Big East men’s Bracketology: Time is running out to make a statement

Among Big East teams projected to make the NCAA tournament, there are two tiers.
There’s the top tier of teams you could see making a deep run. That group includes St. John’s and Marquette, both of whom are ranked and were in or around the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee’s top 16 teams.

Then there’s the second tier, where Creighton and UConn are battling to secure a ranking and be taken seriously. In spite of the fact that Creighton is second in the conference and UConn boasts a top-15 offense per KenPom, neither is being rated as a major threat for the biggest games.

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There are a couple weeks left in the regular season. Will any of these perceptions change? There’s still time to find out. As of now, here are the seeding predictions for the Big East:

No. 7 St. John’s Red Storm

Projected seed: 4
This week’s schedule: at Butler Wed., vs. Seton Hall Sat.
The Red Storm passed their latest test by handling UConn by 14 at Madison Square Garden Sunday. Their biggest remaining challenge is the season finale at Marquette, but St. John’s is already 2.5 games up in the Big East standings with three games left to play. The regular season title feels locked up, but this team has its eyes on greater prizes.

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With Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor leading the way, No. 10 St. John's completed the regular-season sweep over UConn at Madison Square Garden on Sunday to inch closer to the Big East regular-season title.

No. 21 Marquette Golden Eagles

Projected seed: 5
This week’s schedule: vs. Providence Tue., at Georgetown Sat. (Peacock)
The Golden Eagles are quietly 2-4 in their last six, with a 15-point loss to unranked Villanova the latest blemish on their record. They next face two solid teams in Providence and Georgetown before two tough matchups against UConn and St. John’s to close things out. The regular season title is probably out of reach, but Marquette can build some needed momentum for postseason play.

Creighton Bluejays

Projected seed: 7
This week’s schedule: vs. DePaul Wed. (Peacock), at Xavier Sat.
Creighton has not lost to a team ranked lower than 37^th in NET Ranking since mid-December. Their only three losses in that time have each come by single digits. Given their 5-5 record in Quad 1 games, it’s also hard to argue that the Bluejays aren’t capable of beating really good teams. This team will be a tough out even if it doesn’t make a Final Four run.

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Connecticut Huskies

Projected seed: 8
This week’s schedule: vs. Georgetown Wed., at Providence Sat.
It’s hard to count out the two-time defending champs. After all, that offense is capable of going off and winning any single game they have remaining. Dan Hurley certainly knows how to get a team executing on that end in the biggest games. But on the days where they play a team that can gum up the works, the Huskies don’t have the defensive chops to hang.