Wilbon Hating on MU

[ringout]

Wilbon grew up on the South Side of Chicago, but is a Cubs fan. What more do you need to know?

Pretty typical of today's Chicago youth.

[tower912]

Sorry Tower--I have never said that the BEast stinks as Wilbon has stated.  And by the way, Wilbon is a PC Big 10 Homer. You therefore, Sir, do not know what you are talking about and have engaged the Ignore Button.

First, I think we have plenty of evidence of you saying that MU didn't belong in the dance.   Which is what you are faux outraged about in your original post.   Secondly, the grin from last night's win had started to fade off my face, but the thought that you, of all people, would put me on ignore has restored it and left me giggling.

[MerrittsMustache]

This morning Gottlieb was re-iterating that the Big East is the deepest conference in the country, not necessarily the conference with the best teams. It's simply the conference with the most strong teams. He actually used MU as example, saying that the 11th place team in the conference is in the Sweet 16, which tells you all you need to know about the conference's depth.

Fans often forget that guys like Wilbon, Cowherd, Mike & Mike, etc are paid to discuss the headline stories in the world of sports. They don't necessarily go in-depth to break things down. They're big picture guys. Guys like Gottlieb, Bilas, etc are paid to break down and analyze one specific sport. It should be no surprise that these guys make stronger points when it comes to the Tournament.

[GGGG]

I understand that Merritts, but the fact that they lost five teams to lower seeded teams, and MU was the only lower seed team to advance, pretty much means that the BE was overated.  Yeah, they are still very good and very deep...just not as good as advertised.

I also know that the tournament is just a snapshot and not necessarily indicative of an entire season, but I actually think Barley was right.  The BE is full of tough teams...play very hard...well coached...but outside of Kemba Walker, there isn't a single player that scares the sh*t out of defenses. 

[Jacks DC]

I also know that the tournament is just a snapshot and not necessarily indicative of an entire season, but I actually think Barley was right.  The BE is full of tough teams...play very hard...well coached...but outside of Kemba Walker, there isn't a single player that scares the sh*t out of defenses. 

Marshon Brooks scares the sh*t out of defenses and is the best player in the BE.

[sarcastro]

The worst part was Wilbon parroting Barkley with - "the Big East has great coaches but no great players."

And of course on the TNT coverage that was followed by Kenny Smith - "When I played in the ACC you knew everybody you went against would be playing in the NBA."

[shiloh26]

I understand that Merritts, but the fact that they lost five teams to lower seeded teams, and MU was the only lower seed team to advance, pretty much means that the BE was overated.  Yeah, they are still very good and very deep...just not as good as advertised.

I also know that the tournament is just a snapshot and not necessarily indicative of an entire season, but I actually think Barley was right.  The BE is full of tough teams...play very hard...well coached...but outside of Kemba Walker, there isn't a single player that scares the sh*t out of defenses. 

I think this is fair, its just crucial to note again that there is a difference between the conference disappointing in the tournament and the BEast being overrated.  It's impossible to argue that the BEast hasn't underachieved. At the same time, the knee-jerk reaction of, "The BEast is terrible" is equally inane.  You can't just say that they are overrated because they got a bunch of teams into the tournament,  unless you can name who those other teams would be.  The Big East tournament representatives went 121-17 in nonconference this year (.877 winning %).  I really don't know who you put in instead of us, Nova, and Georgetown.

Plus, two teams who finished tied for 9th are the ones still playing.  Doesn't that say something about the depth of the conference?  I'm not making excuses for the articles out there calling the 2011 BEast the greatest conference ever, but I think a lot of the criticism is based on very little.  Pressure was put on us by getting 11 teams in (in one of the weakest fields ever), and the BEast failed to live up to it.  That doesn't mean it still isn't/wasn't the strongest conference all season.  

[Pakuni]

Nothing to do with MU or the Big East, but a particularly enjoyable takedown of Wilbon's occasional insipidity.

http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/06/michael-wilbon-is-an-ass.html

[ChicosBailBonds]

Bilas captured it pretty well here on the Big East.  11 teams deserved to get in.  None were great, but they all earned their way in. 

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/27752/video-the-big-east-or-the-big-least

[Buchec18]

http://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaa-basketball/the-big-east-stinks-kornheiser-and-wilbon-weigh-continue-dumping-on-impotent-big-east/

Here is a link to it...

[Ron Paul]

Putting on the Around the Horn/PTI hour is a special hell for sports fans.

[MarquetteDano]

I am usually indifferent to Wilbon (don't hate him, don't love him) but something seems amiss in his logic here....

1. The proof that the Big East is overrated is because they have NOT done well in the tournament

2. Marquette does not belong in the tournament even though they have done well in the tournament



Would not do well on the LSAT with that one.

[shiloh26]

I am usually indifferent to Wilbon (don't hate him, don't love him) but something seems amiss in his logic here....

1. The proof that the Big East is overrated is because they have NOT done well in the tournament

2. Marquette does not belong in the tournament even though they have done well in the tournament



Would not do well on the LSAT with that one.

Haha, great stuff.  That is a logic train that derails pretty quickly... so MU doesn't deserve to be in the tourney because the BEast sucks, and the BEast sucks because it hasn't done well in the tourney.  It all comes back to the BEast sucks, which is not an argument.  I generally like Wilbon, and I'm not even a Chicago guy, but its just so frustrating to hear him rip on the Big East, say MU shouldn't have made it, and then offer no alternatives.  Harvard? Harvard is your alternate team, Mike?  There would have been a coup if Harvard made the tournament. The only other tournament team they beat all year was Princeton, the Ivy League auto bid.