The Big East launched a prolonged assertion Monday, saying partly that the convention was “understandably very upset” that a few of its males’s basketball groups weren’t chosen to take part in Sunday’s choice event. mentioned intimately.
Only three Big East groups (UConn, Marquette and Creighton) have earned March Madness bids, and different groups within the convention comparable to St. John’s, Seton Hall and Providence have been broadly snubbed.
“We are extraordinarily proud that UW earned the No. 1 general seed on this yr’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after a fantastic season that included each the Big East common season and event titles,” the convention mentioned in an announcement. Ta. “With No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 3 Creighton, the Big East has three of the highest 10 seeds general within the event, which is identical quantity as every other league. , we consider they’re professional contenders for a Final Four berth and Big East nationwide championship on April 8.”
The convention known as this yr’s Big East event its most profitable staging of the occasion, noting “5 sellouts” and a “repeatedly enthusiastic crowd” at Madison Square Garden. did. The Big East and MSG introduced Friday a four-year extension that can preserve the event operating by means of 2032, the fiftieth anniversary of the event being hosted on the similar venue.
“We have large respect for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee and the effort and time they put into deciding on and seeding groups for the NCAA Tournament,” the assertion mentioned. “This is a really difficult activity, and we now have obtained studies that this yr’s upsets have added to the complexity and influenced the committee’s last slot choice.
“Given the excessive stage of play in our league, it’s understandably very disappointing that a few of the Big East’s worthy groups weren’t chosen to take part. We will proceed to work carefully with colleges over the approaching months to make sure they’re optimally positioned to proceed competing in March Madness in a fashion befitting their standing as top-of-the-line conferences in school basketball.”
St. John’s entered Sunday within the bubble after shedding by 5 factors to UW within the Big East event semifinals on Friday. The Red Storm (20-13 general, 11-9 Big East) had been ranked thirty second within the NET, second solely to No. 28 Indiana State amongst groups that missed the event.
St. John’s wasn’t one of many first 4 groups to overlook the event, regardless of successful six straight earlier than shedding to UConn. They had been Oklahoma State (NET rank: forty sixth), Seton Hall (67th), Indiana State, and Pittsburgh (fortieth). Pitino mentioned in an announcement Sunday that St. John’s University is declining its NIT bid.
Seton Hall went 20-12 general and 13-7 in convention play, whereas Providence went 21-13 and 10-10 in Big East play.
UW, ranked No. 1 within the East, will face No. 16 Stetson on Friday. Marquette (No. 2 within the South Region) will play No. 15 Western Kentucky on Friday, and Creighton (No. 3 within the Midwest Region) will play No. 14 Akron on Thursday.
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(Photo: Brad Penner/USA Today)