Nice effort by Nova tonight

[ChicosBailBonds]

Well done.

[warriorchick]

I was wondering why no one was posting about this.

[Oldgym]

Enjoyed that. Nice to take down an ACC team.

[Dawson Rental]

Nova is rolling so far!  Peaking at the perfect time.

Shooting craps with the hot hand, so to speak.

[Norm]

Yep, they just throttled Miami. Outside shooting was insane.

[MuMark]

Their ball movement is just a thing  of beauty. Very few turnovers....strong with the ball and almost always make the right play.

Shooting the lights out helps too.

Not sure anyone can sustain this level of play for 3 more games though.

[tower912]

Their last two games have been as good as they have played all year.   Always under control.   Praising them probably equals jinxing them, though. 

[MarquetteDano]

Just what the doctor ordered after the league's average start. Really need them in the Final Four to solidify cred for conference.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Meanwhile TAMU is returning their gift of the ages and not taking advantage of the ultimate leg pissing of the century.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Looked like us against Miami 3 years ago.

[sailwi]

Looked like us against Miami 3 years ago.

Agreed, will Miami coach use illness as an excuse again? Don't care for the guy seems to be a real whiner.

[avalanche]

Larranga blamed the bus driver getting lost on way to Verizon Center for his loss to MU 3 years ago

[MuMark]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-hurricanes/hurricanes-blog/sfl-shane-larkin-got-sick-night-before-sweet-16-loss-to-marquette-20130328-story.html

[bobnoxious]

Dont remember how it was worded but buzz had some good cuts on those excuses in one of his pressers afterwards

[forgetful]

Nova just put on a clinic.  Don't know if I remember a team playing so well ever.  Completely dominating.  Scary good.

[keefe]

Nova just put on a clinic.  Don't know if I remember a team playing so well ever.  Completely dominating.  Scary good.

[GooooMarquette]

Beat me to it....

[keefe]

Beat me to it....

Great minds, Doc!

[BM1090]

So if Wisconsin beating Xavier means they would finish at the top of the BE, does Nova railroading Miami mean they would run through the ACC?

[Herman Cain]

Just what the doctor ordered after the league's average start. Really need them in the Final Four to solidify cred for conference.

They have averaged 5 teams a year , half the conference, in the NCAA tournament. The out of conference record has been consistently strong. So we have no credibility problem.

I agree the league has not had great NCAA performance the first two years and this year has been solid but not great so far until tonight. So yes Villanova getting into the final four would be helpful for the conference, however an elite 8 is at the very least validating the ranking they have had most of the year.

I also believe tonight's great shooting was a bit of an offset to the early season loss Villanova had against Oklahoma when they shot 4-32 from 3 Point range. Couldn't have been better timing.

Lets hope they keep up the momentum the next game.

In a way this should give our MU guys some encouragement. We held tough against Villanova for stretches when we played them, so in essence we can see clearly where we need to be to reach a more elite level.

[CountryRoads]

So if Wisconsin beating Xavier means they would finish at the top of the BE, does Nova railroading Miami mean they would run through the ACC?

No. Villanova beating Miami just means the NCAA tournament is a crapshoot. However, Wisconsin beating Xavier basically means the big east is a mid major.

[wadesworld]

No. Villanova beating Miami just means the NCAA tournament is a crapshoot. However, Wisconsin beating Xavier basically means the big east is a mid major.

Then what do the 7th and 8th place Big East teams having beaten the UW@Madison on the road and neutral site, respectively, mean?

How about the 5th place Big East team beating the 3rd place Big 10 team?

[naginiF]

Then what do the 7th and 8th place Big East teams having beaten the UW@Madison on the road and neutral site, respectively, mean?

How about the 5th place Big East team beating the 3rd place Big 10 team?

It proves that during the long grind of a season on any given night the superior team can be beaten.

If 'Nova doesn't beat the overall #1 team in the tournament it'll be a massive blow to the perception of the conference.

[GoldenWarrior11]

March is just a spin of the roulette wheel.  It cannot accurately reflect the strength or accomplishments of a conference.  Middle Tennessee State would lose to Michigan State 99 times out of 100 - but there's a reason it's called March Madness.  Now, that doesn't take away the success of teams like MTS, but it shouldn't knock a team (or a conference) for not winning either (like Xavier/MSU/etc.).

Xavier losing to Wisconsin was really the only upset the conference had in the tournament.  Seton Hall, while a 6 seed, was getting even looks against Gonzaga when the matchups were announced.  Providence (UNC) and Butler (Virginia) both lost to #1 seeds.  Xavier got upset on a last second fade away corner three.... 

The Big East, thus far, has six tournament wins this year (three by Nova).  That's pretty impressive from a 10-team conference that doesn't sponsor football.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Seton Hall, while a 6 seed, was getting even looks against Gonzaga when the matchups were announced.

Not only that, but they got placed in a high altitude stadium playing against a school from a high altitude. Whitehead was sucking oxygen on the bench. Wish I had noticed that before I picked Hall to the Sweet 16