Sports
Schedule, bracket and storylines for the Big East men's basketball … – USA TODAY
The Big East Conference took little time to reestablish itself among the premier basketball leagues since its renaissance nearly a decade ago. As such, its tournament at its natural home in Madison Square Garden has a well-earned place among the top events of Championship Week.
This year’s version finds the league’s recent powerhouse in the unusual position of playing on opening day. But Villanova might nevertheless be dangerous as it looks to extend its current streak of nine consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Meanwhile, the five teams with byes into the quarterfinals are all fairly sure of having their names on the bracket on Sunday. But they’d all like to head into the Big Dance with some positive results, not to mention a nice addition to their trophy case back on campus.
BRACKETOLOGY:Penn State gives Big Ten its 10th team in tournament
TICKETS PUNCHED:Which team has secured NCAA tournament spots?
All times Eastern
Wednesday, March 8
First round
St. John’s 76, Butler 63
DePaul 66, Seton Hall 65
Villanova 80, Georgetown 48
Thursday, March 9
Quarterfinals
Marquette 72, St. John’s 70 (OT)
Connecticut 73, Providence 68
Xavier vs. DePaul, FS1, 7 p.m.
Creighton 87, Villanova 74
Friday, March 10
Semifinals
Marquette 70, Connecticut 68
Xavier 82, Creighton 60
Championship
Saturday, March 11
Marquette 65, Xavier 4
Marquette enters the tournament as the top seed after being picked to finish ninth in preseason voting. This made the Golden Eagles’ Shaka Smart the no-brainer choice for coach of the year honors as Marquette beat every other team in the league at least once and finished two games clear in the final standings. But Xavier and Creighton, the second and third seeds respectively, each enjoyed hot streaks during the season and are more than capable of going on a run to the title.
Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette: The league player of the year leads the Golden Eagles with 7.9 assists a game and is second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points. He’s also a relentless defender, grabbing 1.8 steals a game.
Souley Boum, G, Xavier: The grad transfer from Texas-El Paso joined the Musketeers with relatively little fanfare, but he’s been absolutely invaluable putting up 16.8 points and 4.5 assists while logging over 35 minutes a game.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton: The Bluejays’ big man in the middle averages 15.1 points and 6.3 boards a game, but his inside presence that allows Creighton to space the floor for its array of three-point threats is perhaps even more vital to the team’s success.
Adama Sanogo, F, Connecticut: The native of Mali has become a mainstay in the Huskies’ frontcourt. The first-team All Big East selection leads UConn in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (7.2).
Bryce Hopkins, G, Providence: The ultra-athletic Kentucky transfer made an immediate mark with the Friars, posting team-best averages in points (16.1) and rebounds (8.5) while also handing out 2.3 assists a game and guarding just about anyone on the defensive end.
There really aren’t any for the Big East teams themselves, although Providence has dropped three of its last four and could use at least a quarterfinal win against UConn to eliminate doubt. The real bubble drama will come from outside the league should the afore-mentioned Villanova, or possibly Seton Hall, threaten to steal a bid. The Wildcats have been more competitive since Justin Moore’s long-awaited return from the Achilles tendon injury he suffered during last year’s NCAA tournament, and the Pirates closed the regular-season with a 24-point thumping of Providence and could also make a run.
