Of the 12 seeds in the Big East tournament starting Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York, there are should-bes and wannabes. But conference coaches won’t call it much of an upset if a lower-seeded team runs the table with four straight victories.
“Anybody can make a run,” Providence coach Tim Welsh said.
And long memories aren’t necessary to support the argument.
“New York is a crapshoot,” said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, whose Orange won the title as the No. 9 seed last season. “We proved that last year. I wouldn’t put it past anybody.”
Fourth-seeded Notre Dame has a first-round bye. No. 6 Marquette meets No. 11 St. John’s and No. 8 DePaul meets No. 9 Villanova on Wednesday.
The Blue Demons didn’t qualify for the 2006 tournament, so players will get their first taste of the Big East playoffs in the school’s second season as a league member.
“It feels a lot better than last year,” guard Draelon Burns said.
Forward Karron Clarke, one of three New Yorkers who are expecting family in the stands–the others are guards Sammy Mejia and Cliff Clinkscales–said the Blue Demons are capable of making some noise.
“We’re not going for one game,” Clarke said.
Coach Jerry Wainwright said free-throw accuracy is critical, and sharper shooting necessary for the defensively solid Blue Demons to advance.
“We have to catch a little bit of fire offensively,” he said. “We’ve been very erratic shooting the ball.”
A look at all 12 seeds:
1. Georgetown (23-6, 13-3). The No. 9-ranked Hoyas possess a formidable front line anchored by first-team All-Big East performers Roy Hibbert, a 7-foot-2-inch center, and Jeff Green, a 6-9 forward. “You always get chills walking into the Garden,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said of the conference tournament’s 25th year in the building.
2. Louisville (22-8, 12-4). Overcoming early injuries, the Cardinals won 10 of their last 12 games. “We’re peaking at the right time,” coach Rick Pitino said.
3. Pittsburgh (25-6, 12-4). Center Aaron Gray, who is 7 feet tall, averages 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds a game and has a soft touch in the paint. No one really has been able to stop him this season.
4. Notre Dame (23-6, 11-5). The Irish join the Hoyas as the only teams placing two players on the All-Big East first team: 6-4 Russell Carter and 6-5 three-point shooter Colin Falls. “They really drove this train,” coach Mike Brey said. Notre Dame has won five in a row.
5. Syracuse (21-9, 10-6). Boeheim said he doesn’t think the Orange must win any more games to get an NCAA tournament bid. “I think we’re going to get more than five teams in, don’t you?”
6. Marquette (23-8, 10-6). The Golden Eagles pulled off a big victory over Pitt in their last game, but coach Tom Crean said second-team all-league guard Jerel McNeal might miss the tournament with a thumb injury. Guard Dominic James (14.9 points, 4.9 assists), a first-team selection, is the heart of the team. “He has continued to get better throughout the year,” Crean said.
7. West Virginia (21-8, 9-7). A good rebuilding job was done by the Mountaineers, who backed up star forward Frank Young (13.7 ppg) with an ensemble cast.
8. DePaul (18-12, 9-7). Wainwright said the Blue Demons may need two victories to get an NCAA bid. “You have a tremendous opportunity to make the NCAAs as an at-large team,” Wainwright told his players. “You have the opportunity to catch everybody’s eyes if you’re successful.”
9. Villanova (21-9, 9-7). The Wildcats missed 6-7 injured forward Curtis Sumpter badly last season, but his 17.0 ppg made him the cornerstone of the team this season.
10. Providence (18-11, 8-8). The Friars don’t have much depth, but 6-10 senior Herbert Hill (18 points, 8.6 rebounds per game) is a go-to man.
11. St. John’s (16-14, 7-9). After failing to qualify for the tournament last year, coach Norm Roberts said, “It means a lot to our program and our kids” to be back.
12. Connecticut (17-13, 6-6). Perennial power UConn sent six players to the pros last season and hasn’t recovered. For coach Jim Calhoun, the tournament is a chance “to salvage some of the season.”
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lfreedman@tribune.com
