Instead of being sociable or attempting to decipher whatever it was that crazy woman at the front of the room was going on about, I spent my youthful winter hours at school drawing up mock Conference USA or Metro Tournament Brackets. I found knowing how the tournament would look if the season miraculously ended that day to be quite soothing and agreeable. Sure, I now lack both friends and the capability to read, but this is a game that demands sacrifice.
I would do this almost daily until the actual tournament was played, at which point I would revert to drawing haphazard squiggly lines on a piece of paper and trying to play it off like I was creative (a point of contention that was surprisingly not aided by my NPR lunchbox or Frasier backpack).
Well the game is back and sure to resurface several times over the next couple of weeks, so I suggest you embrace it...or scroll down and read the next post.
Here is how the Big East Tournament would be set up if the season ended today:
2011 Big East Basketball Tournament (as of February 15)
First Round, March 9
#16 DePaul vs. #9 West Virginia, noon, ESPN2
#13 Rutgers vs. #12 Seton Hall, 2 p.m., ESPN2
#10 Cincinnati vs. #15 South Florida, 7 p.m., ESPN U
#11 Marquette vs. #14 Providence, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Second Round, March 9
#8 Syracuse vs. #16/9 winner, noon, ESPN
#5 Connecticut vs. #13/12 winner, 2 p.m., ESPN
#7 St. John's vs. #10/15 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN
#6 Villanova vs. #11/14 winner, 9 p.m., ESPN
Quarterfinals, March 10
#1 Pittsburgh vs. #8/9/16 winner, noon, ESPN
#4 Louisville vs. #5/12/13 winner, 2 p.m., ESPN
#2 Notre Dame vs. #7/10/15 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN
#3 Georgetown vs. #6/11/14 winner, 9 p.m., ESPN
Semifinals, March 11
#1/8/9/16 winner vs. #4/5/12/13 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN
#2/7/10/15 winner vs. #3/6/11/14 winner, 9 p.m., ESPN
Final, March 12
Semifinal winners, 9 p.m., ESPN
Thinking about this year's tournament gets me sexually aroused.