Big East powers Louisville, Pittsburgh, and UConn helped the league that was created for hoops become the first conference to earn three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament in the field announced tonight. North Carolina, the regular-season ACC champ, was the other top seed. The coup comes 24 years after the Big East became the first league to get three teams in the Final Four (Georgetown, Villanova, and St. John's).
"It speaks volumes for what it means to win the Big East," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, whose Cardinals (28-5) are the tournament's overall top seed and will play in the Midwest, hoping to meet Pitt (East), Carolina (South) and UConn (West) in Detroit for the Final Four April 4 and 6. Last year, all four No. 1 teams made it to the Final Four. (More 2009 NCAA Tournament stories.)