St. John’s, not UConn, is in the driver’s seat at Madison Square Garden this week.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Big East tournament.
3 storylines to watch
Rick Pitino is back
Just like that, Rick Pitino is back and dominating in the Big East again. The Red Storm clinched their first Big East title since 1985 this season while climbing into the top 10. They ended the regular season winning 16 of their last 17 games, with the lone loss coming in a two-point battle at Villanova, and they survived at Marquette with a wild game-winner in overtime on Saturday. Nobody seemed able to really compete with them in the conference slate.
Pitino has led St. John’s to a place it hasn’t been in decades. He’s now in a prime position to not only run the Big East, but contend for a national title once again during the comeback stage of his career.
Is UConn’s three-peat attempt dead?
The Huskies started out the season looking like a legitimate three-peat contender after dominating the sport over the last two years. The dream of a third consecutive title, however, is on life support.
UConn will enter the Big East tournament with just a 22-9 record and as the No. 3 seed. The Huskies plummeted out of the national rankings completely in February after suffering several bad losses, including twice to St. John’s, and to Xavier, Villanova and Seton Hall. It’s hard to count Dan Hurley and the Huskies out given their recent track record, but the back half of this season has not been kind to UConn. Without a dominant run at Madison Square Garden this week, it’s going to be hard to believe that they can run it back a third time in the NCAA tournament.
Can Villanova, Xavier play their way in?
Both Villanova and Xavier need some help this week to make the tournament. The Wildcats went just 18-13 this season, though they grabbed big wins over ranked St John’s, UConn and a 15-point blowout over Marquette late in the year. But they are still on the outside looking in entering the Big East tournament. Without a few solid wins at Madison Square Garden, they could miss the tournament for the third straight season under coach Kyle Neptune — which could very well cost him his job.
Xavier is in a similar boat. The Musketeers, after a rough start to Big East play, ended the year winning seven straight to get to 21-10 and finish tied for fourth in the conference. They also beat both UConn and Marquette, but those are really their only big wins. A run this week would solidify a trip back to the NCAA tournament after missing it last season.
Big East tournament bracket
How to watch the Big East tournament
All times ET
When: March 12-15
Where: Madison Square Garden | New York
TV: Peacock, FS1, Fox
Game Schedule:
Wednesday, March 12 (first round)
Game 1: No. 8 Providence vs. No. 9 Butler, 4 p.m. | Peacock
Game 2: No. 7 Georgetown vs. No. 10 DePaul, 6:30 p.m. | Peacock
Game 3: No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 11 Seton Hall, 9 p.m. | Peacock
Thursday, March 13 (quarterfinals)
Game 4: No. 1 St. John’s vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m. | Peacock
Game 5: No. 4 Xavier vs. No. 5 Marquette, 2:30 p.m. | Peacock
Game 6: No. 2 Creighton vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m. | FS1
Game 7: No. 3 UConn vs. Game 3 winner, 9:30 p.m. | FS1
Friday, March 14 (semifinals)
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m. | Fox
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m. | Fox
Saturday, March 15
Big East championship game, 6:30 p.m. | Fox
