Big East Tournament at MSG has storylines galore
The defending national champion, considered by many to be the favorite to repeat. Two other Final Four contenders. Three teams in need of wins to avoid their bubbles getting burst on Selection Sunday.
The upcoming Big East Tournament has it all.
There is favorite Connecticut, contenders Creighton and Marquette, and a host of sleepers (Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Providence) hoping for a few big nights.
And it starts Wednesday with Providence facing former coach Ed Cooley and Georgetown.
The Post breaks down all the teams ready to hoop it up at Madison Square Garden:
Braziller Prediction: No. 1 Connecticut
Most Outstanding Player: Connecticut Sr. G Cam Spencer
Yes, I’m going chalk.
With a healthy Tyler Kolek, could Marquette be the last team standing Saturday night?
Sure. Creighton has already proven it can beat Connecticut. But the Huskies aren’t just the best team in this conference. They are the best team in the country, with just one loss all year at full strength.
Dan Hurley’s team will get pushed for 30 minutes by St. John’s before pulling away late Friday night and its depth will eventually wear down Creighton in the final.
The Garden will sound like Storrs South on the eve of Selection Sunday.
No. 1 Connecticut (28-3, 18-2)
Coach: Danny Hurley
Star: Sr. G Tristen Newton (15.0 PPG, 5.8 APG)
He scores, rebounds and distributes at a high level. He gets to the free-throw line a ton for a guard (5.4 times a game) and embodies what makes Connecticut so tough; Newton is just as dogged on the defensive end as he is potent with the ball in his hands.
X factor: Fr. G Stephon Castle (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg).
The five-star prospect set the Big East record for Freshman of the Week honors with 11, looking every bit like a lottery pick over the last two months as he gained confidence in his perimeter shot.
Strength: Balance. The entire starting five averages double figures. Everyone is a weapon.
Weakness: Connecticut has none. It is one of three teams in the country with an offense and defense ranked in the top-13 in adjusted efficiency. Houston and Auburn are the others.
Can win title if: The best team wins. The Huskies were dominant all season, and seem to only be getting better by the game. Good luck to the rest of the conference over the next four days.
BetMGM Odds: -165
No. 2 Creighton (23-8, 14-6)
Coach: Greg McDermott
Star: Sr. C Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.1 PPG, 3.0 BPG)
The three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year is the backbone to Creighton’s defense, a rim-protecting 7-footer who owns the paint.
X factor: Sr. G Steven Ashworth (10.5 PPG, 4.2 APG)
The sharpshooting Utah State transfer found his game over the last six weeks, making the already explosive Bluejays even tougher to defend. When he scores 10 points or more, Creighton is a dominant 15-3.
Strength: Avoiding fouling. No team in the country sends the opponent to the free-throw line less than Creighton (10.6). It is the new Villanova, in terms of receiving the benefit of the doubt from Big East officials.
Weakness: Depth. Creighton heavily relies on its starting five. Francisco Farabello is the one reserve who has a significant role off the bench.
Can win title if: The late-season surge is an indication of this team’s direction. Creighton closed the season by winning seven of its last eight games — the lone loss was at the Garden to St. John’s — including a commanding win over Connecticut. A rematch on Saturday night is possible.
BetMGM Odds: +375
No. 3 Marquette (23-8, 14-6)
Coach: Shaka Smart
Star: Sr. G Tyler Kolek (15.0 PPG, 7.6 APG)
Kolek’s health is the biggest question of the tournament. He missed the last three games with an oblique injury. It’s hard to see Marquette getting very far without the dynamic playmaker, the nation’s leader in assists per game, and last season’s Big East Player of the Year.
X factor: Jr. G Stevie Mitchell (8.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
The junior impacts winning with his defense, rebounding and toughness.
Strength: Turnover margin. Marquette is plus-4.97, by far the best mark in the conference — well above St. John’s, which is second at plus-1.84.
Weakness: Free-throw shooting. The Golden Eagles were last in the league at 70.8 percent, which ranked 225th in the country.
Can win title if: Kolek is Kolek. Marquette showed how good it is by pushing Creighton and Connecticut and winning at Xavier without Kolek. But it needs its leader to be a real threat.
BetMGM Odds: +600
No. 4 Seton Hall (20-11, 13-7)
Coach: Shaheen Holloway
Star: Sr. G Kadary Richmond (16.2 PPG, 4.8 APG)
The Brooklyn native set career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, free-throw percentage and minutes, carrying Seton Hall to a fourth-place finish few saw coming. With his rare combination of size, length, court vision and quickness, Richmond is one of the most difficult players in the country to defend.
X factor: Sr. G Al-Amir Dawes (13.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg).
Seton Hall is 16-5 when Dawes reaches double figures. Unfortunately for the Pirates, he is entering this tournament on a downturn, managing just 21 points over his last three games.
Strength: Physicality. Seton Hall is tough, producing a rebounding margin of plus-5.39, second in the conference behind Connecticut.
Weakness: 3-point shooting. Nobody in the league is worse from downtown than the Pirates, who hit only 32.5 percent of their attempts. That ranks them a woeful 262nd nationally.
Can win title if: Richmond pulls an Isaiah Whitehead, and puts Seton Hall on his back. He is capable of doing so. The one difference between the two: Whitehead had a stronger supporting cast in 2016.
BetMGM Odds: 40/1
No. 5 St. John’s (19-12, 11-9)
Coach: Rick Pitino
Star: Sr. G Daniss Jenkins (14.7 PPG, 5.5 APG)
St. John’s best player from fall workouts until now. He can impact the game without scoring, and performed even better in league play.
X factor: Soph. G RJ Luis (10.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG)
The 6-foot-7 wing has an incredibly high ceiling and has shown glimpses of his immense potential. But consistency has eluded him in his first year as a Johnnie.
Strength: Offensive rebounding percentage. St. John’s is ranked eighth nationally at 36.8.
Weakness: Closing. Of St. John’s nine league losses, it led at halftime in six of them.
Can win title if: The Garden is a true home-court advantage, the momentum from the five-game winning streak to end the regular season carries over and Joel Soriano rediscovers his early-season form. St. John’s hasn’t reached the Big East Tournament semifinals since 2000. Getting there would be a step in the right direction.
BetMGM Odds: 12/1
No. 6 Villanova (17-14, 10-10)
Coach: Kyle Neptune
Star: Sr. F Eric Dixon (16.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG)
The Wildcats’ one constant, the versatile Dixon was their rock this year, bringing it almost every game despite inconsistency and underperformance around him.
X factor: Sr. G Justin Moore (10.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG)
Injuries have limited Moore to a career-low scoring average and career-low-equaling shooting percentage of 39.7, but when he is right, Villanova is a different team. It is 9-4 when he scores in double figures.
Strength: Free-throw shooting. Villanova makes 81.9 percent of its attempts, the highest mark in the country.
Weakness: Rim protection. Dixon isn’t a shot-blocker, and the Wildcats reject a league-low 2.29 shots per game.
Can win title if: The good Villanova shows up for four nights, the one that won at Creighton, beat North Carolina and Texas Tech on a neutral floor, and crushed Providence and Seton Hall at home. The problem: The bad Villanova is just as likely to grace the Garden floor as that team.
BetMGM Odds: 12/1
No. 7 Providence (19-12, 10-10)
Coach: Kim English
Star: Sr. G Devin Carter (19.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG)
A projected first-round pick, the 6-foot-3 Carter emerged this season as one of the top guards in the country, taking his game to the next level once co-star Bryce Hopkins was lost for the season in early January.
X factor: Soph. G Jayden Pierre (8.8 PPG, 3.2 APG)
Providence needs more production out of the starting guard, who has scored in double figures just once in his last eight games. Too much is being asked of Carter and forward Josh Oduro.
Strength: Protecting the paint. Providence blocks 4.71 shots per game, with Oduro notching 1.4 a contest.
Weakness: The road. Providence went 5-8 away from home and lost four of its last six.
Can win title if: They move the tournament to the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Providence is headed in the wrong direction, having lost three of its last four games all by double digits, and doesn’t seem like a team ready to make a run.
BetMGM Odds: 80/1
No. 8 Butler (18-13, 9-11)
Coach: Thad Matta
Star: Jr. G Pierre Brooks (14.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
The Michigan State transfer can light it up from deep. He is third in the league at 41.1 percent from beyond the arc, and did so on a high volume of six attempts per game.
X factor: Sr. G Posh Alexander (11.1 PPG, 4.9 APG)
The former St. John’s star from Brooklyn will feel at home at the Garden. If his 3-point shot is falling, and Alexander has improved that weakness in his game, it opens up the Butler offense.
for Butler. Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
Strength: Ceiling. Butler has proven it can beat the league’s top teams, winning at Creighton and Marquette and playing Connecticut tough on the road.
Weakness: The interior. Big men have feasted on Butler in the paint, especially when starting big man Jalen Thomas gets into foul trouble, which has been a frequent occurrence.
Can win title if: The group from late January/early February reappears. That team had played its way into the NCAA Tournament, before a killer five-game losing streak ruined those hopes. A potential sleeper if all goes right.
BetMGM Odds: 150/1
No. 9 Xavier (15-16, 9-11)
Coach: Sean Miller
Star: Sr. G Quincy Olivari (19.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG)
A transfer from Rice, Olivari made the most of his lone season at Xavier, leading the conference in 3-pointers made per game (3.16).
X factor: Sr. F Abou Ousmane (6.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG)
The physical 6-foot-10 Brooklyn native, Xavier’s most productive forward, gets to play at the Garden for the first time this year.
Strength: Backcourt. The big three of Olivari, Desmond Claude and Dayvion McKnight average a combined 47.9 points per game.
Weakness: Defensive rebounding percentage. Xavier is ranked 193rd in the country at 72.8.
Can win title if: Forwards Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter magically get healthy. It really is a shame. Xavier is a top-20 team in the country had they not lost the two starters to injury in the offseason.
BetMGM Odds: 100/1
No. 10 Georgetown (9-22, 2-18)
Coach: Ed Cooley
Star: Soph. G Jayden Epps (18.1 PPG, 4.2 APG)
His efficiency has to improve — he shot just 38.5 percent this year — but Epps is one of the conference’s most dynamic offensive players, a blur with the ball in his hands with in-the-building range.
X factor: Soph. G Rowan Brumbaugh (8.6 PPG, 2.7 APG).
A quality 3-point shooter and improving playmaker, Brumbaugh has shown flashes that should excite Georgetown fans.
Strength: Scoring depth. Georgetown features seven players that average at least 5.1 points and four of them shoot 37 percent or better from long range.
Weakness: Defense. Georgetown is ranked 322nd in adjusted efficiency at that end of the floor. The only power-conference school worse is, naturally, DePaul at 334th.
Can win title if: Cooley steals a few games of eligibility for some of his old Providence stars. Unlike his current players, those guys knew how to win.
BetMGM Odds: 250/1
No. 11 DePaul (3-28, 0-20)
Coach: Matt Brady (interim)
Star: Sr. G Chico Carter Jr. (11.2 PPG, 3.7 APG)
The two-time transfer is DePaul’s one offensive weapon, a quality outside shooter who will let it fly from anywhere on the floor.
X factor: Sr. F DaSean Nelson (9.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG)
An athletic big man, Nelson is a capable passer out of the paint. But he is often overpowered inside.
Strength: No pressure. DePaul became the first Big East team to go 0-20 in league play. Nothing is expected of them.
Weakness: Pick a category, any category. DePaul is last in the Big East in scoring margin at minus-17.55.
Can win title if: Nothing makes sense. A win over Villanova on Wednesday, or even playing the Wildcats close, would be a major achievement.
BetMGM Odds: 250/1
