PHILADELPHIA — Villanova coach Jay Wright says he thinks five Big East teams can make the NCAA Tournament, and that several are capable of making big noise come March.
As of this weekend, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had six Big East teams in the Big Dance — Creighton, Villanova, Xavier and St. John’s, with Georgetown and Providence in play-in games.
“You get 50 percent of your teams in, you’re in a great league, and that’s in a down year,” Wright told SNY.tv after his No. 9 Wildcats beat St. John’s, 57-54, at Wells Fargo Center.
Villanova and Creighton would appear the best bets to make deep March runs this year, but if one or several Big East teams go deep, Wright thinks it will improve the perception of a league that lost Syracuse, Louisville, UConn and Notre Dame to expansion.
“It’s a shame but what you do in the tournament does impact what people think of the league,” he said. “It really does.”
Wright thinks going forward the league will do well, too, thanks to strong incoming recruiting classes at several schools as well as players returning to some programs.
“I think St. John’s is going to be a lot better next year,” he said. “Georgetown’s going to be better. Seton Hall’s going to be a lot better. I’m excited about it.”
