Here's a bold guarantee for next season: USF's men's and women's basketball teams will make the Big East tournament.
The Big East announced Wednesday that its presidents had approved a plan to expand the league's postseason basketball tournament from 12 to 16 teams, allowing all of its members to play at Madison Square Garden for the men's tournament, and the Hartford Civic Center for the women. USF's men have missed the cut in their first two years in the league.
The new system sets up two tiers of byes, with the league's bottom eight teams playing on the first day of the tournament. Those four winners then play the teams seeded fifth through eighth -- essentially what is the first day of the tournament under the current format -- with those four winners then facing the top four seeds.
Those byes make the Big East's regular season about as incentive-laden as you can get -- you can earn a day off by finishing in the top eight, and can earn a second day off by finishing in the top four. That means allowing every league team to sell recruits and boosters on playing in the Big East tournament every year, without taxing the league's elite teams with too many games the weekend before the NCAA Tournament starts.
For USF, it makes it all the more of a milestone if the Bulls can get to MSG on their own steam this season, as opposed to having to wait until everybody gets there automatically.
Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin and we invite your participation in the comments area.
We made it. A conference tourney. It is like the "everyone gets a trophy" way we are getting in. But at least we will see MSG.
I hope Stan Heath knows what he is getting into. Pull up to your first real contest at your brand new job and 500 people show up. I like the talk about playing at another venue in the St Pete Times arena, how about we worry about winning a few conference games first.
im nervous about this year.
Posted by: Herm | November 08, 2007 at 06:01 PM
Congrats, USF will actually get to play in a conference basketball tourney. That is, if all schools are invited.
Posted by: Stephen | November 08, 2007 at 08:08 AM
Why not do away with the season and just play the BE Tourney.
Posted by: Al | November 07, 2007 at 11:23 PM
I like it. I haven't understood the logic of excluding teams from the conference tournament.
Posted by: Ken | November 07, 2007 at 08:31 PM
We're gonna make the big east tournament.
I promise.
Posted by: Ari | November 07, 2007 at 04:45 PM
This is awesome - looking forward to watching the Bulls play up here. The only game I'm going to be able to see all year is Seton Hall, unless we make it the BE tournament.
Greg, if you know the contact info, please post how we can buy B.E.T. tickets from the athletic office. Thanks!
Posted by: nybullsfan | November 07, 2007 at 12:44 PM
I like this- give everyone a chance to pull the upset. Cincy already knows what we have done in tournaments.
I think it is much better than the previous system, especially with the reward for the top 4 teams- since they'll certainly be in the NCAAs, it's good for the BEAST overall for them to be in better shape, and while it gives schools like us a chance to play in NYC, it wouldn't reward us for a poor season. So winning the tournament would be nearly impossible, but more so than not being in it at all.
And all those games will probably be televised!
Posted by: Dave W | November 07, 2007 at 12:26 PM
This reminds me of the "everyone gets a trophy" that schools have in place nowadays...
Posted by: Mike Lakeland | November 07, 2007 at 12:05 PM