Tier III: St. John's, Providence, Villanova
Even in defeat to UConn on Wednesday, the Friars deserve a load of credit for even making it a game. They have been better than expected following the season-ending injury to star Bryce Hopkins, and they remain in contention for an at-large bid.
As for St. John's and Villanova, both programs have missed opportunity after opportunity, dropping a combined nine of their previous ten games. The lone win was the Johnnies over the Wildcats.