Big East Basketball: Projecting the 2018 Gavitt Games with Big Ten

Potential Big Ten-hosted games

Marquette at Michigan State

Finding a partner for Michigan State is a bit tough because the Big East does not have another clear top team besides Villanova. Marquette is one of several schools – including Seton Hall, Butler, and Xavier – that are expected to jockey for second place in the Big East in 2018-19. The Golden Eagles have a ton of talent returning to Milwaukee and should provide a tough test for the Spartans on the road. Michigan State has three top 100 recruits coming to East Lansing, who will be tasked with filling the shoes of projected lottery picks Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson.

Georgetown at Indiana

Hoyas vs. Hoosiers. Blue and Gray vs. Crimson and Cream. Georgetown and Indiana are both loaded with basketball history, yet have only played each other four times (two wins apiece for GU and IU). While creating tougher non-conference schedules is a huge on-court factor for these series, events like the Gavitt Games are also about creating interesting match-ups that fans don’t often see. Georgetown and Indiana carry plenty of clout in the college basketball world; let’s keep it simple and put them on the court together.

Creighton at Rutgers

Despite losing Marcus Foster and probably Khyri Thomas, the Bluejays should still be a quality team in 2018-19, even if they do take a small step backward. Every Big East team is hoping to avoid Rutgers in the Gavitt Games, though third-year coach Steve Pikiell seems to have kick-started some positive growth in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights are not guaranteed to get a Gavitt Game this year, and since Big Ten teams are only required to play in four games through 2022, the Big East would probably prefer to see Rutgers finish off their requirements down the road once the program has risen to more respectable levels.

DePaul at Nebraska

Everything I just said about Rutgers is about 90 percent as applicable to DePaul. The Blue Demons have won just 18 conference games since the Big East reformation five years ago and finished 9th or 10th in the conference four times. Still, while Rutgers finished 130th in the KenPom rankings, DePaul managed to crack the top 100 (99th) for the first time since 2007.

The Blue Demons finished 49th in adjusted defensive efficiency, so they could muck up a game against the Cornhuskers and sneak out a win. Nebraska finished fourth in the Big 10 last year but missed the tournament mainly because of its horrific non-conference slate. A potential win over DePaul won’t make the resume for Nebraska, but it will at least limit the amount of ‘Quadrant 4’ games scheduled. I’m sure the Big Red faithful is ecstatic.

Next: Five offseason questions for the Big East

There is a good chance the 16 teams listed are the ones that are actually playing in the event when the games are released. Hopefully, we continue to see quality match-ups featuring some of the best teams in the country.