With Marquette playing no one taller than 6-foot-6, the 6-11 sophomore towered over his opposition, making brilliant feeds for scores and looking for his own shot as well. Monroe finished the game with 23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, and Marquette found itself unable to combat the immense weapon.

“When he first got here, we were amazed at what he could do, especially the way he passes,” said Hoyas junior point guard Chris Wright. “We all know Greg is a phenomenal player. It’s not like he just started doing this in the Big East Tournament. So, we know he’s a great player.”

Georgetown held a working margin for most of the game, but the Golden Eagles occasionally made inroads, including a 10-0 run to draw within one with 13:34 left in the game. Marquette’s top scoring option, Lazar Hayward drove down the left side for the finish and picked up a block call on Hoyas forward Julian Vaughn to boot. Hayward converted the free throw to make the score 48-47, but that swish would be his 15th and final point.

Marquette went cold, scoring just eight points over its next 20 possessions. Georgetown’s bigs — Monroe and Vaughn — made drives to the lane treacherous. Each had two blocks and affected many more shots. The Golden Eagles’ 14-of-34 performance on 2-pointers was not atypical for a team that finished 13th in the Big East in 2-point percentage, but it made a mediocre outside shooting night from deep (6-for-20 on threes) too much to overcome.

“We were on fire the last 10 minutes of the game — we scored six points,” said a sarcastic Marquette head coach Buzz Williams. “We did not create enough paint touches. … Over the last 10 minutes tonight, we were awful, and they were super defensively.”

Without the shots falling, Marquette needed to get second and third chances to score, but Georgetown held the Golden Eagles to just five offensive rebounds. Monroe controlled the defensive glass with on that end.

“One thing that we really have come to notice is that he rebounds like anybody,” said Wright. “And he’s getting all the rebounds — there aren’t a lot of second shots or third shots for anybody.”

When the Golden Eagles couldn’t get a shot to fall down the stretch, the Hoyas made hay. They scored 30 points over the same 20 possessions when Marquette had eight to turn a one-point lead into the final margin of 23. Monroe’s partners in offensive execution started the run.

Wright used his strength and agility to first spin for a bucket against 5-foot-8 Maurice Acker and later draw a foul from the senior, making both free throws. Then, Austin Freeman scored with his left hand on a beautiful drive to the hoop to make it 54-47. After Marquette’s Jimmy Butler countered with an easy layup off a nice feed from Darius Johnson-Odom, Wright scored again to get the lead back to seven with 11:15 to play.

“I just think it was time for me to make a play,” said Wright of his run of scoring in the second half. “I just read the defense and made the correct plays. I wasn’t trying to be selfish or anything. It was just there were openings, and we were capitalizing on it.”

Monroe continued the onslaught with a nice feed to a cutting Wright. The junior was fouled by David Cubillan and made both shots. Hollis Thompson followed moments later with a gorgeous scoop to the hoop for a 60-51 lead with just less than 10 minutes left.

Monroe completed the run with a decisive move to the left baseline for a jam and then a deep three from the left sideline on a feed from Freeman. Finally, after a Vaughn block, Monroe ran the point on the fastbreak, dropping a dime to Freeman who finished and drew the contact from Hayward. The subsequent free throw made the score 70-53 with 4:02 to play, and the competitive portion of proceedings had concluded.

Marquette’s defense was unable to force misses from inside or outside. Georgetown jumped out to a 15-4 lead, scoring on its first seven possessions. Monroe scored six of those points and assisted on two more, establishing the theme of the evening.

“I thought he turned over his right shoulder every single time tonight,” said Williams of Monroe’s post tendency. “He used his left hand every single time tonight. We didn’t play to the scouting report, and we looked really, really bad. And he looked really, really good.”

“They have not had height all year,” said Georgetown head coach John Thompson III of the active but outsized Eagles. “They’ve done a very good job of not letting people expose that or take advantage of that. … We were able to do that today — there’s no doubt about that — and I think we just got on a roll.”

Georgetown made its first six shots and, for the game, hit 6-of-12 3-pointers and 24-of-44 2-pointers for an effective field-goal percentage of 58 percent.

Georgetown is the best shooting team in the Big East by at 56.2 percent eFG in Big East games, and MU’s primary defensive weakness is in field-goal defense where it finished 11th. To keep GU from flying high on offense, Marquette needed to use its strength — forcing turnovers — to exploit Georgetown’s willingness to give it away.

The Golden Eagles forced just nine turnovers, not nearly enough, especially when they made just six 3-pointers. Marquette forced 13 turnovers and made 12 3-pointers in its 60-58 win over Georgetown in Milwaukee on Jan. 6, but it couldn’t duplicate that formula. The 23-point defeat was Marquette’s first double-digit defeat of the season.

“We were as bad as we’ve been all year long defensively,” said Williams, whose team allowed 1.25 points per possession, its greatest total in the Big East game all season. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished up until this point — it’s way more than most people anticipated — but having said that, [I’m] disappointed in our execution tonight.”

Georgetown will appear in its record 13th Big East Tournament final on Saturday night. They entered the semis as the only remaining team to have won a Big East Tournament. The Hoyas hold the record with seven titles.

For Georgetown, the appearance in the final is their third in four years but the first for the sophomore Monroe, who came to D.C. with great expectations but saw his team fall flat in his freshman season. A 7-11 conference record, a Tuesday exit at the Big East Tournament and no appearance in the NCAAs were stunning disappointments.

This season has been better, but the Hoyas still finished tied for seventh in the league at 10-8, a large drop-off from the back-to-back regular-season titles the Hoyas captured in the two seasons before Monroe’s arrival. In three days in New York, Monroe has done his best to erase any lingering disappointment from his first season-plus, and he’s now set his team up for a shot at another conference tournament title and a very high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“A good friend of mine after [Thursday]’s game said there’s nothing better than Friday night in New York City, other than Saturday night in New York City,” said Thompson. “So, we’re going to show up in New York City on Saturday night.”

The Hoyas’ opponent Saturday night will be either West Virginia or Notre Dame. Either way, the Hoyas will have a chance to complete a revenge tournament of sorts. The Hoyas have defeated USF, Syracuse and Marquette in their first three games here. Those teams handed GU four of its eight conference defeats. Georgetown also lost to the Mountaineers and Irish this season.

When asked if the chance to defeat teams that had defeated them was motivation for the Hoyas, Monroe, Wright and Freeman all responded in the affirmative.

Monroe added, “For the record, yes.”

It’s appropriate to give the game’s defining player the last word on this one.

Most of the interesting games were on Friday, so, it’s Friday’s games that account for most of my words on this Monday. I’ll be looking at Saturday and Sunday in subsequent posts.

Friday

Syracuse’s 87-71 win over North Carolina headlined the night’s action and rightfully so. Syracuse is a team that lost Jonny Flynn and two other key players from last year’s Sweet 16 team, and prior to last season, Syracuse had narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament twice in a row, so the Orange no longer give off the scent of a program that can simply reload.

Enter Wesley Johnson. Well acknowledging that his length and diverse skillset would be a huge asset for a team lacking both, I was very cautious about those who saw Johnson as an immediate star and potential Big East Player of the Year in his first season at Syracuse after transferring from Iowa State. Johnson had 25 points and eight rebounds on Friday, and that doesn’t convey the length he adds to Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone.

When you look at Syracuse’s figures above, notice that this one game is a replica of the Orange’s season thus far. Syracuse’s offense has been exceptional at hitting shots, especially 2-pointers — the Orange hit an incredible 59.6 against that imposing UNC frontcourt. The rest of the offensive for Syracuse, however, has been nothing special. Syracuse continues to turn the ball over too much, has not been great on the offensive glass and has not gotten to the line. It’s important to remember, though, that shooting is the overriding factor in an offense’s success and that the type of 2-pointers Syracuse has been making are not as beholden to fate as the 3-point shot.

It’s too early to say for sure, but it appears that Syracuse’s defense is its best in maybe five or six years. Syracuse has long been terrific at suppressing opponents’ shooting percentages and keeping them off the line with that 2-3 zone, and that has continued. The difference this year is that the Orange is forcing turnovers. The length and quickness of the Orange is getting in passing lanes to create turnovers. Those are leading to a lot of the easy buckets that have bolstered the 2-point percentage. If Syracuse can continue to force turnovers, the defense could be elite.

Elsewhere on Friday, DePaul defeated preseason MVC favorite Northern Iowa in the Paradise Jam opener, 60-52. Mac Koswhal had 12 points and 19 rebounds for the Blue Demons. Entering Friday, most — including myself — thought this was to be the first loss of the season for the Big East after a 34-0 start, and DePaul was to be the worst team in the league. The former would have to wait a few more hours, and the latter — we shall see. This win combined with DePaul’s four-point loss to nationally-ranked Tennessee on Sunday gives hope that things are getting better in Chicago.

In Puerto Rico, Villanova rarely seemed threatened by a good Dayton team in the semifinals of that tournament. Without anyone fouling out, the Cats had enough in the frontcourt to limit Chris Wright to just four rebounds. Villanova had eight more rebounds, made 10 more free throws and forced four more turnovers in a performance only incomplete because of poor shooting — 41.5 percent.

Seton Hall went to Cornell and won, 79-69, and Rutgers and St. John’s narrowly held off Drexel and Brown, respectively. So, it took until about 10 p.m. ET on the second Friday of the season, but Alabama defeated Providence, 84-75, to hand the Big East its first loss. Providence couldn’t keep the Tide off the foul line (27-for-35), couldn’t force turnovers (just eight) and couldn’t keep Alabama off the offensive glass (20 offensive rebounds). That’s not a good combination for playing good defense, even on a night when the opposite shot just 31.1 eFG in the first half. USF later lossed to South Carolina, 69-66, for another Big East defeat.

Among the other interesting results on Friday, Boston University defeated Indiana, 71-67, in Puerto Rico. Indiana couldn’t keep the Terriers off the foul line, where BU outscored IU, 29-14. Indiana would also lose to George Mason on Sunday, 69-66, to finish dead last in the Puerto Rico Tip-off. Another Big Ten team, Penn State fell to Tulane on Friday, 63-60. Talor Battle shot just 3-for-13, and PSU isn’t really good enough to beat anyone when Battle isn’t on. Ohio State did save some Big Ten face against Cal with a 76-70 win in the Coaches vs. Cancer consolation. Evan Turner had 26, 14 and six after his turnover-filled performance against UNC on Monday, but, as we were reminded of incessently, Cal is without two of its top players, Theo Robertson and Harper Kamp.

After the Big East and Big Ten, the SEC was the other conference that featured prominently on Friday. I’ve already mentioned that the league handed the Big East its first two losses. Mikhail Torrance had 26 points for Alabama, and JaMychal Green had 15 and 12. South Carolina made just 2-of-17 3-pointers but was able to force seven more turnovers by USF than the Gamecocks committed in a three-point win.

In Puerto Rico, Chris Warren and Terrico White combined for 52 Mississippi points in an 86-74 win over Kansas State that got the Rebels into the final against Villanova.

Of the Four Factors, the No. 1 for determining who wins a game is eFG, and it was again here. Ole Miss made 42 percent of its 3-pointers and 65 percent of its 2-pointers, and it’s just going to be very hard to beat a team when that happens. The best way to make up for that is at the free-throw line, but even there Andy Kennedy’s team held the advantage by eight makes. The shooting won’t continue at this clip — as we’ll see in the post on Sunday’s games — but Mississippi is top-20 good right now.

Vanderbilt scored a big win for itself and the league with a 72-70 defeat of St. Mary’s in Moraga, Calif. Vandy’s slightly better shooting — 50.9 to 46.7 eFG — made up for SMC’s seven more offensive rebounds, led by Omar Samhan’s five.

On the dimmer side, Arkansas needed overtime to get past Appalachian State, 81-72, and Auburn fell to Central Florida, 84-74, in Daytona. Jeff Lebo’s team is just lacking the depth of contributors it needs to win consistently. The Tigers lost again on Sunday by two points to N.C. State.

The last two games I wanted to mention from Friday involved Atlantic 10 teams. La Salle defeated Davidson in Charleston, S.C., 84-70, and St. Joseph’s knocked off Boston College, 84-80, in the Virgin Islands. In the latter game, BC wing Rakim Sanders played just four minutes before leaving with an injured ankle. He’s expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks. Despite having fewer turnovers and beating St. Joe’s on the glass, Al Skinner’s team couldn’t overcome St. Joe’s 10 3-pointers, especially while BC was making fewer than 40 percent of its 2-pointers. Joe Trapani — 4-for-12 on twos — and Reggie Jackson — 4-for-13 — were the major culprits.

Two freshmen, Maalik Wayns and Isaiah Armwood, hit 3-pointers in the last two possessions to bring Villanova back from a late five-point deficit with 1:42 to play. The basket was Armwood’s first of his career, and it came after he was forced into action thanks to severe foul trouble for Villanova’s frontcourt.

The fouls were the main thing that made this game a strange one.

Those free-throw rates are borderline absurd. The two teams combined for 54 fouls committed. Nine players accumulated at least four fouls, including the four Villanova Wildcats who fouled out. Among those four were Antonio Pena, Taylor King and Maurice Sutton or, in other words, all the height in Villanova’s rotation since freshman Mouphtaou Yarou was sent back to Philly with a viral infection.

Perhaps the strangest aspect of this foul fest is that George Mason was just the 262nd most proficient team at getting to the line in the nation last season. Of Patriots returners, Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison were the best at getting to the line, and yet they combined for just four of the 37 free-throw attempts for Mason. The Patriots made 27 or 73 percent of those. Villanova had 39 attempts, making just 23, 59 percent.

Because of the way the game was officiated, foul shooting played a major role down the stretch. At one point, Villanova missed four of five free throws in the game’s final minutes, but it was George Mason that saw its free-throw shooting betray it in the last possessions of the game. The Patriots went 4-for-8 from the line in the game’s final two minutes to keep Nova alive.

The second thing that sticks out in that box above is the rebounding. Villanova had 19 offensive rebounds, 11 more than George Mason, but it was 6-foot-1 Corey Fisher who led the Cats with five. Since Jay Wright likes to play small, the guards must crash the glass, and Fisher’s production is a positive step in the right direction. His aggressiveness on the floor also translated into 18 free-throw attempts, of which the junior made 14.

King, the transfer from Duke, had four offensive rebounds of his own, and the 11-offensive rebound difference allowed Villanova to make up for the 17 turnovers it committed to GMU’s 14. The first half was especially troubling to Wright as he saw his team full of veteran guards commit 11 in the opening 20 minutes. Reynolds had a nightmare first half. He ended the game with eight turnovers but was able to score 18 points after the poor start.

While the win was the key for Villanova on Thursday, my takeaway from this game is that Villanova really misses what Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson brought last season. Those two players — and departed Shane Clark as well — were the Cats who were most adept offensively on the interior.

Cunningham hit 52.7 percent of his 463 2-point attempts in Villanova’s Final Four season, a total more than twice as many as anyone else on the team. Anderson hit 55.7 percent of his 132 attempts, and Clark made 52.7 percent of his 112 attempts. Of the rest of last year’s team, only Reggie Redding made at least half of his 2-pointers last season, and he won’t be back until the end of first semester. Therefore, it wasn’t a great surprise that Villanova made just 39.3 percent of its 2-pointers against George Mason.

On the defensive end, the problem is just as acute. Cunningham was the team’s best interior defender last season, and without him, the Wildcats did nothing but hack George Mason around the basket. Pena is notoriously foul-prone, and Sutton is very inexperienced, but foul-outs should be a rarity for King. Wright would prefer not to have to use King against opposing interior players, which means Pena needs to stay on the floor, and the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Yarou best get better quickly.

Villanova’s next opponent is Dayton on Friday. The Flyers are not a team that forces their way to the line, but its star, 6-8 Chris Wright, does draw fouls. Dayton is terrific at defending the rim, finishing third in the Atlantic 10 in 2-point defense last season. To win on Friday and consistently throughout the season, Villanova has to stay disciplined to keep its frontcourt on the floor, or the poor 2-point shooting and the excessive fouling is likely to be a problem that crops up periodically.

Team of the week: Dayton. On Friday, I openly wondered if Dayton’s offense would be good enough for the Flyers to become an elite team, rather than just a very solid top-40 team. Early returns are propitious. Last season, only two NCAA Tournament teams — Cleveland State and Morgan State — had worse team eFGs than Brian Gregory’s club, and Dayton was also poor at taking care of the ball, but both of those numbers turned around on Saturday.

There’s a caveat. Creighton is not a very good defensive team, ranking 113th in the nation in defensive efficiency last season. It is strange, though, that the two defensive areas where Creighton is most proficient — forcing turnovers and holding opposing shooters to low percentages — were where Dayton flourished. The Bluejays were primarily a good 3-point defense team last year, and they did hold Dayton to just 33.3 percent. On the other hand, the Flyers still made nine 3-pointers and 59.5 percent of 2-pointers. Chris Wright shined with 26 points on 83.3 percent eFG.

Worst performance: Fordham. The pattern was fortuitous. After a slow start in Rose Hill, Dereck Whittenburg put together consecutive winning Atlantic 10 seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, his third and fourth years with the program. That’s the design — the first two years, a coach is dealing with a lot of players he didn’t recruit, but by Years 3 and 4, most of the players and the system should be in place. The next step was competing for postseason bids with the best of the A-10. Instead, things have gone in the opposite direction. Fordham had a mediocre 12-17, 6-10, record two years ago, then went 3-25, 1-15, last season and look as bad or worse this season. The Rams dropped a 76-73 decision to Maine at home on Friday before losing by eight at Fairfield on Sunday. Fairfield is a middling MAAC team, and Maine was picked eighth in the nine-team America East.

Upcoming: Tuesday gives the Atlantic 10 fan several interesting matchups to follow. Temple travels to D.C. to play Georgetown. St. Bonaventure and St. John’s get together in Rochester, N.Y. St. Joseph’s hosts Holy Cross in Philadelphia, and Duquesne travels to an Iowa team considered the Big Ten’s weakest.

On Wednesday, UMass hosts Ivy League favorite Cornell fresh off of the Big Red’s win at Alabama. That same night, St. Louis hosts a Nebraska team with a lot of roster turnover.

Dayton is in the spotlight again on Thursday with the Flyers facing Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors and Georgia Tech in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The winner will likely face Villanova. That same day, La Salle opens up play in the Charleston Classic against Devin Downey and South Carolina.

On Friday, St. Joe’s plays Boston College in the opener of the Paradise Jam. Saturday sees Temple host a strong Siena club at the Liacouras Center. Rhode Island hosts Holy Cross on Sunday.

Creighton at Dayton (1 p.m. ET): I feel comfortable calling this the best matchup of the weekend in terms of the quality of the two teams. The problem is injuries. For Dayton, guard Rob Lowery is out, greatly diminishing the Flyers’ backcourt depth. Creighton will be without starting forward Justin Carter. The 6-foor-4 senior has a torn MCL. Casey Harriman and Chad Millard, who are expected to be key cogs in a small Creighton frontcourt may also be out.

Have I diminished the spectacle of this matchup enough yet? Let me rebuild it. Even without those players, this is a game featuring the coaches’ preseason pick to win the Atlantic 10 and finish second in the Missouri Valley.

Booker Woodfox is gone from the Bluejays, but P’Allen Stinnett remains as a two-way threat who can dice up opponents with penetration. He and now-departed Josh Dotzler were very tough defensively, big reasons why Creighton was 25th in the nation in turnovers forced last season. One wonders, though, whether Creighton will still be one of the country’s best teams at limiting its own turnovers with the stingy Woodfox gone.

In the frontcourt, 6-9 Kenny Lawson represents most of the size on this team, and, along with his ability to score efficiently inside, he should be one of the nation’s elite shot-blockers this season.

Dayton is coming off a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over West Virginia, a game in which the Flyers’ defensed smothered sharpshooter Alex Ruoff in his final collegiate game. This is nothing new for Dayton, one of the terrific defensive teams in the nation. The Flyers use their length and athleticism to stifle the opposition’s perimeter game and control the defensive glass. When it comes to length and athleticism, few surpass Chris Wright, the preseason Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. While maintaining passable offensive efficiency for a player who shoots so often, the 6-8 Wright is relentless on defense, hitting the glass, blocking shots and picking up steals as well.

Beyond Wright, there’s London Warren, a defense and passing-first point guard, who was in the nation’s top 20 last season in both assist and steals rate. Marcus Johnson is the team’s best shooter among the starters, but Brian Gregory will go deep into his rotation. Twelve players averaged at least eight minutes per game last season. That means run for 6-9 shooter Luke Fabrizius, who made 37 percent of his deep looks as a freshman last season.

I’m interested to see if Dayton’s offense takes the next step that the team needs to allow the Flyers to become an elite team rather than merely a solid mid-seeded NCAA team. As for Creighton, with a Missouri Valley team having been dubiously omitted from the NCAA Tournament field in each of the last three seasons (Missouri State in 2007, Illinois State in 2008 and Creighton in 2009), the Bluejays and the conference can use every marquee non-league win they can get — injuries or not.

Cornell at Alabama (2 p.m. ET): The Ivy League favorite heads to Tuscaloosa to take on an SEC also-ran in Anthony Grant’s first game at his new digs.

Steve Donahue has broken the stranglehold of Penn and Princeton by winning consecutive league titles, and he returns most of his key parts, notably Ryan Wittman. The 6-6 junior is simply a terrific scorer, too good for his league, one might say. He can shoot the three (41.6 percent on 233 attempts last year), get by on the two (49.3 percent on 203 attempts) and make free throws (81.8 percent on 99 attempts).

With 7-footer Jeff Foote gone, the Big Red’s interior defense should take a step back (Foote was granted another year of eligibility. Poor research on my part — thanks, Greg), but the offense could be even better if 5-11 guard Louis Dale continues to fill it up like he did last year. Considering his lack of size, Dale is surprising good at scoring inside (53.1 percent on 2-pointers), and his ability to penetrate helps allows him to setup teammates like Wittman, Geoff Reeves (42.1 percent from deep) and Chris Wroblewski (44.1 percent) for open looks. Not surprisingly, Cornell was eighth in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage last season.

Alabama has an obvious talent advantage wherever Wittman is not, led by JaMychal Green, Mikhail Torrance and Senario Hillman. Green is a ferocious offensive rebounder and shot-blocker, and he was just a freshman last season. Torrance is a capable slasher at 6-5. Hillman figures to be the go-to guy this year, but he shot far too much last season for a player with a 46.4 percent eFG and few positive peripheral offensive traits.

Grant comes in off a successful tenure at VCU, where he showed an ability to adapt to his personnel. His early teams were small and quick, so he used the turnover differential to his advantage. As he brought in more of his own players — notably Larry Sanders — his teams became tougher on the interior and less focused on forcing turnovers and the risks that trying to force turnovers promotes.

Mark Gottfried’s Alabama teams were never interested in forcing turnovers and often had a big man — be it Green, Richard Hendrix, Jermareo Davidson or Chuck Davis — to keep opponents away from the basket. We’ll see how Grant mixes personnel with his system, but you can bet he’ll leverage Green’s defense inside for all it’s worth.

Against Cornell, the top priority will be defending the 3-pointer. Grant’s Rams were inconsistent in their ability to defend the 3-pointer, terrific in even seasons (2005-06 and 2007-08) and terrible in odd ones (2006-07 and 2008-09). We’ll see whether the even-year success carries over to Bama.

• ACC
• Big 12
• Big East
• Big Ten
• Pac-10
• SEC
• Mid-Majors

With the first games that count coming up on Monday night, I figured I’d get my predictions in for all the major conferences and a few select mid-majors. Here are the conference-by-conference predictions with projected league record and postseason fate. It’ll be another four-plus months before I find out how wrong I am — sooner than that with some teams. Though I don’t officially make Final Four and Sweet 16 picks, you can infer them from the seedings.

ACC

Duke (predicted conference record 11-5; possessions returned — 63.8 percent*): There are concerns at point guard, but they were there last year as well, and while Jon Scheyer isn’t a natural at the position, he’s good enough to get by considering his talent and that of those surrounding him. The loss of Elliott Williams does hurt, but the combination of Scheyer and Kyle Singler plus emerging youngsters should keep Duke at or near the top of the ACC. NCAA No. 2 seed.

North Carolina (10-6; 28.7): The preseason rankings of this UNC team do seem a bit lofty considering the lack of experience in Chapel Hill, but the talent is certainly there. Roy Williams can throw Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, Tyler Zeller and freshman John Henson into a potentially lethal frontcourt. If the guard play is good enough to run UNC’s up-and-down attack, this team could be ready to win big soon. NCAA No. 3 seed.

Maryland (10-6; 86.9): The Terrapins have been off the national radar for a few years, but Gary Williams has a team good enough to matter again. Led by Greivis Vasquez, the backcourt is terrific, but the lack of size in the frontcourt should keep Maryland from being an elite team. NCAA No. 5 seed.

Clemson (10-6; 57.2): The Tigers have become the college basketball version of Ohio State. There’s not a lot of respect for Oliver Purnell’s team after another fast start followed by a long, slow fade, but the Tigers have brought in a very good recruiting class to surround Trevor Booker and Demontez Stitt. NCAA No. 7 seed.

Georgia Tech (9-7; 69.8): With Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors, there aren’t a lot of frontcourts excited about matching up with the Yellow Jackets. But the recent underachieving seasons will haunt Paul Hewitt unless he can turn this team into a top-20 club. The talent is definitely there. NCAA No. 7 seed.

Florida State (8-8; 64.0): Toney Douglas may have been the most valuable player in the ACC last season, and he’s gone, but Leonard Hamilton has brought in a stud recruit — Michael Snaer — and returns most of the rest of the team that achieved a No. 5 seed in last year’s tournament. NCAA No. 8 seed.

Wake Forest (8-8; 56.9): The Deacons’ two best players are gone, but a couple of great recruiting classes made sure that plenty of talent remains. This needs to be the year that Al-Farouq Aminu emerges as a force for WF to place this high. NCAA No. 9 seed.

Boston College (7-9; 77.1): Everyone’s back but Tyrese Rice, and some consider that departure a blessing, but the Eagles will be hard-pressed to replace everything he did on offense. And that’s important, considering how offense-dependent Al Skinner’s teams tend to be. If they can spread Rice’s load around efficiently, the Eagles will be in position to make another NCAA Tournament. NIT.

Virginia Tech (7-9; 66.9): Seth Greenberg has had teams good enough to make the NCAAs the last two seasons and come up just short. This team brings back three starters and is certainly good enough to get in the field, but there is just so much competition in the league. Much like last season with FSU, who entered it with lowered expectations after a couple of recent near misses, VaTech may surprise and nab a bid this season. NIT.

Miami (6-10; 48.3): Last year was the year for Frank Haith to get the Hurricanes into the Sweet 16, but things fell apart in conference play. There’s still enough returning to be competitive but more than enough holes to think the NCAA Tournament isn’t in the near future. NIT.

Virginia (6-10; 90.6): The Cavs will be better this season, but there doesn’t appear to be enough depth in the talent base to support Sylvan Landesburg and make UVa truly competitive. An NIT bid would be a terrific accomplishment, but I think the Cavaliers end up just short. No postseason.

North Carolina State (3-13; 47.1): The bar is so low for Sidney that even a 10th- or 11th-place finish would be a pleasant surprise. The Wolfpack does have a nice recruiting class coming in, but the best of the bunch — Lorenzo Brown — will be spending the year in prep school. No postseason.

Big 12

Kansas (14-2; 100.0): There aren’t any questions left about whether Bill Self can win big, and there aren’t many questions about the talent in Lawrence. Much like UNC a year ago, this team will be judged by what it does in March, even if a 30-win season precedes the NCAAs. NCAA No. 1 seed.

Texas (12-4; 75.1): After underachieving last season, Rick Barnes brings back about as stacked a team as you’ll see in college basketball. With Dexter Pittman and Damion James in the frontcourt and Avery Bradley in the backcourt, this team will be a handful on both ends of the floor. Oh, and there are 11 other players good enough to see ample run. NCAA No. 1 seed.

Texas A&M (10-6; 72.1): The Big 12’s consistent overachievers, Mark Turgeon’s Aggies have enough experience to make them an annoyance for the league’s best teams, especially if they’re able to weather the loss of Chinemelu Elonu to the NBA. NCAA No. 6 seed.

Kansas State (10-6; 66.4): The folks in Manhattan have now been witnesses to three straight 20-win seasons, and this team may be the best of the bunch. With Denis Clemente running the show and plenty of talent around him, Frank Martin should get the Wildcats back to the NCAAs for the second time in three seasons. NCAA No. 8 seed.

Oklahoma (9-7; 39.3): This is Willie Warren’s show now, and the point guard is good enough to get this team into the NCAA Tournament with minimal help. The Sooners will struggle on the glass, but Jeff Capel should have them back in the NCAAs again nevertheless. NCAA No. 10 seed.

Oklahoma State (8-8; 54.3): Travis Ford lost four players from last year’s rotation, but James Anderson returns along with a terrific set of newcomers. It took OSU time to get used to Ford’s system, but a year in, the Cowboys should avoid last year’s slow start even with less experience. NCAA No. 11 seed.

Missouri (8-8; 55.6): The losses of Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll are massive, but Missouri is built on depth, and the Tigers should have enough to hang around NCAA consideration this winter. It will be up to J.T. Tiller and Zaire Taylor to handle a much larger load on offense. NIT.

Baylor (6-10; 44.2): The Bears were expected to compete for the Sweet 16 last season but ended up in the NIT final. This year, Scott Drew has to replace a lot of talent and experience with three starters gone. LaceDarius Dunn’s emergence as a star is Step No. 1 toward the Bears competing for an NCAA bid. NIT.

Iowa State (6-10; 77.1): Greg McDermott expects to have his best team in Ames, but, considering he hasn’t won more than six league games in any of his first three seasons, “best” doesn’t really mean a lot. Without someone to help out Craig Brackins, the Cyclones’ offense will continue to come up short. NIT.

Texas Tech (4-12; 71.2): Pat Knight implemented a new run-and-gun system, but a 3-13 record showed that it paid few dividends. Knight has some nice pieces, including Mike Singletary, coming back, but his team will need to be better than “nice” to compete with that Big 12 South schedule. No postseason.

Colorado (4-12; 89.7): This would appear to be a good opportunity for Jeff Bzdelik to set a tenure-high in conference wins. The Buffaloes have won just four Big 12 games in Bzdelik’s first two years, and I predict they will match that this season. We’ll see whether Year 3 has talent ready to complement Cory Higgins. No postseason.

Nebraska (4-12; 39.1): Few coaches lost as much as Doc Sadler did in Lincoln, and it’ll be hard to put together a competitive roster with a lack of impact recruits. Finishing in the league’s top 10 would be a noteworthy accomplishment for this group this winter. No postseason.

Big East

West Virginia (14-4; 81.8): The difference between West Virginia ending this season in a second-round flameout instead of in the Final Four is all in the point guard. Darryl Bryant played well for much of last season but showed he was unable to run a consistent offense in several big spots. If either he or Joe Mazzulla can get this offense flowing, there is enough talent for the ‘Neers to be scary good. NCAA No. 2 seed.

Villanova (13-5; 63.6): The Wildcats are the popular choice to win the Big East, and they may in fact do that, but they’ll need to first replace what Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham took with them from last year’s team. Without those two to hit the glass, a lot of pressure falls on Mouphtaou Yarou, the 6-foot-9 freshman. NCAA No. 2 seed.

Georgetown (12-6; 68.0): I’m willing to chalk up the last two months of last season as merely an aberration for John Thompson III’s Hoyas. With a terrific nucleus returning — Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman, Chris Wright — and enough pieces around those three, the Hoyas are good enough to challenge for the Big East. NCAA No. 4 seed.

Connecticut (12-6; 37.9): Despite heavy losses, we should expect Jim Calhoun’s Huskies to be good immediately this winter. Kemba Walker and Jerome Dyson form a dynamic backcourt, while Stanley Robinson and some tantalizing young frontcourt talents will do the dirty work inside. No. 4 seed.

Louisville (11-7; 52.0): The Cardinals need Samardo Samuels to dominate in the post if they are to be an efficient offensive team. With so much experience in the backcourt and athleticism in the frontcourt, the defense should be typically strong. NCAA No. 6 seed.

Seton Hall (11-7; 82.9): Every year, Seton Hall exceeds its preseason projection, and this year should be no different. Bobby Gonzalez’s Pirates are picked 10th in the league despite losing only one key player — Paul Gause — and adding three impact transfers, notably Herb Pope and Keon Lawrence. It’s as if his fellow coaches are begging Gonzo to overachieve. NCAA No. 10 seed.

Cincinnati (10-8; 78.8): With Lance Stephenson now cleared to play, everything is in line for Cincinnati’s first NCAA Tournament berth as a member of the Big East. It’s easy to forget that point guard Cashmere Wright entered last preseason as one of the league’s top newcomers before tearing his knee and missing the season. He’s back now, too, along with Deonta Vaughn and enough good players that UC has few excuses not to make the Dance. NCAA No. 11 seed.

Pittsburgh (9-9; 35.2): It’s very hard to pick the Panthers to not make the field after being one of the consistently excellent teams in college basketball for nearly a decade. On the other hand, talent is talent, and while there are some good players here, it is a tall task to replace the three seniors plus DeJuan Blair, who all departed after last season. I nervously expect Jamie Dixon to make me look foolish. NIT.

Syracuse (9-9; 39.4): Like Pittsburgh, Syracuse also has a lot to replace. Jonny Flynn leaves the biggest hole, one that will be filled by someone who didn’t play for Syracuse last season — freshman Brandon Triche or Scoop Jardine, an injury red-shirt a year ago. The Orange frontcourt of Wesley Johnson, Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson is good enough to make SU an NCAA Tournament team if the point-guard situation sorts itself out. NIT.

Notre Dame (8-10; 55.5): With Luke Harangody back for a final season, the Irish find themselves on the edge of both preseason polls. The problem is that, with each passing year, Harangody has less and less talent around him. Tory Jackson, Ben Hansbrough and Jonathan Peoples make up a solid backcourt rotation, but what of Tyrone Nash in the frontcourt with Tim Abromaitis or maybe Carleton Scott? The loss of Purdue transfer Scott Martin was damaging, but this team didn’t do much for me even before that. NIT.

St. John’s (8-10; 96.4): If there ever was to be a year when Norm Roberts’ program was to make the leap, this is it. With a team full of experienced juniors and in a weakened league, this is the Red Storm’s chance to break into the top half of the league. The offense needs to be more efficient for that to happen. NIT.

Marquette (7-11; 33.6): The loss of Junior Cadougan to a season-ending ruptured Achilles really hurts a team that was already going to struggle to replace the best set of guards to ever form one class at Marquette. Lazar Hayward should put up all-league numbers, because 1) he’s really good, and 2) there aren’t any proven offensive options surrounding him. No postseason.

Providence (6-12; 34.5): The Friars enter the season with only three players who saw any action last season, and all are guards. That leaves large problems on the backboards, but at least the dynamic combination of Sharaud Curry and Marshon Brooks should excite the Friar faithful in Year 2 of the Keno Davis Era. No postseason.

South Florida (6-12; 70.1): Dominique Jones is very good, and Stan Heath has added former Ohio State point guard Anthony Crater as his backcourt mate. If Augustus Gilchrist can be the force many expect up front, the Bulls may have the start of something. No postseason.

Rutgers (5-13; 52.1): The Fred Hill tenure has never quite gotten off the ground despite the string of touted recruits that have landed in Piscataway. Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique will continue to carry the load for a team that has a very difficult time scoring. No postseason.

DePaul (4-14; 61.4): Jerry Wainwright couldn’t have gotten worse news for the short-term of his program than Dar Tucker’s departure, but at least the conference isn’t quite so strong, which makes back-to-back 0-18 seasons unlikely. No postseason.

Big Ten

Michigan State (13-5; 73.7): With a fully healthy Raymar Morgan, Michigan State will have that dynamic slasher that it lacked even in advancing to the national title game last season. That along with Kalin Lucas and a typically stout interior defense has Tom Izzo thinking about winning one additional game this season. NCAA No. 1 seed.

Purdue (13-5; 82.0): Perhaps I’m a fool for this Purdue team, because the Boilermakers were mild disappointments last season. If Matt Painter’s team doesn’t have the frontline talent necessary, a No. 1 seed will look silly in March, but I think a healthy Robbie Hummel plus JaJuan Johnson to go with the great man-to-man defense puts Purdue among the elite. NCAA No. 1 seed.

Ohio State (11-7; 87.8): Evan Turner is awesome — there isn’t much that he doesn’t do well, and there’s a good chance he’s the best player in the Big Ten. Ohio State will need to do a better job taking care of the ball and defending the three to finish this high. NCAA No. 3 seed.

Minnesota (10-8; 90.2): The Golden Gopher train ran out of steam with a 6-10 finish, but the two-year turnaround is still remarkable. Almost everyone is back from last year’s team, and Tubby Smith also adds two top-70 recruits. NCAA No. 5 seed.

Wisconsin (10-8; 79.6): Wisconsin just wins and wins and wins. After a six-game losing streak put last season in jeopardy, Bo Ryan’s team reeled off five straight wins, four by at least 10 points to sneak into the field. There, the Badgers, a No. 12 seed, knocked off No. 5 Florida State in overtime. Ryan does lose two-thirds of his frontcourt, but look for Keaton Nankivil to emerge as the next efficient low-post presence. NCAA No. 7 seed.

Michigan (9-9; 81.7): Like Tubby Smith, John Beilein needed just two years to take the Wolverines from also-rans to the NCAAs. Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims have become one of the league’s best 1-2 punches, and Beilein has surrounded them with good shooters and passers. NCAA No. 8 seed.

Illinois (9-9; 62.7): It was a good bounceback season for Bruce Weber but one that ended with a clank in the NCAA Tournament. Three key rotation players are gone, but Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis lead a solid group of returners to go with a strong recruiting class for a team that should be one of the league’s best defensively. NCAA No. 9 seed.

Northwestern (8-10; 78.7): This may be the Wildcats’ best shot yet to make the NCAAs, but they picked a tough year to crack the first division of the Big Ten. Kevin Coble is one of the best players in the league, and he gives Bill Carmody a go-to guy in an offensive style that doesn’t usually have one. If Carmody can develop a replacement for Craig Moore’s 3-point shooting, Northwestern could break the NCAA Tournament hex. NIT.

Indiana (7-11; 67.0): Tom Crean should have Indiana back to a level of competitiveness this year after last year’s dismal start. The Hoosiers add the best recruiting class in the Big Ten and transfer Jeremiah Rivers from Georgetown. Rivers will bring tough perimeter defense, but the offense, which was the biggest problem last year, will have to come from elsewhere. NIT.

Penn State (6-12; 56.1): The Nittany Lions were a tough snub from the NCAA Tournament last year, but they turned that negative into a positive by winning the NIT. With Jamelle Cornley and Stanley Pringle gone, Talor Battle is the one dependable offensive option left, and he has a decent shot to lead the conference in scoring. No postseason.

Iowa (3-15; 45.0): The tragic death of Jake Kelly’s sister took away Frank Lickliter’s best player (Kelly transferred closer to home at Indiana State). The Hawkeyes’ second best player, Jeff Peterson, also left the program, leaving Lickliter with not nearly enough to compete in a league this good. No postseason.

Pac-10

California (13-5; 93.9): Any year in which UCLA is not considered the Pac-10 favorite is going to be considered a down year for the league, but that’s through no fault of Mike Montgomery’s Bears. We should note that the core of Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson was all recruited by Montgomery’s predecessor Ben Braun, but it was Mike who got them into the NCAAs last year and who should take them further this March. NCAA No. 3 seed.

Washington (13-5; 66.4): After two straight disappointing seasons, Lorenzo Romar parlayed a dynamic freshman and the stout play of Jon Brockman into a Pac-10 championship. Brockman and guard Justin Dentmon are gone, but with Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter, the Huskies have a nucleus to remain near the top of the league. NCAA No. 5 seed.

UCLA (12-6; 37.4): For the first time since 2005, Ben Howland’s team didn’t win the league or make the Final Four, and he’s lost four starters off of that team. This should be the year, though, when the freshman that made last year’s recruiting class so highly considered — excepting the departed Jrue Holiday, of course — start to make an impact. NCAA No. 6 seed.

Arizona State (10-8; 54.2): James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph are gone, and they will be impossible to replace. But led by Derek Glasser, Rihards Kuksiks and Ty Abbott (currently injured but back soon), Herb Sendek has enough to keep this team competitive, and we all know he can coach ‘em up. NIT.

Arizona (9-9; 45.7): Sean Miller’s first year at Arizona could be tricky, with Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill gone from last year’s dubious at-large selection. Nic Wise is back, and Miller’s brought in a nice recruiting class, which should keep the Wildcats’ heads above water in a weakened Pac-10, but that might not be enough to get them in the NCAAs. NIT.

Washington State (9-9; 42.0): Ken Bone is Tony Bennett’s replacement in Pullman, after the latter put WSU basketball on the map. Bone will field a team that lost four of its top six players from last year’s NIT club. Sophomore Klay Thompson, though, is a star in the making. NIT.

Oregon State (8-10; 89.8): No team made the transformation Craig Robinson’s team did from November to March. An 0-4 start that included losses to three bad teams could not have predicted a sweep of Cal and Stanford, a 7-11 record in conference and a win in a postseason tournament (not that the CBI is much of a title). The 18 wins tripled the number from the previous season, and 18 would be a good goal this season, especially considering the Beavers entered the CBI with just 13 victories. NIT.

Oregon (7-11; 87.5): A year after being a questionable at-large selection to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Ernie Kent’s team started 0-14 in conference last season. The problems were manifold, mainly a disinterested or simply incompetent defense. Most of that squad is back, and hopefully the returning players brought some defense back with them. Look for Michael Dunigan to break out. No postseason.

Southern Cal (5-13; 39.1): Kevin O’Neill enters an ugly situation in Los Angeles after what will now be considered a very dark era under Tim Floyd. The basketball was good, but the rules infractions embarrassing. This year’s team wasn’t going to bring back much anyway — Dwight Lewis heads the list of returners. No postseason.

Stanford (4-14; 39.5): Stanford started 10-0 in Johnny Dawkins’ first season, but the Cardinal struggled in conference play, going 6-12 thanks to a sieve-like defense. Much of that team has now departed, leaving Landry Fields, Josh Owens and a bunch of question marks. No postseason.

SEC

East

Tennessee (12-4; 100.0): The overwhelming choice to win the East is Kentucky, but here’s a vote for continuity and experience. With five seniors and one of the deepest benches in basketball, Bruce Pearl’s team may be better than the one that earned a No. 2 seed in 2008, though it would be hard-pressed to surpass that seed. The key will be getting the defense to get back to forcing turnovers or to excel in other areas. NCAA No. 2 seed.

Kentucky (11-5; 60.3): With Patrick Patterson and John Wall, there’s not a better 1-2 punch in the SEC, and the athleticism of this team is off the charts. If UK does indeed go 11-5 and get a No. 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, no top seed will want to see the Cats in its bracket. NCAA No. 3 seed.

Vanderbilt (9-7; 91.8): A winning record in the SEC East should be more than good enough to earn an NCAA bid this season, and the Commodores are prepared to do that. Jeffrey Taylor and A.J. Ogilvy are yet another terrific 1-2 punch to go with Wall-Patterson and Tyler Smith-Wayne Chism at Tennessee. With the arrival of John Jackson to go with Jermaine Beal and Brad Tinsley in the backcourt, Kevin Stallings has to be excited about the possibilities. NCAA No. 6 seed.

Florida (9-7; 62.6): With the additions of Kenny Boynton for offense and Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin for defense and three starters returning, the Gators definitely have enough to be competitive. It seems unlikely, though, that Boynton will be able to replace all that Nick Calathes did or that Macklin can single-handedly make the defense passable. There will have to be improvements and extra contributions from other parts of the roster — I’m looking at you, Chandler Parsons — if Florida is to end its two-year NCAA Tournament drought. NCAA No. 10 seed.

South Carolina (8-8; 77.9): Devan Downey’s decision to return to Columbia means that the Gamecocks have a real shot to compete for an NCAA berth. The 5-foot-9 point guard will mean more to his team than any other SEC player because of what he can do on offense and defense and how much of the load he carries. There is experience and depth around him, which could get South Carolina that extra one or two wins it needed last year to play in the Big Dance. NCAA No. 12 seed.

Georgia (1-15; 61.8): Maybe I’m selling Mark Fox short in his first season, but that record speaks as much to the difficulty of the division as it does to Georgia’s roster. He’ll need more than just Howard Thompkins to compete in the SEC this year, and I’m not sure Fox has much more. No postseason.

West

Mississippi State (11-5; 97.3): Rick Stansbury returns every key contributor from the team that won its last six games to take the SEC Tournament and steal an NCAA bid. It also adds Renardo Sidney and John Riek, though the latter is probably more of a project. With Jarvis Varnado and Sidney in the paint, it’s hard to imagine opponents relishing the idea of going inside. NCAA No. 4 seed.

Mississippi (9-7; 68.6): While David Huertas did decide to go pro early, that 68.6 percent figure is a bit misleading, because Chris Warren missed most of the season with a knee injury suffered in December. The 5-10 point guard is simply one of the best guards in the country, able to handle a heavy offensive load and pester opponents on defense. If he is 100 percent, then Andy Kennedy can combine Warren with the SEC’s best freshman from a season ago, Terrico White, to form an awesome backcourt. Up front, there’s Murphy Holloway, who is efficient and can dominate the offensive glass. This was a difficult NCAA Tournament omission. NIT.

Alabama (7-9; 63.2): Despite Alonzo Gee’s graduation, there’s certainly enough talent in Tuscaloosa to make Anthony Grant’s first season a success. JaMychal Green was terrific as a freshman and should be one of the dominant offensive rebounders in college basketball this year. Mikhail Torrance was also a bright spot in a postseason-less season. The offense struggled, however, thanks in large part to Senario Hillman using too many possessions inefficiently. If Grant can pass some of Hillman’s possessions to Green and Torrance, and perhaps grab the occasional defensive rebound, the Tide should be in the mix. NIT.

Auburn (7-9; 59.2): Auburn’s lack of depth and size should prevent a second straight 20-win season, but the backcourt is good enough to keep Jeff Lebo’s team competitive, especially if they can continue to force turnovers and protect the ball like they did last season. No postseason.

Arkansas (6-10; 84.1): John Pelphrey’s freshman class was a hit last season, but, after knocking off Texas and Oklahoma before the start of conference play, the wins dried up against SEC opponents. It was nice of Courtney Fortson to take such a big load as a freshman, but he’ll need to cut down on turnovers (doable) and be more efficient with his shooting (we’ll see) for Arkansas’ offense to be good enough of NCAA consideration. We’ll also see if Arkansas’ defense can do a better job of field-goal defense. Only six of the 73 major-conference teams was worse in that area last year. No postseason.

LSU (6-10; 41.7): Without any recruits likely to make an immediate impact, it’s hard to see why this team was picked fourth by the media. The Tigers will desperately miss Marcus Thornton’s ability to take and make so many shots — big and small — and Chris Johnson’s defensive presence in the paint. If LSU does indeed finish here, it will mark the fourth time in five years the Tigers have placed either first or last in the SEC West. No postseason.

Mid-Majors

With mid-major stalwarts Xavier and Memphis changing coaches and losing key players and Gonzaga turning over much of its roster, the little guy does not have a standard bearer this winter. Butler might be that team, but watch out for Brigham Young out of the Mountain West. Either way, it seems more likely than not that next March will mark the second straight NCAA Tournament that there will be no mid-major teams in the Elite Eight.

Butler (Horizon; 100.0), No. 4 seed.
Brigham Young (Mountain West; 78.0), No. 5 seed.
Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley; 92.4), No. 7 seed.
Siena (MAAC; 78.9), No. 8 seed.
Tulsa (Conference USA; 80.2), No. 9 seed.
Dayton (Atlantic 10; 85.7), No. 9 seed.
Xavier (Atlantic 10; 51.1), No. 10 seed.
Memphis (Conference USA; 30.7), No. 11 seed.
Gonzaga (West Coast; 31.0), No. 11 seed.
Creighton (Missouri Valley; 71.4), No. 12 seed.
Niagara (MAAC; 84.0), No. 12 seed.
Utah State (WAC; 72.3), No. 12 seed.

* major-conference average for possessions returning is 65.0 percent.

Red Storm overcomes drought, stuns Hoyas: Georgetown may have escaped Villanova with a win on Saturday, but no one who watched that game would have accused the Hoyas of playing well. Still, a win is a win, and with St. John’s and DePaul upcoming, the Hoyas didn’t figure to need their best performances to get to 8-10 in conference. But St. John’s had been playing better ball of late, and the Red Storm would have nothing to lose, and SJU didn’t lose, defeating Georgetown, 59-56 in overtime.

St. John’s played Georgetown tight for a half and managed to trail by just one at the break despite at least 12 first-half turnovers. Then, the Red Storm came out and missed its first 14 second-half field-goal attempts. Jason Clark’s 3-pointer put Georgetown up 45-30 with 10:43 to play causing announcer Don Criqui to say, “That might be the dagger,” and it did indeed appear that another romp was at hand. SJU hadn’t stayed within 10 points of Georgetown in five straight meetings since the last time the Red Storm won a matchup in February 2005.

But St. John’s hit some free throws, and Paris Horne finally made the Red Storm’s first field goal of the half at the 6:50 mark. The Red Storm missed its first 14 attempts from the field, but SJU was down by just 10 at that point.

Down the stretch, Norm Roberts mixed up his defenses, often employing a 1-3-1 zone to frustrate the Hoyas. On offense, Rob Thomas hit several big shots and free throws down the stretch to force overtime. His two free throws with two seconds left tied the game and forced overtime. Thomas entered the game as just a 54-percent free-throw shooter but hit all six attempts on Tuesday.

In overtime, St. John’s overcame a dubious intentional foul call on a Malik Boothe hack of Greg Monroe to gain the lead on key shots by Horne (16 points) and D.J. Kennedy. Justin Burrell’s rebound and slam with just seconds left put St. John’s up three, and DaJuan Summers’ long three at the buzzer wasn’t close.

As stunning as Notre Dame’s fall from the top-10 to out of the NCAAs is, Georgetown’s has been even swifter. The Hoyas, unlike the Irish, actually looked top-10 good after handing UConn its first loss of the season on a Dec. 29 demolition in Hartford.

But Georgetown lost seven of eight from mid-January to mid-February, including a five-point loss at Seton Hall and a sweep by Cincinnati. While the performance in Philadelphia on Saturday rightfully got Georgetown back in the NCAA Tournament discussion, the result was a mirage. The Hoyas continued to turn the ball over at an alarming rate and are helpless on the defensive glass. It took criminally sloppy play by Scottie Reynolds and the Wildcats down the stretch for the Hoyas to escape with the win.

On Tuesday, it was more of the same. Georgetown forced 19 turnovers, but most of those were in the game’s first 30 minutes. Once St. John’s started valuing the ball, Georgetown’s defense became much less effective, even against the relatively punchless Red Storm. St. John’s had 15 offensive rebounds, grabbing 43 percent of its misses to offset the poor shooting (40 percent eFG).

On the other end of the floor, the Hoyas were even more inept on their own glass, getting just 18 percent of their misses. Forwards Monroe and Summers combined to play 60 minutes and grab just one offensive board. The Hoyas also missed seven free throws in 16 attempts, a total that is especially painful in a game decided in overtime. Georgetown scored just six points from the moment of Clark’s big three-pointer until the end of regulation.

Just like Notre Dame, many in the national media found plenty of reason to overlook Georgetown’s obvious weaknesses, but the Hoyas continually played to the level of its opposition and ended up on the receiving end of four upset losses in conference.

The fourth of those losses probably eliminated Georgetown from serious discussion for an at-large berth. I suppose a win over DePaul and a run to the Big East Tournament final would gain the Hoyas significant consideration, but even that may not be enough. Moreover, anyone who has watched Georgetown play since the Jan. 17 loss at Duke would consider a deep Big East Tournament run to be wish-casting — if Summers can hit his jumpers and Monroe can hit the glass and Chris Wright can create off the dribble and the Hoyas can hang in on the defensive glass and continue to force a lot of turnovers… Wishes, horses.

Jones plays like Wilkins in upset of Bearcats: In Tampa, Dominique Jones showed why he makes South Florida dangerous in USF’s 70-59 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday. He displayed excessive offensive efficiency in a 30-point effort. Jones’ eFG was 78.1, including 5-of-6 on threes. Jones also led the Bulls in rebounds (8), free-throws made (5) and taken (8) and assists (5). The Lake Wales, Fla., product is one the best-kept secrets in the Big East, as the sophomore is a dynamic scorer and terrific all-around performer for the woeful Bulls

USF’s ability to knock down shots was the reason why the Bulls won this game. Stan Heath’s team shot 56.1 percent eFG as a team, with folks like Justin Leemow chipping in with three treys, and forwards Gus Gilchrist (13 points on 5-of-10 shooting) and Alex Rivas (10 on 3-of-4) providing the efficiency USF needed to score 1.22 points per possessions. That is the most efficient the Bulls’ offense has been since an 80-58 win at an awful DePaul team on Jan. 20.

The defensive breakdowns couldn’t have come at a worse time for Mick Cronin’s team. At 8-8 in conference entering Tuesday’s game, UC was squarely on the bubble but had games at USF and at home against Seton Hall to try to boost the record. Instead, his team’s defense was torched for the fourth time in five games, all losses. At least the other three came against Pitt, Louisville and Syracuse. This defensive performance was against the league’s 14th-rated offense.

Cincinnati now faces a scenario where a win over Seton Hall and a run to the Big East quarters likely won’t be enough to get a bid. In a year of resurgence in the Queen City, the loss to USF is a bitter pill to swallow.

Elsewhere on the bubble: Maryland had a six-point, second-half lead at home against Wake Forest but failed to hold on a hotly contested, 65-63 defeat. A win would have put Maryland on the precipice of clinching a bid, but now the Terps will need a win at Virginia over the weekend and a first-round ACC Tournament win, likely against North Carolina State.

Oklahoma State overcame several Kansas State runs to all but knock the Wildcats out of at-large consideration. At the same time, OSU tightened up its case with a ninth Big 12 win. A win at Oklahoma this weekend or a first-round Big 12 Tournament win (the latter being more likely) should seal a bid for Travis Ford in his first season in Stillwater. The Wildcats now have to defeat Colorado on Saturday and win at least two — perhaps three — in the Big 12 Tournament to have a strong case. K-State’s RPI remains a huge hurdle. Losses to Iowa and Oregon are big reasons why it’s rightfully poor.

In Iowa City, Ohio State barely averted being Iowa’s latest victim. Jermain Davis had a layup blocked and then saw his potential game-winning 3-pointer rim out in the final seconds, as the Buckeyes held on for a 65-63 win. Evan Turner missed a late free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1 that enabled Iowa to attempt the potential winner. The miss was one of the few things Turner did wrong all night, as he scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting with nine assists and five rebounds. OSU can sew up a bid with a home win over Northwestern on Sunday.

In the Mountain West, New Mexico moved into a tie for the conference lead with a 77-71 win over Utah. The Lobos’ Tony Danridge had his eighth-straight double-figure scoring performance with a season-high 29 points, including 13 free throws. Utah shot lights out (66.7 eFG) from the field but couldn’t overcome 18 turnovers. The win was a must-have for Steve Alford’s team, which had several puzzling losses in pre-conference play — UTEP at home by 13, Texas Tech by 12, UCF at home, Drake and VCU on a neutral court. But, with teams falling all around them, NMU will likely be among the last eight out in the next Bracket Junkie. The Lobos finish the conference season with a game at Wyoming and will likely need that plus a couple more in the Mountain West Tournament to get an at-large bid.

Anyone who watched the game couldn’t avoid Len Elmore mentioning how crucial the game was for Georgetown, who entered the game at 4-7 in the Big East. The Hoyas’ schedule strength means that they would be hard to keep out if they could just break even in conference play, and a win at Syracuse would have been a big step in that direction. But, in the wake of a loss, the Hoyas have to stretch their neck to see the path to the NCAAs.

The Hoyas’ fell behind early in the second half, trailing by as much as 16 with 8:20 to play. The Hoyas gave away too many possessions, especially in the first half, but ended up with just 15 turnovers, not many more than their halftime total. But Georgetown’s larger problem was defensively where the Hoyas had no answer for any of Syracuse’s weapons. The Cuse shot lights-out — 60 percent on 2-pointers, 38 percent on 3-pointers — and outscored Georgetown by 16 from the foul line. The Cuse scored 1.28 points per possession. Of course, considering the game went to overtime, it wasn’t like SU played lockdown defense.

Johnny Flynn, who didn’t get off the mark with points until late in the first half, was the dominant player of the game’s final 30 minutes, finishing with 25 points, 13 assists and getting to the free-throw line 16 times — he made 15 of them. Arinze Onuaku was a force for the first time since the big man was first limited by knee tendinitis three weeks ago. He had 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in 39 minutes.

Led by Chris Wright and DaJuan Summers, the Hoyas stormed back from that large second-half deficit by hitting several 3-pointers — they attempted 32 in the game. It was Wright’s three in the last 15 seconds that culminated a dramatic comeback by tying the game at 83. After a last-second steal, Summers front-rimmed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game for the Hoyas in regulation. Wright fouled out in the overtime, limiting John Thompson III’s options down the stretch.

For Syracuse, this win pretty much eliminates any chance that the Orange could play its way out of the NCAAs after a 16-1 start. Six losses in eight probably had the folks in central New York nervous — especially considering what’s happened to Syracuse the last two seasons — but the schedule should set up well for Syracuse to earn 10 or 11 conference wins. Considering the Orange’s non-conference victories over Kansas, Memphis and Florida, even 9-9 would probably get Syracuse in, though I’m sure SU has no interest in leaving its fate in the hands of the committee.

This loss would have helped Georgetown leap right back into the field, but the loss puts the Hoyas in a position where they’ll probably need to win five of six to secure a bid. Among those six games are a trip to Villanova and home games with Marquette and Louisville. The three losses to Cincinnati and Seton Hall probably force Georgetown to win two of those three tough upcoming contests or face an uphill task at Madison Square Garden.

Important to note: Syracuse’s Kris Ongenaet was ejected in the first half after he elbowed Summers in the back of the end. The ruling appeared to be harsh, but several looks at the replay convinced the officials that Ongenaet’s clumsy maneuver deserved an ejection. Syracuse’s run at the Hoyas started soon after Ongenaet’s departure — probably just a coincidence.