On Wednesday, two third-year Big East basketball head coaches will meet in the nightcap of the opening round of the Big East Tournament.
Neither has made an NCAA Tournament at his current station.
One has the buzzards circling. The other has his school closing ranks around him.
The difference could not be starker when Kyle Neptune and sixth-seeded Villanova face Shaheen Holloway and 11-seeded Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden (9 p.m., Peacock).
Neptune is on the hottest of seats on the Main Line, having inherited a gold-standard program from Jay Wright, with a robust alumni-raised war chest for roster-building. His Wildcats are 18-13, and if they lose to the Hall, he might have to take an Uber home.
Holloway is a favorite son in South Orange whose NIL resources have been way behind Villanova's. His Pirates are 7-24 and his administration has promised to get him more help, while Holloway says his inbox has been peppered with supportive messages from fans.
"We're trending in the right direction with resources," he said after getting romped at UConn Saturday.
The dichotomy is a reminder that context matters. Villanova is a plum job in the Big East, while Seton Hall is viewed as one of the toughest. But if the Hall can offer one thing that Villanova won't, it's patience. The Pirates' two most successful coaches in the modern era, P.J. Carlesimo and Kevin Willard, took six years to reach the Big Dance for the first time. Periods of prosperity followed.
The landscape in college basketball has changed, obviously, but the virtue of patience has not. It took Jay Wright four years to grow into the job at Nova - his first three seasons there ended in the NIT. Neptune probably won't get that chance. But Holloway will, and that's why, no matter the result of their game, he'll walk off the court "juiced up" about the opportunity to right the program with better backing this offseason.
Meanwhile, his counterpart will be wondering if his key card still works.
Angriest fans in the building: The chardonnay has run dry for Villanova's boosters. Now they want blood.
Happiest fans in the building: DePaul is no longer seeded last, which means all five Blue Demons supporters can get back to their hostels early.
Saddest fans in the building: The Syracuse faithful who still choose showing up without their team over dining at Dennys in Charlotte.
Most likely to get heckled (ref): James Breeding took the torch from Jim Burr and ran with it.
Most likely to get heckled (mascot): Hide the children from Providence's Friar Dom, who wandered out of a 1980s horror movie.
Most likely to get heckled (coach): UConn's Dan Hurley has two rings - and nine fan bases who can't stand him.
Best dunker: When your nickname is Slamson, what else needs to be said? UConn's 6-foot-10 center Samson Johnson posterized 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Most likely to drain a big free throw: Creighton guard Steven Ashworth has made 92 percent of his free throws this season (104-113), fourth in the nation.
Most likely to send a ball into your seat: Creighton's Kalkbrenner averages 2.6 blocks per game and gets whistled for a foul approximately once a month.
Most likely to pick someone's pocket: St. John's guard Kadary Richmond is averaging 2.55 steals per game. Nobody plays the passing lanes better.
Most likely to play the full 40 minutes: Georgetown wing Micah Peavy is averaging 38.6 minutes in conference games.
Best place to hang out pregame: Wherever Bill Raftery and John Fanta are hanging out.
Best place to hang out postgame: Wherever St. John's booster Mike Repole is running up a tab.
Jersey guys to root for: Providence guards Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth), Corey Floyd (Franklin/Roselle Catholic) and Jabri Abdur-Rahim (South Orange/Blair); St. John's guard Simeon Wilcher (Plainfield/Roselle Catholic); Xavier center Zach Freemantle (Teaneck/Bergen Catholic).
First round: Butler over Providence, DePaul over Georgetown, Villanova over Seton Hall.
Quarterfinals: St. John's over Butler, Marquette over Xavier, Creighton over DePaul, UConn over Villanova.
Analysis: The Johnnies have that team-of-destiny feel about them, and they'll have the home court, too, as the Garden is painted red. A final against UConn, Rick Pitino vs. Dan Hurley, is the dream scenario for the Big East and will be the league's highest-rated game and hottest ticket since the 2013 realignment.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at [email protected].