Big East teams targeted

SAN DIEGO – The first four days of the NCAA tournament always belong to the little guys. The biggest stories will be how 10, 11 and 12 seeds pull upsets. And little-known schools like Northwestern State, South Alabama or Winthrop can own a day by slaying a Goliath or rule the weekend by simply surviving.

The same goes for this year, with a wrinkle. By Sunday, a major-conference story could blot the rest out. The Big East has dominated the season. With a record eight teams in the draw and only one viewed as a first-round underdog, will it also reign in the sport’s premier event?

The first round begins today when No. 10 Seton Hall and No. 7 Wichita State meet at 12:20 p.m. in a Washington Regional first-round game in Greensboro, N.C. By Sunday night, 48 games will have been played and only 16 teams will be left; every Big East team will be wearing a bull’s-eye of sorts as a perceived favorite.

“I don’t know if it’s a measuring stick,” said coach Mark Turgeon of Wichita State, the top-seeded of four Missouri Valley Conference teams in the draw. “But I do know one thing: we’re fired up to play a Big East school. It’s the best league in the country.”