Big East as of 3/4/2024
Locks: UConn, Marquette, Creighton
Probably in:
Work To Do: Villanova, St John's, Seton Hall, Providence
Probably Out: Butler
No Shot: Georgetown, DePaul, Xavier
Villanova picked up a massive road win at Providence likely pushing them into the field - for now. They have a huge week with a road game at fellow bubble team Seton Hall and a home game against Creighton. If they can win either, they can feel good about their standing heading into the Big East tourney.
St John's had the weekend off and finishes with DePaul and Georgetown. The Johnnies need to avoid bad losses there and they are likely guaranteed to be in the field with a first round Big East tourney win. Must prognosticators have St John's in Dayton as it stands now.
Seton Hall took a blowout defeat to UConn. Not great for the ol' metrics to lose by 30 when you're firmly on the bubble. Seton Hall finishes with two home games against Villanova and DePaul. A win over Villanova would be huge for the Pirates tourney hopes. A loss is going to make things difficult even with their impressive collection of top tier Big East wins.
Providence's 0-2 week flipped them from the right side to the wrong side of the bubble. They are now one of the first 2-4 teams out of the tournament depending on who you ask. They have a must win game at Georgetown and then finish with the opportunity for a marquee win with UConn coming to town. The AMP will be rocking for that one. If they can't knock off the defending champs, they're going to need at least a mini run at the Garden next week.
Things look pretty bleak for Butler. They did win at DePaul by margin on Saturday but that doesn't move the needle much. They're barely under consideration as maybe the 12th-14th team out right now. They need to beat Xavier at home and also make a run in the Big East tourney that involves knocking off a UConn, Marquette, or Creighton.