College Basketball
Published
March 13, 2024, 7:30 a.m. ET
The defending nationwide champion, thought-about by many to be the favourite to repeat. Two different Final Four contenders. Three groups in want of wins to keep away from their bubbles getting burst on Selection Sunday.
The upcoming Big East Tournament has all of it.
There is favourite Connecticut, contenders Creighton and Marquette, and a number of sleepers (Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Providence) hoping for a number of huge nights.
And it begins Wednesday with Providence going through former coach Ed Cooley and Georgetown.
The Post breaks down all of the groups able to hoop it up at Madison Square Garden:
Braziller Prediction: No. 1 Connecticut
Most Outstanding Player: Connecticut Sr. G Cam Spencer
Yes, I’m going chalk.
With a wholesome Tyler Kolek, may Marquette be the final workforce standing Saturday evening?
Cam Spencer will probably be named the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, The Post’s Zach Braziller predicts. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Sure. Creighton has already confirmed it may well beat Connecticut. But the Huskies aren’t simply the perfect workforce on this convention. They are the perfect workforce within the nation, with only one loss all 12 months at full energy.
Dan Hurley’s workforce will get pushed for half-hour by St. John’s earlier than pulling away late Friday evening and its depth will finally put on down Creighton within the remaining.
The Garden will sound like Storrs South on the eve of Selection Sunday.
No. 1 Connecticut (28-3, 18-2)
Coach: Danny Hurley
Star: Sr. G Tristen Newton (15.0 PPG, 5.8 APG)
He scores, rebounds and distributes at a excessive degree. He will get to the free-throw line a ton for a guard (5.4 instances a recreation) and embodies what makes Connecticut so robust; Newton is simply as dogged on the defensive finish as he’s potent with the ball in his fingers.
X issue: Fr. G Stephon Castle (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg).
The five-star prospect set the Big East document for Freshman of the Week honors with 11, wanting each bit like a lottery choose over the past two months as he gained confidence in his perimeter shot.
UConn coach Dan Hurley AP
Strength: Balance. The total beginning 5 averages double figures. Everyone is a weapon.
Weakness: Connecticut has none. It is one in all three groups within the nation with an offense and protection ranked within the top-13 in adjusted effectivity. Houston and Auburn are the others.
Can win title if: The finest workforce wins. The Huskies have been dominant all season, and appear to solely be getting higher by the sport. Good luck to the remainder of the convention over the following 4 days.
BetMGM Odds: -165
No. 2 Creighton (23-8, 14-6)
Coach: Greg McDermott
Star: Sr. C Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.1 PPG, 3.0 BPG)
The three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year is the spine to Creighton’s protection, a rim-protecting 7-footer who owns the paint.
X issue: Sr. G Steven Ashworth (10.5 PPG, 4.2 APG)
The sharpshooting Utah State switch discovered his recreation over the past six weeks, making the already explosive Bluejays even more durable to defend. When he scores 10 factors or extra, Creighton is a dominant 15-3.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is an offensive and defensive power for Creighton. AP
Strength: Avoiding fouling. No workforce within the nation sends the opponent to the free-throw line lower than Creighton (10.6). It is the brand new Villanova, when it comes to receiving the good thing about the doubt from Big East officers.
Weakness: Depth. Creighton closely depends on its beginning 5. Francisco Farabello is the one reserve who has a major position off the bench.
Can win title if: The late-season surge is a sign of this workforce’s course. Creighton closed the season by profitable seven of its final eight video games — the lone loss was on the Garden to St. John’s — together with a commanding win over Connecticut. A rematch on Saturday evening is feasible.
BetMGM Odds: +375
No. 3 Marquette (23-8, 14-6)
Coach: Shaka Smart
Star: Sr. G Tyler Kolek (15.0 PPG, 7.6 APG)
Kolek’s well being is the largest query of the event. He missed the final three video games with an indirect harm. It’s arduous to see Marquette getting very far with out the dynamic playmaker, the nation’s chief in assists per recreation, and final season’s Big East Player of the Year.
X issue: Jr. G Stevie Mitchell (8.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
The junior impacts profitable along with his protection, rebounding and toughness.
Tyler Kolek’s well being will probably be an enormous issue on whether or not or not Marquette could make a run on the Big East Tournament title. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Strength: Turnover margin. Marquette is plus-4.97, by far the perfect mark within the convention — properly above St. John’s, which is second at plus-1.84.
Weakness: Free-throw taking pictures. The Golden Eagles have been final within the league at 70.8 p.c, which ranked 225th within the nation.
Can win title if: Kolek is Kolek. Marquette confirmed how good it’s by pushing Creighton and Connecticut and profitable at Xavier with out Kolek. But it wants its chief to be an actual risk.
BetMGM Odds: +600
No. 4 Seton Hall (20-11, 13-7)
Coach: Shaheen Holloway
Star: Sr. G Kadary Richmond (16.2 PPG, 4.8 APG)
The Brooklyn native set profession highs in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, free-throw proportion and minutes, carrying Seton Hall to a fourth-place end few noticed coming. With his uncommon mixture of measurement, size, courtroom imaginative and prescient and quickness, Richmond is without doubt one of the most tough gamers within the nation to defend.
X issue: Sr. G Al-Amir Dawes (13.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg).
Seton Hall is 16-5 when Dawes reaches double figures. Unfortunately for the Pirates, he’s getting into this event on a downturn, managing simply 21 factors over his final three video games.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall to a higher-than-expected No. 4 seed within the Big East Tournament. Getty Images
Strength: Physicality. Seton Hall is hard, producing a rebounding margin of plus-5.39, second within the convention behind Connecticut.
Weakness: 3-point taking pictures. Nobody within the league is worse from downtown than the Pirates, who hit solely 32.5 p.c of their makes an attempt. That ranks them a woeful 262nd nationally.
Can win title if: Richmond pulls an Isaiah Whitehead, and places Seton Hall on his again. He is able to doing so. The one distinction between the 2: Whitehead had a stronger supporting forged in 2016.
BetMGM Odds: 40/1
Coach: Rick Pitino
Star: Sr. G Daniss Jenkins (14.7 PPG, 5.5 APG)
St. John’s finest participant from fall exercises till now. He can impression the sport with out scoring, and carried out even higher in league play.
X issue: Soph. G RJ Luis (10.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG)
The 6-foot-7 wing has an extremely excessive ceiling and has proven glimpses of his immense potential. But consistency has eluded him in his first 12 months as a Johnnie.
Strength: Offensive rebounding proportion. St. John’s is ranked eighth nationally at 36.8.
Weakness: Closing. Of St. John’s 9 league losses, it led at halftime in six of them.
Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad may make a run within the Big East Tournament if they will make the most of the home-court benefit they’ve on the Garden. Robert Sabo
Can win title if: The Garden is a real home-court benefit, the momentum from the five-game profitable streak to finish the common season carries over and Joel Soriano rediscovers his early-season kind. St. John’s hasn’t reached the Big East Tournament semifinals since 2000. Getting there can be a step in the precise course.
BetMGM Odds: 12/1
No. 6 Villanova (17-14, 10-10)
Coach: Kyle Neptune
Star: Sr. F Eric Dixon (16.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG)
The Wildcats’ one fixed, the versatile Dixon was their rock this 12 months, bringing it nearly each recreation regardless of inconsistency and underperformance round him.
Eric Dixon has been the chief of this 12 months’s Villanova squad. Getty Images
X issue: Sr. G Justin Moore (10.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG)
Injuries have restricted Moore to a career-low scoring common and career-low-equaling taking pictures proportion of 39.7, however when he’s proper, Villanova is a distinct workforce. It is 9-4 when he scores in double figures.
Strength: Free-throw taking pictures. Villanova makes 81.9 p.c of its makes an attempt, the best mark within the nation.
Weakness: Rim safety. Dixon isn’t a shot-blocker, and the Wildcats reject a league-low 2.29 photographs per recreation.
Can win title if: The good Villanova reveals up for 4 nights, the one which received at Creighton, beat North Carolina and Texas Tech on a impartial flooring, and crushed Providence and Seton Hall at house. The downside: The dangerous Villanova is simply as more likely to grace the Garden flooring as that workforce.
BetMGM Odds: 12/1
No. 7 Providence (19-12, 10-10)
Coach: Kim English
Star: Sr. G Devin Carter (19.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG)
A projected first-round choose, the 6-foot-3 Carter emerged this season as one of many high guards within the nation, taking his recreation to the following degree as soon as co-star Bryce Hopkins was misplaced for the season in early January.
X issue: Soph. G Jayden Pierre (8.8 PPG, 3.2 APG)
Providence wants extra manufacturing out of the beginning guard, who has scored in double figures simply as soon as in his final eight video games. Too a lot is being requested of Carter and ahead Josh Oduro.
Providence coach Kim English Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Strength: Protecting the paint. Providence blocks 4.71 photographs per recreation, with Oduro notching 1.4 a contest.
Weakness: The street. Providence went 5-8 away from house and misplaced 4 of its final six.
Can win title if: They transfer the event to the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Providence is headed within the mistaken course, having misplaced three of its final 4 video games all by double digits, and doesn’t appear to be a workforce able to make a run.
BetMGM Odds: 80/1
No. 8 Butler (18-13, Sept. 11)
Coach: Thad Matta
Star: Jr. G Pierre Brooks (14.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
The Michigan State switch can gentle it up from deep. He is third within the league at 41.1 p.c from past the arc, and did so on a excessive quantity of six makes an attempt per recreation.
X issue: Sr. G Posh Alexander (11.1 PPG, 4.9 APG)
The former St. John’s star from Brooklyn will really feel at house on the Garden. If his 3-point shot is falling, and Alexander has improved that weak spot in his recreation, it opens up the Butler offense.
Posh Alexander, who beforehand performed for St. John’s, is without doubt one of the key contributors
for Butler. Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
Strength: Ceiling. Butler has confirmed it may well beat the league’s high groups, profitable at Creighton and Marquette and enjoying Connecticut robust on the street.
Weakness: The inside. Big males have feasted on Butler within the paint, particularly when beginning huge man Jalen Thomas will get into foul bother, which has been a frequent prevalence.
Can win title if: The group from late January/early February reappears. That workforce had performed its approach into the NCAA Tournament, earlier than a killer five-game shedding streak ruined these hopes. A possible sleeper if all goes proper.
BetMGM Odds: 150/1
No. 9 Xavier (15-16, Sept. 11)
Coach: Sean Miller
Star: Sr. G Quincy Olivari (19.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG)
A switch from Rice, Olivari made essentially the most of his lone season at Xavier, main the convention in 3-pointers made per recreation (3.16).
X issue: Sr. F Abou Ousmane (6.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG)
The bodily 6-foot-10 Brooklyn native, Xavier’s best ahead, will get to play on the Garden for the primary time this 12 months.
Xavier guard Quincy Olivari AP
Strength: Backcourt. The huge three of Olivari, Desmond Claude and Dayvion McKnight common a mixed 47.9 factors per recreation.
Weakness: Defensive rebounding proportion. Xavier is ranked 193rd within the nation at 72.8.
Can win title if: Forwards Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter magically get wholesome. It actually is a disgrace. Xavier is a top-20 workforce within the nation had they not misplaced the 2 starters to harm within the offseason.
BetMGM Odds: 100/1
No. 10 Georgetown (9-22, 2-18)
Coach: Ed Cooley
Star: Soph. G Jayden Epps (18.1 PPG, 4.2 APG)
His effectivity has to enhance — he shot simply 38.5 p.c this 12 months — however Epps is without doubt one of the convention’s most dynamic offensive gamers, a blur with the ball in his fingers with in-the-building vary.
X issue: Soph. G Rowan Brumbaugh (8.6 PPG, 2.7 APG).
A top quality 3-point shooter and bettering playmaker, Brumbaugh has proven flashes that ought to excite Georgetown followers.
Georgetown coach Ed Cooley Getty Images
Strength: Scoring depth. Georgetown options seven gamers that common at the least 5.1 factors and 4 of them shoot 37 p.c or higher from lengthy vary.
Weakness: Defense. Georgetown is ranked 322nd in adjusted effectivity at that finish of the ground. The solely power-conference faculty worse is, naturally, DePaul at 334th.
Can win title if: Cooley steals a number of video games of eligibility for a few of his outdated Providence stars. Unlike his present gamers, these guys knew win.
BetMGM Odds: 250/1
No. 11 DePaul (3-28, 0-20)
Coach: Matt Brady (interim)
Star: Sr. G Chico Carter Jr. (11.2 PPG, 3.7 APG)
The two-time switch is DePaul’s one offensive weapon, a high quality exterior shooter who will let it fly from wherever on the ground.
X issue: Sr. F DaSean Nelson (9.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG)
An athletic huge man, Nelson is a succesful passer out of the paint. But he’s typically overpowered inside.
Strength: No stress. DePaul grew to become the primary Big East workforce to go 0-20 in league play. Nothing is predicted of them.
Weakness: Pick a class, any class. DePaul is final within the Big East in scoring margin at minus-17.55.
Can win title if: Nothing is sensible. A win over Villanova on Wednesday, and even enjoying the Wildcats shut, can be a significant achievement.
BetMGM Odds: 250/1
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3/13/24
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