Big East Championship vs. NCAA 16 revisited

[OhioGoldenEagle]

Much talk has gone on whether a Big East Tourney title would be better than 2 wins in the NCAA.  While making the Sweet16 would be fantastic, I think from an exposure perspective, a Big East Tournament Championship would be much more valuable.  I'm sitting here basking in the glory of today's W and watching the WV vs. Cincinnati game....a quarterfinals game that is not only sold out but is drawing the likes of President Clinton and Denzel Washington.  On top of that, no other conference tournament gets the love from ESPN that this one does.  All that being said, this weekend, the spotlight of college basketball will be on the Madison Square Garden, and MU will be there!  I think that advancing in the Big East tourney gives Marquette a lot more exposure than a Sweet16 appearance.

Note:  I want Marquette to advance to the Sweet16 as well

[PGsHeroes32]

Agreed. I want to get what we can from the BET now, then worry about the NCAA tourney. I do hope this is our year to make the sweet 16 after 4 straight disappointing exits, with 2 being devastating.

[Avenue Commons]

You are greatly mistaken. A Sweet 16 appearance trumps a conference tournament championship by far. The only thing that ultimately matters is getting to the NCAA's and going as far as you can.

In 2003 we won C-USA above some very good teams, lost in the first round to East Carolina or something like that, and then had a run to the Final 4. 7 years later people only remember one thing: the Final 4. I know a Final 4 appearance is an extreme, but NO ONE remembers conference championships beyond that weekend, they only remember if you got to the tourney and how you did.

Question: Would you take a deal from the devil to have 6 straight Big East tourney championships in a row guaranteed, if the trade off was you didn't go to the NCAA's for those 6 years and had to go to the NIT? No, you wouldn't. And yes, I know it is an auto bid, I was just trying to make a point.

[bilsu]

Who do you remember being in the sweet 16 3 years ago. You are there with 15 other teams and you are soon forgotten if you are one of the eight that lose.

[Coleman]

You are greatly mistaken. A Sweet 16 appearance trumps a conference tournament championship by far. The only thing that ultimately matters is getting to the NCAA's and going as far as you can.

In 2003 we won C-USA above some very good teams, lost in the first round to East Carolina or something like that, and then had a run to the Final 4. 7 years later people only remember one thing: the Final 4. I know a Final 4 appearance is an extreme, but NO ONE remembers conference championships beyond that weekend, they only remember if you got to the tourney and how you did.

Question: Would you take a deal from the devil to have 6 straight Big East tourney championships in a row guaranteed, if the trade off was you didn't go to the NCAA's for those 6 years and had to go to the NIT? No, you wouldn't. And yes, I know it is an auto bid, I was just trying to make a point.

This is just plain silly. If you win in the conference tournament, you make the NCAAs, they are 2 sides of the same coin. I know you acknowledged the auto-bid, but that is half the point of winning! It's like saying..."if you won in the Final Four, but couldn't advance to the National Championship..."

No one remembers Sweet 16s, besides the schools that made it (ask anyone whos not a MU fan who made the Sweet 16 in 1994). Lots of people remember conference tournaments. You hang a (legitimate) banner in the arena. The Big East counts them as a conference championship, equal to a season championship, on its website.

If we won 6 years in a row (or even just 3 years in a row) you bet ESPN wouldn't be able to shut up about it, it would be all over the country, etc. etc. Great for recruiting.

The Big East is the best conference in college basketball. I would argue winning 4 straight neutral games to win the Big East conference tournament is probably the second-hardest accomplishment in college basketball, besides winning a National Championship (or maybe just after making the Final Four or winning the Big East season championship.)

EDIT: This primarily applies to the Big East and maybe 1 or 2 other conferences. Conference USA is waaaay different. So are most mid-major conferences. UWM making the Sweet 16 was much bigger than winning the Horizon tournament. I don't think the comparison with the Big East holds up. Way different situations in terms of prestige and exposure.