Panel Decides Eight Is Enough

Big East's Haul Is a Record, but Cincinnati Is Out

Those affiliated with the 16-team Big East Conference spent much of the season boasting that theirs was the best and deepest league in the country. That claim was validated Sunday, when eight Big East teams earned spots in the tournament field, the most ever from one conference. But the excitement was tempered with disappointment that there weren't nine.

Connecticut (27-3) and Villanova (25-4) earned number one seeds. Pittsburgh (24-7) and Syracuse (23-11) are seeded fifth, West Virginia (20-10) is a sixth seed, and Marquette (20-10) and Georgetown (21-8) are sevens. Seton Hall (18-11) is a 10th seed.

"With eight NCAA bids, it's obviously a historic day for us, though I have to say we're disappointed that Cincinnati was not included," Commissioner Mike Tranghese said through a spokesman. "They had some quality wins in and out of the conference."

Cincinnati went 19-12 overall and finished 8-8 in the conference. The Bearcats' strength of schedule ranked fifth in the country, and they beat LSU, Syracuse, Marquette and West Virginia -- all tournament teams. But they lost three of their last four games, including a 67-64 decision at home against Seton Hall -- a bubble team that did earn an at-large bid. They also played the second half of the season without their most versatile player, senior Armien Kirkland, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in January.

Andy Kennedy, Cincinnati's interim coach, stated his team's case for why it should earn an at-large bid in the aftermath of its last-second loss to Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament. In hindsight, that game -- a 74-73 Syracuse win -- essentially turned out to be a play-in game for the NCAA tournament.

"I think Cincinnati should have gotten in," Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim told reporters yesterday. "I think that the thing that hurt them was that they won their two best nonconference games with Kirkland. I don't know if that's what the committee will say, but it would have been interesting if we lost to U-Conn. to see who would have gotten in, but I'm glad I don't have to."

"I would imagine, I think Cincinnati could have easily gotten in, but I know it's tough for the committee to select nine teams from the Big East," said Syracuse senior guard Gerry McNamara, whose last-second three-pointer beat the Bearcats. "If it was really the best 64 teams, we probably would have gotten every team in. That's how quality these teams are from our conference. It probably hurt them to be left out, especially with the way we won the game."

The Orange benefited the most from the conference tournament. Syracuse went to New York City with an NIT résumé, but won four straight games -- including an upset of top-ranked Connecticut -- to earn the automatic bid and a fifth seed in the Atlanta region.

"The Big East is a terrific conference. This year has shown that," said Georgetown Coach John Thompson III, whose team is in the tournament for the first time since 2001. "For any team to make it to Big East play and to have the opportunity to play in the postseason, either the NCAA or the NIT, you are battle-tested. You have had some tough nights, you have had a lot of joy and a lot of heartbreak. But you're ready to play and I think our league does prepare you for that."

It will be interesting to see how the gauntlet of the recently completed Big East tournament affects the two finalists. Syracuse certainly benefited from its four-day run in New York City, but it also relied heavily on three players. Center Darryl Watkins, McNamara (who was battling groin and ankle injuries), and forward Demetris Nichols each averaged more than 35 minutes in the course of the Big East tournament.

One of the reasons why the conference limited its tournament to just the top 12 teams was that Tranghese felt that it was unwise to force the league's best teams to play four games on consecutive days and then turn around and go to the NCAA tournament. The top two teams, U-Conn. and Villanova, lost on Thursday and Friday, respectively, in New York, giving them extra days to rest. That wasn't the case for Pittsburgh, which is seeded fifth in the Oakland region and plays 12th-seeded Kent State on Friday, or Syracuse.

"It's a tough grind, no question about that," said Boeheim, whose team faces Texas A&M. "We should be ready by Thursday."

Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon wasn't worried either, because he felt that the benefits of making the Big East final -- and beating 19th-ranked West Virginia and second-ranked Villanova in the process -- outweighed any fatigue.

"I think it's good for us because we played better this week than we did any week this year," Dixon said. "I feel good about where we're at right now."