It was a strange season for the Big East. The usual blue blood, Villanova, completely underperformed this year and will likely miss the tournament for the first time since 2012. However, March looks bright for the Big East this year. With 5 teams in the AP top 25, it will be hard to count out the Big East this year when fans fill out those brackets.
First, let’s get into the Big East regular season. With Marquette’s win over Creighton on Tuesday night, the Golden Eagles seem like the clear front runner for the regular season title. Marquette’s remaining games include DePaul, Butler, and Seton Hall, who are all in the bottom four of the Big East. I can almost guarantee this means a regular season title for Shaka Smart and his 10th ranked Marquette squad. However, I do think that this cake walk at the end of the season for Marquette will lead to a loss in the Big East tournament. With the top seed in the Big East Tournament, Marquette will continue it’s stretch of playing bottom ranked Big East teams in the first round of the conference tournament. When it comes time to play a team like Villanova, Creighton, or UConn, Marquette won’t be ready to face the electrifying talent on these teams in the likes of Cam Whittmore, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Jordan Hawkins. I predict that Marquette loses in the quarter or semi finals of the Big East Tournament, leaving room for either Crighton or Providence to win it all. In my opinion, Creighton has looked like the most solid team all year. They have one of the most complete players in the nation in 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner, one of the best point guards in the Big East, Ryan Nembhard, and a veteran coach calling plays in Greg McDermott.
In March Madness, I predict early exits in the first or second round for 2 of the 5 teams: Xavier and UConn. Both teams have suffered bad losses in the regular conference season. Playing tough teams in other conferences will prove to be a problem for these two teams in March. On the other hand, Marquette, Providence, and Creighton will be Sweet Sixteen and beyond teams. I can see Creighton making a Final Four run and possibly even a national championship run in this odd year of college basketball.
For The Bark, I’m Chandler Hart
