Bigger can actually mean better

I never thought I’d have to do this, but it’s time to call out a famous sports columnist -… I never thought I’d have to do this, but it’s time to call out a famous sports columnist – Woody Paige.

As an avid viewer of ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” and “Around the Horn,” I listen to nearly every opinion Paige has to offer. Most of the time, I agree, and enjoy the comedic way in which he expresses his insight.

But this time, he simply has no clue.

Recently, on an episode of “Around the Horn,” the question arose as to what college basketball’s best conference is.

Paige, not budging from his stance, was the only one of the four panelists to insist on selecting the Atlantic Coast Conference over the newly revamped, 16-team super conference known as the Big East.

Now, I’m not one to shut down someone’s view on a subject, especially when it comes to sports. I like to debate, or argue, but only if the opposing side possesses a valid point.

Paige’s team of subject to defend himself is Boston College. Yup, that’s right – Boston College.

He says to look at the Eagles and how they steamrolled through the Big East last season, but struggle to win any conference games in the ACC.

Okay, Boston College went 13-3 in the Big East a year ago. I’ll give them that, but seven of those 13 wins came against the bottom four of the Big East – Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Rutgers.

This was also a breakout year for the Eagles. It’s not like they were consistently a powerhouse in the conference.

To close out the season, in one of their final Big East games, the Eagles lost by 22 at home to Pitt and went on to lose to West Virginia in their first game of the Big East tournament. From there, an early NCAA Tournament exit followed and a once-promising season ended with little to show for it.

Beating up on the bottom feeders of the conference, and making a quick departure from the tournament as the No. 1 seed, is not something I’d consider steamrolling through the competition.

Keep in mind, too, that this was last year’s Big East. Not this year’s.

The 2005-06 version of the Big East is far better and contains a greater depth of quality teams than last year’s could have ever imagined.

The Big East currently displays seven teams in the Associated Press’ college basketball top 25, including the No. 1-ranked Connecticut Huskies. Oh yeah, and those Huskies are even settling for a tie atop the Big East because of a loss to Marquette earlier in the year.

The ACC, on the other hand, can only boast four top-25 teams.

And who was it that knocked off the undefeated Duke Blue Devils from the No. 1 seat? Oh yeah, the Big East’s Georgetown Hoyas.

Paige also went on to say that from top-to-bottom, the ACC surpasses the Big East, stating that every ACC conference game is competitive and that the bottom teams aren’t pushovers.

Well Mr. Paige, because of the improvement of certain teams in the Big East, I could say the same for it, too.

South Florida – a team that has failed to win a Big East game so far – has lost five of its six games by six points or less, including a three-point loss to No. 6-ranked Villanova three days ago.

Now that’s what I call a competitive last place team.

If you still won’t give the Big East some consideration, ask Rick Pitino how difficult it is. His Louisville Cardinals – a returning Final Four team – have one Big East win and sits at 12th place in the conference.

If the season ended today, they’d be the last team to make it in the conference tournament in New York City.

As for head-to-head matchups, the Big East holds a 4-2 record this year against the ACC, including a Seton Hall (11th place in the Big East) win over the ACC’s second-place North Carolina State Wolfpack on Wednesday.

Maybe the ACC/Big Ten challenge in the preseason will have to change into the ACC/Big East challenge before we finally settle on the court which is the best. But until that can be done, you have to look at the numbers.

And in the first year of the new Big East, the numbers are in their favor.

It’s just time for Paige, and any other sports follower, to realize it and accept a little change in their college basketball lives.

Alan Smodic is a senior staff writer for The Pitt News. E-mail him at ams85@pitt.edu. You can also send him your Pitt ball questions at sports@pittnews.com and the answers may appear in next week’s installment of “Q’A with Alan Smodic.”