Big East Basketball - Taking Everyone to School

Twenty wins. One loss. A winning percentage of 95.2. And despite playing a good team in the best conference in college basketball, Syracuse still does not get the respect it deserves. I hear my friends who (THINK they) know college basketball say some things about Syracuse, and it wouldn't be me if I didn't complain about them, right?

Statement I: "Syracuse's schedule is so easy."
No it's not. Syracuse is in the Big East, a 16-team cluster of premiere NCAA basketball talent. Currently, five Big East teams (20% of the poll) in the current AP Poll. Last year, 11 out of the 16 teams (68.7% of the conference) went to the NCAA tournament (16.1% of the ENTIRE bracket was Big East), including a national champion in Syracuse Connecticut. The Big East is known for having somewhere between seven and eleven tournament-caliber teams per season. Syracuse, like all Big East teams, doesn't need a tough out-of-conference schedule, mainly because their conference schedule is incredibly tough. Anyone in the conference is not only able to win within the conference (as shown today by Notre Dame upending Syracuse), but can defeat ANY team in Division I. There's a reason why they send an average of 6.4 teams per year to the tournament and delivered six national championships.

Statement II: "Syracuse lost to a 12-8 team."
You're clueless. Yes, Notre Dame is 12-8. Why do you idiots judge a team more by record than resume? Let's look at some of Notre Dame's losses this season:

• 11/21 to Missouri (18-1)
• 11/30 to Gonzaga (15-3)
• 12/17 to Indiana (15-4, beat #1 and #2 teams)
• 1/14 to Connecticut (14-4)
• 1/16 to Rutgers (11-8, beat Florida, Pitt, UCONN)

These are all respectable losses. Again, the Big East beats the Big East on any given day. The Irish are 11-1 at home, the site of the game today. They have marquee victories over Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse. This team has the depth and ability to not only make the tournament, but go far in it. The marquee wins brings me to my next point:

Statement III: "[insert Big East team] lost [insert number of games] times."
Do your homework. "Oh my, Louisville lost four of six, they must suck." Do you guys hear yourselves? Louisville lost to Georgetown (top 10), Kentucky (#2), Notre Dame (see above), Providence (very underrated 12-8, see statement I), and Marquette (#20). These teams are winning teams who wouldn't be seen as a "bad loss." Last year, St. John's came out of seemingly nowhere to upset half the conference. This year, Rutgers upset Florida, who Syracuse beat, as well as many high-quality conference members. The 2012 Rutgers team IS the 2011 St. John's team. Again, the Big East is good enough to send ten to the "Big Dance," and this year, Rutgers replaces St. John's.

Before you have the idiocy and audacity to criticize Syracuse for losing their first game in two and a half months to a respectable Notre Dame team, consider this: There sure as hell are teams out there with weaker schedules AND worse records than the Orangemen. Some people do not understand college basketball, yet they feel the need to voice their opinion on the sport. If you can't back up your statements, why bother blurting them out?