The lads’s Massive East event is ready to get underway this week from legendary Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis.
Marquette wrapped up the common season title final week, with their win final Tuesday over Butler. However numerous groups enter the event with an opportunity to make a run to the championship, and with a couple of groups within the convention on the event bubble in the mean time, how the Massive East event unfolds will go a good distance in the direction of setting the ultimate subject.
We will begin with the Golden Eagles. Shaka Good has constructed a contender at Marquette, and whereas Good is understood for his defensive method, it’s their offense which has made them a pressure this season. Our personal Ricky O’Donnell put collectively a deep dive into what makes their offense click on, and it begins with their spacing. The offense flows round Oso Ighodaro, their 6’9 middle who averages 11.9 factors per recreation. Their spacing, and his presence inside, opens up alternatives for the Golden Eagles from deep. Over 40% of their makes an attempt this season have been from behind the three-point line, and the Golden Eagles are changing at a 35% fee from three. Kam Jones, their sophomore guard is Marquette’s greatest shot-maker from deep, hitting at a 35.5% clip this season.
Xavier enters the Massive East event because the second seed, due to their 15-5 document in convention play. The Musketeers break up their season collection with Marquette, with every staff successful at dwelling. Xavier is environment friendly on offense, and so they enter the event ranked seventh within the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, behind solely Marquette out of the Massive East groups. They’re led by their guards, as each Souley Boum and Colby Jones common greater than 15 factors per recreation.
Creighton, the third seed within the event, may very well be a sleeper not only for this week, however for past. It begins with middle Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was simply named the Massive East’s Defensive Participant of the Yr for the second-straight season. Kalkbrenner averages 2.2 blocks per recreation, inserting him nineteenth within the nation. However he does it on the offensive finish as effectively, as his 15.1 points per game leads the Bluejays. Creighton will get large contributions from their guards round Kalkbrenner, as Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, and Ryan Nembhard all common greater than 12 factors per recreation. Alexander’s 3-point proportion of 43.2% is tops within the convention.
Lastly, it is likely to be laborious to name Connecticut a darkish horse, contemplating they’re the top-ranked staff in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, however the Huskies enter play because the fourth seed and face a tricky opening matchup with Windfall. Connecticut has additionally gained five-straight video games, and so they work laborious to earn further possessions each night time. Their Offensive Rebound Proportion of 39.0% is tops not simply within the convention, however in all of school basketball. Adama Sanogo, their 6’9 middle, is a large a part of that effort.
2023 males’s Massive East event bracket
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Massive East Convention
2023 males’s Massive East event schedule (all video games at Madison Sq. Backyard)
March 8 First Spherical
Sport 1: No. 8 St. John’s 76, No. 9 Butler 63
Sport 2: No. 10 DePaul 66, No. 7 Seton Corridor 65
Sport 3: No. 6 Villanova 80, No. 11 Georgetown 48
March 9 Quarterfinals
Sport 4: No. 1 Marquette 72, No. 8 St. John’s 70
Sport 5: No. 4 Connecticut 73, No. 5 Windfall 66
Sport 6: No. 2 Xavier 89, No 10 DePaul 84
Sport 7: No. 3 Creighton 87, No. 6 Villanova 74
March 10 Semifinals
Sport 8: No. 1 Marquette 70, No. 4 Connecticut 68
Sport 9: No. 2 Xavier 82, No. 3 Creighton 60
March 11 Championship
Sport 10: No. 1 Marquette 65, No. 2 Xavier 51
Odds to win 2023 Massive East Event from DraftKings Sportsbook
UConn: +190
Creighton: +320
Marquette: +320
Xavier: +425
Villanova: +1500
Windfall: +1500
Seton Corridor: +5000
St. Johns: +6000
Butler: +80000
DePaul: +100000
Georgetown: +100000
