Seven Big East teams courting NCAA Tournament berths

BUBBLE WATCH good NCAA shape barring a quick exit in the Big East tournament.

Providence (19-11, 9-8) had a similar win by beating DePaul this week, but can’t afford losing to St. John’s on Saturday or an early conference tournament exit. The Friars already lost to St. John’s, one of several bad losses on their resume.

Marquette (18-11, 9-8) has proven it can score and has a win over thenNo. 1 Villanova on its resume. The Golden Eagles have trouble on the defensive end, though, which has put them on the bubble.

Marquette beat fellow bubble team Xavier on Tuesday and has a big potential booster on Saturday, facing Creighton in Milwaukee.

Xavier (18-12, 8-9) was once among the elite teams in the conference. Then point guard Edmond Sumner went down with a torn ACL, sending the Musketeers into a tail spin.

Xavier also had to play without Trevon Blueitt in two games and had its losing streak stretched to six with the loss to Marquette. ON THE RISE

Northwestern. The Wildcats’ long wait to finally reach the NCAA Tournament may be over. Northwestern (21-9, 10-6 Big Ten) had a rough go two weeks ago with losses to Illinois and Indiana, but followed with a win over fellow bubbler Michigan.

UNR. The Wolf Pack (24-6, 13-4 Mountain West) bounced back from two losses in three games with a fivegame winning streak. They host Colorado State (21-9, 13-4) on Saturday with the conference title on the line.

Michigan State. Even with a loss to Illinois this week, the Spartans (18-12, 9-7 Big Ten) appear to be in decent shape in a season that looked lost early. A loss to Maryland on Saturday and an early exit in the conference tournament could change that.

Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons (17-12, 8-9 ACC) were in dire need of a marquee win and got one Wednesday, knocking off No. 8 Louisville 88-81. FADING HOPES

California. The Bears (19-10, 10-7 Pac-12) were already teetering and a 30-point loss to Utah Thursday night is not going to push the needle forward.

Virginia Commonwealth. The Rams (23-7, 13-4 A10) appeared to be a lock, then last week happened. Losses to Rhode Island and Dayton put a lot more importance on Saturday’s home game against George Mason.

Houston. The Cougars (20-9, 11-6 AAC) failed on a chance for a resume-boosting win this week, losing 65-47 to No. 18 Cincinnati.

Tennessee. The Vols (15-15, 7-9 SEC) may need to win the SEC tournament after losing six of their last eight games.