BearTalk

Regarded as perhaps the nation’s toughest conference all season, the Big East nearly got shut out on a spectacular first day of the NCAA Tournament.

Is this a good omen for Cal on Friday against Louisville?

We’ll see, but here’s how upside-down Thursday was for the Big East:

– No. 11 seed Old Dominion upset Notre Dame 51-50.  It was ODU’s first NCAA win since a triple-overtime victory in 1995 over — another Big East team — Villanova. (ODU’s coach is former Mike Montgomery aide Blaine Taylor).

– No. 3 Georgetown was whupped 97-83 by an Ohio team that finished 7-9 and ninth place in the regular season of the Mid-American Conference, the most lopsided victory by a No. 14 seed in tournament history. The Hoyas have never given up more points in an NCAA game.

– No. 11 Washington rallied from 15 points down in the second half to upend No. 6 Marquette 80-78.

– Villanova barely avoided becoming just the fifth No. 2 seed to lose an opening-round game, holding off No. 15 Robert Morris 73-70. In overtime.

Four more Big East teams play today: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 West Virginia, No. 3 Pitt and, of course, Louisville.

The Big East never has lost four first-round games in the same tournament and, of course, a No. 1 seed never has lost to a No. 16. But the Orange will play without injured forward Arinze Onuaku, and they will play Vermont, whose only NCAA Tournament ever was against . . . Syracuse.