Normally I hate it when announcers come out strongly for or against something over the course of the game, but there are a few exceptions, especially when A) the announcers we're discussing are the McDonough/Raftery/Bilas that's probably the best broadcast team we've seen in years and B) they're condemning the current Big East Championship bracket.  It's too big, it takes too long and there's no reason that they can't unprotect the top seeds or kick out the bottom seeds.  At least some of the coaches at the top will be complaining, as it took a late turnover and buzzer-beating three for the double-bye teams to fall to 0-4 yesterday and 2-6 all-time.

Tonight's games are rematches of two great regular season match-ups, as Marquette beat Georgetown by three and the Irish beat West Virginia by two when another buzzer-beating three attempt kindly rolled out.  What are these teams playing for?  Well, Marquette and Notre Dame could conceivably work their way up to a 5 or 6 seed if they keep winning, Georgetown can maybe eye a 2 and there's no reason a surging West Virginia squad couldn't grab that fourth 1 if Duke falters in the ACC.  Three more great games left in what has seemed like a fortnight-long affair most resembling the labyrinthine BASEketball postseason.

Anyway, onto some bullet points:

• This could also appear as the headline of Duh Aficionado magazine it's so obvious, but if Arinze Onuaku misses any amount of time, the Orange are in big trouble. He anchored the zone and was uber-efficient finishing around the rim, but more importantly, their bench is so thin they don't have anyone remotely seasoned to replace him. Granted, when the Cuse won the title in 2003 they were usinga Craig Forth/Jeremy McNeill combination at center, but at least those guys had played all season and knew their roles. Boeheim can probably buy time until the second weekend unless there's a particularly tough 8/9 team, but a Final Four trip seems unlikely without the big man.
• I've always considered Villanova a lock to go deep in my bracket, but do I have to abandon that idea after their cavalcade of late season losses? Or is this simply a matter of Big East teams being used to Jay Wright's style of play and being able to best him in some close games? They've gone to at least the Sweet Sixteen four of the last five years, so I'd lean towards it being similar to the Syracuse situation, where league teams are just comfortable playing them.
• Dion Dixon must be the sickest man in America, but can we all question what sort of play Mick Cronin drew up there? Or why he didn't put a man defending the inbounds pass so the Mountaineers couldn't get a clean entry right to certified assassin Da'Sean Butler? Some questionable late decisions by the Bearcats' coach wasted a huge, huge effort from Lance Stephenson. "Born Ready" has nothing to be ashamed of after that Big East Tournament run.
• Let's say Marquette loses to Georgetown tonight and settles in at a 6 or 7 seed. Can you imagine being the poor 3 or 2 that has to match up with those guards in the second round? You'd just have to pray you'd have the size to expose them, but even then, you're praying they don't shoot an absurd percentage from three like they did in the second half versus ‘Nova.
• Georgetown is going to screw up a lot of brackets, because they're as likely to lose in the first round as they are to make the Final Four. Anyone who tells you they know how they Hoyas are going to perform next weekend is a giant liar and needs to be slapped. Unless you're in love with a match-up, split the difference and put them in the Sweet Sixteen, because we are all merciless at the hands of Good Chris Wright's diabolical doppelganger Bad Chris Wright.
• I'm disappointed Cincinnati lost for a number of reasons, but perhaps highest on the list would be to see what style Mike Brey would employ against them. I assume he'd take a "Ain't Broken, Don't Fix It" approach with the slowdown offense, but with the Bearcats sporting leaden legs and playing their fourth games in four nights, you'd think there'd be at least some interest in breaking out the old up-and-down style of play and attempting to emulate the 83-65 Irish win back in early February. Sadly, we'll never know.
• SI.com's Andy Glockner, their "bracket expert," is conspiring with the front page editors to annoy me. After last night's game: "The Irish move into lock status with their win over Pitt to make the Big East tournament semifinals. Combine the late-season surge with the losses around them in other leagues, and the Irish can book their seat at the dance." Couple that with the "ND Means No Doubt," or whatever the nonsense headline was after the Irish beat Pitt and you would have thought every single other bracket projection didn't already have Notre Dame safely - and I mean safely- in. Heck, even Doug Gottlieb with his notoriously high (delusional) bubble standards had Notre Dame in the field regardless of the Pitt result.
• If Notre Dame wants to run its record against West Virginia to 2-0 this season, they're going to have to do a better job on the boards. Against Pitt, the Irish only got one offensive board, while giving up eight, although it felt like a whole lot more. I also don't think ND is going to be able to rely on four threes from Tory Jackson again, but the senior point guard has always played well in Garden come March.
• Big East fans are lucky to have New York Times writer Pete Thamel covering their tournament, simply because he's one of the best at what he does. Here's a little blogpost on Luke Harangody as he continues his 2010 redemption tour.
• I'm picking the Hoyas to win tonight, as in their first meeting with the Golden Eagles, Greg Monroe and Wright combined for only 18 points while Marquette shot 12 of 23 from 3, yet Georgetown only lost by 3 on the road. In the second half of the double-header, I'll guess Da'Sean Butler makes up for missing the late three in South Bend and hits another clutch shot to dump the Irish.