The New Big East not like the Old Big East, that’s for sure, but there are a lot of things to like better about this new version.  I like that it really does have that basketball feel to it.  I’m not even sure what that means, but there’s something about Georgetown, Saint John’s, Marquette that feel totally basketballish because of their lack of football teams.  I also like the additions of Creighton, Xavier, and Butler.  They definitely fit well.  And, the one best thing that hasn’t changed is that this tournament is in The Garden.  I was a well-known critic and opponent of the Old Big East, but there is one thing that I never talked bad on and that was the incredible conference tournament that they put on every year in the World’s Most Famous Arena.  So many of my favorite college basketball memories are from that tournament.  Maybe the thing that I am most eager about seeing this year during these two weeks is will this Big East tournament still have that “magic” that the old one did.  I kind of think it will, actually, and I’m excited to see if that is just wishful thinking.

By far the most popular CTC champion pick here was #2 Creighton, who got 15 picks for the title.  #1 Villanova got 7, and #5 Saint John’s actually got 3.  No one went for #3 Xavier or #4 Providence.  We did get a Marquette finalist pick as well as a Butler semifinalist pick.  Mac is the defending Big East champ.  Doogan is the only one that has won this league more than once – he did so in the first two years of the “Modern Era.”

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 15th – 60 points)

#2 Creighton vs #4 Providence
Not only did Providence get the big bubble boost from the win over Saint John’s in the quarterfinals, they also got a break with Seton Hall beating Villanova, so they only had to knock off the Cinderella Pirates in the semis to get a shot at the auto-bid.  Either way, I think a good showing here should finish the job for the Friars.  As for Creighton, Dougie Buckets poured in another 32 on Friday night in a tight semifinal win over Xavier.  This is really getting ridiculous how inbelievable this guy is.  No, seriously.  Anyway, one last MSG act for Dougie to play.

No one has Providence here, while 15 people (Becks, Caleb, Chris, Colton, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lynch, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Scoot, Stritts, Stumpf, Teddy) have the Blue Jays.  Colton has already wrapped up the 2014 Big East CTC title.

SEMIFINALS (March 14th – 40 points each)

#4 Providence vs #9 Seton Hall
After the Madness died down, the Big East went to form.  But, it was that first shot that rattled the cages of the New Big East, as Austin Gibbs’ little brother sent the top-seeded Wildcats back to the Main Line.  Providence gets the break of facing the Hall instead of the #3-ranked team in the country here in the semis, as they try and cement their at-large qualifications.  The Friars got a HUGE win over St. John’s on Thurday, 69-64.

Colton is the only one with any shot at points here, as he has Providence winning this one.  If they do, he will pick up a quick 85 points on the rest of the field.  If Seton Hall pulls off another miracle, the game will be zeroed out.

Providence 80 – Seton Hall 74

#2 Creighton vs #3 Xavier
Dougie Mac does it again, breaking the Big East tournament record for points in a half – in his very first half of Big East tournament action.  Creighton crushed DePaul and looks like a team on a mission.  Xavier really impressed winning a hard-fought, tough game against Marquette in the nightcap on Thursday.  Now, this becomes a pretty huge game between two teams in their first Big East tournament – one of them will be invited guests to the annual NYC championship party on Saturday night.

PapaCim and WaTers are the only two with Xavier here.  Alexi, who had Marquette, has already lost this.  The other 22 people all have Creighton, including 15 who have the Blue Jays taking this title.

Creighton 86 – Xavier 78

QUARTERFINALS (March 13th – 20 points each)

#1 Villanova vs #9 Seton Hall
This might not go over well with a few of our new CTC entries, but I hate Villanova.  I always have.  Okay, let me rephrase that – officially, for the record – I used to hate Villanova.  The last thing I needed to bury the hatchet from the pompous, arrogant, Main Liners disbanding the Big Five was this New Big East.  Now, I take all of those adjectives back.  Rollie is long gone, and I like Jay Wright.  They still don’t bring in Philly kids, but that’s probably for the better because Temple probably can’t compete on the recruiting trail with ‘Nova (ya, I can admit it).  And, now they are no longer in the holier-than-thou, overrated Big East.  They are in a really good, actually underrated Big East, with quality programs that I like to root for.  And, being outside of Philly sort of softens the intra-city rivalries because I can now be proud of my hometown.  Anyway, as for the current ‘Nova team.  It makes me wonder why I ever hated them.  They – like always – play hard without superstars and they just flat-out win.  In fact, if Greg Marshall doesn’t win national coach of the year, then it BETTER be Jay Wright.  There is no doubt in my mind that Jay Wright has been one of the two best coaches in the country this year.  I mean, they’re pretty talented and deep, but to go through a pretty brutal schedule having only lost to two teams (Syracuse and Creighton) is AMAZING.  A championship here at the Garden, and the ‘Cats are a #1-seed.  No questions asked.  They open their possible run on Thursday at noon against a Seton Hall team that survived a tough game that ended less than 15 hours before this game will tip.  Pretty unfair that this game is at noon, but I guess that’s another perk of being the top seed.

Everyone except Colton, who had Butler here, has Villanova winning this game.  7 people (Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, PapaCim, WaTers) have the ‘Cats cutting down the Garden’s nets on Saturday night.

Seton Hall 64 – Villanova 63

#4 Providence vs #5 Saint John’s
This is probably a loser-goes-home game in the Big East, as both teams are squarely on the bubble right now.  Providence has two studs, but only one has actually played like one this year.  Bryce Cotton has been spectacular, but where the hell has Kadeem Batts been?  If Batts had played all year like he’s capable, then this bubble talk would not be happening.  But, the Friars have been playing well, winning 4 of their last 6, with the only two losses a double-OT loss to Nova and a loss at Creighton.  As for Saint John’s, this team is fascinating.  They have so much freaking talent and so little sense of how to actually play basketball.  And, as good as Steve Lavin is for a program like SJU, he’s not exactly known for his preaching of fundamentals and getting guys to “play the right way.”  Either way, this is a GIGANTIC game for both of these teams.  One other thing – when we think back to all those tournaments in the Garden, we think of Syracuse and Pitt and UConn and even Notre Dame, to a certain extent, as having this big advantage in the Garden.  But, we never think about the Big East team that ACTUALLY PLAYS ITS HOME GAMES THERE.  Weird…

This is actually a pretty one-sided CTC game for such a toss-up actual game.  Only 7 people (Alexi, Caleb, Colton, GrossSr, J, Primm, Scoot) have the Friars here with only Colton taking them to go to the finals.  As for the Redmen (another name I refuse to change), 3 people (Dave, Lohse, Stri) have them winning the whole thing, while 4 more (Lazarow, Mac, Stritts, Teddy) have them in the finals.

Providence 79 – Saint John’s 74

#2 Creighton vs #10 DePaul
And, so we get to see Mr. Doug McDermott.  He had his Senior Night and all he did was pass Oscar Robertson for 8th on the all-time scoring list, then hit 3,000 career points, then pass Hersey Hawkins for 7th all-time (and 1st all-time in the Valley), then hit 40 for the night, then top his career-high, before finishing with 45.  Is there anything this guy can’t do.  I mean, honestly, he just passed freaking Oscar Robertson.  That’s ridiculous.  If there were two things that PapaCim drilled in me about my own game, it was (1) develop your off-hand, and (2) moving without the ball is the best way for a shooter to get open.  And, McDermott exemplifies both of these things – particularly the latter – better than anyone I have ever seen.  I guess it’s no surprise that he’s the son of a coach.  Now, the McDermotts will take on a surprise DePaul team in the quarters.  I think DePaul only won last night because I forgot my annual “I love Oliver Purnell” paragraph.  No, honestly, Gary Parrish of CBS pointed this out a couple years ago, and it stuck with me ever since.  Imagine Oliver Purnell’s life.  He has made MILLIONS of dollars coaching basketball in major conference for schools in major cities like Boston, Atlanta, and now Chicago.  And, despite never, ever winning a tournament game at any of these major-conference programs, he has never been fired.  He left voluntarily from every spot to take on another gig.  How is he doing this?  He has had basically no success in a job where he is handsomely paid and has held several of the best posts in the industry.  Man, he’s good.

Everyone has Creighton here, including 15 people who have them winning this tournament.  Dougie Mac in the World’s Most Famous Arena…can’t wait.

Creighton 84 – DePaul 62

#3 Xavier vs #6 Marquette
I am going to leave Buzz Williams alone because I have gone off on him too many times, including this December post.  Bottom line is that I don’t think Buzz Williams is a very good coach, I am sick of his pomp and arrogance, and I am most sick of the media worshipping him because his “team plays hard.”  A lot of teams play hard.  The dude’s an asshole and a VERY overrated coach.  Anyway, I said I wouldn’t go off on Buzz, so I won’t.  His Marquette team – who was supposed to be really good – was dreadful for a while, but has started to put things together.  It is too little too late unless they can win this tournament, though, which starts in the quarters here with a Xavier team that is led by superstar Semaj Christian and then a bunch of role players who do their jobs.  (BTW…if you had a twin brother named “James” and your parents named you “Semaj,” or James backwards, wouldn’t you always feel like they loved him more?  I mean why do you have to have the backwards name?  Am I right?  Right?)

Only 10 people (Becks, Chris, Gersh, Lazarow, Lynch, Mac, PapaCim, Stri, Teddy, WaTers) have XU here, though PapaCim and WaTers both have the Muskets going to the finals.  Of the 15 people that have Marquette, only Alexi has them advancing to the title game (where we’ll have to hear about what an amazing job Buzz has done to turn this group around and blah, blah blah – it was HIS MESS that got them here in the first place…whatever.)

Xavier 68 – Marquette 65

OPENING ROUND (March 12th – 10 points each)

#8 Butler vs #9 Seton Hall
Butler is learning – the hard way – that it’s not all that easy to switch leagues.  Two years ago, the Bulldogs were a decent Horizon League program who hit the jackpot on a young coach.  Today, they are in the Big East and that young coach is roaming the sidelines of the Boston Garden.  I love Butler.  I loved their back-to-back titles games.  I think it was great for the sport (though, I do wish they had made a few more shots against UConn), and they are fun to watch.  I love Hinkle Fieldhouse and everything that goes with it.  But, I am not convinced that this program can really compete in the Big East.  This isn’t Creighton (about whom I have similar, though much more tempered concerns).  This is a small school with a small budget that even some of the best college basketball fans didn’t know existed not even 10 years ago.  I am rooting for them, and I have no doubt that they can “be” in the Big East, but it will probably be kind of like how DePaul or Seton Hall “are.”  Speaking of the Hall, they weren’t very good this year.  That’s all I’ve got.  Winner of this game takes on #1 Villanova.

11 people (Alexi, Bry, Chris, Dave, Doogan, J, Lohse, PapaCim, Stritts, Stumpf, WaTers) went with the minor upset pick of Seton Hall.  Colton is the only one with a semifinalist at stake here, as he went with Butler to beat ‘Nova on Thursday.

Seton Hall 51 – Butler 50
In an ugly, ugly start to the New Big East at the Garden, Seton Hall survives Butler to win the first New Big East tournament.  Thus ends the first Big East season for Butler, who I hope is in for brighter years.  The Pirates better get some sleep in the City that Never Sleeps because they have a noon start time against #1 Villanova.

11 people hit this minor upset.  Colton lost a semifinalist here, as he had Butler beating ‘Nova in the quarters.

#7 Georgetown vs #10 DePaul
Since I spent my time on the first game dumping cold water on Butler’s Big East presence, I forgot to mention how awesome it is to have college basketball games in Madison Square Garden.  Baseball is the one sport where venues actually matter to the gameplay itself, but college basketball is clearly #2 in my book for the sport where venues actually change the nature of spectatorship.  And MSG is one of the best.  The nightcap at the World’s Most Famous Arena features a G’town team that people say is actually on the bubble.  I find that hard to believe because I thought that actually winning a decent number of basketball games was a prerequisite, but I guess name recognition counts for more than they admit.  Well, they will probably add one more win to their ledger because DePaul is their opponent.  #2 Creighton awaits the winner here in the quarters.

All 25 people have Georgetown winning on Wednesday and losing on Thursday.  That’s entirely uninteresting.

DePaul 60 – Georgetown 56
Welcome to the NIT, Georgetown.  A disastrous loss on Wednesday ends any dim hopes they had to make the Big Dance.  The Hoyas were just 5-17 from three-point land and go home with their tails between their legs.  DePaul, on the other hand, earn a chance to get 40 dropped on them by the great Greg McDermott.

No one had this upset here.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Villanova (7) – Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, PapaCim, WaTers
• #2 Creighton (15)
• #3 Xavier (0)
• #4 Providence (0)
• #5 Saint John’s (3) – Dave, Lohse, Stri

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #9 Seton Hall (many)
• QF – #8 Butler (Colton)
• SF – #6 Marquette (Alexi)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Doogan
• 2010 – Teddy
• 2011 – Scoot
• 2012 – Primm
• 2013 – Mac

2014 Scores