Conference Tournaments A Plenty

So with March Madness comes the idea of the NCAA Tournament, but before that comes the conference tournaments. The chances for Robert Morris, Oakland and North Texas to make their way into the NCAA's; also, for some great, high-level basketball to be played in the power conferences in great venues. This is where the magic starts, and where the madness really begins. Whether it be Georgia winning the SEC Tournament in 2008 after only 4 conference wins during the regular season. Or Maybe it was the amazing and heroic performance by Gerry McNamara at the 2006 Big East Tournament:


Then there is the ACC Tournament show put on by Wake Forest's Randolph Childress and his demoralizing of Jeff McInnis in the championship game in 1995:


The conference tournaments are something where people say they are not necessary, such as Bobby Knight, but they have such passion and energy when they are being played. None is better (though I will admit my bias as a Syracuse fan) than the Big East Tournament. The bright lights and big stage of Madison Square Garden in New York City is just unequaled. The teams are some of the best, with some of the best players, and they perform amazing feats each year. Just ask Syracuse and Connecticut last year.

This year there has been no slouch in the Big East tournament either, with Notre Dame continuing there solid play, and gaining back their star in the process. The thriller between Seton Hall and Providence when the Pirates tried to blow a 29 point lead. Then on Thursday bedlam continued, as three of the top four seeds fell to their opponents, beginning with number one seed Syracuse at noon. Only to be followed up by a minor upset of Villanova by Marquette, and finally Pittsburgh being upset by Notre Dame. With the three games being decided by a total of 16 points the thrills continued at the Garden.

Then there was the final game of the night, matching West Virginia up with Cincinnati. The Bearcats were the lone wildcard remaining in the Big East, as the top eight seeds have seemingly punched their tickets. The game that followed was yet another game in which the fans from each side will be talking about for years to come. With Cincinnati battling back from an early deficit to take a lead late in the second half behind freshman phenom Lance Stephenson, the Mountaineers looked to senior Da'Sean Butler to lead them to victory, and he stepped up.
While Cincinnati had the ball with under 10 seconds to go he was able to pressure the ballhandler into a turnover with three seconds left. He did not stop there though, as he was also able to catch the inbounds and take an NBA range three with Stephenson in his face and bank it in as the backboard lit up red and the buzzer sound. Clearly counting, West Virginia won the game and another instant classic was born from the Big East Tournament.

While conference tournaments might be detrimental and useless to some teams, the passion and moments that come from the games are undeniable. We have stories and legacies to tell our kids from each year, and the Big East fans know their stories. Boeheim versus John Thompson, Ray Allen versus Allen Iverson, G-Mac, 6 OT thriller, and now maybe Da'Sean can be added to the Big East lore.