Three teams from the Big East (Connecticut, Marquette and Creighton) appear to be favorites to make the NCAA men’s tournament.
How many people will join them?
The latest edition of the Big East Conference Tournament begins Wednesday at the legendary Madison Square Garden, with the fate of the tournament potentially deciding for five teams. The first three teams I mentioned, Connecticut, Marquette, and Creighton, are all ranked in the AP Top 10, and you may already be thinking about your travel plans in two weeks. However, regarding Seton Hall in St. John’s, villanovaProvidence, Butler and MSG will determine whether they can play meaningful basketball again next week.
For the three teams in the conference that are underdogs overall – Xavier, Georgetown and DePaul – they won’t be able to make it to the Big Dance without a miraculous run at the Garden.
Looking at the five teams in the bubble, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova are probably pretty confident. The Red Storm are ranked No. 31 in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings and No. 39 in the NET rankings, and a win over Creighton on Feb. 25 will certainly help their situation. Villanova is ranked No. 28 in Pomeroy’s rankings (32nd in NET) and strengthens its return to the tournament with wins over both Creighton and North Carolina early in the season. As for Seton Hall, the Pirates would feel better with a win or two this week, but 56th in the KenPom rankings and 62nd in the NET rankings is a solid starting point.
Providence and Butler need to do some work. The Friars (62nd in KenPom, 63rd in NET) have solid wins this year against Wisconsin, Marquette and Creighton. A win or two at MSG would mean a lot. The same goes for the Bulldogs, with Butler ranked 64th in KenPom/65th in NET, and road wins over Creighton and Marquette look pretty good to the committee.
Both these teams are playing on Wednesday and have a very good chance to start the tournament with an important win.
2024 Men’s Big East Tournament Bracket
Here are the 2024 Big Ten men’s tournament standings. Brackets can also be displayed. Tournament website.
2024 Men’s Big East Tournament Schedule
March 13th Round 1
game 1: No. 8 Butler vs. No. 9 Xavier, 4 p.m. ET; FS1
game 2: No. 7 Providence vs. No. 10 Georgetown, 6:30 p.m. ET; FS1
Game 3: No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 11 DePaul, 9 p.m. ET; FS1
March 14th Quarterfinals
Game 4: No. 1 Connecticut vs. Winner Game 1, 12:00 PM ET; FS1
Game 5: No. 4 Seton Hall vs. No. 5 St. John’s, 2:30 p.m. ET; FS1
Game 6: No. 2 Creighton vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m. ET; FS1
Game 7: No. 3 Market vs. Winner Game 3, 9:30 p.m. ET; FS1
March 15th Semi-finals
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 5:30pm ET; Fox
Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 8:00 PM ET; FS1
March 16th Championship
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 6:30pm ET; Fox
