Regular season Big East play has finished and it appears that six of the 10 conference members will secure bids for the NCAA Tournament next weekend. The league might not be top-heavy this season, but nobody can argue with its overall strength and nightly competitiveness. Only the Big 12 is in position to match the Big East in terms of 60 percent of its members making the Tournament. That said, there are still some potential shifts ahead with respect to postseason seeding and the Big East Tournament will serve as the deciding factor.

Villanova (29-2, 16-2)

• Up Next: Thursday vs. Marquette/Seton Hall
  RPI: #3 SOS: #45
• On Track For: NCAA, No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Provided that the Wildcats win out, they will be a lock for a #1 seed in the NCAAs, likely sliding in behind Kentucky and either Duke or Virginia on the overall strength curve. This would represent a major feat for a program that continues to raise the bar and maintain a national spotlight on the Big East as a whole. Winning the Big East Tournament this week will be no easy task, however, and the parity between the assembled teams cannot be emphasized enough. Villanova will be the favorite to win the crown, but Georgetown, Butler, Providence and St. John’s will all be strongly in the mix.

This guys has had a lot to smile about this season. (Getty)

Butler (20-8, 12-6)

• Up Next: Thursday vs. Xavier
  RPI: #25 SOS: #41
• On Track For: NCAA, No. 5 or No. 6 seed. The injury to Andrew Chrabascz undoubtedly set it back, but Butler remained competitive and recently trumped Providence on its home floor. The absolute best case scenario would be a #4 seed if the Bulldogs were to win the conference tournament, but the more likely seeding is a #5. Depending on its NCAA draw, Butler makes for a fantastic sleeper pick as the Bulldogs have largely flown under the radar this season.

Georgetown (20-9, 12-6)

• Up Next: Thursday vs. DePaul/Creighton
  RPI: #21 SOS: #5
• On Track For: NCAA, No. 5 or No. 6 seed. Georgetown has closed the season strongly save for a blip against a red-hot St. John’s team a week ago. The Hoyas claimed the #2 seed in this week’s Big East Tournament, providing them with an “easier” game against either DePaul or Creighton on Thursday. And yet, despite their highly-ranked interior defense, Georgetown remains susceptible to long scoring droughts and uncontested perimeter shots. This is unfortunately the recipe for upsets in March. The freshmen core has developed well, but Georgetown still lacks a consistent scorer to pair with Smith-Rivera.

Is this the year John Thompson III and Georgetown make a serious run in postseason play? (Washington Post)

Providence (19-9, 11-7)

• Up Next: Thursday vs. St. John’s
• RPI: #23 SOS: #8
• On Track For: NCAA, No. 6 or No. 7 seed. The Friars lost to Butler on Saturday but their place in the NCAA Tournament is already solidified. Providence could fall anywhere between a #5 and a #7 seed depending on Big East Tournament performance, but what matters most is whether LaDontae Henton can find his missing rhythm; the senior was 2-of-10 from the floor on Saturday, scoring just eight points in 40 minutes of play. Providence is an entirely different team when he doesn’t contribute or when Kris Dunn sits with foul trouble.

St. John’s (21-10, 10-8)

• Up Next: Thursday vs. Providence
  RPI: #30 SOS: #28
• On Track For: NCAA, No. 7 or No. 8 seed. Talk about a late season turnaround. Just when the Johnnies appeared headed to the NIT or worse, they righted the ship by winning seven of their last nine games. Still, St. John’s was absolutely slaughtered at Villanova in the second half on Saturday. The good news is that Steve Lavin’s team was already squarely in the NCAA Tournament field prior to that embarrassment. Both Rysheed Jordan and Sir’Dominic Pointer have come into their own in the latter half of this season, while D’Angelo Harrison has consistently contributed double-figure scoring as well. The result is that St. John’s has played itself from the bubble to a projected #7 seed. With excellent athleticism at every position, the Red Storm just might have the firepower to make a run should they draw a favorable match-up or two.

Xavier (19-12, 9-9)

• Up Next: Thursday vs. Butler
  RPI: #38 SOS: #22
• On Track For: NCAA, No. 9 or No. 10 seed. Well, Xavier pulled it off. While it wasn’t quite a must-win for the Musketeers, this team would have found itself in a dire situation had it not won at Creighton on Saturday. Its defensive lapses were countless, but Matt Stainbrook propelled the team to a one-point victory behind a 26-point, nine-rebound performance. The Musketeers as a result successfully hit the .500 mark in conference play, and a loss to Butler on Thursday would be a reasonable loss. Still, team defense away from home remains a major concern, and with an expected #8 or #9 seeding, a tough road lies ahead for Chris Mack’s team.

Seton Hall (16-14, 6-12)

• Up Next: Wednesday vs. Marquette
  RPI: #81 SOS: #56
• On Track For: NIT bubble.

DePaul (12-19, 6-12)

• Up Next: Wednesday vs. Creighton
  RPI: #178 SOS: #81
• On Track For: NIT bubble.

Marquette (12-18, 4-14)

• Up Next: Wednesday vs. Seton Hall
  RPI: #155 SOS: #32
• On Track For: NIT bubble.

Creighton (13-18, 4-14)

• Up Next: Wednesday vs. DePaul
  RPI: #138 SOS: #44
• On Track For: NIT bubble.

As for the four teams above, they are set to attend the NIT or another postseason tournament should they receive an invitation. Given Seton Hall’s collapse, DePaul’s inability to build on its hot start and the inconsistencies of Marquette and Creighton, it should come as no surprise that these four teams find themselves at the bottom of the league standings. That’s not to say that none of the four teams couldn’t run the table and steal an NCAA bid, but the odds are strongly against such an outcome. Seton Hall would be the likeliest candidate to make a run based on talent alone, but it would require the Pirates to beat Villanova for a second time this season. Nevertheless, any sort of postseason play would provide valuable experience for the younger players on each of these rosters.

Justin Kundrat (175 Posts)

Villanova grad, patiently waiting another 10 years for season tickets. Follow Justin on twitter @JustinKundrat or email him at justin.kundrat@gmail.com

This entry was posted on Monday, March 9th, 2015 at 1:55 pm by Justin Kundrat and is filed under big east, microsites. Tagged: big east, big east tournament preview, butler, feature, georgetown, providence, st johns, villanova. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.