Welcome to the Big East Tracker.

This Spreadsheet was put together by Mark Pasquale (PC Class of 1987) to both decipher the playoff

seedings for the Big East Tournament introduced for the 2000-2001 season and

because his team, the Providence College Friars, were doing well enough in 2001 to care.

2004 was also fun, but 2005 is like nails on a chalkboard!

March 5, 2005 Regular Season Final

Final Tie Breaker Explanation:

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

Boston College beat Uconn.

Seeding goes (1) BC, (2) Uconn.

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

Syracuse beat Villanova.

Seeding goes (3) Syracuse, (4) Villanova.

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

Georgetown beat WV.

Seeding goes (7) Georgetown, (8) West Virginia.

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

PC beat Seton Hall.

Seeding goes (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall.

NCAA Prospects, NIT Consolations, and Exits:

BC is in. Between Nation Rankings and total victories, only seeding is at stake from here on in. A very weak non-conference schedule may hurt BC's serious consideration as a #1 seed as does recent losses to Villanova and Pitt, but they are on target for a #2. We can only hope that if BC makes the conference finals that all Big East coaches chip in intel to prevent the turncoat BC Eagles from winning the automatic seed.

UConn is in. Between National Rankings and total victories, only seeding is at stake from here on in. UConn's last wins against Notre Dame, Pitt, and Syracuse improved the record against the top 6 Big East teams to 5-3. UConn continues to make a statement to the committee with regards to NCAA seeding.

Syracuse is in. Between Nation Rankings and total victories, only seeding is at stake from here on in. Syracuse played a weak non-conference schedule and lost their only serious non-conference game against Oklahoma State. Syracuse is 1-4 against the top four teams in the Big East. Unless they win the Big East Tournament, are they are looking at a #3 seed at best?

Villanova is in. A recent win against BC was a large step forward. They have a guaranteed .500 conference record even with a first round loss, as well as 20 wins. Villanova is 3-5 against the top 6.

Pitt is in. They have hit the magic #19 wins, and have a guaranteed a .500 conference record even with a first round loss. Pitt is 6-1 against the top six teams in the Big East and has helped their seeding in the stretch run. Monday's win against BC was huge as was Saturday's against Notre Dame.

Notre Dame has an opportunity to crack into the NCAA tournament, but still needs at least one more win. At least one win appears required in the Big East Tournament. They have a guaranteed .500 conference record even with a first round loss, but need at least one more win. They may be safe if they can make 18 wins, because they are one of three teams to beat BC this year.

West Virginia is likely in the NCAA Tournament, but will help themselves with one more win. Due to Georgetown's collapse, West Virginia has passed them on the bubble list. The Committee likes team that finish strong and West Virginia has won 6 of their last 8. A win in the Big East Tournament will give them 19 wins and a guaranteed .500 finish in conference, but they also have RPI issues and losing on Saturday to Seton Hall did not help thier RPI.

Georgetown had an opportunity to crack into the NCAA tournament, but they are slowly closing the door with their current 5 game slide. One more win gets the Hoyas to a guaranteed .500 conference record even with a first round loss. Georgetown will need to win at least one game in the Big East Tourney. It is highly unlikely that the committee picks 8 teams from the Big East conference. If only seven get to go from the Big East, Georgetown will have to outlast Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Villanova by going deep in the Big East Tournament. Georgetown is 3-6 against the top 6.

Providence can still climb out of the cellar and into the NIT. It will take winning their first three games in the Big East Tournament - not a likely scenario. One wonders even if the win the Big East Tournament if they'd get into the NCAAs. They have played plenty tough down the stretch including a 1 point loss to Notre Dame and taking UConn to 2OT. They just don't have the "W"'s. It doesn't help that they are playing the second hardest Strength of Schedule this year. Fading late in games suggests a lack of depth this year. Ryan Gomes helped out his draft position by staying another year and showing improvements in all facets of his game. Nobody wants to get this matchup in the Big East Tournament and PC may be in a position to play spoiler for someone.

Seton Hall will not make the NIT at this point, having lost 10 of their last 15 games. They are currently at three games under .500 overall and would need to win their next game and the Big East Tournament (putting them in the NCAA Tourney) to get to .500.

Rutgers is guaranteed to finish with a below .500 overall record, even if they win every game they have left including the Big East Tourney. No post season for Rutgers unless they win the Big East Tournament.

St. John's is guaranteed to finish with a below .500 overall record, even if they win every game they have left including the Big East Tourney. Even if St. John's could participate in the post season, there would be no post season for St. John's unless they won the Big East Tournament.

March 3, 2005 (as revised)

Current Tie Breaker Explanation:

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

Boston College beat Uconn.

Seeding goes (1) BC, (2) Uconn.

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

Pitt beat Notre Dame. (rematch to come)

Seeding goes (5) Pitt, (6) Notre Dame.

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

Georgetown beat WV.

Seeding goes (7) Georgetown, (8) West Virginia.

In a two way tie, head-to-head record is used.

PC beat Seton Hall.

Seeding goes (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall.

Boston College cannot get a seed worse than (2) and has thereby clinched a first round bye.

UConn cannot get a seed worse than (3) and has therefore clinched a first round bye.

Syracuse has been eliminated from the (1) seed, but cannot get a seed worse than (3) and has therefore clinched a first round bye.

Villanova has clinched the #4 seed and the final first round bye.

Pitt has been eliminated from the (1) to (4) seeds, but cannot get a seed worse than (8).

Notre Dame has been eliminated from the (1) to (4) seeds, but cannot get a seed worse than (8).

Georgetown has been eliminated from the (1) to (5) seeds, but cannot get a seed worse than (8).

West Virginia has been eliminated from the (1) to (5) seeds, but cannot get a seed worse than (8).

PC has been eliminated from the (1) to (8) and (10) seeds.

Seton Hall has been eliminated from the (1) to (8) seeds.

Rutgers has been eliminated from the (1) to (9) seeds.

St. John's is ineligible for post season play.

Big East Seeding Scenarios for remaining games:

Each Big East team has only one game remaining, but there are a surprising number of seeding combinations still possible. The purpose of this section is to explain what Big East seeding will look like based on the potential results for these remaining games. The top four seeds get a First Round bye. Due to the absense of Miami and Virginia Tech this year, all teams make the Big East Tournament. The remaining seeding scenarios are presented here.

If BC loses to Rutgers and UConn beats Syracuse, Seeding goes 1) UConn, 2) BC, 3) Syracuse.

If BC beats Rutgers and UConn beats Syracuse, Seeding goes 1) BC, 2) UConn, 3) Syracuse.

Regardless if BC beats or loses to Rutgers, if UConn loses to Syracuse, then the order of finish for the remaining teams becomes important. If Notre Dame gets the #5 seed, Seeding goes 1) BC, 2) Syracuse, 3) Uconn; otherwise seeding goes 1) BC, 2) UConn, 3) Syracuse. It was previously inferred here that UConn had an edge in the tiebreakers with Syracuse, but the continued collapse of Georgetown has allowed Notre Dame to rise in the standings and potentially impact this scenario. See the Notre Dame section to identify the scenarios where Notre Dame can get a #5 seed.

The fates of Pitt, Notre Dame, Georgetown, and West Virginia are interlocked. While Villanova has clinched the #4 seed in all scenarios, it must be included in this next analysis due to impact on the tiebreakers used for other teams. Georgetown and WV cannot be a #5 seed, but otherwise all four teams can hold any seed from #5 to #8. Here are the 16 options:

1) If Villanova loses to St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown beats PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Georgetown, (7) Notre Dame, (8) WV.

2) If Villanova loses to St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown beats PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Georgetown, (7) WV, (8) Pitt.

3) If Villanova loses to St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Notre Dame, (7) WV, (8) Georgetown.

4) If Villanova loses to St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) WV, (7) Pitt, (8) Georgetown.

5) If Villanova loses to St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown beats PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Georgetown, (7) Notre Dame, (8) WV.

6) If Villanova loses to St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown beats PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Georgetown, (7) Pitt, (8) WV.

7) If Villanova loses to St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Notre Dame, (7) Georgetown, (8) WV.

8) If Villanova loses to St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Pitt, (7) Georgetown, (8) WV.

9) If Villanova beats St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown beats PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Georgetown, (7) Notre Dame, (8) WV.

10) If Villanova beats St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown beats PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Georgetown, (7) WV, (8) Pitt.

11) If Villanova beats St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Notre Dame, (7) WV, (8) Georgetown.

12) If Villanova beats St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV beats Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) WV, (7) Pitt, (8) Georgetown.

13) If Villanova beats St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown beats PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Georgetown, (7) Notre Dame, (8) WV.

14) If Villanova beats St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown beats PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Georgetown, (7) Pitt, (8) WV.

15) If Villanova beats St. John's, Pitt beats ND, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Pitt, (6) Notre Dame, (7) Georgetown, (8) WV.

16) If Villanova beats St. John's, ND beats Pitt, Georgetown loses to PC, and WV loses to Seton Hall then Seeding goes: (4) Villanova, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Pitt, (7) Georgetown, (8) WV.

The fates of PC, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Rutgers are interlocked. While Rutgers can only get an #11 or #12 seed, the other three teams all have scenarios that land them anywhere from a #9 to #12 seed. Here are the 16 options:

1) If Seton Hall beats WV, PC beats Georgetown, and Rutgers beats BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall, (11) Rutgers.

2) If Seton Hall beats WV, PC beats Georgetown, and Rutgers loses to BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall, (11) Rutgers.

3) If Seton Hall loses to WV, PC beats Georgetown, and Rutgers beats BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Rutgers, (11) Seton Hall.

4) If Seton Hall loses to WV, PC beats Georgetown, and Rutgers loses to BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall, (11) Rutgers.

5) If Seton Hall loses to WV, PC loses to Georgetown, and Rutgers beats BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Rutgers, (11) Seton Hall.

6) If Seton Hall loses to WV, PC loses to Georgetown, and Rutgers loses to BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall, (11) Rutgers.

7) If Seton Hall beats WV, PC loses to Georgetown, and Rutgers beats BC then Seeding goes: (9) Seton Hall, (10) Rutgers, (11) PC.

8) If Seton Hall beats WV, PC loses to Georgetown, and Rutgers loses to BC then Seeding goes: (9) PC, (10) Seton Hall, (11) Rutgers.

And that, my friends is a mouthful!

NCAA Prospects, NIT Consolations, and Exits:

BC is in. Between Nation Rankings and total victories, only seeding is at stake from here on in. A very weak non-conference schedule may hurt BC's serious consideration as a #1 seed as does recent losses to Villanova and Pitt, but they are on target for a #2 or #3. We can only hope that if BC makes the conference finals that all Big East coaches chip in intel to prevent the turncoat BC Eagles from winning the automatic seed. Game left: @ Rutgers.

UConn is in. Between National Rankings and total victories, only seeding is at stake from here on in. UConn's last wins against Notre Dame and Pitt improved the record against the top 6 Big East teams to 4-3. UConn continues to make a statement to the committee with regards to NCAA seeding. Game left: Syracuse.

Syracuse is in. Between Nation Rankings and total victories, only seeding is at stake from here on in. Syracuse played a weak non-conference schedule and lost their only serious non-conference game against Oklahoma State. Syracuse is 1-3 against the top four teams in the Big East with only one game left against these contenders. Unless they win the Big East Tournament, are they are looking at a #3 seed at best? Game left: UConn.

Villanova is in. A recent win against BC was a large step forward. They have a guaranteed .500 conference record even with a first round loss, as well as 20 wins. Villanova is 3-5 against the top 6. Game left: @St. John's.

Pitt is in. They have hit the magic #19 wins, and have a guaranteed a .500 conference record even with a first round loss. Pitt is 5-1 against the top six teams in the Big East and has helped their seeding in the stretch run. Monday's win against BC was huge. Game left: @Notre Dame.

Notre Dame has an opportunity to crack into the NCAA tournament. They have a guaranteed .500 conference record even with a first round loss, but need at least one more win. They may be safe if they can make 18 wins, because they are one of three teams to beat BC this year. Game left: Pitt.

West Virginia is likely in the NCAA Tournament, but will help themselves with one more win. Due to Georgetown's collapse, West Virginia has passed them on the bubble list. The Committee likes team that finish strong and West Virginia has won 6 of their last 7. Their last game is clearly winable, will give them 19 wins and a guaranteed .500 finish in conference, but they also have RPI issues. Game left: @Seton Hall.

Georgetown had an opportunity to crack into the NCAA tournament, but they are slowly closing the door with their current 4 game slide. One more win gets the Hoyas to a guaranteed .500 conference record even with a first round loss. Georgetown will need to win at least one game in the Big East Tourney. It is highly unlikely that the committee picks 8 teams from the Big East conference. If only seven get to go from the Big East, Georgetown will have to outlast Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Villanova by going deep in the Big East Tournament. Georgetown is 3-6 against the top 6. Game left: PC.

Providence can still climb out of the cellar and into the NIT. It will take winning their last regular season game and winning their first three games in the Big East Tournament - not a likely scenario. One wonders even if the win the Big East Tournament if they'd get into the NCAAs. They have played plenty tough down the stretch including a 1 point loss to Notre Dame and taking UConn to 2OT. They just don't have the "W"'s. It doesn't help that they are playing the second hardest Strength of Schedule this year. Fading late in games suggests a lack of depth this year. Ryan Gomes helped out his draft position by staying another year and showing improvements in all facets of his game. Nobody wants to get this matchup in the Big East Tournament and PC may be in a position to play spoiler for someone. Tough road schedule remains. Game left: @ Georgetown.

Seton Hall will not make the NIT at this point, having lost 10 of their last 14 games. They are currently at four games under .500 overall and would need to win their next game and the Big East Tournament (putting them in the NCAA Tourney) to get to .500. Game left: WV.