Bracketology: Final Bubble Watch before Selection Sunday

Big East

Lead-Pipe Lock: Villanova, Butler, Creighton

Some Perspiration: Xavier, Marquette, Seton Hall, Providence

Better Double-Up on the Deodorant: None.

Xavier Musketeers, 19-12 (9-9): One game might do the trick, but to be safe, Xavier needs two wins to be locked. It would be a very good idea to play Butler close or get the W to be locked up. Beating the Bulldogs will be a very difficult endeavor, but they have played them close twice, so it would not be a huge surprise if they came out on top. X could use a confidence-boosting run in the Big East Tournament, not just for seeding, but to feel better about their chances in the Big Dance.

Record vs. RPI top-50: 3-8          Record vs. RPI 50-100: 5-3

Current seed: 10      RPI: 34     SOS: 10

Bad losses: at Colorado

Marquette Golden Eagles, 19-11 (10-8): For more on Marquette, see the introduction of this article.

Record vs. RPI top-50: 7-6          Record vs. RPI 50-100: 3-4

Current seed: 10      RPI: 55     SOS: 47

Bad losses: at St. John’s

Seton Hall Pirates, 19-10 (9-8): Seton Hall is probably safe with a loss against Marquette, but there is no reason to take things for granted. Beat Marquette and you are a lock. That simple. In fact, with a win over the Golden Eagles, Seton Hall might able to snag a single-digit seed. Yet, if they lose to MU, they will likely have a bit of a sweat going as the committee releases their 68 teams on Sunday.

Record vs. RPI top-50: 4-6          Record vs. RPI 50-100: 6-3

Current seed: 10     RPI: 43     SOS: 51

Bad losses: at St. John’s

Providence Friars, 19-11 (9-8): Like Seton Hall, the Friars should be in good shape even with a loss to Creighton. Beating Creighton will make them a lock while losing will mean an extra dosage of deodorant for Ed Cooley’s team on Sunday.

Record vs. RPI top-50: 6-7          Record vs. RPI 50-100: 4-1

Current seed: 11      RPI: 52     SOS: 46

Bad losses: vs. St. John’s, at Boston College, at DePaul