NCAAB · 1 year ago

Big East Tourney Tiers: Who’s In, Who’s Out, Who’s on the Bubble

David Connelly

Host · Writer

Must Win Auto Bid: Xavier
The Musketeers did well to grind out a hard-fought victory over #8 Butler on Wednesday afternoon, but the real work starts now. #1 UConn awaits this afternoon, and knocking off the Huskies will take a mammoth effort. It's the only choice Sean Miller's squad has at this point, as they sit nowhere near the at-large discussion with a 16-16 record on the year.
Stone-Cold Locks: UConn, Creighton, Marquette
These three are all in Madison Square Garden for bragging rights and seeding. In our most recent bracket projections, we've got #1 UConn as a #1 seed and both #2 Creighton and #3 Marquette as a #2 seed. There is virtually no world where the Huskies fall off of that top-seed line no matter what happens, while both the Bluejays and Golden Eagles could make compelling cases for that final #1 seed should they run the table in mid-town Manhattan. Despite elite resumés already being built by these programs, there is still loads to play for this weekend inside the Mecca.
Looking Good: Seton Hall
The Pirates are safe for now, but a loss to St. John's will at least put some question into their standing heading into Selection Sunday. We will keep them on the right side of the bubble even with a loss on Thursday, but not by much and it would be close enough to think there is a small chance the committee goes another direction. A win over St. John's would qualify as a Quad 1 win and would be Seton Hall's sixth, almost certainly locking them into the field.
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Work to Do: St. John's, Villanova, Providence
Although they kept their season alive, Villanova did some damage to its resumé by just narrowly avoiding disaster against #11 DePaul on Wednesday night. Their predictive metrics will take a serious hit, one of the few strengths they have on their team sheet. A win over #3 Marquette on Thursday night would go a long way for their chances of hearing their name called this Sunday. St. John's will play in perhaps the most intriguing quarterfinal this year, a mid-afternoon matinee against #4 Seton Hall. With both not yet locking up their spot within the field, it should be a high-intensity scrap with one team extending their season and the other adding further drama. #7 Providence handled #10 Georgetown easily on Wednesday, and the real test lies in the night session against #2 Creighton. Knock off the Bluejays for a sixth Quad 1 win, and the selection committee could not ignore a team with six wins in the top quadrant and zero losses in the bottom two.
Must Win Auto Bid: Xavier
The Musketeers did well to grind out a hard-fought victory over #8 Butler on Wednesday afternoon, but the real work starts now. #1 UConn awaits this afternoon, and knocking off the Huskies will take a mammoth effort. It's the only choice Sean Miller's squad has at this point, as they sit nowhere near the at-large discussion with a 16-16 record on the year.
Stone-Cold Locks: UConn, Creighton, Marquette
These three are all in Madison Square Garden for bragging rights and seeding. In our most recent bracket projections, we've got #1 UConn as a #1 seed and both #2 Creighton and #3 Marquette as a #2 seed. There is virtually no world where the Huskies fall off of that top-seed line no matter what happens, while both the Bluejays and Golden Eagles could make compelling cases for that final #1 seed should they run the table in mid-town Manhattan. Despite elite resumés already being built by these programs, there is still loads to play for this weekend inside the Mecca.

Big East Tourney Tiers: Who’s In, Who’s Out, Who’s on the Bubble

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