Big East Coast Bias Roundtable: Favorite Moment

Christopher Novak - My favorite Big East basketball-related moment of all time has to be Kemba Walker's game-winning basket against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the 2011 Big East Tournament. It's close between that and Syracuse and Connecticut's six overtime thriller, but I have to give an edge to "Cardiac Kemba." I vividly remember walking onto my floor at my residence hall just seconds before it happened, and timing, for once, was a beautiful thing that March afternoon.

DevonTe Brooks - My favorite Big East basketball moment was was on February 23, 2013. Georgetown faced Syracuse and Otto Potter silenced the crowd by scoring 33 points in the Hoyas' last trip to the Carrier Dome. That was really exciting, because I live in Washington, D.C. and i followed that Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry religiously. Georgetown only allowed Syracuse to score 46 points and that was shocking because many experts had Syracuse winning. Being a D.C. native, and being a Georgetown fan, that was a moment I will remember for a long time.

Sean Saint Jacques - My favorite Big East basketball moment is a bit biased since I am student at the school, but it was when Seton Hall took on Villanova in the Quarterfinals of the 2014 tournament. The Hall had not won a, "big game," all season and fans did not have much to cheer about. They came into this game as the, "spoilers," who needed to win the entire tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. After they barely beat Butler the night before no one expected too much from them in the game against the #3 ranked Wildcats, but they fought. It was tight down the stretch and with the Pirates down one point with about three seconds left, Jaren Sina inbounded the ball to Sterling Gibbs who hit a step-back jumper at the buzzer and knocked Nova out of the tournament. As long as I am a Pirate I will never forget it because it showed that the Big East Tournament was still alive and so are the Hall.

Patrick Leary - My favorite Big East basketball moment took place on the final day of the 2012-13 season. I attended my first game in Madison Square Garden, and to see my name on one of the media tables was one of the coolest things I have experienced. The game itself was crazy, as St. John's pushed Marquette to overtime before Vander Blue made a game-winning layup as time expired to clinch a share of the Big East title for the Golden Eagles. I'll never forget the players celebrating and dancing with the trophy, and I'll always be able to say I was there.

Robert O'Neill - My perspective is a bit different for my favorite Big East moment, because as someone who was born and raised in Big Ten Country, I was never able to attend a Big East game. That being said, my favorite Big East moment happened in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Big East Tournament when Syracuse and UCONN started a game and..... just kept playing. I think something that a lot of people really forget is that that game was kind of the start of "Cardic Kemba", since Kemba Walker was the one that had an offensive rebound and a putback to tie it at the end of regulation. Kemba's shot was just the start of the fun though. From Eric Devendorf's nearly miraculous buzzer-beater, to UCONN somehow blowing leads in each of the OT's, to Andy Rautins' huge three to send it to the 4th OT. This game gave us moment after moment and became an instant classic, showing what the Big East was all about.

Tyler Freeland - My favorite Big East moment was fairly recent, DePaul's 60-56 win over Georgetown in the Big East Tournament last year. Hours before tip-off, Billy Garrett Jr. won the Big East Rookie of the Year and led the Blue Demons with 17 points. This was a pride game for the team and a great way to kick off their post season. This was a statement game for Garrett Jr. and one of the bigger Big East tournament wins in recent history.

Jeff Parles - My favorite Big East moment was actually the last act of the Big East. The 2013 Big East Final between Louisville and Syracuse, a game that had one of the most impressive turnarounds I have ever seen in a basketball. Syracuse held a lead as big as 16 early in the second and then the eventual National Champions just hit a gear that was just unworldly. Louisville would go on to outscore the Orange 56-26 (that's by 30 folks!) in the 2nd half to win the last "true" Big East Tournament. A close second was the 2009 East Regional Final between Villanova versus Pittsburgh, best known for Scottie Reynolds' runner.

Harrison Malkin - There are so many amazing moments to choose from in the great history of the Big East, but one stands alone in my heart. That moment is from a few years ago when Kemba Walker drained a step back game winning jumper over Gary McGhee of Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big East Basketball Tournament.