What they’re saying about the grinding 18-conference-game schedule of Big East basketball these days, a mini compilation of declaratives. Enjoy the time between games. That’s the only break you’re going to get until this thing is settled.
Mike DeCoursey, The Sporting News:
“The Big East championship race is like a Bruce Springsteen tour. It rolls into your town, offers everyone a few hours of exhausting exhilaration and then moves on to light the lights of someone else’s city.
“The only difference is Springsteen hits the road every few years to share his music with his public, whereas it is quite possible college basketball never has seen a conference battle like this.”
Journal-Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.:
“Are you an East Coast college basketball snob? According to the rest of the country, all of us who live in these parts are, especially when it comes to the national rankings. There has been so much hype over the power of the Big East this season — perhaps only matched by the counter rhetoric coming out of the ACC — that the rest of the leagues in the country largely feel ignored.”
“Rick Pitino: If you were in Conference USA, the Big West or another conference, 18 games would be fine. I’m sure Memphis enjoys that and I’m sure in certain other conferences they’d enjoy it, but in the Big East, 18 games is overpowering.
“I think every coach would agree with Jim [Calhoun], but what we think doesn’t matter. They (the Big East) signed a contract because of money to play 18 games with ESPN. It’s all money-driven, so even though I agree and everybody else agrees, it doesn’t matter — we’re playing 18 games.â€