March Madness 2018: Which N.J. schools have NCAA Tournament hopes?

Believe it or not, the start of college basketball’s conference tournaments is just over a month away, which means the 2018 NCAA Tournament is right around the corner.

New Jersey sent two schools to the Big Dance last year – Princeton and Seton Hall. The Garden State will be lucky to send that many this year. Here’s a look at where each of the eight in-state Division 1 men’s basketball teams stand in their respective conferences as of Tuesday, as well as their March Madness hopes:

SETON HALL:

Record: 15-5 overall, 4-3 Big East.

Conference standing: T-5th in 10-team league.

Conference tournament: March 7-10 at Madison Square Garden.

Of note: The Pirates have fallen out of the Top 25 after last week’s losses to Creighton and Xavier, but they remain a projected 6-seed according to ESPN’s latest Bracketology edition. If Seton Hall breaks out of its funk, it can improve upon that – something a team with high expectations to go deep in the tournament on its return trip will want to do.

RUTGERS:

Record: 12-9 overall, 2-6 Big Ten.

Conference standing: 12th in 14-team league.

Conference tournament: Feb. 28-March 4 at Madison Square Garden.

Of note: Rutgers is unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 this year. But the first winning season in 12 years? That seems like a realistic goal. The Scarlet Knights have some work to do, though.