Apparently a winning record in the Big East doesn't mean what it did a year ago. Marquette, Georgetown, Villanova and Notre Dame all had winning records in the Big East and were expected to at least make it to the second round. The only team that did was Villanova. Barely. The Big East had an abysmal performance in the opening round in the tournament. Luckily, four more teams play today (Louisville, Syracuse, West Virginia and Pitt) so they can try and salvage the Big East's image. Two out of four of those teams have to advance to defend the heavy selections made by the committee in favor of the Big East.
This article on msnbc.com lays it all on the line. The Big East's image is at stake here. Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, John Calhoun and nearly every Big East coach is always fond of touting the Big East's toughness and puffing their chests about their schedule. Conference schedules mean jack in the tournament. It's one and done and after it's all over it doesn't matter what teams you previously beat earlier in the year.
For the record: add Louisville and Villanova to the Big Least's group of losing teams.
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