUCKYLE]

I'll put up $1,000....you do the same. Straight up, who wins between Georgetown and Ohio if they played again tomorrow in Pittsburgh? I'm taking Georgetown.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Translation: you thought - and still do - that Georgetown was better than that (losing to ohio), so much so that you'll bet a very large amount.

Thanks for making my point for me.

Your point was that the teams that flubbed from the Big East are actually better than everybody is making them out to be? You certainly have a weird way of arguing it.