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Post by RockawayHoya on Feb 14, 2007 23:31:54 GMT -5
Hopefully you are taking a break from shoveling your driveway to catch up on the action of the Big East. I am not one to usually take notice of the ACC standings, but I couldn't help to last night when I saw Boston College and Virginia Tech as 1-2 in the league after Virginia Tech completed a season sweep over the Tar Heels with a win in Chapel Hill last night. Remeber BC and Va Tech? I am sure you all do.
Virginia Tech left the Big East with an all-time record of 17-47 in conference play without a winning season in the Big East. In their third season in the ACC the Hokies have moved to the top of the ACC, the same team that lost earlier this season to Western Michigan, Southern Illinois, George Washington and Marshall.
Boston College was an original member of the Big East conference. In their 26 years as member of the Big East they had an overall record of 182-236 (.435), but they are definitely finding things to their liking in the Big East. Sometimes, like when a player transfers from a school, it takes moving down a level to find your niche. Congrats to Boston College and Virginia tech for finding success in their new conference.
By the way, the Big East has won 9 of 15 from the ACC this season...and, it is the Big East that is down this year???bigeastbasketball.blogspot.com/2007/02/big-east-news-notes_14.html
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DanMcQ
Moderator 
Posts: 30,591
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Post by DanMcQ on Feb 14, 2007 23:37:23 GMT -5
Not only is the BE "down" this year, Dick Vitale shouted repeatedly that he thought the ACC should get 8 teams in the NCAA tournament this year.
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RBHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,134
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Post by RBHoya on Feb 15, 2007 0:56:24 GMT -5
You can spin it either way. Neither conference really blows me away this year. But this is obviously very biased. I tend to rely more heavily on statistical data in judging.
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Post by 1984alloveragain on Feb 15, 2007 1:18:11 GMT -5
Does it make sense to think: what would a Memphis do in the BEAST or ACC, instead of routinely Owning what's becoming a mid-major conference, and so getting that high ranking? Or Butler - isn't their biggest win a one point win in the pre-season against a now exposed ND team? Or Air Force or Nevada? Do questions like that come up for the committee - or is one's ooc schedule and the overall records predominant? Just wondering how much the human or subjective level of questioning enters into the rankings and later the seedings?
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Post by LizziebethHoya on Feb 15, 2007 1:39:17 GMT -5
I don't think these stats can be spinned in another way. Granted neither conference is having a stellar year, but direct comparisons this year between the BE and the ACC are in the BE's favor.
It also makes me happy because, as a lifetime Big East fan, I wasn't exactly too happy when the ACC played their little games and took teams out of the BE to amp up their football program. A few years out from that deal: ACC football still sucks, BE football did really well this year and former BE basketball teams are at the top of the ACC conference. What goes around comes around.
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Bay99
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 510
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Post by Bay99 on Feb 15, 2007 1:45:21 GMT -5
Not only is the BE "down" this year, Dick Vitale shouted repeatedly that he thought the ACC should get 8 teams in the NCAA tournament this year. OK, I'm glad someone else heard it - I watched most of that game for sake of wanting to watch some college hoops (and kind of hoping to see Duke lose five straight) and I was floored by Vitale's comments. I'm not a Vitale fan (understatement) but thought the "eight teams" stuff was crossing a line into senility territory. Even objectively recognizing that a) he is an unabashed Duke fan and b) an unabashed ACC fan it is beyond the point of taking Vitale seriously as an "authority" in college basketball. It's straight advertising. |
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RBHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,134
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Post by RBHoya on Feb 15, 2007 2:26:34 GMT -5
I don't think these stats can be spinned in another way. Granted neither conference is having a stellar year, but direct comparisons this year between the BE and the ACC are in the BE's favor. It also makes me happy because, as a lifetime Big East fan, I wasn't exactly too happy when the ACC played their little games and took teams out of the BE to amp up their football program. A few years out from that deal: ACC football still sucks, BE football did really well this year and former BE basketball teams are at the top of the ACC conference. What goes around comes around. I am as big a Big East fan as you'll find. But raw data is misleading when you consider who played who... Imagine for simplicity's sake that there were only 3 inter-conference games. If they pitted Pitt, Georgetown, and Marquette against 3 ACC cellar dwellers like Wake, NC State and Miami, and the Big East went 2-1, would that prove we're a better conference? The fact that the amount of games played is higher doesn't necessarily mean the sample is fair. I also don't think the Conference RPI is the best barometer. It's better, IMO, than looking at head to head records when the disparity in talent between the top of the Big East and the bottom of the Big East is so vast (and to a lesser degree the ACC), but not perfect. The truth is that there is no clear cut better or worse conference. It's pretty close this year, and it usually is. What matters more is who is having a better night on any particular night. Put us against Duke and we win 8 out of 10, but we lost on that particular night this year. Is that evidence that Duke is a better team and the ACC a better conference? Not really, IMO, just that they were better on 12/3/06. The BC and Va Tech teams that are atop the ACC right now are pretty different than the teams that they had when they were in the Big East--especially VT. An interesting point I could make to counter his point is that perhaps better players began going to VT when the school was invited to the ACC. I don't believe that, but its a plausible explanation. And he doesn't mention that BC was clearly one of the conference's best teams the year they left, headlined by Smith and Dudley (who is still there). There's a lot of parity in the ACC, more than in the Big East. VT has stepped up in conference play to beat Duke and UNC, after losing to WMU and Marshall... that doesn't really mean the ACC is any weaker though. |
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GPHoya
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
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Post by GPHoya on Feb 15, 2007 6:50:36 GMT -5
It was a long night at Conte with the storm and the mismanaged parking and traffic routing so I will make my comments short. BC and Duke are both flawed teams, but they have individuals with talent that appeared superior to what I saw on Marquette and certainly West Virginia over the weekend in DC. Dudley had an off game, but after seeing Rice in person against Duke and Virginia Tech, I am becoming more of a believer. Last night, I finally got McRoberts, albeit with the help of John Oates in the role of the Washington Generals. I continue to be more impressed by Henderson than Scheyer among Duke's freshman. Duke desperately wanted this game and BC was ironically flat for the most hyped home game on their schedule.
The Hoyas at this point should be expected to beat both of these teams in a four out of seven series, but in single elimination, either team could be a problem--more Duke than BC unless Blair has a big game and Roy has a bad night. As excited as I am by the Hoyas, the strength of the conference is a legitimate issue that should keep our expectations in check fr the NCAA. That said, this is clearly the year to make noise in Conference and keep 1989 from becoming a 1918 equivalent.
On campus facilities on crowded land-locked campuses with limited parking are over-rated for big conference games.
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mdhoya97
Century (over 100 posts)
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Post by mdhoya97 on Feb 15, 2007 9:56:32 GMT -5
Dickie V is such a Duke apologist. Before the win last night, he was stated that there was no way they would not make the tournament. if they lose a few more they might not even be in the top 2/3 of there conference.
Also when invterviewed before the game last night, the commentator stated that who would have though that that BC or Tech would do well in the ACC. "Everyone knew that there football team would do well in the ACC, but the general consensus was that there basketball teams would be destroyed" BE basketball never gets any respect.
3 out of the last 10 champs are from the BE. ACC is 4 out of the last 10. very comparable.
-M
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hoyarooter
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by hoyarooter on Feb 15, 2007 14:19:36 GMT -5
That quote was amusing, but really not on point. VT is a senior laden team with a fine coach, and would probably be doing well in the Big East this year too. As for BC, as pointed out, they were an elite team when they left, they also have an excellent coach, and only an ACC myopian would have thought that BC's basketball team wouldn't be competitive in the ACC.
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