Some things just go together. Burgers and fries. Peanut butter and jelly. Oh yea, and the obvious one: The Big East Tournament and Madison Square Garden. As we anticipate the 36th installment of the tourney this year, let’s go through each team’s chance to win it all.
No Chance:
Depaul: The Blue Demons just don’t have enough scorers or defenders to compete. Also, the fight just doesn’t seem there. Eli Cain may have a big game against Marquette, but the Golden Eagles just have too much fire power.
Georgetown: The Hoyas have two good options in Derrickson and Govan. They may steal one win against St. John’s, but won’t go any further than Xavier unless Patrick Ewing decides to suit it up.
Slim Chance:
St. John’s: Let’s be real, the Johnnies realistically have no chance. However, they do have 1 player on their roster that gives them even the slightest chance. If Shamorie Ponds wants to be Gerry McNamara or Kemba Walker for this week, then the Johnnies will be hoisting the trophy.
Providence: Providence as a good ball club, but just not enough. The Friars also lack star power. Rodney Bullock can fill up the stat sheet, but won’t blow you away. They may make a run, but don’t expect too much more.
Now we’re talking:
Marquette: The Golden Eagles know how to put the ball in the bucket! If they can defend just a little bit, and score at least 80 points, then they will be hard to beat. However, most Big East teams can score when they need to, so they will really need to defend.
Butler: The Dawgs haven’t been playing well as of lately, but that can all change on Thursday. It’s tough to beat a team 3 times in a season, so if Butler can get past Seton Hall, they will only have to win two more games. These may be against Nova and Xavier, but hey, who really knows.
Creighton: Creighton can score like Marquette, so again, it will come down to the defensive side. The only reason why they aren’t a legit contender, is because of their lack of a true 2nd scorer to Marcus Foster.
Contenders:
Seton Hall: The Pirates have been defending well lately, have a good offense, depth, and the best seniors in college basketball. They also may want this tournament more than any other team in it.
Villanova: The Wildcats don’t lose often. This year they have been vulnerable, but will be a tough out like always.
Xavier: Xavier is the 1 seed in the tournament and for good reason. They have two fantastic players in Bluiett and Macura, and know how to win against good teams.