Bracketology 2019: Most likely bid thieves heading into March Madness

4. Big East

Safe at-large teams: Villanova and Marquette

Most likely bid thieves: The other eight

It’s hard to tell whether the Big East is one of the deepest leagues in the country, or just simply filled with mediocrity after the top two teams. After Marquette and Villanova, there isn’t another team with a conference record over .500. Just two games separate the other eight programs, having beaten each other since January.

In terms of Bracketology, only St. John’s should feel relatively good about their at-large chances and even they have been sputtering as of late. The others have some work to do, with potential bubble elimination battles coming up in the Big East quarterfinals.

But the goal is for both the Golden Eagles and the Wildcats to be beaten at some point, which lately has been more doable. Marquette just lost to Creighton, while Villanova suffered a three-game losing streak mid-February, including to Xavier and Georgetown. Even perennial Big East basement program DePaul has been much more competitive and is capable of winning a couple of games in the league tournament.

Even though there are two teams that would have to lose for the Big East to have a “bid stealer” the number of capable teams is much higher than the previously mentioned conferences. Programs like Seton Hall, Providence, and even Butler could definitely go on a run at Madison Square Garden. There is still a wide range of possibilities for how teams the Big East gets for the NCAA Tournament but don’t be surprised if one on the bubble takes matters into their own hands and get the autobid.