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| Tuesday, March 11 Updated: March 12, 8:47 AM ET Plenty to win (or lose) in coming days By Andy Katz ESPN.com |
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Boston College and Connecticut epitomize the unknown element of Championship Week that states when major conference tournaments tip off Wednesday, we just don't know if a team will bring its best or worst into a winner-take-all environment. The Eagles were blasted by the Huskies Saturday in Chestnut Hill. Routed by a Connecticut team coming off a home loss of their own to Providence. The Eagles? All they'd done is won nine of 10 to earn the Big East's top seed out of the East Division.
So, what can we expect in Madison Square Garden? Take a guess, which is the beauty of the conference tournaments. It's a clean slate, on a neutral court, and the way a team is playing going into the game isn't always a great indicator. "BC. That's the UConn that will show up," Connecticut guard Taliek Brown said. "We could be real dangerous. We're real confident now. Everybody better watch out for us." And don't discount BC's chances, either. The Eagles still have the likely Big East player of the year in Troy Bell, the type of player who could carry a team deep in the Big East tournament. "We'll be fine," Bell said. "We've got the first-round bye. But this game opened our eyes. This is my last go-round and we're in a great position." Then again, the Huskies have a dominant post player in Emeka Okafor, who could change the outcome of every game UConn plays in MSG. "This is an opportunity to show how good we are," Okafor said. "If we take care of the ball and have good ball movement, we'll be fine. When we play our best and our game and are focused then we can accomplish anything." Remember, we are talking about the past two Big East tournament champions. Boston College claimed the crown in 2001, while the Huskies took an overtime-thriller against Pittsburgh last year. But are either really the 2003 favorite? While nobody who follows the annual madness at MSG would be shocked if either BC or UConn won it again, the East Division was a little less imposing than the West -- home to top 25 teams Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. So, the key word this week is urgency. When the Big East and C-USA tournaments tip off Wednesday afternoon in New York and Louisville, followed by the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and the rest Thursday, teams playing for their only shot at a bid, or a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, usually have the edge. "I just want to get to the games as soon as we can," Bell said. "I don't want to just do enough. I want it all." And that's what's at stake this week. Just, everything.
Atlantic 10 What's at stake: Not much. Three bids are locked up for Xavier, Dayton and Saint Joseph's. These three teams are playing for NCAA seeding. Who's dangerous? Temple. Even though the Owls were routed by Xavier in the season finale, and going through a bit of a distraction with assistant coach Nate Blackwell AWOL, they remain the most feared team in the tournament. Temple's zone isn't the only issue. The Owls are mixing things up defensively and scoring better than at any point this season. No one wants to play Temple in the conference tournament. The Owls have a stigma that scares opponents. But Temple doesn't have an easy path, starting with Richmond in the quarterfinals and a likely rematch with Xavier in the semis. Our Pick: Xavier
ACC What's at stake: A possible No. 1 seed in the NCAAs for Wake Forest; a No. 3 seed for Duke and Maryland; a berth in the tournament for N.C. State. Who's dangerous? Virginia was downright awful during a seven-game losing streak. But Virginia beat Maryland in the regular season finale Sunday night to give its fans hope that the Cavs can make a run. It'll take a title run, however, to go dancing. Another potential spoiler is North Carolina, only because of the Tar Heels' win Sunday over Duke. But then Tar Heels drew Maryland. The Terps have what the Tar Heels don't -- inside depth. Virginia gets Duke -- a team that they haven't beaten. But it's not easy to put a team away three times in one season. If the Cavs can get past Duke, the Terps likely await Virginia. Now, that could be interesting. Our Pick: Maryland
Big East What's at stake: Possible No. 1 seed in the NCAAs for Syracuse; No. 3 seed for Pittsburgh; locking up bid for Boston College; possible bid for Seton Hall. Who's dangerous? Providence and Georgetown have the potential to pull multiple upsets. The Friars are on a roll after beating Connecticut and Seton Hall to end the regular season. Providence has scorers and is defending well enough to get through a few games. The Friars get West Virginia first and then a Pittsburgh team that looked vulnerable in beating a depleated Villanova squad by just two point. Getting on the same side of the bracket with Boston College/Notre Dame/St. John's gives the Friars a chance to be this year's MSG surprise. Georgetown, for all its faults, still has loads of talent. The Hoyas have simply underachieved. Beating an undermanned Villanova team in the first round isn't a reach, and Michael Sweetney gives the Hoyas a shot to take out Syracuse. If that happens, Georgetown matches well with Connecticut -- if the Hoyas were to meet the Huskies in the semifinals. Our Pick: Connecticut
Big Ten What's at stake: Possible No. 3 or 4 seeds for Wisconsin and Illinois; possible berths for Indiana and Minnesota; locking up a bid for Michigan State. Who's dangerous: Michigan and Indiana. The Wolverines have floundered a bit lately, but still have the talent to win three games in three days. If Daniel Horton gets hot from the perimeter and LaVell Blanchard can be a stable presence, the Wolverines could be trouble into the weekend. And, if Michigan does win the title, the Big Ten will have an embarrassing moment of having a scandal-ridden program hoist the trophy, only to hand the automatic berth to Wisconsin -- the regular season champ. It would be a great moment for the present Michigan players and coaching staff who weren't involved in the scandal, but not for the conference. Meanwhile, Indiana (yes, Indiana) still has the ability to win this tournament. The Hoosiers have one of the best guard lineups in the country -- when they're shooters are on. Everyone in front of them -- Penn State, Michigan, likely Illinois, and either Wisconsin, Michigan State or Purdue are beatable. Our Pick: Illinois
Big 12 What's at stake: No. 1 seeds for Kansas, Texas and/or Oklahoma; locking up a bid for Colorado; possible bid for Texas Tech. Who's dangerous? Colorado. The Buffaloes have the inside presence with Stephane Pelle and David Harrison to cause matchup problems for Kansas State in the first round, Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and then Texas and ultimately Kansas. Remember, the Buffs beat Texas and Kansas at home this season. Getting James "Mookie" Wright back for the Buffaloes gives them the leadership they lacked at the point. Colorado is probably already in the Dance, but could spoil No. 1 seeds for Oklahoma or Texas, and then make a decent run to the title. This tournament has three of the top teams in the country. It might lack the drama of a real sleeper, but the games should be as competitive and intense as any other conference tournament. Our Pick: Texas
Conference USA What's at stake: Possible No. 1 seed for Marquette; locking up a bid for Cincinnati; waiting for Marvin Stone to get eligible at Louisville, not to mention the effects of the NCAA's decision -- or lack thereof. Who's dangerous? Saint Louis. The Billikens aren't a total reach for the NCAAs with a 15-12 record and 9-7 in Conference USA. Saint Louis has a marquee player in Marque Perry. Saint Louis has won seven straight, including wins over Louisville, and at Cincinnati and DePaul. Brad Soderberg has the Billikens playing their best basketball at the right time. Saint Louis likely gets Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. With a win over the Bearcats, Saint Louis would likely draw Marquette in the semifinals, a team the Billikens only lost to by four on the road. Our Pick: Louisville
Mountain West What's at stake: Possible bids for Wyoming and UNLV. Who's dangerous? San Diego State. The Aztecs won the tournament last season when they were more talented. But they're still deep enough and have a budding star player in Evan Burns. The Aztecs start off against UNLV, with the winner most likely playing a vulnerable Utah in the semifinals. If the Mountain West is going to get three bids, a third team has to win this tournament other than BYU and Utah. Our Pick: UNLV
Pac-10 What's at stake: Locking up a bid for Oregon; a potential No. 3 seed for Stanford. Who's dangerous? Oregon. This is a hard call. UCLA is a wounded team, but doesn't get a break by playing Arizona in the first round. The Ducks could fall flat in the first round against Arizona State, who they lost to a week ago in the desert. But Oregon has played well against the Sun Devils and have the conference's player of the year in point guard Luke Ridnour. If Oregon can get past Arizona State, and the Bruins' don't pull off the upset of the tournament, then they'll draw Arizona. No chance? Not really. The Wildcats will likely sit Luke Walton in the semifinals so he doesn't get too tired. If Oregon were to get past the two Arizona schools, the Ducks would not only end any NCAA doubt, but could also easily win the title. Our Pick: Arizona
SEC What's at stake: Possible No. 1 seed for Florida; possible bids for LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee. Who's dangerous? Tennessee. The Vols have slipped a bit lately, but still have the league's most prolific scorer in Ron Slay. And the Vols caught a break when Georgia withdrew from the tournament. Tennessee got a free pass to the quarterfinals against Auburn. Beat the Tigers and the Vols would likely face a Kentucky team that they have hung with this season. Tennessee could be a sleeper to make a run, let alone get a bid now that the Vols have been given a gift. Our Pick: Kentucky Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. |
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