Big East Tournament Preview: Predictions
Frank Vitovitch
Wednesday, March 8, 2000

New York, NY - What would a tournament be without people filling out brackets and making predictions on who was going to win?  That being said, here are my predictions for the games of the Big East Tournament that tips off 11 AM today.

First Round Games:
1. (8) West Virginia vs. (9) Georgetown
Both teams had similar records in conference play, but Georgetown had the better record overall.  On March 1, the Hoyas beat the Mountaineers 72-54.  On top of that, West Virginia comes in winning only 1 of their last 6 games and 2 of their last 9 games.   That being said my money is on Georgetown with the #9 seed beating the #8.

2. (4) Connecticut vs. (13) Boston College
The Huskies are coming off a huge win over Syracuse on Sunday while the Eagles themselves are coming off a pretty good win over a good Villanova team.  Will the Huskies have a let down to the #13 seed Eagles?  I highly doubt it.  The game may be closer than most people think however since the Syracuse game took a lot out of UConn.  A game against Boston College in the first round should help them refill their tanks which may be a little low at the moment. Winner - UConn.

3. (5) Seton Hall vs. (12) Providence
Seton Hall comes into the game winning only one of their last five games.  Providence also doesn't come in on a high note loosing their last two games.  None the less, I don't think Seton Hall is as good as people think and I am going to pick Providence in an upset.  The Friars lost to Seton Hall earlier in the year, but I still think they will pull off the upset here.

4. (7) Notre Dame vs. (10) Rutgers
Rutgers beat Notre Dame earlier in the year, but I don't see a repeat happening Wednesday in the Garden.  I am picking Notre Dame in a game that's close most of the way through the game with the Irish pulling away late.  Troy Murphy will have a good game making up for a sub par (for him) performance against the Scarlet Knights earlier in the season.

5. (6) Villanova vs. (11) Pittsburgh
'Nova lost to Boston College to end the regular season, but the Wildcats are one team I think can go farther than expected.  They are a young team with some senior leadership especially from Malik Allen.  I like the Wildcats in this one with a decent margin of points.

Quarterfinals
1. (9) Georgetown vs. (1) Syracuse
The Orangemen are coming off a loss at the hands of UConn and could come out a little flat.  They have too much talent however to lose in their first game.  Syracuse will win this game fairly big and build up some momentum to go into the semifinals

2. (4) Connecticut vs. (12) Providence
UConn will keep the momentum going that started with the win over Syracuse on Sunday and win this one easily.  They will put the Friars away by half-time and will be headed for a rematch with Syracuse in the semi's.

3. (7) Notre Dame vs. (2) Miami
Both times in the regular season that Notre Dame played Miami, the Irish could have won.   This time they will.  I don't see Matt Doherty letting his team lose to a team three times in one season.  This game will also be very important for Notre Dame, more so than Miami.  A win here could put the Irish in the tournament.  If they do win here at least we know Dicky V will be petitioning for ND.  ND wins this one in a close game.

4. (3) St. John's vs. (6) Villanova
In their regular season meeting, St. John's won by three.  I really like 'Nova's chances however.  The Wildcats are young, but if they play together and let Malik Allen do his thing down low, the Wildcats will win. Steve Lapas should have his team ready to go.  Villanova has a history of losing in tournaments before they should with talented teams.  This year however, I see them going farther with a young team.  

Semifinals
1. (1) Syracuse vs. (4) Connecticut
Connecticut should come into this game with a lot of momentum and may be the favorite, but I think Jason Hart and Eton Thomas atone for the Orangeman's less than solid performance on Sunday and come up with the win.  The extra day will also come into play here as UConn will be coming off games on back to back games while Syracuse will only have played one.

2. (7) Notre Dame vs. (6) Villanova
Not many people have this as there bottom half of the bracket, but I think both teams will make it this far.  This will be a game to watch as well.  The Wildcats beat Notre Dame pretty handily in Philly in early February, but the Irish will come to play and come away with another win. 

Finals
1. (1) Syracuse vs. (7) Notre Dame
An unprobable final? Possibly.  Syracuse will beat the Irish for the third time this season though.  Syracuse just barely beat the Irish in South Bend last Wednesday (and we all know the story behind it), but the crowd should be on the side of the Orangemen which will give them an addition edge.  If Notre Dame does indeed make it this far and they play like they did in the second half last week, this could be an interesting game.  None the less I am picking Syracuse as my Big East Tournament winner.

Some people may think me having Notre Dame in the final may be a little bias, and maybe it is, but I do not see any dominant team in the league that is leagues ahead of everyone else like UConn was last year.  Notre Dame has the ability to go deep into the tournament if they can open up the post for Murphy.    Let the games begin!