Big East Bubble Teams

Before I start with the bubble teams, some UVA news:

The #2 mens' lacrosse team defeated #1 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome by a score of 13-12. Shamel Bratton led the way for the Hoos with 4 goals and 1 assist. Garrett Billings and Danny Glading each added 3 goals. Faceoffs were the key in this game as UVA controlled 17, while 'Cuse only managed 12. The Hoos were up 13-7 and held off a late game rally by the Orange to win by one goal.

The Hoos dropped another winnable basketball game to Wake Forest, losing 70-60. Pretty much the same story as the Miami game. Respectable defense, terrible offense. Baker played solid defense again, but also turned the ball over 5 times...again. Virginia was never down by double digits until the end when they resorted to fouling. Oh well, can't expect much from a team that simply isn't good. That's all I'm gonna say about that because I'm tired of these performances.

The Big East.

For Sure:

UConn - 27-2 (15-2)
L'Ville - 23-5 (14-2)
Pitt - 26-3 (13-3)
Marquette - 23-6 (12-4)
'Nova - 23-6 (11-5)

Most Likely:

'Cuse - 21-8 (9-7), RPI = .6123 - In their last 12 games, they are 5-7 and have struggled against the Big East powers (0-5 against the top 5 with a game at Marquette still ahead). Their non-conference performance however was very strong with neutral site wins against Florida and Kansas, a win at Memphis, and a home win against Virginia (no small feat)! But all is not good as they did lose to Cleveland State. As long as they win their final home game against Rutgers, the Orange will be in good shape. They will probably lose at Marquette in their final regular season game and finish 23-8 (10-8), which should be good enough to get them in without any wins in the Big East tourney, although one wouldn't hurt.
Verdict: IN

WVU - 20-9 (9-7), RPI = .6154 -In their last 12 games, they are 7-5 including a big win over Nova. They are 1-5 against the top 5 teams in the Big East but conclude the regular season with a home game against Louiville. The Mountaineers weren't too impressive out of conference as their biggest win was a thumping of a very average Ohio State team. They also suffered neutral site losses to Kentucky and Davidson. They will probably conclude the season with a win over DePaul and a loss to Louisville and finish 21-10 (10-8). Like 'Cuse, they should get in regardless of the tourney if they finish as projected.
Verdict: IN

The Bubble Teams:

Providence - 18-11 (10-7), RPI = .5655 - They are 7-5 in their last 12 games with 2 huge wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse. However they are still 1-4 against the Big East top 5 and must conclude the regular season at 'Nova. However, their out of conference schedule was a joke. They beat no respectable teams and lost to Northeastern and Baylor. The only legit teams they played were Boston College and Saint Mary's, and they lost both games.. They will most likely finish 18-12 (10-8) and will have to do work in the Big East tourney to get in.
Verdict: OUT.
Out of conference play matters, and this team didn't do their part before conference play. I don't see Providence winning more than one game in the Big East tourney, and I think they will need at least 2 to get in.

Cincy - 18-11 (8-8), RPI = .5816 - They are 7-5 in their last 12 games and could very easily finish the season with 2 more wins as they still have to play at South Florida and home against Seton Hall. This would put the Bearcats at 20-11 (10-8). This team played a very good out of conference schedule, however, they didn't fare too well against their opponents. Cincy beat respectable opponents in UAB, UNLV, and Miss St., but lost games against big time opponents in Xavier, Florida St, and Memphis. What will hurt them is that they are 0-5 against the top 5 Big East teams, but they have swept Georgetown and beaten both Notre Dame and W.Va.
Verdict: IN.
If they finish as projected, and win at least 1 game in the Big East tourney, look for the Bearcats to make it into the field of 65.

N.D. - 16-12 (7-9), RPI = .5654 - They are a woeful 4-8 in their last 12 games and still have to play Villanova. The Irish will probably finish 17-13 (8-10). They are 1-5 against the Big East top 5 with a fluke 90-57 win over Louisville. They have only won 2 Big East road games against lowly DePaul and Providence. They played a very good out of conference schedule against the likes of Texas, UNC, Ohio St, and UCLA, but only have a one point win over Texas to show for it.
Verdict: OUT.
If they finish as projected, they will have to win AT LEAST 2 games in the Big East tourney to even be considered. This team disappointed big time this season and will have to settle for the NIT.

G'Town - 15-12 (6-10), RPI = .5943 - The Hoyas started the season very strong with wins over Maryland, Memphis, and even UConn. They were 12-3 (3-2) when they travelled to Cameron on January 17 to face Duke. The Hoyas lost 76-67 and then the shit hit the fan. Their next 11 games resulted in 3 wins and 8 losses. They will probably finish 17-12 (8-10) with wins over St. Johns and DePaul, but that by no means even comes close to guaranteeing them a spot in the dance. Their out of conference play was impressive as they only lost to Duke and Tennessee. They have played a very hard schedule but have not performed as expected.
Verdict: OUT.
Like Notre Dame, Georgetown will have to do serious work in the Big East Tournament if they want to make it into the field of 65. Don't count them out however, as Georgetown is very capable of rolling off some wins.

There you have it. The Big East gets 8 teams into the field of 65. UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Cincinnati. If I had to choose a 9th team, I would select Georgetown, because I feel they are good enough to make a run in the Big East tourney and sway the voters to put them in the field.

UP NEXT...ACC Bubble Teams.