NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 8 matchups for 2022 Gavitt Tipoff Games
It was a good past season for the Big Ten, including sending nine teams to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Part of it was due to how strong the league collectively performed in the non-conference. But there was one exception, however, for the Big Ten. And that was against the Big East Conference in the annual Gavitt Tipoff Games.
Out of the eight matchups, the Big Ten won just two in a 6-2 defeat. And there were several upsets in the group, including all three ranked teams losing their respective matchups. Xavier beat Ohio State, Marquette defeated Illinois, and Seton Hall pulled off the upset against No. 4 Michigan at the time.
Looking back, those wins were huge for Marquette and Seton Hall ultimately making the NCAA Tournament. And the Big East is hoping that the 2022 edition of the Gavitt Games will bring them even more success next season.
NEWS: Matchups are set for the 2022 Gavitt Games, according to multiple sources.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 28, 2022
Villanova at Michigan State
Indiana at Xavier
Iowa at Seton Hall
Marquette at Purdue
Butler at Penn St
Northwestern at Georgetown
Nebraska at St. John's
DePaul at Minnesotahttps://t.co/uv7WkVzTKM
Due to there being only eight matchups played, a total of nine teams from both leagues combined were going to be left out. But some big names aren’t participating such as UConn, Creighton, and Providence on the Big East side, along with Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois for the Big Ten. No offense to some of the teams participating but the ones projecting to finish towards the bottom of their respective leagues aren’t the main attractions so seeing them isn’t the greatest for the event itself.
But there will still be some fun matchups to watch for the Gavitt Games. Which ones are the most intriguing on paper? Here’s how I would rank the games.