The Big East Tournament Part V: Finality

This is the first Big East Tournament final without an original member.  But at this point, what does that mean?  Teams like Syracuse and Pittsburgh replaced with teams like Central Florida and Houston still reads like a typo.  That can't be right, can it?  This is like trading a 2011 Dodge Charger for a beat up Pinto that's been sitting in the field behind grandpa's shed.

Goodbye to the sleek and powerful 'Cuse and Pittsburgh.

Hey there Golden Knight, wanna play?

Maybe this Cincinnati Louisville Big East Tournament Final is fitting.  Both clubs (no Cincinnati brawl pun intended) should scare any higher seed in the NCAA bracket.  And because the league is shifting and stretching in such uncanny ways, these two teams seem to represent the new regime.  Rick Pitino is already a Godfather figure, right?

The Big East Tournament Final:

The good cop.  Articulate.  A mentor.  He embodies patriarchal toughness.  He brings reason, purity, responsibility, and accountability to an NCAA athletic world that is warped.  Mick Cronin is the new Big East and he is easy to love.

Rick Pitino has a past.  But don't we all?  He faced the media, the accusations, and the repercussions of his choices head-on.  With his Italian swagger, Pitino commands a Godfather-esque reputation.  He wants the keys to the new Big East Tournament.

This Big East Tournament Final is FINALLY what we've been waiting for all week.  

A flashy, gritty, competitive point guard is in the finals and Peyton Siva has elevated his game.  

A legit, polished, and competitive post player is patrolling the paint and Yancy Gates has repented and paid for his mistakes--and ironically earning a Criminal Justice degree.  This Yancy Gates story--a story of mistakes, accountability, education, and second chances--is exactly what amateur athletics are supposed to tell.

The Big East Tournament is here.