BET or Regular Season Title

[Bogg]

The Big East Tournament championship is a consolation prize.

It's quite literally the championship of the league as defined by the league.

[XUFan09]

The Big East Tournament championship is a consolation prize.

You don’t get the tradition I get that. Maybe you would have preferred to stay in the A10 and rack up those regular season trophy’s?

I get the tradition for you, and I like it myself. I just do not care as much as you about it relative to the NCAA Tournament. I prefer the Big East because the conference slate is far superior to watch and because it sets up Xavier better for the tournament.

[XUFan09]

The Big East Tournament championship is a consolation prize.

It's quite literally the championship of the league as defined by the league.

That's nice. The league is a subset of Division 1. Everything is about competing for the Division 1 championship, which isn't the Big East championship, regular or tournament version. Winning the Big East Tournament helps in that regard and is a great consolation prize along the way, but the same is true about winning the regular season championship. If we have to choose just one, I choose what optimizes competition in the larger tournament. If it's a scenario where they're about equally optimal, i choose the tournament championship.

[redmen9194]

Once your team wins a BET, you'll change your mind. It's special and it has always been the Big East Champion. In fact, they only recently began giving a trophy for regular season champion. The conference never handed out one for regular season - only the BET. St. John's has finished in first place or tied for first place five times. None of those were considered conference championships. They have been Big East Champions three times - 1983, 1986 and 2000 - those years they won the Big East Tournament and are the only years they won a mens' basketball Big East title.

Usually one of the teams that had a great season win the BE tournament but let's say a middle team or lower team won it, are you honestly saying you'd take 3 days of success and then a crap seed over the whole year being great, one rough game and a great seed? If you are then that's a ridiculous take that's still based on the "world revolves around the bright lights of NYC, and we need to be on one of the 5 channels on TV" mindsets

In 2011 - when the Big East at one point late in the season had nine teams in the Top 25 and sent 11 to the NCAA Tournament - UConn finished 9th in the league and then won five games in five days on the back of Kemba Walker to win the Big East Tournament. When they get here, ask them what they think is better. Again, once you win one I suspect your tune will change.

[Bogg]

The Big East Tournament championship is a consolation prize.

It's quite literally the championship of the league as defined by the league.

That's nice. The league is a subset of Division 1. Everything is about competing for the Division 1 championship, which isn't the Big East championship, regular or tournament version. Winning the Big East Tournament helps in that regard and is a great consolation prize along the way, but the same is true about winning the regular season championship. If we have to choose just one, I choose what optimizes competition in the larger tournament. If it's a scenario where they're about equally optimal, i choose the tournament championship.

I'd rather be peaking come tournament time and go into the NCAAs a line or two lower rather than stumble in March after having maximized January/February. UConn won the Big East Tournament in all three of the years they won a national championship coming out of the Big East, but only "won" the regular season one of those years.

Plus, the BET trophy is an actual championship trophy.

[MUBoxer]

Once your team wins a BET, you'll change your mind. It's special and it has always been the Big East Champion. In fact, they only recently began giving a trophy for regular season champion. The conference never handed out one for regular season - only the BET. St. John's has finished in first place or tied for first place five times. None of those were considered conference championships. They have been Big East Champions three times - 1983, 1986 and 2000 - those years they won the Big East Tournament and are the only years they won a mens' basketball Big East title.

Usually one of the teams that had a great season win the BE tournament but let's say a middle team or lower team won it, are you honestly saying you'd take 3 days of success and then a crap seed over the whole year being great, one rough game and a great seed? If you are then that's a ridiculous take that's still based on the "world revolves around the bright lights of NYC, and we need to be on one of the 5 channels on TV" mindsets

In 2011 - when the Big East at one point late in the season had nine teams in the Top 25 and sent 11 to the NCAA Tournament - UConn finished 9th in the league and then won five games in five days on the back of Kemba Walker to win the Big East Tournament. When they get here, ask them what they think is better. Again, once you win one I suspect your tune will change.

You can think that. I disagree. That run was magical for them but that year wasn't bad... they were a 3 seed. If MU has won it that year (we finished tied with UCONN) I'd say I'd prefer the 2012 or 2013 seasons because I'm a fan of winning more. Maybe it's because I grew up watching the EPL so I value regular season more than typical American fascinations with tournaments. Who knows

[jfan]

As a Creighton fan, I would take either one and leave it to the rest of you guys to argue over which has the most meaning!

[XUFan09]

That's nice. The league is a subset of Division 1. Everything is about competing for the Division 1 championship, which isn't the Big East championship, regular or tournament version. Winning the Big East Tournament helps in that regard and is a great consolation prize along the way, but the same is true about winning the regular season championship. If we have to choose just one, I choose what optimizes competition in the larger tournament. If it's a scenario where they're about equally optimal, i choose the tournament championship.

I'd rather be peaking come tournament time and go into the NCAAs a line or two lower rather than stumble in March after having maximized January/February. UConn won the Big East Tournament in all three of the years they won a national championship coming out of the Big East, but only "won" the regular season one of those years.

Plus, the BET trophy is an actual championship trophy.

You can be peaking in March and still lose a single game in the secondary tournament. And let's look at the 8 years since UConn went from 9-9 to NCAA champions.

- 2012: UK won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2013: Louisville won both, so not relevant in this thread
- 2014: UConn won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2015: Duke won neither, so not relevant in this thread
- 2016: Villanova won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2017: North Carolina won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2018: Villanova got 2nd in regular season, won conference tournament (which is the exception scenario for me that I already referenced before)
- 2019: Virginia won regular season, lost conference tournament

So, since 2011 when UConn didn't win the regular season but won the conference tournament, that scenario has been repeated once (2018 Villanova), which is the exception where I would prefer winning the BET heading into Selection Sunday because they got second place in the regular season. In that same time frame, 6 national champions lost their conference tournament and 5 of those won their regular season (the outlier for 2nd).

So, basically, national champions tend to win their regular season championships and if they win the conference tournament too, great.

[Bogg]

That's nice. The league is a subset of Division 1. Everything is about competing for the Division 1 championship, which isn't the Big East championship, regular or tournament version. Winning the Big East Tournament helps in that regard and is a great consolation prize along the way, but the same is true about winning the regular season championship. If we have to choose just one, I choose what optimizes competition in the larger tournament. If it's a scenario where they're about equally optimal, i choose the tournament championship.

I'd rather be peaking come tournament time and go into the NCAAs a line or two lower rather than stumble in March after having maximized January/February. UConn won the Big East Tournament in all three of the years they won a national championship coming out of the Big East, but only "won" the regular season one of those years.

Plus, the BET trophy is an actual championship trophy.

You can be peaking in March and still lose a single game in the secondary tournament. And let's look at the 8 years since UConn went from 9-9 to NCAA champions.

- 2012: UK won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2013: Louisville won both, so not relevant in this thread
- 2014: UConn won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2015: Duke won neither, so not relevant in this thread
- 2016: Villanova won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2017: North Carolina won regular season, lost conference tournament
- 2018: Villanova got 2nd in regular season, won conference tournament (which is the exception scenario for me that I already referenced before)
- 2019: Virginia won regular season, lost conference tournament

So, since 2011 when UConn didn't win the regular season but won the conference tournament, that scenario has been repeated once (2018 Villanova), which is the exception where I would prefer winning the BET heading into Selection Sunday because they got second place in the regular season. In that same time frame, 6 national champions lost their conference tournament and 5 of those won their regular season (the outlier for 2nd).

So, basically, national champions tend to win their regular season championships and if they win the conference tournament too, great.

I mean, how'd that work out for X?

[Westbrook#36]

How'd those BET titles work out for Pitt when to came to sustaining momentum in the NCAA?