Between the final week of the regular season, the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden and Selection Sunday, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind for college basketball fans.
Now that the conference tournament has wrapped and the bracket is set, attention turns to the Big Dance itself filling out brackets, predicting the inevitable upsets and rooting for hometown favorites across the Big East.
With three teams representing the conference and little controversy surrounding their seeding, we should be in for an action-packed tournament, plenty of drama and, without a doubt, at least one Dan Hurley crashout on the sidelines.
Let’s take a look at the Big East teams heading into March Madness: UConn, St. John’s and Villanova.
Villanova (8 Seed) – West Region
Season Overview:
In Kevin Willard’s first year with the Wildcats, Villanova has bounced back to at least a semblance of what the program looked like under the great Jay Wright. Speaking for Nova Nation we are glad that the Kyle Neptune era is firmly in the rearview mirror.
After rebuilding the roster, Willard’s Wildcats finished the season 24-7 overall and 15-5 in Big East play, ranking inside the top 40 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Big East Tournament Performance
If Villanova could have one game back, it would be their Big East Tournament loss to Georgetown. The Wildcats fell 78-64 in a game they were expected to win on paper. Maybe the late 9:30 p.m. tip had something to do with it, but Villanova looked flat for much of the night.
Georgetown settled into the game after halftime and extended the lead, while Villanova clearly missed forward Matt Hodge.
Despite the disappointing loss, the trajectory of Villanova basketball is finally trending upward again.
NCAA Tournament Look Ahead
Villanova returns to the NCAA Tournament after a multi-year drought, and their welcome-back gift is a matchup with No. 9 seed Utah State on Friday, March 20 in San Diego. Yes, you read that right. The Wildcats are headed to the West Coast for a 4:10 p.m. tip.
Utah State enters the tournament 28-6, matching Villanova’s 15-5 conference record and bringing a high-powered offense with them.
Nova’s thin frontcourt could present challenges, especially against an Aggies team capable of scoring in bunches. The Wildcats rely heavily on the three-point shot, and if those shots aren’t falling, opponents can quickly close the gap which is something Georgetown exposed in the Big East Tournament.
Still, Villanova has elite perimeter play and a defense capable of keeping them in the game.
Winner
Most analysts have Utah State advancing here, and the Aggies certainly come into the matchup with momentum but Villanova has the pieces and tournament pedigree to pull off the win.
Pick: Villanova advances.
St. John’s (5 Seed) – East Region
Season Overview
Rick Pitino’s Red Storm put together a historic regular season, finishing 28-6 overall and 18-2 in Big East play. St. John’s also rattled off a 13-game conference winning streak, the program’s longest in 41 years.
The Red Storm were powered by standout performances from Zuby Ejiofor, Ian Jackson and Oziyah Sellers, forming one of the most dangerous cores in the conference.
Big East Tournament Performance
The Big East crown remains in Queens. St. John’s delivered a dominant 72-52 victory over UConn Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to capture the conference championship. The Red Storm jumped out to a quick 10-point lead, eventually stretching it to 13, and never looked back.
UConn briefly threatened early in the second half, but St. John’s firepower proved too much. By the final buzzer, the roof nearly came off the Garden.
NCAA Tournament Look Ahead
It wouldn’t be the Big East without a little controversy. Some fans believe St. John’s deserved a No. 4 seed instead of No. 5, while others questioned how they ended up sharing the East Region with UConn. But the Johnnies’ out-of-conference resume likely sealed their fate. Your best non-conference win can’t be Baylor if you’re hoping to move up a seed line.
Nonetheless, the stage is set. St. John’s faces No. 12 seed Northern Iowa Friday night at 7:10 p.m. in San Diego.
Northern Iowa boasts one of the best three-point defenses in the country, which could create issues for a St. John’s team that has struggled with perimeter shooting at times.
Still, the Red Storm remain a dangerous team at the five-seed.
Winner
Put your money on the Johnnies to win and cover the double-digit spread. Besides, Rick Pitino rarely loses first-round games.
Pick: St. John’s moves on.
UConn (2 seed) – East Region
Season Overview
The Huskies put together another dominant season, finishing 29-5 overall and 17-3 in Big East play. Defensively, UConn ranks inside the top 15 nationally, allowing just 65.1 points per game.
Offensively, the Huskies thrive on ball movement, ranking 19th nationally in assists thanks to their high-volume passing attack.
Big East Tournament Performance
If UConn could replay one game, it would be the Big East Championship against St. John’s. But at least they got to come out to “Hypnotize” at Madison Square Garden, and few moments in college basketball top that.
Well… maybe a conference title.
And one fewer Dan Hurley technical.
NCAA Tournament Look Ahead
UConn gets to stay relatively close to home, opening the tournament Friday night at 10:00 p.m. in Philadelphia against No. 15 seed Furman.
The Paladins are nearly 20-point underdogs, but March Madness has a long memory. Just ask Virginia, who Furman famously knocked off as a No. 4 seed in 2023.
Still, UConn’s size, depth and physicality should ultimately overwhelm Furman.
Winner
UConn is a heavy favorite and for good reason. The Huskies move on to face either UCLA or UCF in the next round.
As for the Dan Hurley sideline crashout meter? Take the over on four.
Best of luck to all of our Big East teams!
