Top Leagues Begin Counting Ncaa Bids

Sun., Feb. 7, 1999

Providence Journal

The Big East is going to have six or seven teams with NCAA tournament credentials, so get ready for a flurry of politicking from the conference. The last time the Big East received six bids was the 1993-94 season. Five teams went last season.

“Whatever the most teams are that can go, then we should be right there,” St. John’s Mike Jarvis said.

While UConn, when healthy, is the premier team in the league, St.

John’s and Miami have shown they can play with the best. Syracuse is coming around, and Providence, Rutgers and Villanova are locked in a death grip for fifth and sixth.

The Big East’s plight is directly tied to other big-name leagues. The Big 10 is looking at seven bids, an unbelievable number considering the conference’s pitiful NCAA tourney performance this decade. In the most recent RPI, seven Big 10 teams ranked in the top 22. Northwestern (at 42) also is in the mix. Other leagues in position for bid bonanzas are the Pac-10 (five likely) and SEC (six possible).

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.

Top Leagues Begin Counting Ncaa Bids

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

Gonzaga to open against Kansas State in first round of Players Era Festival

Lakeside senior Cy Reeves' long-range plan detours slightly for 1A tournament | State baseball

Mead thrower Simon Rosselli soars to District 4A discus title while keeping eyes on record books