2008 Big East men's basketball tournament explained

Year:2008
Conference:Big East
Division:I
Gender:Men's
Teams:12
Arena:Madison Square Garden
City:New York City
Champions:Pittsburgh
Titlecount:2nd
Coach:Jamie Dixon
Coachcount:1st
Mvp:Sam Young
Mvpteam:Pittsburgh
Topscorer:Sam Young
Topscorerteam:Pittsburgh
Points:80

The 2008 Big East men's basketball tournament, a part of the 2007-08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 12–March 15, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Its winner received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA tournament. It is a single-elimination tournament with four rounds and the four highest seeds received byes in the first round. The 12 Big East teams with the best conference records were invited to participate. Georgetown, the Big East regular season winner, received the number one seed in the tournament.

The first round of the tournament saw no upsets, as each of the higher seeds won their games. However, the second round had three of the four lower seeds winning their games. In the semi-finals, number one seed, Georgetown, easily won, while the seventh seed, Pittsburgh, won in a close game. The two teams played each other for the tournament championship and Pittsburgh was victorious, winning the conference's automatic bid. After the tournament, eight of the teams that participated were invited to the NCAA Tournament. It was Pittsburgh's second Big East tournament championship.

Before the tournament

Before the beginning of the season the league's coaches voted Georgetown, the 2006-07 Big East regular season and tournament winner,[1] and Louisville to share the conference title.[2] Additionally, it was decided that each team's conference schedule would expand from 16 to 18 games so all of the teams would play each other.[3] Fifteen Big East teams reached the beginning of their conference schedules with winning records, with four teams having only one loss and three others with only two losses.[4] The out of conference schedule for the league included four teams playing in the inaugural Big East/SEC Invitational,[5] where they went 3–1,[6] [7] [8] [9] and two teams beating top–10 ranked teams.[10] [11] At the end of conference play, Georgetown, who was ranked tenth in the Coaches Poll, won the regular season title.[12] Six teams ended the season ranked,[13] while eight ended with over 20 wins.[14] The top–12 teams in the standings were invited to the tournament.

2007-08 Big East Conference Standings
Team Conference Record Overall
WLGBW L
  1. 9 Georgetown
153-275
  1. 14 Notre Dame
1441247
  1. 13 Louisville
1441248
  1. 15 Connecticut
1352248
  1. 24 Marquette
1174249
West Virginia11742410
Pittsburgh1085269
Villanova9962012
Syracuse9961913
Cincinnati81071318
Seton Hall71181715
Providence61291516
DePaul61291119
St. John's513101119
South Florida315121219
Rutgers315121120

Tournament

Seeding

The twelve teams that were invited to the tournament were seeded according to their records:

First round

Team1st2ndFinal
Villanovaalign=center 27align=center 55align=center 82
Syracusealign=center 28align=center 35align=center 63
Team1st2ndFinal
West Virginiaalign=center 28align=center 30align=center 58
Providencealign=center 28align=center 25align=center 53
Team1st2ndFinal
Marquettealign=center 34align=center 33align=center 67
Seton Hallalign=center 29align=center 25align=center 54
Team1st2ndFinal
Pittsburghalign=center 31align=center 39align=center 70
Cincinnatialign=center 25align=center 39align=center 64

The first round of the tournament was played on March 12 with each of the higher seeds winning. The day started with Villanova playing Syracuse, in what was called an elimination game for the NCAA Tournament. Although Syracuse held a one-point lead at half-time, Villanova took an early lead in the second half and never trailed again, winning 82–63.[26] In the second game of the day, Providence played West Virginia. The teams both struggled throughout the game with both having scoreless streaks, but West Virginia prevailed in the end to win 58–53.[27] In the third game of the day Cincinnati played Pittsburgh. Although the teams stayed close throughout, Pittsburgh won the game 70–64.[28] In the final game of the day Marquette played Seton Hall. Marquette won the game by holding Seton Hall scoreless through the last five minutes of the game to finish 67–54.[29]

Second round

Team1st2ndFinal
Georgetown404282
Villanova293463
Team1st2ndFinal
Connecticut363672
West Virginia423678
Team1st2ndOTFinal
Louisville3329769
Pittsburgh30321476
Team1st2ndFinal
Notre Dame384179
Marquette325789

The second round of the tournament was played on March 13, and three of the four lower seeds won their games. The first game of the day featured Villanova facing the number one seed, Georgetown. Despite top-scorer Roy Hibbert not scoring the entire game, Georgetown won the game, 82–63, tying a tournament record with 17 three-point field goals.[30] In the second game West Virginia played Connecticut. Although it was close for the majority of the game, West Virginia's six point half-time lead was enough to win the game, 78–72, the first upset of the tournament.[31] In the third game Pittsburgh faced Louisville, a team they had knocked out of the tournament the previous two years. Although Pittsburgh had the largest lead in regulation at eight points, the game was tied at the end of the second half and it continued to overtime. Pittsburgh finally pulled away in the overtime period, and won 76–69.[32] In the final game of the round, Marquette played Notre Dame. Notre Dame had a six-point lead at half-time even though conference Player of the Year, Luke Harangody, had only played for seven minutes. However, Marquette's Jerel McNeal, who had 21 points in the team's first win, scored 28 to lead Marquette to an 89–79 victory.[33]

Semi-finals

Team1st2ndFinal
Georgetown333972
West Virginia213455
Team1st2ndFinal
Marquette223961
Pittsburgh353368

The semi-finals began with top-seed Georgetown facing West Virginia. The game was close early, but five minutes before half-time, Georgetown went on a scoring run and led 33–21 at the half. West Virginia came back and brought their deficit to six points halfway through the second period, however Georgetown never relinquished their lead. Led by Hibbert's 25 points in his double-double, Georgetown won 72–55 to return to the championship game for the second consecutive year.[34] In the second game of the day, Marquette faced Pittsburgh. Early in the game Pittsburgh took a 12-point lead and kept a double-digit lead throughout the half. Marquette cut their deficit during the second period and had the score within three points with a minute remaining in the game. However, Pittsburgh kept their lead with free throw shooting and won the game 68–61, advancing to the championship game for the seventh time in eight years.[35]

Championship game

Team1st2ndFinal
Georgetown283765
Pittsburgh314374
Pittsburgh faced Georgetown in a repeat of the championship game of the 2007 tournament. Throughout the first half the lead changed hands six times, with Georgetown having the largest lead of six points. Pittsburgh, however, led at half-time by three. Although Georgetown would bring their deficit to two early in the second half, Pittsburgh never relinquished the lead after half-time. Pittsburgh's Sam Young led the team with a double-double to help secure their win, the school's second overall and first for coach Jamie Dixon.[36]

Awards

After the championship game Sam Young, who led Pittsburgh to the win and led the tournament in scoring with 80 points,[37] was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Young was joined by his teammate Levance Fields, Georgetown's Jessie Sapp and Roy Hibbert, West Virginia's Joe Alexander, and Marquette's Jerel McNeal to the All-Tournament Team.[38]

After the tournament

In addition to Pittsburgh's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, seven other conference teams were given at-large bids in the field, tying the conference record of eight teams in the tournament.[39] Georgetown got the highest seed of the conference with a 2 seed and Louisville got a 3 seed. Both Pittsburgh and Connecticut were given 4 seeds and Notre Dame got a 5 seed. Marquette was given a 6 seed and West Virginia got a 7 seed. Finally, Villanova was given a 12 seed and was the final at-large team invited to the tournament.[40] Although Syracuse was not invited to the NCAA Tournament, they were the only team from the conference invited to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament.[41]

Notes and References

  1. News: Hoyas claim their 1st Big East tourney title since 1989. https://web.archive.org/web/20070313185526/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=270690046. dead. March 13, 2007. March 10, 2007. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  2. News: Notre Dame Picked To Finish Ninth In The 2007-08 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Season. https://web.archive.org/web/20071027035116/http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102407aaa.html. dead. October 27, 2007. University of Notre Dame. October 24, 2007. 2008-03-09.
  3. News: McNamara, Kevin. Big East realizing bigger not better. May 25, 2007 . Providence Journal. 2008-03-09.
  4. News: Glockner, Andy. Georgetown, Marquette are likeliest contenders in Big East. January 2, 2008. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  5. News: First Ever BIG EAST/SEC Invitational Tips Off Dec. 5-6 on ESPN and ESPN2. https://web.archive.org/web/20110524210403/http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/040507aaq.html. dead. May 24, 2011. April 5, 2008. CBS Sports. 2008-03-09.
  6. News: Georgetown rides 14-1 second-half run past Alabama. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022084612/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273390333. dead. October 22, 2012. December 5, 2007. 2008-03-09.
  7. News: West Virginia 88, Auburn 59. https://web.archive.org/web/20071213075022/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273390002. dead. December 13, 2007. December 5, 2007. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  8. News: No. 21 Villanova uses reserve's burst, shot at end to overcome LSU. https://archive.today/20120714153520/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273400222. dead. July 14, 2012. December 6, 2007. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  9. News: Gamecocks withstand Friars' late charge at Big East/SEC Invitational. https://web.archive.org/web/20071211125548/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273402507. dead. December 11, 2007. December 5, 2007. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  10. News: Fields' 3-pointer helps Panthers remain unbeaten. https://web.archive.org/web/20071229193125/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273540150. dead. December 29, 2007. December 20, 2007. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  11. News: UConn Earns Key Road Win At No. 7/8 Indiana, 68-63 . January 26, 2008 . Big East Conference . 2008-03-09 .
  12. News: Summers' 3 gives Georgetown back-to-back Big East titles. March 8, 2008. ESPN. 2008-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20080311075918/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280680046. 11 March 2008 . dead.
  13. Web site: 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings (Mar. 3). ESPN. 2008-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20080311075918/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280680046. 11 March 2008 . dead.
  14. Web site: Big East Conference Standings 2007-2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20030216144851/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/confstandings?confID=4. dead. February 16, 2003. ESPN. 2008-03-09.
  15. News: Padgett scores 26 to push Louisville past Notre Dame . ESPN . February 28, 2008 . 2008-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080305015644/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280590097 . 5 March 2008 . dead .
  16. News: Ruoff lights up Marquette to hand Huggins first Big East win at WVU. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022090116/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280060277. dead. October 22, 2012. ESPN. January 6, 2008. 2008-03-10.
  17. News: Foul trouble dooms Syracuse in loss to No. 21 Villanova. https://archive.today/20120713221947/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280190183. dead. July 13, 2012. ESPN. January 19, 2008. 2008-03-10.
  18. News: Syracuse 87, Villanova 73. ESPN. February 2, 2008. 2008-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080207032151/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280330222. 7 February 2008 . dead.
  19. Web site: Big East Tie-Breaking Procedures 2007-2008 . Big East Conference . PDF . 2008-03-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204022736/http://www.bigeast.org/fls/19400/pdfs/mensbball/tiebreaker07.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=19400 . February 4, 2009 .
  20. News: Syracuse jumps to big lead, holds on to beat Georgetown. ESPN. February 16, 2008. 2008-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080219101239/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280470183&. 19 February 2008 . dead.
  21. News: Hibbert helps Georgetown hold off Syracuse in overtime. ESPN. January 21, 2008. 2008-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080128151316/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280210046. 28 January 2008 . dead.
  22. News: Wallace spares Hoyas by hitting two free throws with one-tenth of second left. ESPN. February 11, 2008. 2008-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080214194747/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280420046. 14 February 2008 . dead.
  23. News: Stokes, Reynolds lead Villanova past No. 13 UConn. ESPN. February 23, 2008. 2008-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080226112535/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280540222. 26 February 2008 . dead.
  24. News: Adrien's double-double helps UConn hold off Syracuse. ESPN. February 6, 2008. 2008-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080210165623/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280370183. 10 February 2008 . dead.
  25. News: Providence 79, DePaul 65. https://web.archive.org/web/20121022090304/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280362507. dead. October 22, 2012. ESPN. February 5, 2008. 2008-03-10.
  26. News: Orange done in by sloppy play, Villanova's 3-pointers. https://archive.today/20120716065936/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280720222. dead. July 16, 2012. ESPN. March 12, 2008. 2008-03-13.
  27. News: WVU holds Providence to two FGs over final 7 minutes. https://web.archive.org/web/20110519100703/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280720277. dead. May 19, 2011. ESPN. March 12, 2008. 2008-03-13.
  28. News: Young plays leading role as Pittsburgh fends off Cincinnati. https://web.archive.org/web/20110519100707/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280720221. dead. May 19, 2011. ESPN. March 12, 2008. 2008-03-13.
  29. News: Marquette holds Seton Hall scoreless in final minutes of win. https://archive.today/20120728153354/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280720269. dead. July 28, 2012. ESPN. March 12, 2008. 2008-03-13.
  30. News: Hoyas tie Big East tourney record with 17 3s, beat Nova. ESPN. March 13, 2008. 2008-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20080317171302/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280730046. 17 March 2008 . dead.
  31. News: Alexander's 34 points lift West Virginia past Connecticut. ESPN. March 13, 2008. 2008-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20080317164054/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280730041. 17 March 2008 . dead.
  32. News: Pitt knocks Louisville out of Big East tourney. ESPN. March 13, 2008. 2008-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20080319115522/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280730097. 19 March 2008 . dead.
  33. News: McNeal's career-high 28 carry Marquette to Big East semis . ESPN . March 13, 2008 . 2008-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080319104919/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280730087 . 19 March 2008 . dead .
  34. News: Hoyas reach another Big East final behind Hibbert's 25 points, 13 boards. ESPN. March 14, 2008. 2008-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20080319014847/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280740046. 19 March 2008 . dead.
  35. News: Young's 22 points pull Pitt into another Big East final. ESPN. March 14, 2008. 2008-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20080319011252/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280740269. 19 March 2008 . dead.
  36. News: Pitt wins second title after eight championship game appearances. ESPN. March 15, 2008. 2008-03-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20080320203943/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280750046. 20 March 2008 . dead.
  37. News: Postgame Notes: Pittsburgh vs. Georgetown . Big East Conference . March 15, 2008 . 2008-03-16 .
  38. News: Big East surprise: Pitt shocks No. 9 Hoyas. MSNBC. March 16, 2008. 2008-03-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20080318232056/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23653892/. 18 March 2008. dead.
  39. News: Evans, Thayer. Big East Stands Tallest With 8 Bids. The New York Times. March 17, 2008. 2008-03-17.
  40. News: Juliano, Joe. Villanova sneaks in, gets Clemson. The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 17, 2008. 2008-03-17.
  41. News: Ohio State, VA Tech, Syracuse, Arizona State among NIT field . The Sports Network . March 16, 2008 . 2008-03-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110525193043/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask%2Fnews%2Fnews.aspx%3Fid%3D4138908 . May 25, 2011 .

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