Tourney Time!

As the NCAA Men's basketball tournament looms ahead in the coming days. Another type of tournament is upon us, conference tournaments. While they do get some hype, I have always enjoyed watching them and will be constantly checking in on the Big East tourney tomorrow. What you have to like about conference tourneys is that it is a chance for redemption for the teams that have slept walk through their regular season. 

I can remember off hand two instances in the past few years alone, both occurring in the Big East tourney. Three years ago, WVU had to have a good run in New York to get into the tourney. They ended up getting all the way to the final. After that run assured them a spot in the tourney, they made their performance stand up by upsetting Wake Forest, actually the Chris Paul led Wake team, in the second round. From what I remember they came pretty close to making the Final Four that year. Another testament to the greatness of the conference tourneys needs only one name: Jerry McNamara. One could not forget the Herculean performance he put up two years ago in the tourney when his team would have not even made the NCAA tourney with out atleast an appearance in the Big East tourney final. Needless to say, McNamara single handily carried the Orange to the title and won MVP honors. In Sports Illustrated that same week, he had been named the most over-rated player in the Big East. I'll never forget him holding up a shirt after claiming MVP honors stating, "OVER-RATED?." thus giving them the proverbial middle finger. 

I can wait 'til selection Sunday and the Big Dance to eventually come b/c I enjoy watching the conference tourneys b/c I like seeing the underachievers in each conference play their guts to get the chance to attend the dance...