When talk of parity in the Big East Conference arose, West Virginia coach John Beilein was quick to note the depth of a league that didn't have a team with a losing record entering Saturday.
"There's nobody that seems to be on the downturn right now; everybody seems to be on the up-tip," Beilein said. "Most every program, if they're not in the top 25, they're moving in that direction quickly. Everybody's a tough out."
Well, not everybody.
Just when West Virginia appeared to be turning things around with a 10-0 start and a top-25 ranking, the Mountaineers lost to Villanova by 39 points. They rebounded with a 64-60 win over St. John's before being stunned by 3-10 Marshall, 59-55, in the Capital Classic in Charleston on Tuesday.
Beilein stopped short of including his team among the elite.
"I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. We are not a national power yet," Beilein said. "We ended up catching the teams on the right night. Ranked teams don't go out and lose by 40 too often."
West Virginia's recent troubles can be directly attributed to its shooting, especially from 3-point range. It made 6 of 29 (20.7 percent) against Villanova, 6 of 19 (31.6) against St. John's and 3 of 19 (15.8) against Marshall.
"We haven't been able to throw the ball in the ocean for three straight games - that's why we were 1-2 in those games," Beilein said. "That's sort of the way our fortune is going to come a great deal, with the way we shoot the ball."
Mulling a milestone
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim recorded his 300th Big East Conference victory in a 70-61 win over Notre Dame on Monday, but downplayed the accomplishment.
"I don't think it's that big a deal," Boeheim said dryly when asked about the mark. "I've just been here a long time. I've got the most losses in Big East, too."
Boeheim, who had a 676-234 overall record in 28 seasons entering Saturday's game at Providence, is the only remaining coach from when the Big East was formed in 1979-80. Of his 300 Big East wins, 266 came in regular-season games and 34 in tournament games.
The only other coaches to win 150 or more games are former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. (231) and Connecticut coach Jim O'Brien (221).
What does Boeheim credit for his success?
"Good players."
A gentle reminder
Villanova marked Georgetown's first visit to its suburban Philadelphia campus in 55 years by honoring the Wildcats' 1985 NCAA championship team and retiring the jersey of former coach Rollie Massimino.
Of course, Villanova beat the heavily favored Hoyas, 66-64, much to the dismay of new Georgetown coach John Thompson III, whose father was on the losing sideline.
"Obviously it was a great game, one of the most memorable in the NCAA tournament history," recalled the younger Thompson, a teenager at the time. "The team I wanted to win didn't win."
