March Madness Bubble Teams: Big East
Written March 3, 2009 by Jack Jones
Craig Trapp, like almost every other college basketball expert, has the Big East pegged as the top conference in the nation. There are seven teams that are safe picks to make the NCAA tournament: Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Marquette, Louisville, West Virginia, and Syracuse. The rest of this bunch is on the bubble and will have to impress the selection committee in their final week of conference play, or in the tough Big East tournament.
Cincinnati
The Bearcats have some key wins against UAB, UNLV, West Virginia, and Georgetown twice give this team a nice looking resume. The only key losses were to Providence, another bubble team. This team needs to just play up to their capabilities in the Big East Tournament and grab just a single win to get in. RPI 58, Strength of Schedule 21.
Providence
The Friars have key wins over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati (twice), and Syracuse but also have bad losses against Northeastern (who?) and Notre Dame. Right now the team is 18-11 and needs at last 20 wins to get in. The problem with Providence is that most of their wins come against other teams that are also on the bubble. RPI 56, Strength of Schedule 36.
Georgetown
The Hoyas have key wins against Connecticut, Villanova, Syracuse, Providence, and Memphis but have lost bad games to Seton Hall and Cincinnati (twice). You can bet other teams do not want to see Georgetown in the tournament because they have flashed their teeth at times and proven they can beat anyone. The win at UConn came when the Huskies were at full strength. Sure this team is 15-12 and 6-10 in the Big East, but they have played the toughest schedule in the country and if they can win two games in the tournament Craig likes their chances. RPI 58, Strength of Schedule 1.
Notre Dame
This Fighting Irish team has bad losses to St. John’s and Cincinnait but has quality wins over Providence, Louisville, Texas, and Georgetown. Craig doubts this team has done enough to get in and the only way they make the big dance is if they pull off the upset and win the Big East tournament. RPI 57, Strength of Schedule 70.
A lot of these bubble teams would be in the tournament if they played in another conference, but the daily grind of Big East play has worn many of them out and decimated records.
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If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
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- 2009 March Madness Tournament Preview
- March Madness History
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