Big East Tournament: High expectations for St. John’s and Seton Hall
By Dan Stokes
The Big East Basketball Tournament kicks off on Wednesday. Seton Hall is a co-favorite while St. John’s could surprise a few teams.
With Seton Hall, Creighton and Villanova vying for the Big East Conference regular season championship during the final week of conference play, it seemed like it would end up being a photo finish, yet all three schools tied for the conference crown setting up a thrilling storyline.
Who will claim the Big East Conference automatic bid into the NCAA Division-1 Men’s Championship? The conference’s unpredictability combined with hot streaks to end the season, Means there could honestly be six legit champions.
Before I get into the two local teams for Empire Writes Back, I need to briefly discuss the rest of the field.
Villanova could certainly be the top dog. They’ve claimed/shared five of the last six regular season championships in the reconfigured Big East. They’ve won four Tournament Championships including the last three straight.
With two National Championships under his belt, Jay Wright is an extremely accomplished coach. His resume speaks for itself and the NBA caliber players that have passed through the program (Josh Hart, Eric Paschal, and Donte DiVincenzo) speak volumes about the culture Wright’s instilled.
Sophomore Saddiq Bey could be the latest. His overall game drastically improved as conference play wore on. The potential NBA Lottery pick is averaging 16.1 ppg, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists to go along with a .451 three-point shooting percentage.
As I’ve said all season long, the sleeper to win the title as they did in the first season of the reconfigured conference is Providence. The Friars are a well-oiled machine. Coach Ed Cooley is a phenomenal coach, who may have many potential suitors seeking his services during the offseason. He has produced a 181-122 mark including five straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-2018.