An offseason of turmoil for the Big East follows a magical postseason run by UConn. By Lauren Dellipoali
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| Wikipedia/Ganley894 |
Big East basketball is unlike any other. Teams come from as far as Wisconsin to play in the Carrier Dome and Madison Square Garden. Arenas are virtually always packed and every team thinks the opposition is their rival, even if they aren’t.
The games are physical and exciting. The coaches are always into the game, prowling the sideline, some in their tailored Armani suits and alligator skin shoes. This is the conference that analysts say year after year is the best in the land. The conference always sends a record amount of teams to the NCAA Tournament each March and winning the tournament is almost mundane at this point. Last year UConn made a miraculous run, winning a record 11 straight games in postseason play to grab their third national title. How can anyone even feign surprise?
With the departure of two of their premier teams, though, Big East basketball will now take a back seat to conferences like the ACC. No longer can people witness a six-overtime game at MSG between Syracuse and UConn for a spot in the conference championship game. No longer will head coaches Jamie Dixon and Jay Wright try to out-dress each other on the sidelines–in conference play at least. If UConn and Rutgers flee to the ACC as speculated, you might as well stick a fork in the Big East forever. As of now the Big East consists of UConn, Villanova, and Georgetown, followed by everyone else. Not exactly a power conference.
The Big East won’t be the same in the future, but the changes don’t affect this season (and, legally, next season). It will be the same old league with physical and close games every night. Enjoy this type of basketball while it lasts, though, because there’s no guarantee it will remain much longer.
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