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2008 Big East men's basketball tournament

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The 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.

2008 Big East men's basketball tournament
2008 Tournament logo
ClassificationDivision I
Season2007–08
Teams12
SiteMadison Square Garden
New York City
ChampionsPittsburgh (2nd title)
Winning coachJamie Dixon (1st title)
MVPSam Young (Pittsburgh)
Top scorerSam Young (Pittsburgh)
(80 points)
← 2007
2009 →
2007–08 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Georgetown 15 – 3   .833 28 – 6   .824
No. 13 Louisville 14 – 4   .778 27 – 9   .750
No. 15 Notre Dame 14 – 4   .778 25 – 8   .758
No. 16 Connecticut 13 – 5   .722 24 – 9   .727
West Virginia 11 – 7   .611 26 – 11   .703
No. 25 Marquette 11 – 7   .611 25 – 10   .714
No. 17 Pittsburgh† 10 – 8   .556 27 – 10   .730
Villanova 9 – 9   .500 22 – 13   .629
Syracuse 9 – 9   .500 21 – 14   .600
Cincinnati 8 – 10   .444 13 – 19   .406
Seton Hall 7 – 11   .389 17 – 15   .531
Providence 6 – 12   .333 15 – 16   .484
*DePaul 6 – 12   .333 11 – 19   .367
*St. John's 5 – 13   .278 11 – 19   .367
*South Florida 3 – 15   .167 12 – 19   .387
*Rutgers 3 – 15   .167 11 – 20   .355
† 2008 Big East tournament winner
As of April 7, 2008[1]
Rankings from AP Poll
*Did not qualify for 2008 Big East 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. It was Pittsburgh's second Big East tournament championship.

Before the tournament

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Before the beginning of the season the league's coaches voted Georgetown, the 2006-07 Big East regular season and tournament winner,[2] and Louisville to share the conference title.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] The out of conference schedule for the league included four teams playing in the inaugural Big East/SEC Invitational,[6] where they went 3–1,[7][8][9][10] and two teams beating top–10 ranked teams.[11][12] At the end of conference play, Georgetown, who was ranked tenth in the Coaches Poll, won the regular season title.[13] Six teams ended the season ranked,[14] while eight ended with over 20 wins.[15] The top–12 teams in the standings were invited to the tournament.

2007-08 Big East Conference Standings[15]
Team Conference Record Overall
W L GB W L
#9 Georgetown 15 3 - 27 5
#14 Notre Dame 14 4 1 24 7
#13 Louisville 14 4 1 24 8
#15 Connecticut 13 5 2 24 8
#24 Marquette 11 7 4 24 9
West Virginia 11 7 4 24 10
Pittsburgh 10 8 5 26 9
Villanova 9 9 6 20 12
Syracuse 9 9 6 19 13
Cincinnati 8 10 7 13 18
Seton Hall 7 11 8 17 15
Providence 6 12 9 15 16
DePaul 6 12 9 11 19
St. John's 5 13 10 11 19
South Florida 3 15 12 12 19
Rutgers 3 15 12 11 20

Tournament

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Seeding

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The twelve teams that were invited to the tournament were seeded according to their records:

  • Georgetown's first-place finish in the regular season entitled the team to the top seed.
  • Louisville and Notre Dame finished the season tied in second, a game behind Georgetown, but Louisville's win over Notre Dame on February 28 gave it the advantage and the second seed and Notre Dame the third seed.[16]
  • Connecticut, two games behind Georgetown, got the fourth seed, and the final first-round bye.
  • West Virginia and Marquette both finished four games behind Georgetown in fifth place, but West Virginia's win over Marquette on January 6 granted it the fifth seed and left Marquette with the sixth.[17]
  • Pittsburgh finished five games behind Georgetown and was awarded the seventh seed.
  • Villanova and Syracuse both finished six games behind Georgetown and split their games against one another in the regular season.[18][19] After head-to-head results, the tie-breaking rules of the conference next were based on wins over top conference opponents,[20] and, although Syracuse beat Georgetown on February 16,[21] both teams also lost to Georgetown,[22][23] so Syracuse did not have an advantage over Villanova in games against Georgetown. Tie-breaking then moved to the two teams' results against Connecticut. Villanova's win over Connecticut,[24] coupled with Syracuse's loss,[25] gave Villanova the advantage and the eighth seed and Syracuse the ninth seed.
  • Cincinnati, at seven games behind Georgetown, received the tenth seed.
  • Seton Hall, at eight games behind Georgetown, received the eleventh seed.
  • Providence and DePaul finished nine games behind Georgetown, but Providence's win on February 5,[26] gave the team the twelfth seed, the final position in the tournament.
  • The teams finishing below twelfth place after taking the twelfth-seed tiebreaker into account (DePaul, St. John's, South Florida, and Rutgers) did not qualify for the tournament.

Bracket

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First round
March 12, 2008 		Quarterfinals
March 13, 2008 		Semifinals
March 14, 2008 		Championship Game
March 15, 2008
            
1 #9 Georgetown 82
8 Villanova 63
8 Villanova 82
9 Syracuse 63
1 #9 Georgetown 72
5 West Virginia 55
4 #15 Connecticut 72
5 West Virginia 78
5 West Virginia 58
12 Providence 53
1 #9 Georgetown 65
7 Pittsburgh 74
3 #14 Notre Dame 79
6 #25 Marquette 89
6 #25 Marquette 67
11 Seton Hall 54
6 #25 Marquette 61
7 Pittsburgh 68
2 #13 Louisville 69
7 Pittsburgh 76OT
7 Pittsburgh 70
10 Cincinnati 64

First round

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The first round of the tournament was played on March 12 with each of the higher seeds winning. The day started with Villanova playing Syracuse, in what was called an elimination game for the NCAA Tournament. Although Syracuse held a one-point lead at half-time, Villanova took an early lead in the second half and never trailed again, winning 82–63.[27] In the second game of the day, Providence played West Virginia. The teams both struggled throughout the game with both having scoreless streaks, but West Virginia prevailed in the end to win 58–53.[28] In the third game of the day Cincinnati played Pittsburgh. Although the teams stayed close throughout, Pittsburgh won the game 70–64.[29] In the final game of the day Marquette played Seton Hall. Marquette won the game by holding Seton Hall scoreless through the last five minutes of the game to finish 67–54.[30]

Second round

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The second round of the tournament was played on March 13, and three of the four lower seeds won their games. The first game of the day featured Villanova facing the number one seed, Georgetown. Despite top-scorer Roy Hibbert not scoring the entire game, Georgetown won the game, 82–63, tying a tournament record with 17 three-point field goals.[31] In the second game West Virginia played Connecticut. Although it was close for the majority of the game, West Virginia's six point half-time lead was enough to win the game, 78–72, the first upset of the tournament.[32] In the third game Pittsburgh faced Louisville, a team they had knocked out of the tournament the previous two years. Although Pittsburgh had the largest lead in regulation at eight points, the game was tied at the end of the second half and it continued to overtime. Pittsburgh finally pulled away in the overtime period, and won 76–69.[33] In the final game of the round, Marquette played Notre Dame. Notre Dame had a six-point lead at half-time even though conference Player of the Year, Luke Harangody, had only played for seven minutes. However, Marquette's Jerel McNeal, who had 21 points in the team's first win, scored 28 to lead Marquette to an 89–79 victory.[34]

Semi-finals

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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.[35] 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.[36]

Championship game

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The 2008 Big East tournament trophy on display at the University of Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center
Team 1st 2nd Final
Georgetown 28 37 65
Pittsburgh 31 43 74

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.[37]

Awards

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After the championship game Sam Young, who led Pittsburgh to the win and led the tournament in scoring with 80 points,[38] 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.[39]

After the tournament

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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.[40] 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.[41] Although Syracuse was not invited to the NCAA Tournament, they were the only team from the conference invited to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "2007-08 Big East Conference Season Summary: Standings" sports-reference.com. Retrieved 12-13-2013.
  2. ^ "Hoyas claim their 1st Big East tourney title since 1989". ESPN. March 10, 2007. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  3. ^ "Notre Dame Picked To Finish Ninth In The 2007-08 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Season". University of Notre Dame. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  4. ^ McNamara, Kevin (May 25, 2007). "Big East realizing bigger not better". Providence Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  5. ^ Glockner, Andy (January 2, 2008). "Georgetown, Marquette are likeliest contenders in Big East". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  6. ^ "First Ever BIG EAST/SEC Invitational Tips Off Dec. 5-6 on ESPN and ESPN2". CBS Sports. April 5, 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  7. ^ "Georgetown rides 14-1 second-half run past Alabama". December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  8. ^ "West Virginia 88, Auburn 59". ESPN. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  9. ^ "No. 21 Villanova uses reserve's burst, shot at end to overcome LSU". ESPN. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  10. ^ "Gamecocks withstand Friars' late charge at Big East/SEC Invitational". ESPN. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  11. ^ "Fields' 3-pointer helps Panthers remain unbeaten". ESPN. December 20, 2007. Archived from the original on December 29, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  12. ^ "UConn Earns Key Road Win At No. 7/8 Indiana, 68-63". Big East Conference. January 26, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008.[dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Summers' 3 gives Georgetown back-to-back Big East titles". ESPN. March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  14. ^ "2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings (Mar. 3)". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  15. ^ a b "Big East Conference Standings 2007-2008". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2003. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  16. ^ "Padgett scores 26 to push Louisville past Notre Dame". ESPN. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  17. ^ "Ruoff lights up Marquette to hand Huggins first Big East win at WVU". ESPN. January 6, 2008. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  18. ^ "Foul trouble dooms Syracuse in loss to No. 21 Villanova". ESPN. January 19, 2008. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  19. ^ "Syracuse 87, Villanova 73". ESPN. February 2, 2008. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  20. ^ "Big East Tie-Breaking Procedures 2007-2008" (PDF). Big East Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  21. ^ "Syracuse jumps to big lead, holds on to beat Georgetown". ESPN. February 16, 2008. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  22. ^ "Hibbert helps Georgetown hold off Syracuse in overtime". ESPN. January 21, 2008. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  23. ^ "Wallace spares Hoyas by hitting two free throws with one-tenth of second left". ESPN. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  24. ^ "Stokes, Reynolds lead Villanova past No. 13 UConn". ESPN. February 23, 2008. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  25. ^ "Adrien's double-double helps UConn hold off Syracuse". ESPN. February 6, 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  26. ^ "Providence 79, DePaul 65". ESPN. February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  27. ^ "Orange done in by sloppy play, Villanova's 3-pointers". ESPN. March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  28. ^ "WVU holds Providence to two FGs over final 7 minutes". ESPN. March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  29. ^ "Young plays leading role as Pittsburgh fends off Cincinnati". ESPN. March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  30. ^ "Marquette holds Seton Hall scoreless in final minutes of win". ESPN. March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  31. ^ "Hoyas tie Big East tourney record with 17 3s, beat Nova". ESPN. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
  32. ^ "Alexander's 34 points lift West Virginia past Connecticut". ESPN. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
  33. ^ "Pitt knocks Louisville out of Big East tourney". ESPN. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
  34. ^ "McNeal's career-high 28 carry Marquette to Big East semis". ESPN. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
  35. ^ "Hoyas reach another Big East final behind Hibbert's 25 points, 13 boards". ESPN. March 14, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  36. ^ "Young's 22 points pull Pitt into another Big East final". ESPN. March 14, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  37. ^ "Pitt wins second title after eight championship game appearances". ESPN. March 15, 2008. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2008.
  38. ^ "Postgame Notes: Pittsburgh vs. Georgetown". Big East Conference. March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2008.[dead link‍]
  39. ^ "Big East surprise: Pitt shocks No. 9 Hoyas". MSNBC. March 16, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
  40. ^ Evans, Thayer (March 17, 2008). "Big East Stands Tallest With 8 Bids". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
  41. ^ Juliano, Joe (March 17, 2008). "Villanova sneaks in, gets Clemson". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 17, 2008.[dead link‍]
  42. ^ "Ohio State, VA Tech, Syracuse, Arizona State among NIT field". The Sports Network. March 16, 2008. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
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