This is difficult to believe, so difficult that we've double-checked and even triple-checked our information -- as opposed to just slapping it onto the Internet with nary a care in the world, as we usually do.

But unlike some of our earlier tripe, this is true: The Big East is like a package of cheap chewing gum ... it's bubble-free.

As far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned, there's not a bubble team in the bunch. Not one, and remember, this is a 14-team league.

	Eric Wilkins (left) and Villanova (13-8) need a strong run to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Four teams look to be NCAA Tournament locks: Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Connecticut. The Big East's remaining 10 members? They're fighting it out for National Invitation Tournament home games.

In fact, we'll go one step further. If the Big East does have a bubble team, it might come from the wrong direction -- Connecticut slipping backward (although the Huskies did get a much-needed win over Syracuse on Monday), as opposed to someone like Villanova roaring into the NCAA picture from the depths of NIT territory.

These are facts, people. Don't blame the messenger -- especially not one whose face looks as angry (boo!) as the one at the top of this web page.

Judging from Big East fans' reactions, they're either too infuriated or worse, disinterested, to care what is said here. At Boston College, fans have treated the Conte Forum like a library. Shhhhh!

That's one reason why the Eagles (11-9 overall, 4-5 Big East) have been a mediocre 6-4 at home. And that's one reason why they'd needed to win three of their past four games simply to get into NIT consideration.

"The key for us is to play well at home," says Boston College coach Al Skinner. "Get the crowd into it."

Be careful what you ask for. The crowds at Georgetown (10-9, 2-6) and St. John's (11-8, 4-5) are into it, kind of like Philadelphia Phillies fan often "get into it." Against UCLA, the home crowd turned on Hoyas coach Craig Esherick in Georgetown's fifth straight loss, chanting, "Esherick must go!" At St. John's, fans booed the Red Storm throughout their 71-54 loss to Virginia Tech, and late in the game they aimed their invective at coach Mike Jarvis, chanting, "Fire Jarvis!"

Creative, they're not. Fed up, they are.

The Big East team with the best shot of getting onto the NCAA Tournament bubble is Villanova (13-8, 6-2), which leads the East Division but has lost three of its last four games. You say the Wildcats (No. 43 RPI) are at the least an NCAA bubble team? We say this: Their last eight games are going to be tough, and a 4-4 split in those game would leave the Wildcats at 17-12 entering the Big East tournament. What if they go 1-1 there? Villanova would be 18-13, and the days of a Big East team getting into the NCAA Tournament at 18-13 are gone.

	Games of the Week
	Duke at Wake Forest Thursday The best team in the ACC will be on display. So will Duke. Saint Joseph's at Dayton Saturday Winner wraps up NCAA bid. Notre Dame at Syracuse Saturday Preview of Big East title game?

"We're going through a difficult time now," says Villanova coach Jay Wright, whose team fell behind 40-9 in a 92-75 loss to Saint Joseph's. "We are not a consistent basketball team ... but now is not the time to pound them."

Big East fans feeling bubble-icious might want to keep an eye on West Virginia (12-8, 3-5) and Seton Hall (11-9, 5-4). The Mountaineers have much work to do, but they have an eye-opening victory against Florida (along with a 30-point loss to St. Louis). The Pirates have won four straight with an RPI of 48th, pretty high for a team with a lousy non-conference schedule.

Spiders spin tourney plans
What's good for the A-10 is not all good for Richmond, which picked this season to float around the NCAA Tournament bubble. Problem is, this is probably the worst season in years for an A-10 team to be on the bubble.

See, three A-10 teams are getting close to locking up NCAA berths: Xavier (17-4 overall, 8-1 A-10), Dayton (16-4, 8-1) and Saint Joseph's (17-3, 7-2). Becoming the fourth A-10 team in the NCAA Tournament is a bit much to ask considering the league hasn't had that much NCAA representation in five years, and at the moment the Spiders' NCAA credentials are mediocre at best, what with victories against Stanford and Xavier offset by a so-so record and RPI rating (No. 71).

Spiders coach Jerry Wainwright knows.

"Yeah," he says about the long NCAA odds. "That's a reality."

That's why Wainwright wants his team to focus its NCAA hopes on the automatic bid that comes with winning the league tournament. Coming from UNC-Wilmington in the Colonial Athletic Association, his reality has long been that at-large bids don't grow on trees -- even the ones growing next to the Atlantic Ocean.

"I've never put much stock in at-large bids, maybe because of where I've been," Wainwright says. "What you have to do is gear yourself to trying to win the conference tournament.

"The reason Xavier, Dayton and St. Joe's have done great jobs is they won their non-conference games. Everyone else in our league has lost too many non-conference games. You can't absorb the normal attrition that happens in league games. I think the league is stronger than it's ever been. Certainly as a newcomer I've been absolutely impressed. I kind of came into it believing we'd have to win the tournament to get in."

Should the Spiders do much short of running the regular-season table, including games with Dayton and Saint Joseph's, he's probably right.

Home (wins) alone not enough for Tech
If Georgia Tech could win anywhere but Memorial Coliseum, the Yellow Jackets would be a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament.

Even with their spotless 11-0 mark at home, the Jackets enter the final month of the regular season on the bubble (at best) because of their overall record, which has been sullied by their 0-7 mark on the road.

The Jackets have a great victory against Maryland, very good wins against N.C. State, Virginia and Georgia, and a solid victory against North Carolina -- all at Memorial Coliseum. Before entrusting the Jackets with a precious at-large bid, however, the NCAA Tournament selection committee will want to see if they can win away from Memorial Coliseum. To date, all Georgia Tech (12-8 overall, 5-4 ACC) has to submit on its behalf is a 67-53 neutral-court victory in December against Marist.

And beating Marist isn't going to get it done.

"I think you can see that the crowd support (is) amazing, and that really helps us with our confidence," says Jackets guard Marvin Lewis. "We just feel a lot more confident at home, and now we just need to start playing (the same) on the road."

Easier said than done. The Jackets are one of the youngest teams in the country, with a freshmen for a point guard (Jarrett Jack) and budding star (Chris Bosh), and five sophomores also in the rotation.

"They're a very different team here," Maryland coach Gary Williams said after the Jackets beat his Terps 90-84 Sunday in Atlanta.

Within the ACC, the Jackets' primary competition for an at-large bid looks to be Virginia (13-7, 5-4) and N.C. State (12-7, 5-4), assuming the following three ACC teams are NCAA locks: Wake Forest, Duke and Maryland.

The Jackets' RPI of No. 51 is behind Virginia (No. 38) but ahead of N.C. State (No. 62). Better than all three, in terms of RPI, is North Carolina (No. 34). The Tar Heels' are undermined by a 12-10 record, 3-4 in the ACC.

Once considered a lock thanks to its 5-0 start that and Preseason NIT championship that included victories against Kansas and Stanford, North Carolina has stumbled without injured center Sean May. The good news is May (broken foot) could return in time for the NCAA Tournament, and the selection committee has been known to take such a boost into consideration. The bad news is, the Tar Heels have a ways to go simply to get onto the NCAA bubble.

Around the East