If you haven’t started paying attention to Big East basketball, it’s time to tune in. Over the next three days, the Big East will have four games that could play a significant role in which teams will see their names called on Selection Sunday in March. Too early to think about the bubble? Maybe, but with matchups against Power Conference teams, the committee will be looking back on these games with scrutiny. Here’s what to look out for in the Big East’s first big weekend of the season.
Big East Basketball First Weekend Preview
Clash of the Powerhouses
It’s pretty safe to say St. John’s will be in the tournament, but its matchup against No. 15 Alabama is a win it desperately needs. Last season, the Red Storm dropped a double-overtime game against then No.13 Baylor and fell to Arkansas, who finished No. 20, in the second round of the tournament. Those were the top two non-Big East teams St. John’s played, and it dropped both. The fact the Big East champ lost to the seventh-place team in the Big 12 and the ninth-place SEC team is not a great sign for the league’s strength.
Head coach Rick Pitino’s squad now has the challenge of facing the team picked to finish fourth in the SEC, the Crimson Tide. After sending 14 schools to the Big Dance, the SEC is the king of college basketball. Even though the Big East sent five teams to the tournament, only the Johnnies remained in the AP Poll after all five made quick exits.
Pitino had a historic season last year, but his team never got that signature win. Beating the Crimson Tide at Madison Square Garden would justify St. John’s top-five ranking and put them in the national conversation. Plus if a Big East team on the bubble pulls off an upset in Queens later in the year, that win would hold a lot more weight.
Smart’s System Faces Test
Marquette is 2-0 and it looks like Chase Ross is settling into the No. 1 scoring option. The senior scored 15 and 23 points in the Golden Eagles’ first two games. While it seems most of the guys have improved, Shaka Smart’s system gets its first test on Sunday against Indiana.
While the Hoosiers are picked just tenth in the Big Ten, they do have former Drake/West Virginia star Tucker DeVries, who followed his dad to Bloomington. Even though Marquette has big games against Purdue and Wisconsin, it needs to win this early season matchup. The Golden Eagles’ top advantage right now is that they know each other and how to play with each other. That can make up for talent disparity in an era of throwing five new bodies onto the floor together. But by the time December arrives, other teams begin to mesh and roles form.
Beating the Hoosiers would also gauge if Ross can be the top dog against a competitive team.
Potential First Weekend Bubble Clashes
Don’t be surprised if the winners of these two games are in the bubble discussion. Georgetown faces a Maryland team on Friday that lost its coach and half its team in the offseason. Ed Cooley’s team made significant leaps in year two but benefitted from an easy non-conference schedule. Its best win was over the 14-19 Syracuse Orange. The Terrapins are one of three Power Conference teams the Hoyas face. While they are not at the same level as UNC or Clemson, the Terps did make it to the Sweet 16 last season. The Hoyas are one of several Big East teams that could finish anywhere from fourth to eighth.
Meanwhile, Providence heads to Mohegan Sun to play a Virginia Tech team in a weak ACC. Providence head coach Kim English needs an improved third season. The Friars are slated to play at least four Power Conference teams. While a win doesn’t derail the season, this might be the best matchup out of the four games.
Colorado and Penn State are both expected to finish at the bottom of their leagues, meanwhile Wisconsin already start the season ranked 24th. The Hokies revamped their roster, headlined by five-star recruit Neoklis Avdalas. They are very much in the same position as the Friars, hungry to return to the NCAA Tournament after a multi-year drought.
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