Simply the best.
On Thursday evening, Jim Boeheim and his clan of orange-clad hardwood heroes will embark on Syracuse University's 28th jaunt through the Big East Conference. While the league's constituents have changed over the years, no other conference in the country can match the pure passion and allure exhibited by the Big East.
In short, the Big East is college basketball; it is unquestionably the alpha and omega of intercollegiate hoops.
And it is this simple fact that makes Big East Conference play the all-encompassing passion that it is.
This is a league filled with little teams with dreams and big markets with droves and droves of fans spanning coast-to-coast.
It's Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin and Ray Allen. It's Pearl Washington, Alonzo Mourning, Erik Murdock, Mark Jackson, Ed Pickney, and Charles Smith.
It's Lou Carnesecca's sweater and the detestable John Thompson's towel. It's Jim Boeheim's scowl and Jim Calhoun's howl.
It's "Send it in, Jerome!" and Sherman Douglas-to-Stevie Thompson alley-oops. It's Big Monday, "Hoya Destroya!" and Jay Wright looking like he just got made.
It's Gampel and "The Pete." It's the Carrier Dome and MSG.
It's the only league to have every single post-season tournament game nationally televised.
It's the only league to put three teams in the Final Four.
It is, without a doubt, the finest composition of basketball beauty ever created. And it all begins again for Syracuse University on Thursday evening.
In short, the Big East is college basketball; it is unquestionably the alpha and omega of intercollegiate hoops.
And it is this simple fact that makes Big East Conference play the all-encompassing passion that it is.
This is a league filled with little teams with dreams and big markets with droves and droves of fans spanning coast-to-coast.
It's Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin and Ray Allen. It's Pearl Washington, Alonzo Mourning, Erik Murdock, Mark Jackson, Ed Pickney, and Charles Smith.
It's Lou Carnesecca's sweater and the detestable John Thompson's towel. It's Jim Boeheim's scowl and Jim Calhoun's howl.
It's "Send it in, Jerome!" and Sherman Douglas-to-Stevie Thompson alley-oops. It's Big Monday, "Hoya Destroya!" and Jay Wright looking like he just got made.
It's Gampel and "The Pete." It's the Carrier Dome and MSG.
It's the only league to have every single post-season tournament game nationally televised.
It's the only league to put three teams in the Final Four.
It is, without a doubt, the finest composition of basketball beauty ever created. And it all begins again for Syracuse University on Thursday evening.
Sweet Sassy Molassy I'm getting tingly just thinking about that Big East schedule and Tourney.