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Villanova boasts a 25-2 record on the season, and at 12-2 in the conference has a three-game lead on the field with just four games to play. Barring a complete meltdown, the Wildcats will repeat as BIG EAST regular season champions.
Here are the standings through Saturday's games:
| Big East | W | L | PCT | CONF | HOME | ROAD | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova Wildcats | 25 | 2 | 0.926 | 12-2 | 15-0 | 7-2 | W8 |
| Georgetown Hoyas | 18 | 8 | 0.692 | 10-5 | 12-3 | 4-3 | W3 |
| Providence Friars | 19 | 8 | 0.704 | 9-5 | 12-3 | 4-5 | W2 |
| Butler Bulldogs | 19 | 8 | 0.704 | 9-5 | 12-2 | 5-4 | L1 |
| Xavier Musketeers | 18 | 10 | 0.643 | 8-7 | 13-2 | 4-6 | W2 |
| St. John's Red Storm | 18 | 9 | 0.667 | 7-7 | 14-4 | 3-5 | W1 |
| DePaul Blue Demons | 12 | 16 | 0.429 | 6-9 | 9-5 | 3-8 | L4 |
| Seton Hall Pirates | 15 | 12 | 0.556 | 5-10 | 9-4 | 3-8 | L6 |
| Creighton Bluejays | 12 | 15 | 0.444 | 3-11 | 9-6 | 2-8 | L1 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles | 11 | 15 | 0.423 | 3-11 | 8-7 | 1-7 | L3 |
Villanova hosts the Friars on Tuesday night at the Pavilion, and with a win they would clinch a share of the BIG EAST regular season championship while simultaneously eliminating Providence from contention. That would realistically leave just Georgetown (since Villanova owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bulldogs and you'd expect the Wildcats to win at least one more game).
Georgetown's remaining schedule is a bit tricky. Next Saturday they host a St. John's team in desperate need of quality wins, before traveling to Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 3rd. They close out the season at home vs. Seton Hall.
None of that should really matter for Villanova. If they can beat Providence on Tuesday, they'll get their first shot at the outright title next weekend at Xavier. The Musketeers are currently on the right side of the bubble, but they would likely punch their dance card if they can take out the 'Cats at the Cintas Center. If they can't do it then, they finish the season on the road at Creighton before the season finale vs. St. John's at the Wells Fargo Center.