Connecticut
@ Marquette
Notre Dame
@ Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh
@ Providence
@ Seton Hall
Marquette
Connecticut

Marquette
Connecticut
@ Louisville
@ Pittsburgh
Syracuse

Louisville
@ Georgetown
Marquette
Seton Hall
@ West Virginia


Tie Breakers
Louisville owns a tie-breaker over Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh owns a tie-breaker over Connecticut (one game left to be played)
Connecticut owns a tie-breaker over Louisville
Marquette has not played the other top three teams.

My guess is that the regular season title will come down to the UConn @ Pitt game on the 7th. UConn and Pitt should both win out up to that game given how each squad is playing.

If I had to guess the outcome of the regular season, my guess would be that Pitt wins out and finishes #1 in the Big East. Pitt is a very tough team at home and I think the loss of Dyson will hurt UConn in this game.

I think UConn will probably drop one of their last three games (either Marquette or Pitt), though they could very well win out. My guess is they beat Marquette and Notre Dame but lose at Pitt. Assuming Pitt wins out or only loses one game (not to UConn), Pitt will finish first in the conference.

UofL has the easiest schedule of the top four; however, to win the league title they would need to win their remaining games AND have UConn drop at least one game. Personally, I don't see UofL sweeping the rest of the games this season and I think they will drop at least one game between G'town, Marquette, and WVU. Assuming they do manage to win out, I think the most likely scenario for a season title would be if Pitt and UofL win out since UofL has the tie-breaker with Pitt.

Marquette IMO has a very slight chance to win the conference. They still have to play Louisville, UConn, and Pitt. I see them going 1-2 in those games at best and possibly 0-3. They stand the best chance against Louisville (Louisville is weak against teams with good guards), but they do have to play at Freedom Hall.

While no one expected them to finish in the top 4, Syracuse's home loss to Villanova this afternoon eliminated them from a double bye. Here's who is still alive for a double bye at MSG.

UConn 13-2
UofL 12-2
Marquette 12-2
Pitt 12-2
Nova 10-4
WVU 7-6

WVU is out of the running with another loss or one more win apiece for the top 4. I think Marquette will end up 4th, but Villanova is not out of the running realistically. The Wildcats finish with:

@ DePaul
GT
@ ND
@ Providence

A 3-1 or 4-0 finish for VU could get them a double bye, but I suspect their best hope is to finish tied with Marquette at 14-4.

Who will get the important 7th and 8th place finish and avoid the 1st day game?(wvu will most likely get 6th)
Providence,Cincinnati, ND, Seton Hall ,Cuse and Gtown could all pull it off

(02-22-2009 04:13 PM)gosports1 Wrote:  Who will get the important 7th and 8th place finish and avoid the 1st day game?(wvu will most likely get 6th)
Providence,Cincinnati, ND, Seton Hall ,Cuse and Gtown could all pull it off

My guess is things will shake out like this:

First Tier (double bye)
1. Pitt 16-2
2. UConn 15-3
3. Louisville 15-3
4. Marquette 14-4*

Pitt wins out and grabs the conference title. UConn wins 2 out of 3 with their sole loss coming against Pitt. I think UofL drops the game against Marquette but wins the rest. Marquette will go 2-2, losing to Pitt and UConn, but beating.

*Not sure what happens if Nova and Marquette finish 14-4 because they split their series. They may flip though as I don't know exactly how a tie-breaker would be determined.


Second Tier (single bye)
5. Villanova 14-4*
6. West Virginia 11-7
7. Syracuse 10-8
8. Providence 9-9

Villanova wins their last four games (DePaul, G'town, Notre Dame, Providence) to go 14-4. They may snag fourth place depending on how a tie-breaker with Marquette would shake out. WVU will finish 6th in the conference 4-1 over their last 5 (losing only to Louisville). Syracuse will lose @ Marquette but will beat the other three teams they play (UC, RU, Saint John's). Providence has two tiebreakers over UC but will go 1-2 over their last three (Pitt, RU, Villanova).


Third Tier (no bye)
9. Cincinnati 9-9
10. Notre Dame 8 -10
11. Seton Hall 7 -11
12. G'town 7-11

Cincinnati will split their last four; they'll beat USF and Seton Hall but lose to WVU and Syracuse. They'll be the unlucky team to finish ninth and barely miss the single bye. Notre Dame will also split their last four beating RU and Saint Johns but losing to UConn and Villanova and will wind up 8-10. UC owns the tie-break to them so it is unlikely that ND will pass them. Seton Hall will lose to UofL, UC, and Pitt but beat Saint John's and USF. They'll finish 11th at 7-11. G'town will slide to 12th place after losing to Louisville and Villanova. They'll beat DePaul and Saint John's though.


Bottom Tier (no bye)
13. Saint John's 4-14
14. USF 4 - 14
15. Rutgers 1 - 17
16. DePaul 0 -18

DePaul and Rutgers are easy to pick because both teams are terrible and should go winless in their remaining games. Saint John's and USF will each finish 4-14 but Saint John's has the tie-breaker and will finish above the bulls.

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to say I could be completely and utterly wrong about my above predictions. So before any of you think about coming back to this post and being like "you were totally wrong clown monkey", I'll go ahead and put my "I might very well be wrong" rubber stamp on this post.

Quote: 'UofL07'
*Not sure what happens if Nova and Marquette finish 14-4 because they split their series. They may flip though as I don't know exactly how a tie-breaker would be determined.

If teams split the H-to-H series, then you go to the top of the league standings and work down the standings as far as needed until someone gets an advantage.

That means if Pitt wins the conference, Villanova wins the tie breaker because they beat Pitt head to head - unless Marquette can do the same @ Pitt on March 4th...

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=415&f=2850&t=3991625&p=2

Looks like Marquette's schedule just got even tougher. Dominique James has suffered a fractured metatarsel and will be out indefinitely. That certainly doesn't help their prospects against Louisville, Pitt, or Syracuse.

No one gonna convince me UL is the best team in the BE even if they got the best record because not all the teams play home and home. The fact UCONN and Pitt have to play twice against each other while UL only have to play each once shows the unbalance of the schedule. UL also got both UCONN and Pitt at home.

UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

with ND, St John's, Rutgers & Seton Hall playing the 1st day
maybe there will be decent crowds.

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I don't think Louisville will win the conference as I see them dropping at least one game to Marquette and/or WVU. Their biggest problem and one that has haunted them all year is inconsistency - at times they look dominating and other times they look like a DII squad. Regardless, I think winning the Big East would be quite an accomplishment regardless of whether they are the "best" Big East team or not. After all, the best team doesn't always win the national championship (Nova in 85 for example) but they still wind up as national champions at the end of the day.

Edit: Plus, it is about time we wind up with a favorable schedule. Last year we played G'town and Marquette twice (both top 5 in conference), @UConn, and @Pitt.

(02-25-2009 09:36 PM)UofL07 Wrote:  

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I don't think Louisville will win the conference as I see them dropping at least one game to Marquette and/or WVU. Regardless, I think winning the Big East would be quite an accomplishment regardless of whether they are the "best" Big East team or not. After all, the best team doesn't always win the national championship (Nova in 85 for example) but they still wind up as national champions at the end of the day.

Finally I agree with you on something. I hate this unbalanced BE schedule. I really miss playing some teams home and away. I wish they would just split the football and basketball and have home and away in both leagues.

You are right some teams will get hot and get lucky here and there. However, it is hard to define true champion when the schedule is not balanced.

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I'm of the opinion that UConn will probably finish 16-2. UofL may tie them there, but it won't be easy.

Don't worry though Husky. No one on the board would expect you to give credit where credit was due if the team in question wasn't from Storrs.

(02-25-2009 08:28 PM)UofL07 Wrote:  http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=415&f=2850&t=3991625&p=2

Looks like Marquette's schedule just got even tougher. Dominique James has suffered a fractured metatarsel and will be out indefinitely. That certainly doesn't help their prospects against Louisville, Pitt, or Syracuse.

It's funny how many people I've seen break that same bone in their foot since I broke mine last year. James has been a pain in the butt for everyone and is their best player. That's a bad break for Marquette, and puts a serious dent in any tournament hopes, as well as their hopes for a regular season crown...

(02-26-2009 10:20 AM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I'm of the opinion that UConn will probably finish 16-2. UofL may tie them there, but it won't be easy.

Don't worry though Husky. No one on the board would expect you to give credit where credit was due if the team in question wasn't from Storrs.

I tell it like it is. You don't have to like it, but please don't try to tell me UL deserves the championship if they win out. Scheduling has a lot to do with UL's Ws and Ls in the BE.

(02-26-2009 02:48 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  

(02-26-2009 10:20 AM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I'm of the opinion that UConn will probably finish 16-2. UofL may tie them there, but it won't be easy.

Don't worry though Husky. No one on the board would expect you to give credit where credit was due if the team in question wasn't from Storrs.

I tell it like it is. You don't have to like it, but please don't try to tell me UL deserves the championship if they win out. Scheduling has a lot to do with UL's Ws and Ls in the BE.

UofL finished in 2nd behind Georgetown the last two years. However, I don't think you heard UofL fans complaining that besides our two games against each other, the Hoyas other two mirror opponents both were .500 or worse.

You tell it like you think it is. The rest of us are reasonable and don't wear blinders.

(02-26-2009 04:28 PM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(02-26-2009 02:48 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  

(02-26-2009 10:20 AM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I'm of the opinion that UConn will probably finish 16-2. UofL may tie them there, but it won't be easy.

Don't worry though Husky. No one on the board would expect you to give credit where credit was due if the team in question wasn't from Storrs.

I tell it like it is. You don't have to like it, but please don't try to tell me UL deserves the championship if they win out. Scheduling has a lot to do with UL's Ws and Ls in the BE.

UofL finished in 2nd behind Georgetown the last two years. However, I don't think you heard UofL fans complaining that besides our two games against each other, the Hoyas other two mirror opponents both were .500 or worse.

You tell it like you think it is. The rest of us are reasonable and don't wear blinders.

No offense, but top BE teams don't lose 30+ points to ND in the middle of Feb.

The fact I don't have blinders on is exactly why I don't think UL is the best team in the BE. Maybe you are the one who needs to check if you got yours on.

(02-26-2009 04:32 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  

(02-26-2009 04:28 PM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(02-26-2009 02:48 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  

(02-26-2009 10:20 AM)CollegeCard Wrote:  

(02-25-2009 09:12 PM)SF Husky Wrote:  UL might win the BE due to the schedule, but UL is not the best team in the BE.

I'm of the opinion that UConn will probably finish 16-2. UofL may tie them there, but it won't be easy.

Don't worry though Husky. No one on the board would expect you to give credit where credit was due if the team in question wasn't from Storrs.

I tell it like it is. You don't have to like it, but please don't try to tell me UL deserves the championship if they win out. Scheduling has a lot to do with UL's Ws and Ls in the BE.

UofL finished in 2nd behind Georgetown the last two years. However, I don't think you heard UofL fans complaining that besides our two games against each other, the Hoyas other two mirror opponents both were .500 or worse.

You tell it like you think it is. The rest of us are reasonable and don't wear blinders.

No offense, but top BE teams don't lose 30+ points to ND in the middle of Feb.

No offense taken. I prefer to look at an 18 game schedule, and losing at home to a team that's 5-10 in the league does count in standings, believe it or not. In fact, it counts equally. I'm done with you for now though, as it's no use going back and forth as many of us do on the board with you.

(02-26-2009 04:34 PM)CollegeCard Wrote:  No offense taken. I prefer to look at an 18 game schedule, and losing at home to a team that's 5-10 in the league does count in standings, believe it or not. In fact, it counts equally. I'm done with you for now though, as it's no use going back and forth as many of us do on the board with you.

Its cool. I back up my comments with information. It is one thing to just jump to conclusion, but it is another if you can bring facts and data to the table.

UL is one of the top teams in the country, but it is not the top team in the BE this year.

(02-22-2009 04:41 PM)UofL07 Wrote:  Pitt wins out and grabs the conference title.

WVU will finish 6th in the conference 4-1 over their last 5 (losing only to Louisville).

I'm not doing well so far in my predictions