I have been a die-hard Temple fan for my entire life.  And, when you’re a fan of a non-power conference, you pretty much adopt the entire conference as your own.  You feel pride for the conference; you defend the conference; you are happy when it does well, even if it’s not your team.  So, because of that – and my requisite love affair with the Atlantic Ten – I was required to despise the Big East.  I called it overrated, too physical, overexposed.  I ripped its 16 teams and its completely unbalanced schedules.  I berated teams like DePaul and Seton Hall.  I enjoyed watching Syracuse and Georgetown fail.  But, to be completely honest, I am really going to miss this league – particularly during the second week of March.  Maybe it is the rivalries and passion of the teams.  Maybe it is the quality of the games.  Maybe it is simply the Madison Square Garden effect.  Hell, maybe it is the three straight days with noon start times.  Whatever it is, I am going to miss it.  It is magical.  So, I am sure we will get one more crazy ride through MSG this year – for old time’s sake.

This year, you won’t hear me rip the Big East for being overrated because I actually think that it is – gasp – a tad underrated.  Louisville, Georgetown, and even Syracuse still are elite national teams with national title potential.  Notre Dame looks like a legit Sweet 16-caliber team at times.  Marquette and Pitt might be the two best teams in the country that nobody EVER talks about.  And, UConn might be the third of that bunch.  Villanova, Cincinnati, and St. John’s (when fully healthy) are brutal to match up with, and even Providence has been playing lights-out basketball as of late, led by a trio of high-powered scoring machines.  This tournament is – and it goes without saying – wide open.  It’s gonna be great.  And, I’m going to enjoy it guilt-free – for once.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 60 points)

#2 Louisville vs #5 Syracuse
The ‘Cuse has come the hard way.  They had to beat #12 Seton Hall on Wednesday, then a really tough 3-point win over #4 Pitt on Thursday followed by an OT win over #1 Georgetown on Friday, and now they have to battle the physical pressure defense of Louisville on Saturday night in The Garden.  The Cardinals, on the other hand, have made it look somewhat easy.  They pounded #7 Villanova on Thursday night before taking care of business against #6 Notre Dame on Friday night.  The Cardinals are clearly the fresher team, but that doesn’t always matter in MSG on this night.  The Big East Championship on Saturday night is the signature event of Championship Week, and it rarely disappoints.

Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters have Syracuse here, while eleven people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Teddy) have Louisville winning it.  A Louisville win will give Mac the 2013 Big East title.  A Syracuse win will hand the crown to Stumpf for 2013.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 40 points each)

#1 Georgetown vs #5 Syracuse
These two teams have met twice in the past three weeks and both times were convincing wins for the Hoyas – catapulting then to the top of the conference, and relegating the Orange out of the top 4.  Both teams looked really good on Thursday, as G’town pounded Cincinnati, and Syracuse took care of a tough Pitt team.  Now, they will play a very fitting opener to the final Big East semifinal night.

Shockingly, only Lazarow and LohseJr have top-seeded G’town here tonight, though both have the Hoyas cutting down the nets on Saturday.  Eleven people (Bry, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, GrossSr, Lohse, Lac, Primm, Rikey, Stumpf, and Waters) have the ‘Cuse going to the finals, with Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters taking them on Saturday, as well.  The other eleven have already lost this game with Pitt.

#2 Louisville vs #6 Notre Dame
The nightcap pits a L’ville team that looked really good against ‘Nova on Thursday against a Notre Dame team that came from behind to solidly beat Marquette in the nightcap.  Is it me or can we take some solace in the fact that only one of those “Catholic Seven” schools are playing in the final Big East semis?

Dave is the only one with Notre Dame here, which would give him a cool 100 points on everyone else.  Caleb, Cheryl, J, Lazarow, Lynch, and PapaCim have already lost this one with some ill-fated pick of one of those “Catholic schools.”  Eleven people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Teddy) have the Cardinals winning this tournament in their last go-round.

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 20 points each)

#1 Georgetown vs #9 Cincinnati
A dominating defensive performance for the Bearcats on Wednesday afternoon against Providence sets them up to take on the Big East’s top seed on Thursday in the opener to a TERRIFIC quarterfinal quadruple-header in the Garden.  Georgetown, led by National POY candidate, Otto Porter, sprinted to the finish of the season to take the regular season title and set themselves up for a possible #1-seed next week.  The teams with the double-byes in the Big East tournament have typically struggled, particularly the #1-seeds, who play at noon.  But, this G’town team seems pretty resilient and really tough.

Alex, Bry, and Primm all have the potential for a HUGE upset pick (100 points) here with Cincy.  Gersh and Teddy have already lost this game with Providence.  Lazarow and LohseJr are the only two that took the Hoyas to win this tournament, so they have the most at stake here.

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Syracuse
This is at least a Sweet Sixteen-caliber game, if not better, here in the quarterfinals of the Big East at Madison Square Garden.  Man, am I gonna miss this tournament.  The Panthers rebounded from Jamie Dixon’s first missed tournament last year to put the pieces back together and put an impressive season together.  The tempo-free numbers LOVE Pitt – some having them as high as #6 in the country.  I love the Panthers, too, but I don’t think they’re that good.  Their quarterfinal opponent, Syracuse is coming off of a shaky 12-point win over Seton Hall on Wednesday, but have the talent to beat anyone in the country, obviously.  The zone would seem to play well against a team like Pitt that doesn’t shoot the ball all that well from the outside, but the Panthers won the only regular season matchup by 10 points at home.

Everyone has a horse in this race, and the field is completely split, making this a classic CTC matchup.  And, it gets better, from a CTC standpoint.  Of the 12 people with Pitt (Alex, Alexi, Caleb, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lynch, PapaCim, RDoc, Scoot, and Teddy), ELEVEN of them have the Panthers winning again on Friday to go to the finals (only Lazarow does not).  GrossJr, Lynch, and PapaCim have Pitt winning this tournament.  Of the 12 people that have the ‘Cuse here today, ELEVEN OF THEM have them going to the finals (only LohseJr does not).  Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Teddy all have Syracuse winning the tournament.  It would not be a stretch to call this game THE BIGGEST QUARTERFINAL in the 2013 CTC and, quite possibly, the biggest quarterfinal in CTC history…

#2 Louisville vs #7 Villanova
And, enter Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals to the MSG Party.  The Cards are definitely on the short list of national championship contenders.  They have much of last year’s Final Four team back this year to make another run.  The problem is that they really struggle to score way too often to feel too comfortable about them.  I’ve always said – when you are looking for a good upset pick, find the great defensive team, but when you’re looking for a national championship team, find the great offensive team.  It’s just too hard to win six in a row when any one of them can be total clunkers offensively.  Villanova takes on the Cards tonight after a 13-point win over St. John’s.

Caleb, Cheryl, J, Lazarow, Lynch, and PapaCim took ‘Nova in this big upset.  Lazarow, Lynch, and PapaCim have the ‘Cats losing in the finals.  Cheryl has them winning the whole thing.  Eleven people have L’ville winning this tournament (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, Mac, RDoc, Rikey, Scoot, and Teddy).

#3 Marquette vs #6 Notre Dame
A great nightcap to the last Big East quadruple-header pits the tough, physical Marquette team against the tough, physical Notre Dame team.  It pits the coach that everyone thinks is underrated, but I think is actually really OVERrated (Buzz Williams) against a coach that actually is underrated (Mike Brey).  Notre Dame survived Rutgers on Wednesday night to set up this matchup.  All that said about Buzz, this year was a pretty fantastic job, so it’s not good timing to rip him.  But, look at the talent they have every year – they should win this many games.

Eight people (Alex, Dave, Doogan, GrossSr, Lazarow, Mac, Primm, and Stumpf) have ND in this one.  Dave has them going to the finals.  Cheryl has already lost this one with Rutgers.  Everyone else has Marquette, including Caleb and J, who both have them winning this tournament.

SECOND ROUND (March 13th – 10 points each)

#8 Providence vs #9 Cincinnati
The Friars enter the Big East tournament red hot, but because they started way too late, they probably have next to no shot at an at-large without reaching the final of this tournament.  And, that would be no small task, as they are likely to be facing tournament teams every step of the way.  But, when you have two guys who can flat-out score as well as Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Betts, you’ve always got a chance.  This should be a really interesting matchup between the high-scoring Friars and the tenacious, grind-it-out defense of Cincinnati.  The Bearcats are – as always tough and physical – but this year they have a really skilled and talented backcourt in Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick.  This Cincy team is more talented than their Big East results might suggest, so either they don’t quite have the balance and depth or they’re a really dangerously overlooked team here.  The winner here gets top-seeded Georgetown in the quarterfinals.

Only nine people (Caleb, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, LohseJr, Teddy, and Waters) took the favored Friars here, with Teddy actually taking them to beat Georgetown in the quarters.  Alexi, Bry, and Primm have the most at stake with the Bearcats here, as they all have them beatig G’town and going to the semis.

Cincinnati 61 – Providence 44
Good defense beats good offense in this one, as the Bearcats get a big win between two teams kind of on the bubble.  This should seal the deal for both of them – Cincy to the Dance and Providence to the NIT.  This was a solid effort for a dangerous team.

15 people got this mild upset here.  Teddy lost a semifinalist here, while Alexi, Bry, and Primm keep one of theirs alive.

#5 Syracuse vs #12 Seton Hall
The Hall scored 37 points in regulation on Tuesday night, yet somehow is still alive Wednesday.  They will have to step it up slightly in the second round, though, as they face a really good Syracuse team.  The ‘Cuse, fueled in part by the winner of this year’s Jess Settles Memorial Been-There-Forever Award, Brandon Triche, were on their way towards a possible #1-seed in the Big Dance, when the wheels started coming off a bit.  But, the talent is still there with Triche and Michael Carter-Williams in the backcourt.  And, C.J. Fair (who I think is ridiculous…), a recently eligible Southerland, and the big body, Rakeem Christmas down low.  This is a Final Four caliber team, as the 5th-seed in this tournament.  The winner of this one will get #4 Pitt in the quarters on Thursday.

Everyone has Syracuse here, except GrossJr, who has already lost the game with South Florida.  This game could bust a lot of brackets, though as Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters all have the ‘Cuse winning this whole tournament.  Bry, Cheryl, Gersh, GrossSr, and Mac all have them going to the finals, but losing.

Syracuse 75 – Seton Hall 63
It wasn’t pretty but, the Orange, behind James Southerland’s 20 points and MCW’s 14 assists survived a feisty Hall to move on to the quarters to take on a good Pitt team.  Seton Hall came to play, especially in the first half, but the ‘Cuse is just the better team and feels quite at home at the Garden.

GrossJr is the only one not to get the 10 points here and is actually still scoreless through the first FOUR Big East games.  The other 23 people got this one right.  And, while the ‘Cuse didn’t look all that good today, they did survive, so five people keep alive their champion and five more kept alive a finalist.

#7 Villanova vs #10 St. John’s
If you ignore the three top-5 wins from Villanova’s resume, they look like barely an NIT team.  But, who can ignore THREE Top-5 wins?  Not the Committee and nor should they.  And, while I still hate this program – for totally unfair reasons – if there is anything that will bring me back it’s a Tamberma man.  There is a very small African tribe in northeast Togo and northwest Benin called the Tamberma people.  I lived with the Tamberma people for two years.  There are only about 10,000 of them in the world (if that).  The largest Tamberma city is Natitingou, Benin.  Mouphtaou Yarou is from Natitingou.  And, since the Tamberma people are amazing people, I assume Mouph is an amazing person, as well, so I root for that man.  I just wish he didn’t choose Villanova to go to school – maybe he hates fun…  The winner of this game won’t be in for much fun against the Louisville defense in the quarters.

Only Bry, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters took St. John’s here, but the Red Storm can break some CTC brackets here, as Caleb and J have them beating Louisville in the quarters; Lynch and PapaCim have them going to the finals; and Cheryl has them winning the whole thing.

Villanova 66 – St. John’s 53
A tie game at halftime turned into the TAMBERMA show!  Mouphtaou Yarou – the native of Natitingou – hit his first 7 shots from the floor en route to 18 points and a nice second round win for the ‘Cats.  Ryan Arcidiacano and JayVaughn Pinkston chipped in with 15 and 12, respectively, and the Wildcat defense completely a total collapse by the Johnnies down the stretch of this season.  #2 Louisville is next on the docket for the ‘Nova on Thursday.

Bry, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters all missed on the Johnnies upset pick.  Caleb and J keep alive semifinalists.  Lynch and PapaCim keep alive finalists.  Cheryl keeps alive her champion.

#6 Notre Dame vs #11 Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights looked real good in Tuesday night’s nightcap win over DePaul.  But, they have a much tougher opponent in Wednesday’s nightcap, a the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish will try and make one last run through MSG.  The Irish are tough, experienced and led by maybe the most underrated coach in the country (I feel like I say that during the CTC every year – and he still doesn’t get the credit he deserves).  A veteran backcourt and a bruising frontcourt is a good recipe for March success.  We will see if RU can step up tonight or if ND is too tough.  Either way, the winner of this game will get another tough, hard-nosed team in the quarters, 3rd-seeded Marquette.

Cheryl and PapaCim have Rutgers in a nice upset pick here.  Lohse has already lost this game with DePaul.  Seven people (Alex, Doogan, GrossSr, Lazarow, Mac, Primm, and Stumpf) have Notre Dame beating Marquette in the quarters, but losing in the semis.  Dave has the Irish going all the way to the final Saturday night.

Notre Dame 69 – Rutgers 61
It looked like this would be a total blowout for a while.  Then, it looked like it would be a total collapse.  Finally, it ended being a hard-fought second round win for the Irish paced by a couple of guys that aren’t used to leading the offense.  Pat Connaughton and Tom Knight (a couple of guys destined to play for the Irish) both had career-highs in this one, as ND ends the Rutgers season and advances to the quarters on Thursday to face Marquette.

Cheryl and PapaCim miss on a nice upset pick here, while everyone else except Lohse pick up the 10 points for the win here.  Eight people keep alive semifinalists, including Dave, who keeps his finalist alive.

OPENING ROUND (March 12th – 5 points each)

#12 Seton Hall vs #13 South Florida
Does everyone forget just how good USF was last year and how they brought back a lot of that team, including their best player?  What the hell happened to Anthony Collins and company this year?  What a trainwreck.  THIS is the team that ended the Temple careers of Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez?  Brutal.  Well, they get to open the final Big East tournament – as we know it – in style, against another lousy team, Seton Hall.  The winner of the game will get the ‘Cuse in the second round on Wednesday.

Eleven people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Dave, GrossJr, Lynch, PapaCim, RDoc, and Teddy) have the USF Bulls tonight in a minor upset.  No one has either of these teams beating Syracuse on Wednesday.

Seton Hall 46 – South Florida 42 (OT)
There is no truth to the rumor that they will play the second half of this game tomorrow. What a way to kick off the final Big East Tournament, as we know it – with an awful, awful game that actually subjected us all to 5 extra minutes of awfulness.  USF should have had this game in the bag, but completely folded down the stretch of regulation and completely folded in overtime.  What an awful season for the Bulls, who expected big things after winning two NCAA tournament games last year.  Now, Seton Hall gets a shot at the ‘Cuse on Wednesday.

Eleven people just missed a mild upset pick here.  The other 13 all get a quick 5 points in the Big East.

#11 Rutgers vs #14 DePaul
Mike Rice was supposed to do more with this Scarlet Knight team this year.  But, the pieces never came together and Rutgers struggled mightily all season, finishing just 5-13 in league play.  DePaul looked a lot better this year and yet still finished dead-last in the league.  What else is new?  By the way, is Oliver Purnell the smartest man in America?  He takes a different uncoveted power-conference job every five years, does very little with them, earns a ton of money, and moves to the next one just as the natives get restless.  He never coaches a pressure game.  He’s seen as a savior for AT LEAST a season or two and gets out before the boos.  He’s got it all figured out.  The winner here gets #6 Notre Dame in Wednesday’s second round.

Ten people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, and RDoc) went with the Blue Demons in the upset here.  Lohse has DePaul winning again on Wednesday over Notre Dame.  PapaCim has Rutgers upsetting Notre Dame in Wednesday’s second round, so he needs them to get by DePaul here.  Cheryl went even further with the Scarlet Knights, as she has them beating DePaul, Notre Dame, and Marquette over these three days, so she really would like them to survive this first hurdle.

Rutgers 76 – DePaul 57
Rutgers looked like they could have beaten both of the teams in the early game – at the same time – in the MSG nightcap, as the Scarlet Knights (particularly, K-State transfer, Wally Judge) looked really good in trouncing a DePaul team that closes out their “old Big East” existence in typical last-place, first-round-exit fashion.

14 people got this one right.  PapaCim and Cheryl are really encouraged by how good RU looked, as PapaCim has them beating Notre Dame on Wednesday and Cheryl has them beating Marquette on Thursday.  Lohse loses a quarterfinalist here.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Georgetown (2)
• #2 Louisville (11)
• #3 Marquette (3)
• #4 Pittsburgh (3)
• #5 Syracuse (5)
• #6 Notre Dame (-)
• #7 Villanova (1)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #14 DePaul (many)
• R2 – #14 DePaul (Lohse)
• QF – #11 Rutgers (Cheryl)
• SF – #7 Villanova (Cheryl, Lazarow, Lynch & PapaCim)
• Champ – #7 Villanova (Cheryl)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Doogan
• 2010 – Teddy
• 2011 – Scoot
• 2012 – Primm

2013 Scores

1). 60 (perfect) – Alexi, Lazarow, Primm, Rikey, Scoot

6). 55 – Doogan, J, Mac

9). 50 – Alex, Lynch, Stumpf

12). 45 – Lohse, PapaCim

14). 40 – Bry, Gersh, LohseJr, RDoc

18). 35 – Dave, GrossSr, Teddy

21). 30 – Caleb, Waters

23). 25 – Cheryl

24). 20 – GrossJr