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Our series of conference tournament previews continues with a look inside the Big East Conference Tournament.
The once-powerhouse conference known for its crazy games in Madison Square Garden has begun to resurrect itself after a down period, producing some of the best teams in the country this season, which should lead to a very entertaining conference tournament. Villanova will look to defend its title, but it certainly won't be easy against plenty of gritty competition, including first seed Xavier. The first game between St. John's and Georgetown will tip off at 7:00 on Wednesday night, and the championship game will be played on Saturday night at 6:30.
Here, Mike Bash and I will break down the handful of teams who could change the shape of the NCAA tournament and how they stack up against one another this week in New York City.
Editor's Note: Over the next few days, be sure to check out the rest of our NCAA tournament columns and advice. Tournament winners/picks, sleepers, busts and breakdowns of each region will be released shortly.
Top-Seed Locks
Xavier Musketeers (27-4, 15-3 in Big East, No. 1 seed)
If we remove loses to Villanova from Xavier's schedule, they would've lost just two games all year. One non-conference game to Arizona State and one conference game to Providence. Despite their woes against the Wildcats, the Musketeers were still able to grabthe top spot in the Big East tournament.
Currently ranked as the third best team in the country by the Associated Press and second by the Coaches Poll, Xavier is led by one of the best guards in the country in senior Treveon Bluiett. He just under 20 points per game and hits the boards very well for a guard. He's supported in the scoring department by fellow seniors J.P. Macura and Kerem Kanter. As you can tell, the experience level on this team is as high as you can get. Barring a quarterfinals loss to either Georgetown or St. John's, the Musketeers will undoubtably remain a one seed in the NCAA tournament. Let's all hope we get another Xavier and Villanova matchup on Saturday in the Big East final.
Villanova Wildcats (27-4, 14-4, No. 2 seed)
Villanova came into the year as one of the top teams in the country only two years replaced from a memorable NCAA Championship run that finally gave them the recognition they rightfully deserved. Although there are still some carryovers from that team, the core of the team has graduated, and some impact freshman from two years ago have grown into star upperclassman. Two of those stars make up the dynamic duo that has paced the Wildcats all season long, point guard Jaylen Brunson and small forward Mikail Bridges.
Brunson, who is a first team All-American and a National Player of The Year finalist is clearly the leader of this team and it shows in his play, on the season he is averaging 19 points per game to lead the Wildcats in scoring. Bridges, a long, lanky, and athletic wing player was a mere defensive stopper on the championship team, but his game has blossomed under Jay Wright and he finds himself looking like a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. Bridges has become more than just a defensive player, he is averaging 17.6 points per game to formulate one of the best duos in the country this year. Villanova is going to lean heavily on these two guys, but the balanced contributions from fellow Wildcats has their sights on a Big East Championship first, and potentially a Final Four Appearance in early April.
Safely in the Field
Seton Hall Pirates (21-10, 10-8, No. 3 seed)
The Seton Hall Pirates have been a hot and cold team over the latter course of the season and they are a tough team to get a read on heading into tournament play. That being said, they have a ton of experience on their side as well as big game experience. Led by a quartet of starters who do most of their damage, three of which are seniors, the Pirates are as dangerous of a team as there is in the country if they get clicking.
The Pirates started their season off red-hot until a December loss to in-state rival Rutgers set the program into a bit of a tailspin. The next stage of the season featured injuries, suspensions, and bad play, and people were starting to worry about the postseason outlook. Although Seton Hall will make the NCAA tournament regardless, a good showing in the Big East Tournament would help lock in their spot in the dance, which currently sits as a 7 seed according to Joe Lunardi. Desi Rodriguez leads the team in scoring at over 18 ppg, but Khadeen Carrington, the senior point guard, is the motor to this high-powered engine. The X-factor for the Pirates is their double-double machine of a power forward in Angel Delgado. The conference's all-time leading rebounder could wreak havoc on any team he faces, and if his motor is running, this team can beat anyone in the country. The last of the quartet is Myles Powell, a lethal shooter from the outside who needs very little space to get his shot off. If those guys can play up to their ability, then the Pirates are looking at a very deep run in March. Watch out!
Creighton Bluejays (21-10, 10-8, No. 4 seed)
Creighton surprised a lot of college basketball fans this year, winning some big games early on and pulling out some resume-building victories in their conference play as well. It started with solid wins against teams like Northwestern and UCLA and ended with an overtime victory over the aforementioned Villanova Wildcats. Because the Bluejays showed up in a bunch of big contests and avoided groundbreaking losses, they'll easily be part of the March Madness, currently projected as an eighth seed.
Senior guard Marcus Foster carries the team in the scoring department, putting up 20.3 ppg. Junior guard Khyri Thomas isn't far behind with 15.5 ppg, and both players average over a steal per contest. Sophomore forward Martin Krampelj has kept the guards in a lot of games with his impressive play down low, and he averages about 12 points and 8 rebounds per game himself. The well-balanced attacked proved to be lethal on multiple occasions this year, and Creighton looks to earn a rematch with Xavier by first winning their quarterfinal rubber match against Providence. Regardless of the Big East tournament outcome, look to Creighton to make some noise as a middle seed in the big dance later in the month.
On the Bubble
Providence Friars (19-12, 10-8, No. 5 seed)
After playing some really impressive basketball in the month of January, the Providence Friars couldn't seem to get on a roll in February, failing to capitalize on some key, resume-building games down the stretch. They did, however, manage to rack up wins against Nova, Xavier, and Creighton early in the season, so they are as impressive a bubble team as you will find. Lunardi currently has Providence has one of the last four teams to earn a bye in the NCAA tournament, but I don't see a loss to Creighton in the quarterfinals burning their ticket to the dance. Providence should be safely in no matter Thursday's outcome.
The Friars bring a more balanced attack then most to the table, getting between 9 and 14 ppg from four different players, three of them checking in as seniors. With that kind of versatility on offense and the experience needed to finish late in games, Providence is another team that could surprise a six or seven seed come mid-March.
Butler Bulldogs (19-12, 9-9, No. 6 seed)
The Butler Bulldogs, led by Brad Stevens and Gordon Hayward, oh wait that was 8 years ago, and that’s now the Boston Celtics. The darlings of March might not have the star power they once possessed, and might have lost another head coach to a more high-profile job, but that hasn’t halted their success, as they continue to plug and play whoever they bring in. The days of Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward may have passed, but a new duo of has emerged in the form of Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin.
Martin, a senior forward, has become a star for the Bulldogs as one of the conference’s leading scorers, averaging an outstanding 21.2 points per game. With that potent of a scorer on the wing he can single-handedly take over games at a moment’s notice. Martin is the headline name, and for good reason, but every Batman needs his Robin, and Martin has that in the form of Kamar Baldwin. Baldwin is the point guard of the Bulldogs and is the second leading scorer on the team, coming in at just over 15 points per contest. These two guys are the catalyst for any sort of success that Butler wishes to have. If they’re on they can knock off a lot of good teams, but if they get shutdown the options behind them are lacking. First up in the Big East Tournament is a talented Seton Hall squad which may end up being too much to handle.
Marquette Golden Eagles (18-2, 9-9, No. 7 seed)
Lunardi currently pins the Golden Eagles as one of the first four teams out of the tournament. It's a fair assessment considering Marquette squandered every chance they had to defeat a top-10 ranked team, and they had a bunch of chances. However, they did go a combined 4-0 against the likes of Creighton and Seton Hall, so that has to count for something.
The lethal guard tandem of sophomore Markus Howard (20.9 ppg) and senior Andrew Rowsey (19.9 ppg) makes this team extremely dangerous. And if that wasn't enough, sophomore guard Sam Houser averages 15.1 ppg alongside them, making an impressive 51.7% of his three point attempts. Houser and company shoot the long ball really, really well, so I'm surprised a huge upset win didn't fall their way this season. However, they should get another chance against Villanova assuming they take care of DePaul on Wednesday, and a win against the Wildcats would all but boost them into the NCAA Tournament where anything can happen.
Looking to Play Spoiler
Georgetown Hoyas (15-14, 5-13, No. 8 seed)
St. John's Red Storm (15-16, 4-14, No. 9 seed)
DePaul Blue Demons (11-19, 4-14, No. 10 seed)
All three of the above teams crawled to brutal conference records as a result of the crazy-good competition in the Big East this year. Of the three, St. John's certainly seems the most talented, as they do have offensive star power to compete on some nights, and they evidenced that by taking down Duke and Villanova in consecutive games. Their setup against Georgetown in the first round of the Big East tourney is the best matchup of the three as well, but they would have to play Xavier next even if they pulled out a victory. There's really no chance any of these teams can steal an automatic bid here, so their season will likely be over by the end of the day Thursday at the latest.
