2016 NCAA Tournament: Big East bids
Here we are. March. This is the month that provides so many things for sports fans. The NHL and NBA are jockeying for playoff spots. The official beginning of the NFL “year” is here, and so are the cuts and trades that will form next year’s championship landscape. The Cubs have hopes of ending their championship drought. And the 2015 NCAA tournament is just a little less than a week away.
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Here at Fantasy CPR, we will keep you up to date on which teams are fighting for a tournament berth, which teams are in, and which teams should be in. We will go conference by conference for the major conferences. The traditional one bid conferences will all get their day in print as well. Follow along as we unveil our projected teams up until Selection Sunday!
Here we will take a look at the Big East. Sure, it isn’t the same since the conference fails to exist in football anymore. There is still some good basketball played in this league though. Who will get in? Let’s find out!
Just in case you missed any:
ACC
A-10
American
Big 12
Villanova (29-4, 16-2 Big East, RPI: 4, SOS: 17)
Big Wins: vs. (8)Xavier(95-64), vs. (23)Seton Hall(72-63), at (23)Seton Hall(72-71), at (27)St. Joseph’s(86-72), vs. (29)Akron(75-56), at (38)Providence(72-60), vs. (38)Providence(76-68)
Bad Losses: NONE
Go Joe Bruin
The Wildcats’ resume speaks for itself. Three of their losses were to RPI top 8 teams. The other was to (38)Providence. They got destroyed by Oklahoma earlier this year, but with Oklahoma’s loss in the Big 12 tournament last night, Their one seed looks safe right now.
Daniel Ochefu takes up an awful lot of space in the middle, and proves to be a tough matchup on the glass for everyone. Ryan Arcidiacono is a good shooter from the outside, but also leads the team in assists. The Wildcats’ starting five all averages at least ten points per game. Anyone on the floor can beat you at any given time.
Combine Nova’s dominance of the Big East with their solid out of conference showings, and I doubt that they lose their number one seed. Though it will likely be out west because of the stronger teams in the east.
Projected seed: 1 (Anaheim)
Next: Will Xavier's Loss Hurt?
Xavier (27-5, 14-4 Big East, RPI: 8, SOS: 28)
Big Wins: vs. (4)Villanova(90-83), vs. (19)Dayton(90-61), vs. (23)Seton Hall(84-76), at (38)Providence(75-68), vs. (38)Providence(85-74), vs. (47)Cincinnati(65-55)
Bad Losses: vs. (104)Georgetown(72-81)
The wins against Dayton and Villanova will help their seeding. 12 wins against the RPI top 100 will help their cause as well. The losses to Creighton and Georgetown shouldn’t hurt much.
Gone is Matt Stainbrook, but the Musketeers had another star take over in Trevon Blueitt. Aside from Blueitt, they have five more players that average at least nine points per game. They are balanced and like to run the court. 6’10” senior James Farr is not the passer that Stainbrook was, but he is still a force in the middle. Defense isn’t a real strength, but he is a good scorer on the interior.
The loss to Seton Hall is not a bad loss. Xavier’s wins speak for themselves, and their bad loss really isn’t that bad. I doubt they get a two seed now, but should be safe as a three.
Projected seed: 3
Seton Hall (24-8, 12-6 Big East, RPI: 23, SOS: 51):
Big wins: vs. (8)Xavier(90-81), vs. (8)Xavier(87-83), vs. (38)Providence(70-52), at (38)Providence(81-72), vs. (46)Wichita State(80-76)
Bad losses: NONE
The Hall lost nine of ten last year, limping into the NIT. Not this year. They have won eight of their last ten, including a win against number 5 Xavier in the Big East tournament. This team is a year older and a year wiser, and is not going to be an easy out.
This team will go as far as Isaiah Whitehead takes them. He is a pure scorer, and does a little bit of everything, averaging more than a block and a steal per game. Angel Delgado has become a force in the middle for the Pirates.
The win over Xavier might move them up to a six seed. A win over Villanova definitely would. They are safely a seven, depending on what happens in the Big East Final.
Projected seed: 7; 6 if they win the Big East Tourney
Next: Is Providence Going To Get In?
Providence (23-10, 10-8 Big East, RPI: 38, SOS: 46)
Big Wins: at (4)Villanova(82-76), vs. (25)Arizona(69-65)
Bad Losses: at (110)Marquette(91-96), vs. (110)Marquette(64-65), at (201)DePaul(70-77)
The J-Notes
The knock on Providence is that they lost twice to Villanova (but did win on the road against them), twice to Xavier, and twice to Seton Hall. Not to mention the two losses to Marquette. They have a huge OOC win against Arizona that might be enough to push them in.
Kris Dunn is a lot of fun to watch. He is the heart of this team averaging 16 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Ben Bentil has emerged as a productive scorer, averaging 21.2 points per game. Those two are tough to guard, and will make Providence a dangerous team in the first weekend of the tournament.
There are a few teams hoping that Providence’s somewhat low RPI will keep them out. I don’t think it will. They are likely a double digit seed, but they are going to be a very dangerous one.
Projected seed: 10
Next: Can Butler Sneak In?
Butler (21-10, 10-8 Big East, RPI: 58, SOS: 66)
Big Wins: vs. (16)Purdue(74-68), vs. (23)Seton Hall(85-78), at (23)Seton Hall(81-75), at (47)Cincinnati(78-76)
Bad Losses: at (110)Marquette(69-75)
The Purdue win is about the only thing keeping Butler afloat right now. They really needed to beat Providence to feel comfortable about their position. Their RPI is not indicative of an at-large team, and 15 of their 21 wins were against teams outside of the RPI top 100.
Roosevelt Jones does a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs. He is only 6’4″, but plays more like a forward than a guard. Kellen Dunham and Kelan Martin are accomplished scorers that give the Bulldogs a potent scoring punch. Andrew Chrabascz is a high motor player who is fun to watch.
Butler played well down the stretch this year, but it may not be enough. The Purdue win alone probably isn’t enough to push them over the top.
Projected seed: OUT
Next: 2016 Big 12 NCAA Tournament Bids
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for the rest of the tournament hopefuls leading up to Sunday! We will also have our mock seeding up before the brackets are unveiled!