We’re over halfway through the Big East conference slate and things are starting to heat up. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s most recent Bracketology has five Big East teams on the right side of the bubble, with Seton Hall as the lone team featured in the next four out. With that in mind, the question arises of which team will make the furthest run when March Madness rolls around. Will UConn turn things around and recreate Kemba Walker-esque magic? Will Xavier return to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2017 or will Providence continue to prove their doubters wrong? How about offensive powers Marquette and Creighton, both of whom have been surging lately? The DC Sports section makes their picks on which team will last the longest in this week’s roundtable.
Stratton Stave
Associate Sports Editor
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Georgetown Hoyas
I’m not giving the Hoyas as my answer because I genuinely believe that they’re deserving or that they are going to win, but it feels right. Just over a week ago, Patrick Ewing’s squad picked up their first in-conference win since the 2021 Big East championship. Since then, they’re 1-31 in conference play, causing nearly every fan to call for the firing of Ewing. After such failure, the coach probably deserves the boot, but has been given the benefit of the doubt countless times. He’s in line to get canned after this season, but a miraculous BET and NCAA tournament run would create a hilarious situation that would likely force the Hoyas to retain him for another year. Ewing has done nothing to deserve the job, but winning a few extra games would keep it for him, which is what I believe the universe has in store for Georgetown.
Cole Stefan
Senior Columnist
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Creighton Blue Jays
Had Zach Freemantle not gotten hurt and had to miss at least a month with a foot injury, I would have picked the Xavier Musketeers to go the farthest. Instead, I will go with the team that entered the season favored to win the conference and contend for the title in the Creighton Bluejays. Led by a sophomore group who entered college as the program’s best-ever recruiting class, the Bluejays started out 6-0 with a semifinal win against the then ninth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in the Maui Jim Invitational before losing their next six games. Star center Ryan Kalkbrenner missed three of them, but since his return from injury and sickness, Creighton has lost just twice against tough conference foes on the road. Led by all five of their starters averaging double figures, the Bluejays are an offensive juggernaut that can only be stopped by opposing fans and themselves, especially from beyond the arc. As long as their 3-point play does not disappear, Creighton will win the conference and stay dancing the longest.
Sam Calhoun
Campus Correspondent
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Marquette Golden Eagles
I agree with Cole that I would have taken Xavier had Zach Freemantle not been out for the next month. When March comes around, I think that to go deep in the tournament and possibly win the National Championship, you need a leading guard, preferably a point guard. That’s what Marquette has with Tyler Kolek. Kolek isn’t a high scorer, averaging just under 11 points per game (PPG). However, he’s third in assists per game with eight per game. The team feels confident in his ability to shoot. The Golden Eagles are the number one offense on KenPom due to their effective field goal percentage and shooting from inside the arc. Kam Jones is another scary guard, averaging 16 PPG and 1.6 steals per game. He also shoots nearly 50% from the floor, which is what the team as a whole averages. They have the length and defense, especially from six-foot-nine-inch forward Oso Ighodaro, who has one of the best field goal percentages and averages nearly two blocks per game. Shaka Smart is a coach who has brought teams deep in March in the past, most notably VCU in 2011. This team is better, with more potential to succeed when it’s most important.
Evan Rodriguez
Senior Columnist
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Providence Friars
I’ve always been pretty high on Ed Cooley, but with the work he’s doing with this Friars squad during the season, I could see them going the farthest amongst all Big East teams. While Providence didn’t look super impressive in non-conference action, they’ve really turned it on in Big East action with just two tough road losses at Marquette and at Creighton. Tied with the Golden Eagles at the top of the Big East, Cooley’s squad has gotten production from plenty. Yet the one who stands as the most impressive is Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins, who’s contributed 16.4 points and 9.1 rebounds to give the Friars an impressive offensive leader. The Friars also get it done on the defensive side of the basketball thanks to players like Devin Carter, who grabs nearly two steals per game. While the Big East tournament should be a huge test for them, I have confidence that they can put up a good fight when it comes to March Madness.
Connor Sargeant
Campus Correspondent
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Xavier Musketeers
With star forward Zach Freemantle expected to miss a month, many have counted out Xavier, but out of all Big East teams, I would pick them as the current favorite to make it further than any other squad. I also agree with Sam that in order to make it far in this tournament, you need a guard that can lead — and Xaiver found that guy in Souley Boum. Boum is the leader of the Musketeers’ offense with 16.1 PPG and shooting 44.2% from behind the arc, which is the best 3-point rate of any player in the Big East averaging more than 2.5 attempts. Unfortunately, it will be an uphill battle for the Musketeers now, but they can certainly do it. After all, they beat UConn last Wednesday in a game where Freemantle wasn’t the most effective, so they proved they can rely on other players to score, such as Jerome Hunter, who had 11 points. Xavier will undoubtedly be a tough team to beat as long as their offense doesn’t fall off a cliff.
Oscar Frost
Campus Correspondent
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UConn Huskies
Third time lucky, right? The UConn men’s team has crashed out in the first round of the tournament for two consecutive seasons, losing to New Mexico State last year. This year, however, I believe that things will be different. As we saw against DePaul, the trio of Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton are beginning to find their feet before the start of the tournament. Of course, the fact that they are sixth in the Big East is a worry, but the strength of this roster should not be discounted. Dan Hurley is still experimenting with how to best utilize assets like Donovan Clingan and Tristen Newton, both of whom were new additions at the start of this season. The Huskies began the season 14-0 for a reason, and did not beat powerhouses like Alabama by accident. In short, the ship has not sunk, and I believe that it will sail further than any other team in the Big East.
