Big East March Madness Bracket Predictions: Projecting bracketology for teams

The Big East not only has college basketball's defending champion, but it has a couple of talented contenders for 2024. As March Madness arrives, the Big East finds itself looking ahead to a promising NCAA Tournament. With perhaps six teams in the NCAA field, there's plenty of big games ahead for the Big East conference.

Start with the defending champion, UConn, who has done nothing to hurt its own repeat chances. Add Creighton, which might be the most underrated team in college basketball. Marquette has stumbled down the stretch largely due to injuries. And a couple of Big East latecomers could shake up the Tournament.

Big East March Madness Bracket predictions

Trey Alexander and Creighton could parlay a successful week at the Big East Tournament into a No. 2 NCAA Touranment seed.

As usual, the winner of the Big East will get an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. But of the eight teams in play as thursday begins, five are likely in the NCAA field and two are on the edges of the bracket. That leaves only No. 9 seed Xavier as a team that could win its way into the NCAA field only with a title.

Providence is on the outside of the NCAA bubble. Being listed in just 5 of 98 brackets considered by BracketMatrix.com isn't a good sign. The Friars might need wins over Creighton on friday and in a semifinal (likely Marquette) on daturday to reach the NCAA field.

But here's the breakdown on the rest of the league, specifically the teams projected as in the NCAA Tournament field.

No. 1 Seeds Prediction

UConn

WIth a 28-3 record and no losses outside quad 1, UConn has pretty much written its ticket as a No. 1 seed. The Huskies are ranked 3rd in the NET, with a few less quad 1 games than Houston or Purdue. Still, there's nothing here to sneeze at, and UConn is a solid choice as a No. 1 seed.

No. 2 Seeds Prediction

Creighton

The Blue Jays could be the most underrated team in college basketball. They're 23-8, ranked 11th in the NET... but are projected as the top No.3 seed in the consensus from BracketMatrix. Ultimately, while Marquette gets a bit more respect (more on that later), Creighton might have a little better resume.

If Creighton and Marquette meet, as they likely will, in Friday's semifinals of the Big East Tournament, that'll decide the No. 2 seed. The winner of that game will slide up to a No.2, and the loser will slide down to a No. 3.

No. 3 Seeds Prediction

Marquette

Many of the things said about Creighton can be said about Marquette. They have identical 23-8 records. Marquette is 13th in the NET rankings. They're a solid team, particularly if healthy.

Marquette v Xavier

But BracketMatrix has Marquette as the 3rd No. 2 seed. Again, the final word will likely come from a Friday semifinal with Creighton. It is not impossible that both teams could be No. 2 or both No. 3 seeds. But the likely outcome is that the winner goes up, the loser goes down.

No. 10 Seeds Prediction

Seton Hall

The Pirates are projected in the NCAA filed by all 98 brackets listed by BracketMatrix. They are the 3rd No. 10 seed, although their seedings vary mainly from No.9 to No. 11.

Thursday brings a matchup with St. John's that will solidify a Tournament spot for the winner. The loser faces the possibility of perhaps ending up in a FIrst Four game.

Seton Hall has a horrific No. 64 NET ranking, in part due to a quad 3 loss. They would really benefit from not putting themselves onto the bubble with a Thursday loss.

No. 11 Seeds Prediction

St. John's and coach Rick Pitino could all but wrap up an NCAA bid with a Big East tournament win over Seton Hall on Thursday.

St. John's

St. John's is even a bit deeper in the bubble puzzle than Seton Hall. A No. 39 NET ranking won't hurt any, but the 19-12 Red Storm may have work to do. St. John's is included in 89 of 98 brackets on BracketMatrix. But a First Four type-situation is their current position.

A win over Seton Hall probably stamps St. John's NCAA ticket. A loss could lead to a very suspensful Selection Sunday afternoon.

Villanova

The Wildcats are actually projected out of the NCAA Field. They're listed on 30 of 98 BracketMatrix brackets. That total positions them as the third team out of the NCAA field behind New Mexico and Texas A&M.

A Thursday win over Marquette would probably elevate Villanova tentatively into the field. A loss seems like it would knock Nova completely off bubble consideration. This is despite a No. 40 NET ranking, which isn't bad at all.