Big East Basketball: 5 questions heading into conference play

5. How many teams have second-weekend potential?

As of right now, it looks like each of the top four teams in the conference (Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Creighton) has the ability to reach the Sweet 16 or further. These teams have already shown that they can beat top-level teams and at least two of them will probably be a top-4 seed in their respective regionso.

After that, of course, there are several teams that could win back-to-back games in the Big Dance and reach the Sweet 16. For now, though, I would say only two or three teams find themselves playing for a chance at making the Elite 8. The Big Dance is the culmination of all the hard work during the regular season and having multiple teams reach the Sweet 16 is important.

Any team reaching the Sweet 16 helps the conference out financially and with recruiting. The goal is for every team possible to make it that far but that never happens. Can the Big East prove once again that they belong as a top conference in the biggest event of the season?

Next: Ranking the top conferences

Regardless of how many teams survive the opening games of the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year, the next couple of months in Big East hoops are going to be remarkably fun. With Villanova at the top, the conference is one of the best in the nation and should have fierce competition all season long.