Monday, March 13, 2006

Hoops - ACC vs Big East

One Boston College fan's comment about the ACC tournament versus the Big East tourney:

The thinking of ACC followers was that BC, after joining the league last fall, would pay its basketball dues before becoming ACC-worthy. It took Georgia Tech, the first expansion team to join the league, in 1979, six years to reach the championship game, which the Yellow Jackets won. Florida State, which entered the ACC in 1991, has yet to make the final game. Charter member Clemson has never won the title.


"They won today because they played Big East basketball," said Glenn Garner, a BC alum from Nashua, N.H., referring to the Eagles' former league


He praises Big East ball, but says there's no comparison between the two conferences in tournament atmosphere.


"They don't even fill Madison Square Garden," he said of the New York City arena where the Big East plays it tournament.


"This is awesome," said another BC booster, Joe Coen, who graduated from the Naval Academy and lives in Charleston, S.C., His brother, Bill, is a BC assistant coach. "It's one of the awesome, most premier basketball venues in the nation. We're having a great time here."