With Selection Sunday less than four weeks away, Big East Basketball looks like it will firmly have seven teams in the big dance. Which teams have the potential to make a deep run in the tournament, you might ask? Here is what I think you should do with each team the rest of the way:
Creighton – SELL
Creighton has had a surprising start to the season and is currently tied for third place in the conference. Despite this, I just don’t see them making a run in March Madness. They may have wins against Marquette, UConn, and Villanova, but they’ve also lost to Arizona State, Butler, and an Iowa State team that is trending worse every day.
I just can’t envision a team led by senior forward Ryan Hawkins and senior guard Alex O’Connell making noise in the tournament. Don’t get me wrong, the Blue Jays are more than deserving of a bid with the resume they have, but I wouldn’t expect them to do much.
Seton Hall – BUY
Seton Hall has been a very underrated team all season long. They were ranked as high as fifteenth in the AP poll earlier this season and have a bunch of great wins with Texas, UConn, and Xavier just to name a few. They have struggled as of late but have been missing one of their leaders in senior guard Bryce Aiken, who has been out due to a concussion.
On paper, the Pirates are one of the deepest teams in the conference and will only be getting healthier. Senior guard Jared Rhoden has the ability to take over the game with his scoring and sophomore guard Kadary Richmond is one of the most unique players in the country.
Marquette – BUY
One of the most surprising teams not only in the conference, but in the country, Marquette has busted onto the scene in year one of the Shaka Smart era and will make the NCAA tournament. The Golden Eagles have quite the resume, including a sweep of Villanova and a blowout win against Providence.
They are led by freshman forward Justin Lewis, who is one of the frontrunners for Big East Player of the Year and also has one of the best defenders in the conference and a player with NCAA tournament experience in senior guard Darryl Morsell. The Golden Eagles are not a team you want to run into in March.