I'd Be Right, If I Weren't So Wrong

I owe a big heaping apologies to the Big 10. "Not their year?" Shows you how much I know.

Just phenomenal games this past weekend. I actually was watching the Illinois game periodically at a restaurant (with the others at the party wondering why I was using the restroom so often) and gave up on the Illini.

Some thoughts:

1. There is a clean slate come Tourney time. Who cares about MSU's regular season? Who cares about Kansas'? It is about putting it together for six games.

2. Coaches and players. Jim Calhoun, Coach K, Tubby Smith can only take the team so far. I was watching UConn-Stanford last night and there was a remark Geno Auriemma made about the regionals, how they were the toughest on him. I will go further, the regionals are about the kids, they show up or not. In the Final Four, the coaches can influence the game more. (Of course, Izzo, Pitino and Williams are three of the best.)

3. Parity, parity, parity. The difference between number 1 and number 32 is just not as big as it once was. Early exits, more TV time for smaller programs, all add up to more exciting games.

***

One last thing: good to see Rick Pitino back at center stage. The Big East should be frightfully good next year.