If The Regular Season Ended Today, Would PC Be In The NCAA Tournament?

Jim Donaldson of ProJo Sports makes some interesting points about the Friars NCAA chances:

If the regular season ended today, the Providence College Friars would be in the NCAA Tournament.

Or should be.

Look at the Big East standings, where the Friars--7-5 in conference play--are tied for sixth with Cincinnati, a team they've beaten not just once, but twice. All alone in eighth place is Syracuse, at 6-6. The Friars have beaten them, too.

So, given that at least six teams from the Big East - without question, the strongest conference in the country, top to bottom - will be going to the NCAA Tournament, there should be no question that the Friars would be one of them.

The regular season does not, however, end today. The Friars still have three weeks, and six league games, remaining.

I've pretty much been in the belief that the Friars need to win 10 Big East games to get into the NCAA Tournament and then probably still need a little help to get in. However, what happens if Georgetown and Notre Dame keep tanking and the Friars end up in 6th place right with Cincinnati and Syracuse? The Friars beat Cincinnati twice and knocked off Syracuse as well. Syracuse would probably get in over PC and would be the 7th team along with UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Villanova, Marquette, and West Virginia. I think that is the minimum amount of teams that make it from the Big East, which leaves Georgetown, Notre Dame, PC, and Cincinnati with work left to do.

Georgetown's resume is probably better than PC's, but only if they start winning again. They have victories over UConn, Memphis, & Syracuse, so if they can beat a few more teams and get to 9-9 in the conference I think they get in too, which would make them the 8th team in. It would help PC if Georgetown keeps losing, because I think that makes PC the 8th team in the Big East(assuming PC gets to 10 or more wins) instead of Georgetown. I don't think they Big East gets more than 8 teams in the tournament.

In the end, I don't think the Friars make it with 10 wins unless they knock off Pitt, Villanova, or Louisville. Lose to Rutgers once and then they are really in trouble. I think 11 wins gets them in for sure and 10 gives them a strong case depending on who they've beaten. Either way, it wouldn't hurt the Friars to win a game or two in the Big East tourney.

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