Conference realignment has decimated the once-dominant Big East this season. With the conference championship fast approaching, here’s what we can expect from the former powerhouse.
Top 10 NCAA Basketball Predictions for the Big East
[sc:NCAA240banner ]1. Doug McDermott will win the John R.Wooden Award
Unless Jabari Parker goes absolutely berserk from now until the end of the season, the Wooden is basically McDermott’s to lose. The senior leads the nation with 25.9 PPG to lead Creighton in its maiden season in the Big East. McDermott would be the storied conference’s first Wooden awardee since St. John’s Walter Berry in 1985-86.
2. Villanova will claim the regular season title
While Creighton is currently in position to win the Big East regular season championship and the top seed in the Big East tournament, Villanova will still creep in and claim both.
Apart from blowout defeats to the Blue Jays, Nova is basically undefeated against the rest of the conference. The Wildcats will play four of their last six games at home, while Creighton still has three road games left. Both of the Jays’ conference losses have come on the road, and a third is likely. Look for Nova to win out and sneak to the top.
3. Creighton will beat Villanova again in Big East Tournament
The Blue Jays and Wildcats are undoubtedly the class of the Big East, and no other team looks capable of knocking them out in a neutral court, so when it comes down to it we expect to see both in the conference final.
And when they do eventually meet in the final, whether they’ve slipped in the standings or not, Creighton will top Nova like they have twice already this season. The Jays’ average margin of victory was a staggering 25.5 points.
4. Doug McDermott will go for 40 before the season ends
Just about the only thing McDermott hasn’t done this year is crack 40 points. But looking at his recent performances, it’s just a matter of time before he breaks through to that plateau. McDermott has scored 39 points twice in the space of a month, and he has the rest of the regular season and a long run in the tourney to make it happen.
5. Marquette will miss the Madness
The preseason favorites to win the revamped Big East, Marquette are now on course to miss the big dance for the first time since 2005. The Golden Eagles couldn’t navigate a difficult non-conference schedule (they went 8-5 SU), and they haven’t gotten much better in conference play (they’re 7-5 SU). There will be no surprise runs to the Elite Eight for Buzz Williams’ boys this year.
6. The Big East will produce five Madness contenders
Thanks to the exodus of teams like Syracuse, Connecticut and Pittsburgh, the days when the Big East has 8, 9, or even 11 teams in the tournament are over. But they will likely still be represented by a respectable 5 bids this year.
Creighton and Villanova are the locks, with both teams projected to be #3 seeds. They’ll be accompanied to the Big Dance by Xavier, Providence and St. John’s.
7. Three of the five bids will be knocked out in 1st round
Unfortunately, Xavier, Providence and St. John’s are all projected to be double-digit seeds, meaning that all three have a very real chance of a quick exit. Come round two, the Big East’s representation will be whittled down to just two.
8. Creighton will crash out of the Tourney in the first week
For all intents and purposes, Creighton is a one-man team. Besides McDermott, Ethan Wragge is the only player averaging double-digits, and he’s exclusively a spot-up three-point shooter. If the Blue Jays face a team like Louisville that can take away the threat of McDermott, then they will have to wait a little longer for that first multiple-win tournament run since the ‘70s.
9. Doug McDermott will struggle in the Tourney
Doug McDermott has been so consistent throughout this season, but the increased competition, the increased attention and the increased pressure should all take its toll on the senior, to the detriment of his team.
10. Villanova will be last Big East team standing in NCAA Tourney
That leaves Villanova as the lone Big East representative later in the tournament. The Wildcats have been over-achieving for over two seasons now, and a lot of the credit has to go to head coach Jay Wright. This won’t be Wright’s first rodeo; just five years ago, he led Nova to the Final Four. With a well-balanced, veteran squad, Villanova is the best-equipped Big East team to make it deep in the NCAA Tournament.
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