The Big East tournament feels like a two-team race, which would make for a very entertaining championship game on Saturday night.
Here’s everything you need to know entering the Big East tournament this weekend in New York.
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Are we destined for UConn-St. John’s?
Rick Pitino and St. John’s won the Big East regular-season title again, which seemed a bit surprising for a number of reasons. Not only did UConn largely dominate the conference for much of the season, but the Huskies also pulled out a brutal 32-point beatdown over the Red Storm late in the season. St. John’s just didn’t show up.
But the Huskies lost two of their past five games, both to unranked teams, while St. John’s won 16 of its past 17 games to surge ahead in the standings. The Red Storm, after a few bad losses to ranked teams early in the season, looked completely back to the level that many thought they would be this season.
There are a few others who could potentially make some noise. Villanova should make it into the NCAA tournament after a 24-7 finish. Seton Hall, while finishing in fourth after a 20-11 season, likely needs to make a big run in order to sneak in. It’s also hard to count Creighton or Marquette out for an upset win or two. But the Big East really comes down to just the two teams at the top.
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Assuming all goes according to plan, expect a thrilling third matchup between the Huskies and the Red Storm come Saturday night after the teams split their first two meetings.
Big East men’s basketball tournament basics
When: March 11-14
Where: Madison Square Garden | New York
TV: Peacock/NBCSN, FS1, Fox
The Big East tournament bracket is set. (Big East)
Big East men’s basketball schedule, results
All times ET
Wednesday, March 11 — First Round
Game 1 | No. 8 Butler vs. No. 9 Providence | 4 p.m. | Peacock/NBCSN
Game 2 | No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 Xavier | 6:30 p.m. | Peacock/NBCSN
Game 3 | No. 6 DePaul vs. No. 11 Georgetown | 9 p.m. | Peacock/NBCSN
Thursday, March 12 — Quarterfinals
Game 4 | G1 winner vs. No. 1 St. John’s | 12 p.m. | Peacock/NBCSN
Game 5 | No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 4 Seton Hall | 2:30 p.m. | Peacock/NBCSN
Game 6 | G2 winner vs. No. 2 UConn | 7 p.m. | FS1
Game 7 | G3 winner vs. No. 3 Villanova | 9:30 p.m. | FS1
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Friday, March 13 — Semifinals
Game 8 | G4 winner vs. G5 winner | 5:30 p.m. | Fox
Game 9 | G6 winner vs. G7 winner | 8 p.m. | FS1
Saturday, March 14 — Championship
Game 10 | G8 winner vs. G9 winner | 6:30 p.m. | Fox
