The Big East Tournament is taking place this week, with top-seeded Marquette having won 11 of its last 12 games.
Fourth-seeded Connecticut is the current betting favourite, with fifth-seeded Providence seen as a major underdog but where coach Ed Cooley thrives.
Villanova, the dangerous sixth seed, has played its best basketball of late; now that Justin Moore is healthy, third-seeded Creighton, the preseason favourite, maybe the best team.
No. 2 Xavier feels like a dark horse despite winning four of its last five games, and it seems like anybody’s tournament to win, at least from the top half of the conference.
The big five all have Sweet 16 potential, making the next four days fascinating.
The tournament gets going on Wednesday when eighth-seeded St. John’s meets No. 9 Butler at 3 p.m. A team-by-team breakdown is provided below.
No. 1 Marquette (25-6, 17-3)
Coach: Shaka Smart Star: Soph. G Tyler Kolek (12.7 ppg, 7.9 apg).
Marquette is rarely out of control, notching a plus-5.5 turnover margin. Weakness: The paint.
No. 2 Xavier (23-8, 15-5)
Coach: Sean Miller Star: Soph. G Souley Boum (16.8 ppg, 4.5 apg).
Xavier is the Big East leader in assists (19.9), 3-point percentage (39.8) and scoring (82.1). Weakness: Defense.
No. 3 Creighton (20-11, 14-6)
Coach: Greg McDermott Star: Jr. C Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.1 ppg, 2.2 bpg).
Creighton is balanced, with its entire starting lineup averaging in double figures. Weakness: Bench.
No. 4 Connecticut (24-7, 13-7)
Coach: Dan Hurley Star: Soph. G Jordan Hawkins (16.4 ppg, 3.9 RPG).
UConn allows a Big East-low 64.8 points and leads the league in blocked shots at five per game. Weakness: Consistency.
No. 5 Providence (21-10, 13-7)
Coach: Ed Cooley Star: Soph. F Bryce Hopkins (16.1 ppg, 8.5 RPG).
Providence is second in the Big East in rebounding margin at plus-6.9. Weakness: The road.
No. 6 Villanova (16-15, 10-10)
Coach: Kyle Neptune Star: Sr. G Justin Moore (13.6 ppg, 3.5 RPG)
Villanova is the No. 1 team in the country at the charity stripe at 82.3 per cent. Weakness: Offensive rebounding.
No. 7 Seton Hall (17-14, 10-10)
Coach: Shaheen Holloway Star: Sr. G Al-Amir Dawes (12.6 ppg, 2.6 RPG).
Seton Hall is 27th nationally in 3-point defence, holding its opponents to 30.6 per cent. Weakness: Frontcourt depth.
No. 8 St. John’s (17-14, 7-13)
Coach: Mike Anderson Star: Sr. C Joel Soriano (15.2 ppg, 11.8 RPG)
The Garden is St. John’s home away from home. Weakness: 3-point shooting.
»Big East Tournament is taking place this week«
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