Big East Tournament preview: Breaking down all the teams
The Big East Tournament is back this week at the Garden, and it promises to be four memorable days after it was canceled two years ago and played before few fans last March. It is the premier event…
nypost.com
By Zach Braziller
Seven of the 11 teams are projected to make the NCAA Tournament. Up to five of these schools feel like second-weekend threats. Multiple programs playing in the first round are capable of reaching the final night.
The Big East Tournament is back this week at the Garden, and it promises to be four memorable days after it was canceled two years ago and played before few fans last March. It is the premier event this week in town, as the ACC Tournament serves as the junior varsity at Barclays Center compared to the superior Big East.
Villanova is the betting favorite. Providence won the regular-season crown. Seton Hall enters the tournament red-hot. Connecticut, Marquette and Creighton are all capable of winning it all.
It all begins Wednesday afternoon at what will be a rocking MSG:
No. 1 Providence (24-4, 14-3)
Coach: Ed CooleyStar: Sr. F Nate Watson (13.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Watson had a better season statistically last year — averaging more points, rebounds and blocked shots — but they were hollow numbers in a disappointing season. Cooley has reduced Watson’s minutes and it has resulted in a better player late in games and at the end of the season, one of many smart adjustments the National Coach of the Year candidate has made.
X factor: Jr. G Jared Bynum (12.9 ppg, 4.5 apg).
It’s hardly a surprise that in Providence’s two worst performances of the season, lopsided losses to Virginia and Marquette, Bynum struggled. He’s been a revelation after a shaky first season at Providence following his transfer from St. Joseph’s, a lights-out 43.8 percent 3-point shooter who has been at his best when the game is on the line.
Strength: Clutch gene. Providence is a remarkable 14-2 in games decided by single digits. Simply put, it finds ways to win.
Weakness: Turnover margin. Providence is minus-two and is last in the league in steals per game at 5.1.
Can win title if: This week is a continuation of the Friars’ magical regular season. Picked seventh in the Big East, they won the league outright for the first time as one the nation’s biggest surprises.
BetMGM Odds: 5/1
No. 2 Villanova (23-7, 16-4)
Coach: Jay WrightStar: Sr. G Collin Gillespie (16.3 ppg, 3.1 apg).
Who knows what March would have looked like last year for Villanova if Gillespie doesn’t tear his left MCL prior to the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats likely wouldn’t have lost to eventual champion Georgetown in the Big East Tournament, and may not have drawn Baylor in the Sweet 16. The fifth-year senior, the lone unanimous All-Big East first-team selection, has improved every season and shot a career-best 43.1 percent from deep this winter.
X factor: Soph. F Eric Dixon (9.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg).
Dixon’s emergence as a low-post option added a different dimension for the perimeter-oriented Wildcats. They are 12-3 when the southpaw scores in double figures. While undersized, the 6-foot-8, 255-pounder’s strength and variety of moves in the paint make him a tough cover.
Strength: Balance. Six players average at least 9.1 points per game, and three of them — Gillespie, Justin Moore and Caleb Daniels — are dangerous 3-point threats.
Weakness: Depth. Wright rarely goes more than seven-deep, which could be a factor if Villanova reaches the final on Saturday.
Can win title if: The cream rises. Villanova is the best team in the league, even if it did finish second. It swept regular-season champion Providence and has the league’s premier backcourt in Moore, Gillespie and Brandon Slater.
BetMGM Odds: +165
No. 3 Connecticut (22-8, 13-6)
Coach: Dan Hurley
Star: Sr. G R.J. Cole (15.8 ppg, 4.1 apg).
Pick a big moment for UConn, and Cole has been in the middle of it. He took a significant step forward in his second year in the Big East as the Huskies’ unquestioned answer in crunch time following the departure of James Bouknight to the NBA. He makes this team go.
X factor: So. G Andre Jackson (6.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg).
One of the Big East’s premier athletes, the 6-foot-6 Jackson is a terror in transition, an improving shooter and an elite perimeter defender.
Strength: Rebounding. The Huskies are plus-7.5 in rebounding differential, by far the class of the Big East in that category.
Weakness: Closing out games. Hurley’s team doesn’t get blown out, but has struggled late at times, losing seven games by six points or fewer.
Can win title if: The big three of Cole, Adama Sanogo and Tyrese Martin play like stars for three nights. UConn will defend, it will have plenty of support in the Garden, and few teams catch match its physicality. But its offense can go into hiding, especially late in games.
BetMGM Odds: 4/1
No. 4 Creighton (20-10, 12-7)
Coach: Greg McDermottStar: Sr. F Ryan Hawkins (14.3 ppg, 7.7 apg)
One of the great stories in college basketball. Hawkins not only went from Division II to Division I, but he’s thriving. The versatile scorer is one of the keys behind Creighton’s unlikely top-four finish in the Big East and expected NCAA Tournament bid.
X factor: Fr. G Trey Alexander (6.4 ppg, 2.0 apg).
The four-star prospect was thrust into a major role when Freshman of the Year favorite Ryan Nembhard suffered a broken right wrist on Feb. 23. And he will now have to deal with “Havoc” in his Big East Tournament opener on Thursday against Marquette. Good luck, kid.
Strength: Defense. Creighton holds opponents to 40 percent shooting from the field, the 28th-lowest figure in the country.
Weakness: 3-point shooting. This isn’t the Creighton you’re accustomed to seeing. It is last in the league, tied with Butler at 31 percent shooting from distance.
Can win title if: It’s unlikely, especially without Nembhard. Creighton is a two-point underdog against Marquette. But it wasn’t even supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament mix. It wasn’t expected to finish in the top half of the Big East. Don’t count out these Bluejays, who feature one of the best frontcourts in the league in Hawkins, impressive freshman Arthur Kaluma and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner.
BetMGM Odds: 12/1
