by Jeremy Holcombe

Created on: March 27, 2010   Last Updated: March 29, 2010

For some reason it seems that every year we have to go through this. The news outlets, the media and most of all, the “respected analyst” continuously act like it is such a big deal when someone other than a big name college basketball team wins an NCAA tournament game. Let me just say, it’s not!

Year after year these basketball analysts give reasons why the so called “big boys” are just too overpowering and dominating for the so called “small schools” to beat. Every year the same thing happens, a huge upset. This years’ NCAA basketball tournament is no different.

Just a few hours ago Butler, a small Horizon League school knocked off mighty Syracuse, one of the big boys from the Big East Conference. Most everyone was in a dizzied frenzy, except for the people who really know and understand basketball.

People are screaming and yelling about how this was such a huge upset and how this is some Cinderella story – that term is severely over-used in today’s sporting world.

While this is a very nice story and it makes people feel good, it is not as big of an upset as the media is making it out to be. Consider these following facts.

1) The Big East Conference was Severely Overrated

As usual, the people who create the seeding and decide who gets in the tournament and who does not really have any idea what makes a good basketball team. They act on public perception as well as what the media says.

Eight, count them eight, basketball teams out of the Big East were given bids to the tournament this year. Out of those eight teams one of them got past the sweet sixteen, West Virginia – and they were the conference champions. Every Big East team not only lost, but lost fairly handily to their respective opponents.

Too many teams were represented from the Big East and there were other teams who deserved a chance to be in. Syracuse definitely deserved to be there, and also deserved a number 1 seed, but let’s be honest… was Butler winning that big of an upset?

2) Team Records

The Butler Bulldogs had the exact record as the Syracuse Orange did. Both teams came into this game with 30-4 records. Butler has the longest winning streak in the nation, that streak was added onto tonight. Butler beat several “big boys” during the year and went undefeated in conference play.

Over the past five years no team has more sweet 16 appearances than Butler has. To top it off the seed they received was

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