The Big East is one competitive conference. More than half of the league’s teams are expected to fill a spot in the March Madness bracket. For now though, Big East teams will turn their focus on winning the conference title, one that the Villanova Wildcats have held over the last two seasons. Will the Wildcats make it three in a row? Or will some other team pull the rug from under Villanova and secure the title?
Read on for a breakdown of the Big East tournament. You can also check out our preview for the Atlantic Sun tourney.
March Madness News & Predictions
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- 2016 NCAA March Madness Expert Picks
2016 Big East Conference Tournament Preview
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Villanova Wildcats
There are few teams in the conference that can hang from beginning to end with Villanova, which is being led by All-Big East team member, Josh Hart. Hart is having a career season, as he’s putting up 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Seniors Ryan Arcidiacono, last season’s co-winner of the Big East Player of the Year award, and Daniel Ochefu should not only provide the leadership come the tournament but also the tangibles that have helped make Villanova such a force.
Arcidiacono leads the team with 4.5 assists per game. Ochefu is a pure beast down low, placing third in the Big East with 8.1 RPG to go with 10.3 PPG. The Wildcats have even price to win the Big East tournament again.
Xavier Musketeers
The Musketeers (+200) are stacked. And they’re tall, with seven players standing at least 6-8. Yet they like to roll with three guards in their starting five. Xavier plays its cards well and the Musketeers should be a tough matchup for any team in the tournament. When they beat then-No. 1-ranked Villanova back in February, the Musketeers effectively put their team on the radar of people who’ve been stubborn enough to overlook them up to that point.
The Musketeers have a balanced offense that churns out 81.0 points per game, 19th in the nation. Trevon Bluiett and Myles Davis give Xavier a solid backcourt while freshman Edmond Sumner provides depth in the position. The Musketeers are also tough inside with James Farr and Jalen Reynolds ready to stand their ground against opposing bigs in the tourney.
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Sleeper
Seton Hall Pirates
Seton Hall is a good team to lay reasonable money on. Priced at +800 to win their first Big East conference title since 1993, the Pirates have shown they could be a nightmare of an opponent.
They don’t score as much as Xavier and Villanova, as they are sixth in the Big East with 74.4 points per game, but the Pirates’ defense is what makes them a terror on the floor. They are allowing just 67.1 points per game, tied for 63rd in the nation. If you ask Ken Pomeroy, he’d even say Seton Hall’s defense is way better than that figure suggests, as he ranks the Pirates 14th overall in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Seton Hall’s best player is Isaiah Whitehead, who was named into the All-Big East team this season. He is second in the league in scoring (17.9 PPG) and third in assists (4.9 APG)
Long Shot
Marquette Golden Eagles
Don’t expect much from Marquette in the Big East tournament. The Golden Eagles have odds of +7,500 to win the tournament. TeamRankings.com gives Marquette a microscopic 0.89 percent chance to do it. If anything, Marquette should be labelled the favorite to beat St. John’s in the first round.
Unfortunately, Xavier awaits the winner of that game so the Golden Eagles’ road to the Big East tournament finals will almost certainly stop there. One reason to watch the Golden Eagles, though, is NBA Draft lottery prospect Henry Ellenson, who is third in the conference in scoring (17.8 PPG) and first in rebounds (9.8 RPG).
Writer’s Prediction
Xavier beats Providence in the finals.
