March Madness Update: Huge Week for Big East Bubble Teams
UConn wrapped up the Big East regular-season title and can strengthen its case to be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament with a win over Marquette this week.
When looking at the NCAAB picks, Creighton and Marquette are in a position to join UConn as top 16 seeds when the March Madness bracket is announced. The question is how many other Big East teams will get into the tournament.
UConn is the only Big East team undefeated in conference play at home while the Huskies join Marquette and Creighton as teams with winning records on the road.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, UConn is first with +500 odds of winning the NCAAM championship. Marquette’s odds to win March Madness are now at +2200 followed by Creighton with +3000 odds to win it all.
Keep on reading for more on the March Madness hopes of the teams from the Big East.
Big Dance-Bound
UConn moved ahead of Arizona and into the No. 3 position in the latest NCAA NET rankings. The Huskies are one of three teams with 10 Quad 1 wins and they can add to that number against Marquette.
The Huskies helped themselves by playing Texas, Kansas, North Carolina and Gonzaga during the non-conference portion of the schedule, winning three of those games.
Creighton moved ahead of Marquette after beating the Golden Eagles last week. Creighton is 11th and Marquette 14th in the NCAA NET rankings. Creighton is 7-6 in Quad 1 games but does have a pair of Quad 2 losses. Marquette is among the national leaders with 14 games against Quad 1 teams but is just 8-6 in those games. Marquette is going to be without star point guard Tyler Kolek for the final two games of the regular season. Will that impact the March Madness odds for the Golden Eagles?
After UConn, Creighton and Marquette, there is a bit of a gap between the next team with March Madness aspirations with Villanova 26th in the NCAA NET rankings.
On the Bubble
Despite a solid NCAA NET ranking, Villanova could use a couple more wins to improve its chances of getting a spot in the NCAA tournament. A 4-8 record in Quad 1 games and three Quad 3 losses can’t be overlooked.
St. John’s is tied for sixth in the Big East standings, but is 39th in the NCAA NET rankings. The Red Storm are just 5-9 in Quad 1 games.
Providence could hit the 20-win mark by winning its final two games of the regular season. That would include a win over UConn. Ten of Providence’s 18 wins are against Quad 4 teams as the Friars are outside the top 60 in the NCAA NET rankings.
Seton Hall is 11-7 in league play in one of the best conferences in the country but will a fourth-place finish in the Big East get the Pirates a March Madness invitation even if they dropped to 68th in the NCAA NET rankings? Seton Hall does own wins over UConn and Marquette.
“Seton Hall beat UConn and Marquette. Marquee wins. … At some point we need to use logic. They beat two of the Top 5 teams in college basketball. … They gotta be in the [NCAA] Tournament.”
—@wallyball on @SetonHallMBB pic.twitter.com/crGvaaXWdw
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 28, 2024
The latest projected bracket on the CBS Sports site has St. John’s among the last four teams in the field with Villanova and Seton Hall in the last four out category.
The Las Vegas odds have Villanova at -275 to make it into the March Madness bracket compared to +220 odds for Providence.
Wait ‘Til Next Year
The NCAA NET rankings for Xavier and Butler are 61st and 67th. They have combined for 21 Quad 1 losses so it probably will take a run to the Big East tournament title to get into the NCAA Tournament.
The good news for Georgetown and DePaul is that the 2023-24 season will soon be over. They are a combined 2-34 in Big East play with 26 wins by double digits. Both of Georgetown’s conference wins came against DePaul.
Questions Of The Day
How many Big East teams made the 2023 NCAA Tournament?
Five Big East teams were in the 2023 NCAA Tournament field, with UConn winning the title. Creighton came up one point short of joining UConn in the Final Four while Xavier advanced to the Sweet 16.
Who has the best odds of reaching the Final Four among Big East teams?
UConn has +110 odds to reach the Final Four while Marquette has +500 odds to reach the Final Four according to the BetUS sportsbook.
