As UConn rolls through the NCAA Tournament, Marquette squanders an opportunity for the second consecutive season
A look at the 2024 NCAA Tournament and how Big East teams have fared in March since the realignment of 2013.
As Connecticut cruises through the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, it is looking more and more likely that the Big East could have its fourth national champion in the 11 years since the league realigned in 2013.
Not bad for the league that was left for dead.
This would actually mark the fifth time that a member of the current Big East won a national title during that span, as UConn also did so under the American Conference banner in 2014.
Only two other conferences have won titles since 2013 — the ACC has three (Duke in 2015, North Carolina in 2017, and Virginia in 2019), while the Big 12 has two (Baylor in 2021 and Kansas in 2022).
The headlines surrounding the Big East going into the 2024 tournament revolved around if anyone could hang with UConn (so far, not even close), and how the second rated league in KenPom walked away with just three NCAA Tournament bids. Even with just three teams in the field, the Big East looked well-positioned to make a statement beyond the dominance of the Huskies.
Creighton was a three seed that eventually played its way into their third Sweet 16 in four years this March. The Jays were within a foul call of reaching the Final Four a year ago, and most likely would have played Connecticut in the title game had they advanced to the national semifinal against Florida Atlantic, a nine seed. Meanwhile, Marquette was a two seed this season and had a bracket that seemingly broke their way in the opening rounds.
For the second year in a row, however, the league missed out on sending a second team to the Final Four (or even a potential all Big East title game) when Marquette was upset by 11th seeded NC State and Creighton fell to what was ultimately a better Tennessee team.
The Marquette loss, in particular, stung. The Golden Eagles seemed to catch a significant break when an 11 seed found its way into the Sweet 16, but Marquette shot a woeful 4-31 from three and 14-23 at the free throw line in their 67-58 loss to the Wolfpack. Sharpshooting David Joplin couldn’t buy a bucket, while Oso Ighodaro was pushed around in the paint.
And with that, the Big East’s opportunity to make a significant statement in this tournament — a statement about the depth of their league — went by the wayside. Connecticut made this league look more top-heavy than it was, and as this tournament has shown, they would have done that to any league in the country. As has been the case since realignment, the Big East has more depth than given credit for.
Since realignment, the league has sent seven of its 11 members to the second weekend of the tournament (UConn, Villanova, Marquette, Creighton, Xavier, Butler, and Providence), but the narrative that exists outside of the northeast is the Big East was initially Villanova and everyone else, and is now UConn and the others. Receiving three bids to the NCAA Tournament this year further illustrated how the committee viewed the league.
Marquette’s loss to NC State was a big missed opportunity. Shaka Smart’s club would have had the chance to take out Duke in the Elite Eight and join the Huskies in the Final Four, but instead all the Golden Eagles have to show for consecutive outstanding seasons (with 56 victories) are three wins on the biggest stage.
Of course, NC State caught fire over the past three weeks, and the tournament can be so random that it shouldn’t take away from what Marquette accomplished. Still, there is a national stamp of approval that comes with winning in March. Marquette (considered an essential flag bearer for the league during realignment) didn’t win a single NCAA Tournament game in the first nine years of the “new” league, and picked up only three wins combined as a two seed in both 2023 and ‘24.
Their three NCAA Tournament victories tie them with Providence for sixth best in the Big East since realignment. Here is a breakdown of each team in the NCAA Tournament as league members since realignment:
Villanova: 22-6
UConn: 10-2 (and counting)
Xavier: 9-6
Creighton: 9-7
Butler: 5-4
Marquette: 3-5
Providence: 3-7
Seton Hall: 1-4
Georgetown: 1-2
St. John's: 0-2
DePaul: 0-0
Villanova: The Wildcats were pretty much impeccable under Jay Wright with two national titles, three Final Four appearances, and six years as a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have failed to reach the tourney since Wright retired two years ago following a Final Four run in 2022.
Xavier: Underrated NCAA Tournament success, with nine wins in seven appearances. They did most of their damage in the earlier days of realignment under Chris Mack, winning a tournament game in four straight years (2015-18), earning a two seed in 2016, and a one seed in 2018.
Butler: The Bulldogs have quietly won the fifth most tournament games in the Big East following realignment, as they also went on a four-year stretch in which they won a game in March (2015-18), including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017. They haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2018, however. Their highest seed was a 4 in 2017.
Creighton: As consistent as they’ve come over the past 11 years, the Jays have reached seven NCAA Tournaments and won a game in five of them. Greg McDermott’s club has now won a tournament game in four straight seasons, with an 8-4 mark over the past four years. Creighton has reached the second weekend in three of the last four years.
Providence: Getting to the dance hasn’t been a problem for PC, but they have only had two seasons over the past 11 in which they won a game in March (a buzzer beater in an 8/9 game against USC in 2016, and then by beating South Dakota State and Richmond to reach the Sweet 16 in 2022). Providence has been an 11 seed three times and a 10 seed once since realignment.
Seton Hall: The Pirates are 1-4 following realignment, winning their lone game in 2018 with a veteran club. The Hall has reached the tournament once since 2019, but would have had a high seed had the tournament been played in 2020. Their highest seed came as a 6 in 2016, but they had the misfortune of playing Gonzaga, who reached the Sweet 16 after knocking off the Pirates in the opening round.
Marquette: As noted above, Marquette didn’t win a tournament game until 2023 following realignment. They didn’t qualify for the tournament in four of the first five seasons, which was surprising given that they reached the regional semifinals or finals in each of the three years prior to realignment. They earned two seeds in both of the past two tournaments, but fell to Michigan State in the round of 32 last year and NC State in this year’s Sweet 16.
Georgetown: Another program that was thought to be critical to the survival of the league, the Hoyas have fallen apart instead. Georgetown has reached the NCAA Tournament twice in 11 years, winning a first round game in 2015 before falling in the second, and then getting there on a miracle Big East Tournament run in 2021. The Hoyas were then blown out by Colorado in the first round. They were a 4 seed in 2015 and a 12 in 2021. Similar to Marquette, they had it rolling in the old Big East — reaching the tournament in seven of the eight seasons before realignment. That stretch included a Final Four appearance and a Sweet 16 season.
St. John’s: The Johnnies are 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament, and haven’t danced since 2019.
DePaul: The Demons have not qualified for an NCAA Tournament since George W. Bush was in office and Ryan Gomes was the star of the Friars (2004).
UConn: Connecticut’s rise has coincided with the fall of Villanova. Dan Hurley’s club is in the midst of one of the most dominant two-year stretches in NCAA Tournament history, and the Huskies look primed to win back-to-back titles. Hurley went 0-2 in his first two NCAA Tournament appearances at UConn, but years three and four could both result in national championships.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, subscribers can read breakdowns of each of the players that Providence has publicly been linked to on the transfer portal.
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