NCAA Bracket
The BIG EAST Tournament didn’t turn out the way regular-season champion Providence hoped it would. But Sunday marked a new season where everyone begins 0-0. And it didn’t take long into Sunday’s Selection Show on CBS for the Friars to find out where they would be going and who they would be playing.
The trip will not be a long one and for the Friars, and this week marks the beginning of "Rabbit Season."
Providence (25-5) will be heading to Buffalo - not a long trip for Friars Nation to make - where they will square off against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, the champions of the Summit League. That game is scheduled for a Thursday tipoff at 12:40 p.m. ET on truTV.
Want to know a couple of things about the Jackrabbits? First of all, their fans refer to them as the ‘Jacks.” Secondly, this will be the first ever meeting between the Friars and the “Jacks,” who will come into their game with Providence riding a 21-game winning streak, the longest active streak in Division I. The Jacks are also the first team in Summit League history to post 30 wins in a season - the Jacks are 30-4 - and they will be making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The “Jacks” were also the first Summit League team to go unbeaten in league play, going 18-0 this year and have two players who average 16 points or better in Douglas Wilson (16.5 ppg.) and Baylor Scheierman (16.2 ppg.).
So Providence, which has played a plethora of close games this season, should be more than ready for Jackrabbit season.
“I thought (playing close games) gave us a lot of confidence on how to close out close games,” Providence coach Ed Cooley told CBS. “We’re not the prettiest crew in town but we find a way. We have a senior-laden team, a veteran team, guys who have a lot of basketball under their belt. And the chemistry has been second to none.”
Cooley hadn’t had a whole lot of time to check in on South Dakota State, but he was impressed by the little he saw on tape of those rascally rabbits.
“Everybody can shoot, they can shoot it at a high clip,” Cooley said.
And Cooley said if you’re looking for an under the radar leader for the Friars in the NCAAs, it would not be who you’d think, like Nate Watson or Jared Bynum. No, it would be a guy he’s only had around for one season.
“I’d have to say (Justin) Minaya,” Cooley said. “His stats don’t show the impact he makes on a game. Defensively he can guard five positions, he plays with an incredible motor and he never has a bad day. I’ve never seen the kid have a bad day since he arrived on campus in late June. I would say he’s very hard to replace because he just does so much that affects winning.”
While the Jackrabbits are led by the duo of Wilson and Scheierman, the Friars will counter with the trio of Watson (13.8 ppg.), Al Durham (13.4) and Bynum (12.7) to continue a magical season that has already seen Providence win its first ever BIG EAST regular season title.
BIG EAST Tournament champion Villanova will travel to Pittsburgh for a first-round meeting with the Blue Hens of Delaware on Friday. The Blue Hens won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament as a five seed, knocking off Towson, Drexel and UNC-Wilmington to reach the NCAA Tournament. This will mark the first time since 2014 the Blue Hens have reached the Big Dance while it also marks the ninth straight Tournament appearance for the Wildcats.
The Hens are led by Jameer Nelson Jr. and his 13.7 points per game. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his father Jameer Sr., was a star on coach Phill Martelli’s St. Joseph’s team that reached the Elite EIght in 2004. The Wildcats are led by BIG EAST Player of the Year Collin Gillespie and his 15.9 points per game.
One last note, Villanova is 15-0 all-time against Delaware.
Creighton will be heading to Fort Worth, Texas as a nine seed and will face No. 8 San Diego State on Thursday at 7:27 p.m. on truTV. It will be the first NCAA Tournament experience for eight Bluejays but they do have a player skilled in the ways of March tournament play in senior Ryan Hawkins. Hawkins won three national championships at Division II Northwest Missouri State before arriving at Creighton this season. So, with such little experience, Bluejays coach Greg McDermott told his players to enjoy the ride.
“Soak this all in and understand what you’ve accomplished,” McDermott said.
One ironic twist to this matchup is that Creighton’s Arthur Kaluma will be going head-to-head with his older brother, Aztecs senior Adam Seiko.
“The family group chat is going crazy right now,” Kaluma said. “I’m super excited to play against my brother. I feel like it’s going to be an amazing opportunity.”
Seton Hall (21-10) drew a No. 8 seed and is heading for sunny San Diego to face ninth-seeded TCU (20-12) on Friday at 9:57 p.m. on truTV/ The Jamie Dixon-led Horned Frogs posted eight Big 12 wins this season, the most in program history. The Frogs are led by sophomore guard Mike Myles, who averages 15.0 points per outing. The Pirates will be led by senior Jared Rhoden, who finished tied for fourth in scoring in the BIG EAST with Gillespie at 15.9 points per game.
This will be the Hall’s fifth trip to the Big Dance in the last six years. It’s TCU’s first invite since 2018.
UConn (23-9) was the first BIG EAST team to hear its name called and the fifth-seeded Huskies will be off to Buffalo where they will square off with No. 12 New Mexico State on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. on TNT. The Aggies won the Western Athletic Conference championship and finished 26-6. They are led by junior guard Teddy Allen, who averages 19.3 points and Sir’Jabari Rice’s 12.2 points.
Led by R.J. Cole’s 15.7 points and the menacing presence of Adama Sanogo in the paint, the Huskies’ No. 5 seeding is their highest since being a third seed in 2011.
Finally Marquette (19-12) will take on blue blood program North Carolina (24-9) Thursday at 4:37 p.m. The Tar Heels are making their 52nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament and reached the ACC semifinals before being ousted by Virginia Tech.
The Heels are led by Armando Bacot, who posts 16.5 points a night, and Caleb Love and his 15.4 points. Carolina also boasts a player who averages nine points and 5.5 rebounds in Dawson Garcia, a former Marquette star who transferred to North Carolina.
The Golden Eagles will go as far as Justin Lewis takes them. Lewis was third in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.1 ppl.) and fourth in rebounding (7.9). Point guard Tyler Kolek is the BIG EAST assist leader at 5.7 per game.
This will be the third team Shaka Smart has taken to the NCAA Tournament. He previously led VCU and Texas to the Big Dance.
Xavier just missed out on an NCAA invite, but the Musketeers (18-13) are playing in the NIT. As a No. 2 seed, Xavier is hosting Cleveland State on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. The Musketeers are playing in the postseason for the 33rd time in the last 39 years.