Bubble or Bust: Big East Teams Fighting for Tournament Bids

4. Providence Friars

Kim English and the Providence Friars have hung on since losing star Bryce Hopkins, and they have a strong case for being included in the NCAA Tournament. Entering the Big East Tournament, they are listed by SportsGrid as a “Last Four In” team thanks to a good strength of schedule and five Quad One victories plus no losses in Quad Three or Quad Four. However, the NET ranking has dipped to 63, and the Friars have fallen to the seventh seed in the Big East Tournament. They play Georgetown in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday. A loss to the dreadful Hoyas would leave the Friars in grave danger, while a win would advance them to Creighton on Thursday. Beating Georgetown is probably enough for Providence to squeak in.

1. Seton Hall Pirates

Seton Hall is currently projected as a ten-seed, and of the Big East’s four bubble teams, they enter the week feeling the safest. The Pirates have five true road wins and are 5-7 in Quad One games. That includes a massive 15-point home win over the UConn Huskies in December and a home win over Marquette in January. In addition, they have road wins over fellow bubble teams St. John’s and at Providence. Seton Hall is the fourth seed and drew St. John’s on Thursday afternoon. A loss to the Red Storm could toss the Pirates back on the bubble and make for a nervous Selection Sunday.

2. St. John's Red Storm

Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm enter the Big East Tournament as the No. 5 seed, pitted against the Seton Hall Pirates on Thursday afternoon. St. John’s rolls in the Big East Tournament on a five-game winning streak that has them listed as one of the last four bye teams in the field, according to SportsGrid’s bracketology projections. The draw against Seton Hall is very interesting. A win over the Pirates would pretty much lock up a bid for St. John’s and would drag Seton Hall to the bubble. A loss for St. John’s would make for a very nervy Sunday as they wait for the bracket to be announced. St. John’s is ranked 39th in the NET but is a dreadful 3-9 in Quad One opportunities, plus they have a Quad Three loss to Michigan.

College Basketball Links: March Madness Bracketology | Bubble Watch

3. Villanova Wildcats

Villanova has a very contradictory resume. On the good side; they have wins over North Carolina, at Creighton, and Texas Tech. They have a NET ranking of 33 and good strength of schedule. On the bad side, the Wildcats are 17-14 and have losses to Saint Joseph’s, Drexel, and Penn. Villanova has the No. 6 seed in the Big East Tournament and is squarely on the cut line heading into this week. They play DePaul on Wednesday, which qualifies as a “must-win." The victory won’t do anything to help Villanova, but a loss would end their chances of getting an at-large bid. If they win, they face Marquette on Thursday night. The Wildcats could lock up a bid with a win over Marquette at MSG, while a loss would leave them waiting on Selection Sunday.

Villanova's Odds for the NCAA Tournament: Yes -108/No -122

4. Providence Friars

Kim English and the Providence Friars have hung on since losing star Bryce Hopkins, and they have a strong case for being included in the NCAA Tournament. Entering the Big East Tournament, they are listed by SportsGrid as a “Last Four In” team thanks to a good strength of schedule and five Quad One victories plus no losses in Quad Three or Quad Four. However, the NET ranking has dipped to 63, and the Friars have fallen to the seventh seed in the Big East Tournament. They play Georgetown in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday. A loss to the dreadful Hoyas would leave the Friars in grave danger, while a win would advance them to Creighton on Thursday. Beating Georgetown is probably enough for Providence to squeak in.