Big East Breakdown: Conference Takes Over The Bubble In Final Weekend

Feb 15, 2017; Newark, NJ, USA; Seton Hall Pirates guard Myles Powell (13) celebrates a three points basket during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Prudential Center. Seton Hall won, 87-81. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

In the final day of the Big East regular season, the conference took control over the almighty bubble.

As college basketball's regular season comes to a close, the NCAA Tournament bracket is starting to take shape.

Next week, teams will have the chance to earn automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments, but as usual, the most intriguing part of March Madness is the bubble conversation.

Coming into the final day of the Big East regular season, three teams were mortal locks for the Big Dance, with another four programs floating around the bubble.

The three teams in the cellar of the conference were long removed from at-large territory, with only the Big East Tournament to look forward too.

As the last buzzer sounded on the Big East's regular season, the conference's footprint in the NCAA Tournament grew exponentially. The teams that were on the bubble took care of business, crushing the hopes of many teams on the fringe across the country.

This coming week, the Big East Tournament will take its normal post at Madison Square Garden. The first round starts on Wednesday, running until the championship game on Saturday. It will be the 35th straight year that the Big East Tournament takes place at MSG.

Below, we will take a look at all 10 Big East teams and see where they stand going forward.

(All rankings are courtesy of KenPom)

Feb 22, 2017; Villanova, PA, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) shoots a foul shot in front of guard Jalen Brunson (1) and Butler Bulldogs guard Tyler Lewis (1) during the second half at The Pavilion. The Butler Bulldogs won 74-66. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Mortal Locks:

2

Villanova Wildcats

The defending national champions are back and better than ever. They closed the year out with nine wins in their last 10 games, with their only loss coming to No. 22 Butler.

In their regular-season finale, they whooped up on the Georgetown Hoyas in D.C, beating them by a score of 81-55.

Overall, the 'Cats are one of the best two-way teams in the country. According to KenPom, they rank in the Top-20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, coming in at No. 3 on offense and No. 16 on defense.

Also, the program is only allowing 63.3 points per game, which is No. 21 in the nation.

Villanova boasts a lineup that is as deep as anyone around, but they will go only as far as superstar Josh Hart can take them. On the year, Hart leads the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting.

Don't be surprised if Hart takes home one of the Player of the Year awards when the season concludes.

With their 15-3 conference record, Jay Wright and company won the Big East regular season title and will likely have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Butler Bulldogs

Even though Indianapolis doesn't exactly scream "East Coast basketball," they've still been a terrific addition to the conference. Not only do they get it done on the court, but their court, the Hinkle Fieldhouse, has been a nice compliment to the list of Big East homecourts.

Chris Holtmann's team enters the Big East Tournament with an at-large bid locked up. Overall, they've won 18 games against KenPom Top-100 teams, including notable wins over No. 2 Villanova (twice), No. 20 Arizona, No. 21 Cincinnati, and No. 28 Marquette (twice).

Like Villanova, the Bulldogs are also very effective on both ends of the floor. They rank in the Top-100 in both scoring offense and defense, putting up 77.4 points per game while only allowing 68.6 points on the defensive end.

Butler offense is spearheaded by Kelan Martin, Andrew Chrabascz, and Kamar Baldwin. All three have double-digit scoring averages, with Martin leading the team with 16 points per game. In addition, they've managed to stay healthy all year, playing in all of Butler's games so far.

According to Joe Lunardi, the Bulldogs are looking at a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Creighton Bluejays

The Bluejays have had to overcome a slew of adversity this year. Their best player and leading scorer, Maurice Watson Jr., went down with an injury midway through conference play and was then arrested in late-February.

You could definitely argue that it effected the team, both as a distraction and on the actual court. Watson was the driving force behind their early success, and in his absence, the 'Jays had a tough time filling his shoes.

In Creighton's final eight contests, they limped to the finish line, only winning three games.

Moving forward, I don't see Creighton making too much noise in the NCAA Tournament. They're just a different team without Watson in the lineup.

However, with his arrest being such a black-eye for the program, maybe they could rally together and make a run. It would be a terrific story, that's for certain.

According to Joe Lunardi, the Bluejays are in line for a No. 7 seed.

Feb 28, 2017; Providence, RI, USA; Providence Friars forward Rodney Bullock (5), guard Isaiah Jackson (44) and forward Emmitt Holt (15) walk onto the court after a timeout during the second half against the DePaul Blue Demons at Dunkin' Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Right Side Of The Bubble:

28

Marquette Golden Eagles

After their loss to Georgetown on Feb. 11, the Golden Eagles were 15-10 and not considered an NCAA Tournament team. Markus Howard and company needed a late-season run to get their names back into the ring, and that's exactly what they got.

Over the course of their last five games, Marquette turned red-hot and finished the year on a 4-1 clip. They beat No. 43 Xavier twice, No. 93 St. Johns, and capped it off with a huge win over No. 26 Creighton in the season finale.

Also helping the Golden Eagles cause was the late-season success of Vanderbilt and Georgia, two teams that they beat in their non-conference schedule.

Leading the charge for Marquette is the a fore mentioned Markus Howard, a freshman sharpshooter from Arizona. Howard leads the entire nation in three-point field goal percentage, shooting it at a 55.1 percent clip.

Correspondingly, the Golden Eagles are the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the nation, hitting 43 percent from beyond the arc.

Thanks to his impressive freshman campaign, Markus Howard earned a selection to the Big East All-Freshman team.

According to Joe Lunardi, the Golden Eagles are in the "Last Four Byes" category, holding onto a No. 11 seed in the South Region.

Providence Friars

The Friars have had one of the more interesting roads to the right side of the 'bubble' this year. They started red-hot, going 10-2 in their first 12 games, but then faltered over their next 13 games with a poultry 4-9 record.

At that point, the Friars seemed doomed for the NCAA Tournament, especially since two of their losses came to sub-par teams (No. 158 Boston College and No. 179 DePaul).

However, Ed Cooley and company stormed back on the scene, ending their conference schedule on a perfect 6-0 run. During their streak, the Friars knocked off some of the Big East's best teams, beating No. 22 Butler, No. 26 Creighton, and No. 28 Marquette.

Junior Kyron Cartwright is the driving force behind the Friars resurgence. In their recent winning streak, Cartwright has dished out 7.2 assists per game and poured in 13.7 points per game. In fact, on the year, Cartwright leads the entire conference in assists per game with 6.8 per contest.

Joe Lunardi currently has Providence in the "Last Four Byes" category, holding a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region.

Seton Hall Pirates

Don't look now, but the Pirates are back.

Last year, Seton Hall was one of the best teams in the Big East, finishing with a 22-8 record before winning the Big East Tournament. However, the program had a tough time sustaining their success this year, stumbling out to a 13-8 record through their first 21 games.

Surprisingly, Kevin Willard's team went on a tear to finish the year, winning seven of their last nine games and finishing the season at the "magic" number of 20 wins. In their season finale, the Pirates beat No. 22 Butler, all but solidifying their spot in the Big Dance.

Going forward, Seton Hall looks like one of the best sleeper teams out there. They're a very experienced bunch, full of veteran players who have NCAA Tournament experience.

Leading the way is a trio of junior stars; Angel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez, and Khadeen Carrington, all guys who are supremely talented and looking to vanquish their early exit from last year's dance.

Through 30 games, all three players are averaging more than 15 points per game, while playing 31 or more minutes per night.

In addition, Delgado leads the entire country in rebounds per game.

Joe Lunardi also has Seton Hall in his "Last Four Byes" category, giving the Big East three of the four teams in the group. According to Lunardi, the Pirates hold a No. 10 seed in the East Region.

Mar 4, 2017; Rosemont, IL, USA; Xavier Musketeers head coach Chris Mack yells to his team during the second half at Allstate Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Xavier Musketeers

Like Creighton, the Musketeers did most of their damage in the first part of the season. Through their first 24 games, they held an 18-6 record before dropping six straight games. Thankfully, the boys from Cincinnati closed out their season with a road win at DePaul.

Also like Creighton, Chris Mack's team suffered a debilitating injury to their best player, Edmond Sumner. In the 10 games without Sumner, Xavier produced a pedestrian 4-6 record and they will unfortunately have to continue to play without him.

According to Joe Lunardi, the Musketeers are one of the 'Last Four In', forced to compete in the opening play-in games.

With their collapse, the Musketeers earned the No. 7 seed in the Big East Tournament and will be forced to play on the first day of the event. They open up with DePaul on Wednesday night, needing to win four games to take home the hardware.

If the team can put forth a decent showing, they can certainly lock up a NCAA Tournament berth by the time Selection Sunday rolls around.

However, if Xavier falls in the first round to No. 179 DePaul, they will definitely be on the outside looking in. Also, if they win versus the Blue Demons and lose the next game, they stand the chance of being replaced by another bubble team if they were to go on a run.

Dec 21, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm guards Marcus LoVett (15) and Shamorie Ponds (2) react against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the Carrier Dome. St. John's won 93-60. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Out But Can Still Earn Auto-Bid:

70

Georgetown Hoyas

The once rock solid Georgetown Hoyas are now in a state of disaray.

In the season finale, as Georgetown was on their home floor getting their doors blown off by Villanova, a once loyal fan base was raining down chants to fire longtime head coach John Thompson III.

Honestly, you can't blame them at this point. The Hoyas are under .500 for the second straight season, something the program hadn't done in over a decade. The worst part about the ordeal is that the 2016-17 season was once filled with promise and potential.

As Georgetown's non-conference schedule came to a close, the Hoyas were looking like a team on the rise. They stood at 8-4 overall, complete with victories against powerhouse programs Oregon and Syracuse.

However, once Big East play started, the dream ended as they posted a 5-13 conference record, including seven losses in their last eight games.

With all that said, I don't know if there's anyone out there who doesn't think the Hoyas can make a run and win the Big East Tournament. After all, it's the same roster who had the non-conference success and historically the program plays well at Madison Square Garden.

If the Hoyas want to make at the auto-bid, they'll need to improve on their No. 175th ranked defense. Effort is the key to defense, so with their head coaches job on the line, it's the perfect time to play with some extra juice.

Georgetown plays St. John's on Wednesday night at 7:00 P.M ET in the first round of the Big East Tournament.

St. John's Red Storm

Chris Mullin is St. John's favorite son, so it's only right that he was brought in as the new head coach before last season. Steve Lavin, the Red Storm's previous coach, had the program headed in the right direction, but mutually agreed to part ways with the team following the 2014-15 season.

St. John's was confident that Mullin could pick up where Lavin left off and keep New York City's best talent at home.

Now two years in, Chris Mullin and company are indeed headed in the right direction, regardless of what their record says. So far this year they've won five more games than they did last year, including six wins over KenPom Top-75 teams.

The main reason for the optimism at St. John's is due to the freshmen duo of Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett. Interestingly enough, both Ponds and LoVett are left-handed players and both play a very similar style.

Throughout the year, they've both proven to be reliable scorers, with Ponds averaging a team-high 17.6 points per game and LoVett not far behind at 16.4 per night. Both guards earned spots on the Big East All-Freshman team.

Ponds is one of the recruits Mullin was able to keep at home, coming to St. John's from Thomas Jefferson HS in Brooklyn.

With their dynamic freshmen duo, the Johnnies make an intriguing case to make a run in the conference tournament. If they can heat up collectively, don't be surprised if they make it all the way into the weekend.

After all, the Red Storm play a lot of their home games at MSG, so they have the advantage of competing right in their own backyard.

Looking ahead, if Ponds and LoVett stick around for a while, they will definitely bring St. John's back to national relevancy.

Feb 13, 2017; Rosemont, IL, USA; DePaul Blue Demons head coach Dave Leitao during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats at the Allstate Arena. Villanova defeats DePaul 75-62. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

DePaul Blue Demons

Unfortunately, the DePaul Blue Demons just cannot figure out how to make things work in the Big East Conference. Since joining the conference in 2005, the program has only had one winning season (2006-07) and have yet to make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

To make matters worse, the Blue Demons have finished dead-last in the conference six times in the last 10 years.

This season has been more of the same, winning only two Big East games and nine overall. On a national scale, their output on both ends of the floor is atrocious, ranking No. 275 in points scored (69.1) and No. 235 in points allowed (74.6).

Also, out of all the teams in the six power conferences, there's only one team with a lower KenPom rating (No. 272 Oregon State).

Having said that, you have to feel bad for a guy like Billy Garret Jr., a senior point guard who stayed home to play for DePaul. He's averaged double-figures in scoring throughout his four years, shining through as one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dreadful stretch.

However, by sticking around the entire time, it shows a lot about his character and he will be rewarded with a long professional basketball career.

As much as I'd like to say that the Blue Demons could go on a run in the Big East Tournament, it's simply not going to happen.

In order to take home the hardware, they would need to win four Big East games in a row and that's something that the program has never done since joining the conference.

Looking ahead, there is a small glimmer of hope for the struggling program. Next year, the Blue Demons will start playing their home games at Wintrust Arena, a shiny new home court more than 15 miles closer to campus than their old dwelling (Allstate Arena).

If you've ever watched a DePaul home game, the seats at Allstate Arena rarely had people in them. In fact, this year the Blue Demons were averaging only 1,824 fans per home game.

Numbers like that would be disappointing for some Midwestern high schools, let alone a power conference Division 1 program. Hopefully with their new arena being to the school, they can fill the place up and gain some sort of homecourt advantage.

DePaul plays Xavier on Wednesday night at 9:30 P.M ET in the first round of the Big East Tournament.

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