Georgetown-Free Big East Tourney Predictions:
As J said, with Georgetown as a number one seed, I can’t not pick them. But the Brog would like to offer a few non-Georgetown pertinent prognostications.
-First, the loser of Syracuse/Villanova will NOT make the Big Dance. What a classic scenario; it’s almost like a play-in game. Right now it looks like ‘Nova will take it, and if they continue to shoot this well (55%) from three-point land, they would have a chance against the Hoyas.
-I think UConn is the team with the best chance of winning the whole thing at Madison Square other than any team that rhymes with Schmeorgetown. Louisville is a fantastic team, but UConn has played incredibly in the Big East. If Roy Hibbert hadn’t sunk a last minute three and Providence weren’t in the Big East, these guys would have been conference champs. UConn could face Providence if they beat West Virginia, even though I don’t see that happening, I still think UConn would prevail over Providence come tournament time. They are too strong of a team to lose to Providence on three separate occasions. Some pundits claim that UConn would be unable to beat the new version of Louisville, but I must disagree. Thabeet is such a monster down low that he’ll keep Padgett in check; and the combination of Price, Adrien, and Dyson might be too difficult for Louisville to handle
-I like Marquette over Notre Dame. Remember, Marquette destroyed Notre Dame at home earlier in the year by 20 plus points. Marquette is incredibly quick and if they have a hot hand, I don’t think the Irish have a chance. Of course I see Harongody putting up a solid 20/10 game, but Harongody has had a number of statistically impressive games that didn’t end up affecting the outcome (think: his 32 point performance against UConn).
-I really think only five teams have a shot at winning: Marquette, Notre Dame, Louisville, UConn, and Georgetown. Even though West Virginia is a #5 seed, their resume against top sides (except for Marquette) leaves a lot to be desired, having lost every game to seeds one through four. In January, it looked as if Pittsburgh would be a contender, but over the past month, the side’s quality has deteriorated significantly.
-If it’s not Gtown or UConn, Louisville is the obvious next choice. They’re an extremely talented team, and with the exception of the last second loss to the Hoyas, they’ve looked almost invincible since Padgett’s return. Definitely look to see Louisville in the final.
