ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan: College Basketball Bubble Watch #pcbb

This is the first edition of the Bubble Watch to cover the new-look Big East, which means it’s the first to not have, like, 12 bubble teams to work through in any given set. It’s jarring! (But also kind of nice.)

Xavier [16-7 (6-4), RPI: 46, SOS: 51] The Musketeers’ win over Cincinnati back on Dec. 14 wasn’t just a nice little mini-upset in a heated local rivalry game. It was the distinguishing win on this team’s profile. The next-best victories are over Tennessee (Xavier also lost to the Vols on a neutral court), Providence, St. John’s, Georgetown and Wake Forest. Meh. Throw in losses to USC and Seton Hall, and you’ve got yourself a pretty good team with an underwhelming CV.

Georgetown [15-9 (6-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 24] It was easy to write the Hoyas off a few weeks ago, and maybe we still should. But the Feb. 1 win over a depleted and exhausted Michigan State team at least keeps them in the conversation, which is surprising, since this is a suspension-riddled version of the same team that lost to Northeastern (RPI No. 218!) in November.

Providence [16-9 (6-6), RPI: 53, SOS: 60] While the Musketeers would probably be in the tournament if the field were seeded today, Providence doesn’t even have that much going for it. The Friars’ only big win (against Creighton) came at home; their only road win against a top-100 opponent was at St. John’s. Their home game on Feb. 18 against Villanova will be a big, big fixture.