Is there a pathway for Marquette to grab a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament?
The possibility may be unlikely, but as power-conference tournaments begin Wednesday, does Marquette at least have a chance to steal a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament when Selection Sunday rolls around?
The Golden Eagles, fresh off a regular-season championship and securing the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament, would presumably have to win all three games this week, starting at 11 a.m. Thursday against either St. John's or Butler. More than that, they'd probably need some other outcomes to go their way in other league tournaments.
Though Marquette enters the week ranked No. 6 in the country, the latest update of the Bracket Matrix, aggregating all bracket projections from around the web, still lists Marquette only as the top No. 3 seed in the field, with UCLA, Texas, Baylor and Arizona listed as No. 2 seeds, and Alabama, Kansas, Houston and Purdue as the No. 1s.
But plenty of brackets have Marquette elevated to a No. 2 seed, including Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, even though Marquette's NET ranking of 13 is the highest of the eight teams with a top-two seed.
Marquette has a 6-5 record in "Quad 1" wins and is 5-0 in "Quad 2." One thing working against it: the loss to Wisconsin at Fiserv Forum in overtime in December, giving MU a "Quad 3" loss that most teams don't have (Houston, Gonzaga, UConn, Virginia and Xavier are the only other teams listed as top-four seeds on Palm's bracket that have at least one Q3 loss).
How have the teams ahead of Marquette in the rankings like Alabama and Purdue been faring recently?
David Cobb and Gary Parrish, discussing the possibility on The Eye On College Basketball podcast Tuesday, admitted it was unlikely for Marquette to get a No. 1 but didn't dismiss the idea outright.
"I think it's going to be hard for anybody else to crack that top five," Parrish said, referring to Kansas, Houston, Alabama, UCLA and Purdue. "But if you're trying to point to teams in this conversation who haven't been playing well, Purdue is 4-4 in its past eight games. Alabama has not played a single good game since it became publicly known that Brandon Miller delivered a murder weapon to the scene of a crime."
Alabama, coached by Wisconsin native Nate Oats, has been embroiled in controversy by letting the All-American candidate Miller continue with the team, though he has not been charged (and seemingly won't be) with a crime for driving a gun to a teammate that was later used in a murder. Oats has been criticized for his comments in the aftermath, saying Miller was "in the wrong spot at the wrong time."
UCLA just lost its second-leading scorer and rebounder, Jaylen Clark, to an injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season. In a scenario where more than one of the top teams struggle in their conference tourneys, Marquette could make a case.
Marquette could be 'really close' to No. 1 seed if it wins Big East tournament
"I think barring a disaster from Houston and Purdue, perhaps a disaster from Alabama and UCLA," Parrish said, "I think Marquette ultimately gets really close if it wins the Big East tournament, but it's probably closer to being the best No. 2 as opposed to a No. 1."
UCLA opens the Pac-12 tournament Thursday against either Washington or Colorado, while the other contenders for No. 1 seeds open play Friday. Houston will meet either East Carolina or South Florida in the American Athletic quarterfinals, Purdue will meet either Michigan or Rutgers in the Big Ten quarters, and Alabama faces either Mississippi State or Florida in the SEC quarters.
Since the NCAA began full seeding of the tournament in 1979, Marquette has never garnered a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Wisconsin was seeded No. 1 in 2015. Marquette was a No. 3 seed in 1979, 2003, 2012 and 2013. Wisconsin was a No. 2 in 2007 and 2014, and a No. 3 in 2008 and 2022.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Could Marquette basketball team grab No. 1 seed for March Madness?
