When reporters stormed the Connecticut men’s basketball team’s locker room Friday, senior forward Ryan Swaller wasn’t answering many questions. He was doing finance homework.

If the Huskies continue their winning ways, Swaller will have even more make-up work to catch up on.

‘I figure the way we’re going, we’re going to be at this for a few weeks,’ Swaller told USA Today, ‘and I don’t want to get too far behind.’

Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Connecticut will compete in the Sweet 16, and possibly the Elite Eight, in this weekend’s third and fourth rounds of the NCAA Tournament, keeping alive the conference’s tradition of basketball superiority.

Not following along with that tradition, though, was Boston College, Seton Hall and Providence. Georgia Tech (25-9) kept the Eagles (24-10) out of the Sweet 16 by defeating BC, 57-54. Seton Hall (21-10) was no match for No. 1 Duke (29-5), and Providence (20-9), despite being ranked in the Top 25 for most of the year, couldn’t beat Pacific (25-8) in the first round.

The tournament became an Eastern battle after all but one West Coast team lost in its opening weekend. Not only is Nevada (25-8) the only team alive located west of the central time zone, but the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference hold the most wins in the tournament with eight and nine, respectively.

This brand of play isn’t new for the Big East, though, which has posted impressive tournament rsums in the past.

In 1985, the Big East went 18-5 in the tournament and sent Georgetown,

Villanova and St. John’s to the Final Four. The 18-5 record is even more impressive considering two of those games pitted Big East teams against each other. Villanova’s victory over Georgetown in the national championship and the conference’s dominance of the tournament cemented the Big East as a basketball powerhouse.

In the 19 years since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams, 37 percent of the teams in the Sweet 16 have been from the Big East. Six of those teams have gone to the Final Four, and three were national champions.

So, what is so tough about the Big East compared to other conferences?

Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins has his own theory, at least for Syracuse – the 2-3 zone.

‘It was like that Oklahoma game,’ Hopkins said of SU’s 63-47 victory over the Sooners in the Elite Eight last year. ‘Maryland looked confused by our defense. We’ve become that team in the bracket like Princeton and Temple always were where no one wants to play us when they see us in the bracket.’

It isn’t possible for the Big East to repeat sending three out of four teams to the Final Four like it did 19 years ago, but it is possible to have two.

Since Syracuse (25-5) and Connecticut (29-6) are paired in the Phoenix bracket, only one of them can travel to San Antonio.

‘If we continue to play well, we have a good chance’ UConn head coach Jim Calhoun said. ‘As good a chance as anybody.’

Published on March 22, 2004 at 12:00 pm