Most NCAA Teams/Conference

Mar 1 2012

The Big East has broken its own record for most teams from one conference in an NCAA Tournament, sending eleven clubs to the Big Dance in 2011.

2011 Big East NCAA Tournament Teams

Tournament seeds in parentheses.

1. Pittsburgh (1)
2. Notre Dame (2)
3. Connecticut (3)
4. Syracuse (3)
5. Louisville (4)
6. West Virginia (5)
7. St. John's (6)
8. Cincinnati (6)
9. Georgetown (6)
10. Villanova (9)
11. Marquette (11)

The 2011 NCAA Tournament is the first to invite 68 teams to the field - but the Big East might have earned 11 invites under the old 65-team format. Marquette - with an 11 - is the lowest-seeded team from the Big East, but the Eagles will not be playing in the "First Four" games that feature the last four at-large teams in the field. That dubious honor went to USC, VCU, UAB and Clemson.

The sheer number of Big East teams in the field forced the selection committee to abandon some matchup guidelines. In the past, the committee tried to avoid having conference foes meet before the round of sixteen. In 2011, that went right out the window. Connecticut and Cincinnati could play in the round of 32, as could Syracuse and Marquette.

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