Matt Slocum/Associated Press The Big East tournament seems to belong to Villanova or Marquette this season. It's not that the Wildcats and Golden Eagles have been so dominant this year, but the rest of the Big East hasn't established any consistency. Villanova clinched the Big East title with a 13-5 conference record—one game better than the 12-6 Golden Eagles. Georgetown, Seton Hall, Xavier and Creighton all tied for third place at 9-9. The Hoyas and Pirates head into the conference tournament with momentum, having beaten Marquette and Villanova, respectively, in their final regular-season games Saturday. Georgetown won 86-84 on the road, while the Pirates picked up a 79-75 home victory. Georgetown was led by freshman guards James Akinjo, who scored 25 points, and Mac McClung, who netted 23. The Golden Eagles closed the season with four straight losses. Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski hopes to reverse that in the Big East tournament, which gets underway Wednesday. "We better try to figure it out," Wojciechowski said, per the Associated Press. "But regardless, when your offense isn't going the way you want it to, you have to play defense. I thought their freshman guards just had their way with us." Video Play Button Videos you might like Seton Hall closed the regular season by beating Marquette and Villanova in back-to-back games. Myles Powell scored 20 to lead the Pirates, while Myles Cale added 19 to help key the win over Villanova. "We just beat two ranked teams. We beat Kentucky. We beat Maryland," Powell said, per the AP. "The list goes on. We can play with anybody in the country when we are playing our basketball." Big East Tournament Schedule, March 13-16 All Times ET. Wednesday, March 13 No. 8 Providence vs. No. 9 Butler (7 p.m., FS1) No. 7 St. John's vs. No. 10 DePaul (9:30 p.m., FS1) Thursday, March 14 No. 1 Villanova vs. Winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9 (Noon, FS1) No. 4 Xavier vs. No. 5 Creighton (2:30 p.m., FS1) No. 2 Marquette vs. Winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10 (7 p.m., FS1) No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Georgetown (9:30 p.m., FS1) Friday, March 15 Semifinal No. 1 (6:30 p.m., FS1) Semifinal No. 2 (9 p.m., FS1) Saturday, March 16 Championship (6:30 p.m., Fox) Villanova may have won the league title, but this year's team doesn't resemble last year's national champions. The Wildcats have lost four of their last six games, and they have been struggling on defense. Villanova is allowing an average of 66.7 points per game, ranking 56th in the nation. If Villanova is going to get its act together in the postseason, look for guard Phil Booth to take charge offensively. He leads the Wildcats with 18.7 points per game, and he is handing out 3.9 assists per night. Forward Eric Paschall is adding 16.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Marquette will have to depend on guard Markus Howard, who has averaged 24.9 points this season and is connecting on 90.7 percent of his free throws. Howard is getting scoring help from forward Sam Hauser, who's dropped 15.1 points and taken down 7.1 rebounds per game. Howard and Hauser are the only Golden Eagles averaging in double figures. Howard has scored 30 points or more nine times this season. Jesse Govan is averaging 17.9 points per game for the Hoyas, and he is contributing 7.7 rebounds per night. McClung and Akinjo are averaging 13.0 and 12.9 points per game, respectively. Powell is Seton Hall's go-to scorer, and he is averaging 22.7 points per game. Cale is Seton Hall's only other double-digit scorer, and he is averaging 10.1 points. Predictions Expect Villanova and Marquette to catch their collective breath and find their stride in the quarterfinal round with easy victories. The Wildcats should keep it going against the winner of the Creighton-Xavier game. Marquette may not be so lucky against the Seton Hall-Georgetown winner. While the Hoyas will scrap hard, the Pirates will emerge with the quarterfinal win and upset the Golden Eagles to reach the championship round. Seton Hall is filled with confidence and will take a halftime lead in the title game, but Villanova will gather itself in the second half and win the Big East tournament.<doc-sep>The 2019 Big East tournament tips off Wednesday, March 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Below is an in-depth look at the tournament, including a complete bracket, TV schedule, analysis and predictions. 2019 Big East tournament bracket, seeds The complete 2019 Big East men's basketball tournament bracket. (Big East) Who is the favorite? There are co-favorites in the Big East, not that either one of them are playing well enough to deserve that title. Top-seeded Villanova arrives in New York having dropped five of its past eight games. Second-seeded Marquette stubbornly refused to take advantage, losing four straight to end the regular season a game back of the first-place Wildcats. If forced to crown a favorite, the smarter pick is Villanova. The Wildcats have some veterans who have won multiple Big East tournaments and multiple national titles in their decorated careers. That experience can only help. Who else can win? The better question might be who can’t win? At least four other teams besides Villanova and Marquette have realistic hope: Seton Hall, Creighton, Xavier and St. John’s. Seton Hall is the most unpredictable team in the Big East, as evidenced by its final six games. The Pirates defeated Villanova, Marquette and Creighton ... and lost to St. John’s, Xavier and Georgetown. Creighton and Xavier played their way back from the dead with strong finishes to the season. The Bluejays strung together five straight wins, while the Musketeers have reeled off six victories in their last seven. St. John’s, on the other hand, skidded to the finish line, but it still boasts maybe the league’s most talented roster. Shamorie Ponds, Justin Simon, LJ Figueroa, Mustapha Heron and Marvin Clark are each exemplary talents. They just don’t often defend cohesively, win 50-50 balls or display disciplined shot selection. Bubble implications Seton Hall (18-12, 9-9, KenPom 59, NET 61) Those season-ending wins over Marquette and Villanova improved the outlook dramatically for Seton Hall. Now the Pirates appear to be a cut above the teams on the fringes of the bubble thanks to a 6-7 record against Quadrant 1 competition including non-league victories over Kentucky and Maryland. Seton Hall might be safe no matter what it does in New York. Another win or two would leave no doubt. Story continues St. John’s (20-11, 8-10, KenPom 74, NET 66) They aren’t playing up to their potential, but the Johnnies still might be on the right side of the at-large cut line if the season ended today. Three wins over Marquette and Villanova and a non-league victory over VCU might be enough quality wins to offset a soft non-conference schedule, a sub-.500 Big East finish and poor computer metrics. It’s imperative St. John’s avoids losing to DePaul in its opening game. Should the Johnnies also beat Marquette for a third time, they’ll be safe. Creighton (18-13, 9-9 KenPom 50, NET 54) The biggest flaw in Creighton’s resume is that its road win at Marquette may be its only victory over an NCAA tournament team. The Bluejays are 3-10 against Quadrant 1 competition, and the two other victories came against rebuilding Providence and fellow bubble team Clemson. Creighton has a chance to bolster its resume in New York if it can get past Xavier in the quarterfinals and earn a third crack at Villanova in the semis. Win both those games, and the Bluejays would have reasonable at-large hope. Three players to watch 1. Markus Howard, G, Marquette — College basketball’s sixth-leading scorer is averaging 25 points and has erupted for 40 or more three times this season. 2. Shamorie Ponds, G, St. John’s — He’s instant offense, just like Howard. The jet-quick combo guard gets defenders off balance with his handle and is a streaky outside shooter. 3. Myles Powell, G, Seton Hall — Another high-scoring guard, Powell has tallied at least 17 points in each of Seton Hall’s past 10 games. One big storyline How many Big East bubble teams can play their way into the NCAA tournament? Villanova and Marquette are safe, Seton Hall is in decent shape, St. John’s and Creighton have work to do and Butler, Xavier and Georgetown need a full-fledged miracle. 2019 Big East tournament TV schedule All times Eastern Wednesday, March 13 | First round No. 8 Providence vs. No. 9 Butler — 7 p.m., FS1 No. 7 St. John’s vs. No. 10 DePaul — 9:30 p.m., FS1 Thursday, March 14 | Quarterfinals No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 8 Providence/No. 9 Butler — Noon, FS1 No. 4 Xavier vs. No. 5 Creighton — 2:30 p.m., FS1 No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 St. John’s/No. 10 DePaul — 7 p.m., FS1 No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Georgetown — 9:30 p.m., FS1 Friday, March 15 | Semifinals Winners of quarterfinals 1 and 2 — 6:30 p.m., FS1 Winners of quarterfinals 3 and 4 — 9 p.m., FS1 Saturday, March 16 | Final Semifinal winners — 6:30 p.m., FOX Will we get a Villanova-Marquette rubber match at Madison Square Garden in the Big East tournament? (Getty Images) 2019 Big East tournament predictions First round No. 9 Butler over No. 8 Providence No. 7 St. John’s over No. 10 DePaul Quarterfinals No. 5 Creighton over No. 4 Xavier No. 1 Villanova over No. 9 Butler No. 2 Marquette over No. 7 St. John’s No. 3 Seton Hall over No. 6 Georgetown Semifinals No. 5 Creighton over No. 1 Villanova No. 2 Marquette over No. 3 Seton Hall Final No. 5 Creighton over No. 2 Marquette Other conference tournament previews: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC<doc-sep>The Big East tournament has no shortage of storylines in what looks to be the most wide-open power conference tourney of 2019. With both top seeds fading down the stretch and only two games in the conference standings separating seeds 3-10, expect the unexpected at Madison Square Garden this week. The last place No. 10 seed DePaul Blue Demons are 60-1 to win this tournament. Compare that to the ACC tourney, where No. 6 seed Syracuse is listed at 80-1. This should be one of the more entertaining tournaments from start to finish and may provide a good opportunity to back a lower seed in the futures market. 2019 Big East Tournament Odds, Format Who: All 10 Big East teams All 10 Big East teams Format: Top 6 receive a bye Top 6 receive a bye When: March 13-16 March 13-16 Where: New York, NY New York, NY How to Watch: FS1, FOX FS1, FOX Defending Champion: Villanova Most Likely Champion Villanova +200 They aren’t without issues, but you have to say the defending national champion Wildcats. Villanova is seeking its third-straight Big East tournament title and fifth consecutive championship appearance. Four teams have won the Big East tournament twice in a row, but none of the four completed the three-peat. My Pick to Win Seton Hall (8-1) The Pirates might be the No. 3 seed in the Big East tournament, but trust No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Marquette at your own risk — with both teams struggling to close out league play. Jay Wright’s perimeter-oriented team shot just 28.7% from behind the arc in its last seven contests, while Steve Wojciechowski’s bunch let up an average of 1.05 points per possession in its four straight losses. Seton Hall finished the regular season with two outright wins over the Wildcats and Golden Eagles, so it’s entering the tourney with loads of confidence. It did so at home, but it will still have support at the Garden, where it defeated Kentucky earlier this season. The Pirates also boast the 50th-ranked Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (96.7 opponents’ points per 100 possessions) in the country while yielding the the third-lowest 3-point clip (34.6%) in league play — kryptonite for the two top seeds. Finish reading this entire article absolutely FREE in our app GET OUR FREE APP They own the 28th-rated average height across college basketball, and their guard length has helped produce the conference’s third-highest opponents’ turnover rate (19.4%), too. While Kevin Willard’s offense was inconsistent during conference play, they boast the league’s second-highest 2-point scoring rate (52.4%). With Myles Powell off the dribble drive and Sandro Mamukelashvili in the low-post, their interior scoring sets up an underrated bevy of perimeter threats. Kevin Willard’s troops face Georgetown in the opening round, and I’d be content laying a few points. Hall should stymie Matt McClung & Co. from the perimeter. And as I mentioned before, Seton Hall will have a slight home-court advantage, not far behind the St. John’s backing at MSG. Futures Value Xavier 10-1 The Musketeers (13-17-1 ATS) have won six of their past seven contests — outright and ATS — including a home victory over Creighton to tip-off their streak. Their much-improved defense triggered the turnaround, at they only gave up a mere 0.98 points per possession during the stretch run. Head coach Travis Steele’s squad is also allowing the third-lowest 3-point scoring rate (35.3%) in conference play, led by Quentin Goodin and Paul Scruggs’ ball pressure. X will start off with Creighton, and like many teams in the Big East, the Blue Jays rely heavily on a perimeter attack (Big East’s second-highest 3-point scoring rate). Xavier has the personnel to contain Creighton from deep to springboard a run at MSG. Not only does Naji Marshall’s prowess for switching at every position give the Musketeers defensive flexibility, but he’s also manufacturing 20.9 points per game in his past seven contests. The 6-foot-7 forward missed their regular-season finale (ankle) vs. the Red Storm. Xavier’s Big East tournament odds would likely be higher if he was fully healthy, but there’s no indication it’ll be a long-term issue. With an emerging scorer in Scruggs and Tyrique Jones beginning to assert himself in the low-post, there’s no reason this team can’t win the whole thing. Potential Sleeper Providence (25-1) Ed Cooley is no stranger to winning the league tournament, either, with ex-Friars guard Bryce Cotton guiding Providence to the crown in 2014. No. 8 seed Providence will arrive in New York with some confidence after winning three of its past five — both straight-up and ATS. If the Friars make a deep run at MSG, their first-rated Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (101.5 opponents’ points per 100 possessions) in league play will be the key. The Friars are not only letting up the Big East’s lowest 3-point clip (33.9%), but they’re also forcing turnovers at a league-high clip (20.9%). Similar to Xavier and Seton Hall, their premier on-ball defense can give the conference’s 3P-reliant upper echelon a handful — despite failing to knock off Villanova or Marquette this season. Don’t forget about four-star freshman A.J. Reeves, who appeared to finally hit his stride with 24 points in Providence’s 13-point win over Butler on Saturday. He dealt with a foot injury that kept him out of action from Dec. 16 through Jan. 27. Alongside Alpha Diallo (16.1 ppg), Reeves is a fine sleeper candidate to breakout in “the world’s most famous arena.” Gus Johnson will have something special up his sleeve if so. Reeves could be the missing piece Providence needs on its very inconsistent offense that has held it back all year. Cooley and his Friars are 12-5 at MSG since the 2013-14 campaign, going 8-4 in the Big East tournament during that stretch. Ed knows how to win at the Garden. Providence opens up vs. the ninth-seeded Bulldogs, who they just beat in the season finale, before a potential meeting with top seed Villanova. Opening Round Bet Butler lost four of its last five contests ATS, two of them coming vs. the Friars. Be sure to check out the betting preview in our Wednesday guide.<doc-sep>
Rich Schultz/Getty Images The Big East tournament has produced some of the most unlikely moments of Championship Week in past years. Given how up-and-down most of the Big East programs have been this season, we'll be in for a wild few days at Madison Square Garden, New York. Even Villanova and Marquette, who are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, weren't perfect in conference play, and as a perfect representation of that, both lost their respective regular-season finales. Chaos is expected from the start of the tournament, as there are a few Big East teams chasing NCAA men's basketball tournament berths after experiencing the roller coaster that was the regular season. Bracket Video Play Button Videos you might like Odds Schedule All Times ET. Wednesday, March 13 No. 8 Providence vs. No. 9 Butler (7 p.m., FS1) No. 7 St. John's vs. No. 10 DePaul (9:30 p.m., FS1) Thursday, March 14 No. 1 Villanova vs. Providence/Butler winner (Noon, FS1) No. 4 Xavier vs. No. 5 Creighton (2:30 p.m., FS1) No. 2 Marquette vs. St. John's/DePaul (7 p.m., FS1) No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Georgetown (9:30 p.m., FS1) Friday, March 15 Semifinal No. 1 (6:30 p.m., FS1) Semifinal No. 2 (9 p.m., FS1) Saturday, March 16 Championship (6:30 p.m., Fox) Can Villanova Earn 3rd Straight Big East Tournament Crown? Villanova's been the dominant force of the Big East since it moved to its current alignment before the 2013-14 season. The Wildcats have won the last two Big East tournaments and three of the last four, but Jay Wright's team isn't as clear-cut of a favorite as it has been in previous years. The defending national champion experienced a rough patch in February, when it lost four games during a five-game stretch. And just as the Wildcats thought they were back on track, Seton Hall knocked them off Saturday. Villanova carries valuable experience at the top of its roster in Phil Booth, Eric Paschall and Colin Gillespie, but there's also plenty of inexperience within the squad, which has led to some growing pains. Rich Schultz/Getty Images Unlike previous seasons, Villanova hasn't had a consistent top scorer down the stretch, as five different players have led the team in scoring over the last six games. Having different players able to take the reigns of the offense is important during the postseason, especially when opposing defenses focus on stopping Gillespie and Booth. The good news for the Wildcats is they received a favorable draw, as they're 4-0 against Butler and Providence, one of which will advance to the quarterfinals to face them. A potential semifinal clash with Creighton or Xavier appears to favor the Wildcats as well since they went 3-1 against the Bluejays and Musketeers in the regular season. If Villanova gets to the championship game, it'll be able to benefit from its big-game experience against the latest challenger to its Big East throne. The Wildcats have defeated Xavier, Creighton and Providence to win their last three Big East titles, and they'll likely be able to add a fourth team to that list if form holds and Marquette advances to the final. Which Bubble Teams Will Thrive At MSG? To say the middle of the Big East is a sloppy mess is a massive understatement. According to ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi, St. John's and Seton Hall are projected to join Villanova and Marquette in the field of 68, while Creighton resides in the first four out and Butler sits in the next four out. SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean also has four Big East teams making the NCAA tournament in his latest projection, with Creighton as the second team out. In order to feel comfortable about its NCAA tournament hopes, Creighton needs to beat Xavier in the quarterfinals and upset Villanova in the semifinals. The Bluejays are more than capable of making a run to the Big East tournament final, as they enter New York City on a five-game winning streak, which is their longest run of the season. John Minchillo/Associated Press Xavier and Georgetown are capable of making runs at Madison Square Garden, but you could say that about basically every Big East team with the way the regular season played out. In order to make serious noise on the bubble, the Musketeers and Hoyas would likely have to reach the final by knocking off the conference's best teams.