In this unpredictable season, why not the Big East?
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports 11:59 a.m. EST February 21, 2016
(Photo: Bill Streicher, Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
If there's one certainty in an unpredictable 2015-16 season, it's that consistency is hard to come by. On a Saturday in which college basketball bluebloods Kentucky and Duke lost on wild endings, two outcomes that fell relatively under the radar came from two of the nation's most consistently good teams.
No. 1 Villanova defeated Butler, 77-67, and No. 7 Xavier blew out Georgetown, 88-70. Both results were somewhat expected as the Wildcats and Musketeers are far better than the rest of the teams in the Big East; there are only three other projected tournament teams, and they're all on the bubble.
No, the Big East is not as good as the Big 12 from top to bottom this season. Not even close. But here we are three weeks from Selection Sunday and the Big East has two legitimate Final Four contenders. It's time to take notice.
USA TODAY
NCAA tournament bracketology: Projecting the field of 68
Villanova (24-3, 13-1) and Xavier (24-3, 12-3) are both projected No. 1 seeds in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology projection. Villanova, the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll for the past two weeks, has the nation's second best RPI, while Xavier's ranks sixth. There has never been a season without a team holding the No. 1 ranking for at least five consecutive weeks, but we have yet to see that in 2015-16. Villanova might be this year's best shot at that.
Xavier routed Georgetown on Saturday and is in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. (Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports)
Both Villanova and Xavier have been relative models of consistency. The Wildcats have only lost one game since December, and the Musketeers have won nine of 10. While a team like No. 3 Oklahoma looks completely vulnerable when it's not shooting well from beyond the arc, the Big East's elite have found ways to win games when they're not firing on all cylinders. And neither Villanova nor Xavier have résumé stains even close to those earned by No. 5 Maryland against Minnesota and No. 6 Iowa against Penn State, to name two.
No. 4 North Carolina, as good as it was Saturday in a win against Miami, fails to play with an edge sometimes. That's not an ingredient Jay Wright or Chris Mack's teams lack. And they are balanced offensively. Villanova has five players averaging double figures, while Xavier has six players averaging 9.4 points a game or better.
USA TODAY
NCAA tournament bubble teams
An argument can be made that leagues like the Big 12 or ACC will have more battle-tested teams because of their parity. But in the NCAA tournament, it's really about who's playing the best basketball. The Big Ten was criticized last season for its lack of strength compared to other leagues yet featured two teams — Wisconsin and Michigan State — in the Final Four. The Big East has a similar outlook heading into March.
The best part? These teams meet Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) for a top-notch showdown.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ent-villanova-xavier-national-title/80674898/
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports 11:59 a.m. EST February 21, 2016
(Photo: Bill Streicher, Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
If there's one certainty in an unpredictable 2015-16 season, it's that consistency is hard to come by. On a Saturday in which college basketball bluebloods Kentucky and Duke lost on wild endings, two outcomes that fell relatively under the radar came from two of the nation's most consistently good teams.
No. 1 Villanova defeated Butler, 77-67, and No. 7 Xavier blew out Georgetown, 88-70. Both results were somewhat expected as the Wildcats and Musketeers are far better than the rest of the teams in the Big East; there are only three other projected tournament teams, and they're all on the bubble.
No, the Big East is not as good as the Big 12 from top to bottom this season. Not even close. But here we are three weeks from Selection Sunday and the Big East has two legitimate Final Four contenders. It's time to take notice.
USA TODAY
NCAA tournament bracketology: Projecting the field of 68
Villanova (24-3, 13-1) and Xavier (24-3, 12-3) are both projected No. 1 seeds in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology projection. Villanova, the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll for the past two weeks, has the nation's second best RPI, while Xavier's ranks sixth. There has never been a season without a team holding the No. 1 ranking for at least five consecutive weeks, but we have yet to see that in 2015-16. Villanova might be this year's best shot at that.
Xavier routed Georgetown on Saturday and is in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. (Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports)
Both Villanova and Xavier have been relative models of consistency. The Wildcats have only lost one game since December, and the Musketeers have won nine of 10. While a team like No. 3 Oklahoma looks completely vulnerable when it's not shooting well from beyond the arc, the Big East's elite have found ways to win games when they're not firing on all cylinders. And neither Villanova nor Xavier have résumé stains even close to those earned by No. 5 Maryland against Minnesota and No. 6 Iowa against Penn State, to name two.
No. 4 North Carolina, as good as it was Saturday in a win against Miami, fails to play with an edge sometimes. That's not an ingredient Jay Wright or Chris Mack's teams lack. And they are balanced offensively. Villanova has five players averaging double figures, while Xavier has six players averaging 9.4 points a game or better.
USA TODAY
NCAA tournament bubble teams
An argument can be made that leagues like the Big 12 or ACC will have more battle-tested teams because of their parity. But in the NCAA tournament, it's really about who's playing the best basketball. The Big Ten was criticized last season for its lack of strength compared to other leagues yet featured two teams — Wisconsin and Michigan State — in the Final Four. The Big East has a similar outlook heading into March.
The best part? These teams meet Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) for a top-notch showdown.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ent-villanova-xavier-national-title/80674898/
