The Big East is the Rolls Royce of college basketball.
From Rick Pitino's suits to Jay Wright's cufflinks to the conference tournament being held at Madison Square Garden, the league represents the best of what the sport has to offer.
For those at the top, it's an opportunity to reap the fruits of hard labor.
For those in the middle, the league is a nightly bar fight that takes place on a basketball court -- and no one knows that better than Mick Cronin and Buzz Williams.
The two coaches, who lead Cincinnati and Marquette respectively, will do battle on Wednesday night in Milwaukee in what is anticipated to be another conference slugfest.
In a league packed with hall-of-famers, Cronin and Williams are alike in style, demeanor, and desire to climb a ladder that seemingly doesn't allow you to reach for the next rung.
Cronin, in his fifth season at Cincinnati, has the Bearcats well positioned for an NCAA bid with a 22-7 record. Yet, week after week, he fights the notion that his team hasn't done enough to merit anything because of their non-conference schedule.
What people fail to realize is that one of Cronin's major non-conference games was scheduled against Oklahoma when the Sooners were supposed to be one of the best teams in the Big 12. After the game was scheduled, Oklahoma starters Tiny Gallon, Willie Warren, and Tommy Mason-Griffin all departed. Their defections have led to Jeff Capel's team struggling to a 12-16 overall record.
A game against a more formidable Sooners group would have augmented Cincinnati's non-conference schedule that includes wins over Dayton and Xavier, which won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title.
After a recent defeat of Louisville, Cronin told reporters that his team simply "didn't exist" because of the lack of national attention the Bearcats were getting.
"I love Mick and he's my buddy, but he needs to stop caring what people think about his team," Pitino said last week. "I don't think Cincinnati's an NCAA tournament team. I know they're an NCAA tournament team."
Cincinnati was an early season pick of Williams to be this year's surprise team in the Big East.
"Mick's done an outstanding job," Williams said of Cronin. "Look at where the program was when they hired him and look where they are now. They've got 22 wins, it's amazing. They're everything I thought they would be."
And Marquette is right there with the Bearcats.
After a year in which the Golden Eagles finished fifth in the conference and advanced to the semifinals of the Big East tournament, Williams again has his team in position to reach the big dance because of a resounding trait -- the ability to win close games.
In Marquette's last 36 Big East games, 21 have been decided by two possessions or less.
To some that would be exciting. For Williams, it's pure agony.
"I notice wear and tear on my body much more recently," he said with a laugh.
Expect more of the same on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Two teams that play hard on every possession because they reflect their coaches.
Just a few guys in a league full of Hall of Famers that just want the same chance as any other coach this time of year -- an opportunity to be in the NCAA tournament.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...ms-leading-programs-through-big-east-gauntlet
