2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament

Infobox NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament
Year=2008
Conference=Big East
Gender=Men's


ImageSize=
Caption=
Teams=12
Arena=Madison Square Garden
City=New York City
Champions=Pittsburgh
TitleCount=2nd
Coach=Jamie Dixon
CoachCount=1st
MVP=Sam Young
MVPTeam=Pittsburgh
Attendance=
OneTopScorer=*
TopScorer=Sam Young
TopScorerTeam=Pittsburgh
Points=80The 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.

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, [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=270690046|title=Hoyas claim their 1st Big East tourney title since 1989|date=March 10, 2007|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] and Louisville to share the conference title. [cite news|url=http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102407aaa.html|title=Notre Dame Picked To Finish Ninth In The 2007-08 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Season|publisher=University of Notre Dame|date=October 24, 2007|accessdate=2008-03-09] 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. [cite news|author=McNamara, Kevin|url=http://www.projo.com/college/content/sp_bkc_km25_05-25-07_4Q5OUOF.35ef9bd.html|title=Big East realizing bigger not better|date=May 25, 2007|publisher=Providence Journal|accessdate=2008-03-09] 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. [cite news|author=Glockner, Andy|url=http://www.projo.com/college/content/sp_bkc_km25_05-25-07_4Q5OUOF.35ef9bd.html|title=Georgetown, Marquette are likeliest contenders in Big East|date=January 2, 2008|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] The out of conference schedule for the league included four teams playing in the inaugural "Big East/SEC Invitational", [cite news|url=http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/040507aaq.html|title=First Ever BIG EAST/SEC Invitational Tips Off Dec. 5-6 on ESPN and ESPN2|date=April 5, 2008|publisher=CBS Sports|accessdate=2008-03-09] where they went 3–1, [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273390333|title=Georgetown rides 14-1 second-half run past Alabama|date=December 5, 2007|accessdate=2008-03-09] [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273390002|title=West Virginia 88, Auburn 59|date=December 5, 2007|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273400222|title=No. 21 Villanova uses reserve's burst, shot at end to overcome LSU|date=December 6, 2007|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273402507|title=Gamecocks withstand Friars' late charge at Big East/SEC Invitational|date=December 5, 2007|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] and two teams beating top–10 ranked teams. [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273540150|title=Fields' 3-pointer helps Panthers remain unbeaten|date=December 20, 2007|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] [cite news|url=http://www.bigeast.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92555&SPID=11228&DB_OEM_ID=19400&ATCLID=1375730|title=UConn Earns Key Road Win At No. 7/8 Indiana, 68-63|date=January 26, 2008|publisher=Big East Conference|accessdate=2008-03-09] At the end of conference play, Georgetown, who was ranked tenth in the Coaches Poll, won the regular season title. [cite news|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280680046|title=Summers' 3 gives Georgetown back-to-back Big East titles|date=March 8, 2008|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] Six teams ended the season ranked, [cite web|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280680046|title=2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings (Mar. 3)|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] while eight ended with over 20 wins.cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/confstandings?confID=4|title=Big East Conference Standings 2007-2008|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-03-09] The top–12 teams in the standings were invited to the tournament.

{| class="wikitable"
- colspan="10"!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Team!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|1st!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|2nd!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|OT!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Final
- align="center"
Louisville
33
29
7
69
- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
Pittsburgh
30
32
14
76

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. [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280740046|title=Hoyas reach another Big East final behind Hibbert's 25 points, 13 boards|publisher=ESPN|date=March 14, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-15] 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. [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280740269|title=Young's 22 points pull Pitt into another Big East final|publisher=ESPN|date=March 14, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-15]

Championship game

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. [cite news|url=http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280750046|title=Pitt wins second title after eight championship game appearances|publisher=ESPN|date=March 15, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-16]

Awards

After the championship game Sam Young, who led Pittsburgh to the win and led the tournament in scoring with 80 points, [cite news|url=http://www.bigeast.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92555&SPID=11228&DB_OEM_ID=19400&ATCLID=1413167|title=Postgame Notes: Pittsburgh vs. Georgetown|publisher=Big East Conference|date=March 15, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-16] 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. [cite news|url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23653892/|title=Big East surprise: Pitt shocks No. 9 Hoyas|publisher=MSNBC|date=March 16, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-17]

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. [cite news|author=Evans, Thayer|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/17notebook.html?ex=1363406400&en=111aef3673daabf0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss|title=Big East Stands Tallest With 8 Bids|publisher=The New York Times|date=March 17, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-17] 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. [cite news|author=Juliano, Joe|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20080316_Villanova_sneaks_in__gets_Clemson.html|title=Villanova sneaks in, gets Clemson|publisher=Philadelphia Inquirer|date=March 17, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-17] Although Syracuse was not invited to the NCAA Tournament, they were the only team from the conference invited to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament. [cite news|url=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask/news/news.aspx?id=4138908|title=Ohio State, VA Tech, Syracuse, Arizona State among NIT field|publisher=The Sports Network|date=March 16, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-17]

References

External links

* [http://www.bigeast.org/ Big East website]
* [http://www.bigeast.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19400&ATCLID=1394567&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=19400&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT= 2008 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament website]