Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Connecticut is ready to make another run at a national title, but who will join them in the Big Dance out of the Big East?
Three teams in the Big East — Connecticut, Marquette, and Creighton — look to be locks for the NCAA men’s tournament field.
How many will join them?
The latest installment of the Big East Conference tournament gets underway Wednesday at legendary Madison Square Garden and for five teams, their tournament fates may hang in the balance. The first three teams mentioned, Connecticut, Marquette, and Creighton, are all ranked inside the AP Top 10 and might already be thinking about where their travel plans will take them in two weeks. But for Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova, Providence, and Butler, the next few days at MSG will determine if they’ll still be playing meaningful basketball next week.
As for Zavier, Georgetown, and DePaul, the three teams in the conference with losing records overall, only a miraculous run at the Garden will see them in the Big Dance.
Looking at the five bubble teams, Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Villanova are probably pretty confident. The Red Storm are ranked 31st in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, as well as 39th in the NET rankings, and a win over Creighton back on February 25th certainly helps their case. Villanova checks in ranked 28th in Pomeroy’s rankings (32nd in NET) and early-season wins over both Creighton and North Carolina bolster their tournament resume. As for Seton Hall, the Pirates will probably feel better with a win or two this week, but sitting 56th in KenPom’s rankings and 62nd in the NET rankings is a solid starting place.
Providence and Butler need to do some work. The Friars (62nd in KenPom, 63rd in NET) have some solid wins on the year against Wisconsin, Marquette, and Creighton. A win or two at MSG likely goes a long way. The same could be said for the Bulldogs, as Butler sits 64th in KenPom/65th in NET, and road wins over Creighton and Marquette look pretty good to the committee.
Both those teams are in action Wednesday with a very good chance to start the tournament off with a critical victory.
2024 men’s Big East tournament bracket
Here is the 2024 Big Ten men’s tournament bracket. You can also view the bracket on the tournament website.
2024 men’s Big East tournament schedule
March 13 First Round
Game 1: No. 8 Butler vs. No. 9 Xavier, 4:00 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 2: No. 7 Providence vs. No. 10 Georgetown, 6:30 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 3: No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 11 DePaul, 9:00 p.m. ET, FS1
March 14 Quarterfinals
Game 4: No. 1 Connecticut vs. Winner Game 1, 12:00 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 5: No. 4 Seton Hall vs. No. 5 St. John’s, 2:30 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 6: No. 2 Creighton vs. Winner Game 2, 7:00 p.m. ET, FS1
Game 7: No. 3 Marquette vs. Winner Game 3, 9:30 p.m. ET, FS1
March 15 Semifinals
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 5:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 8:00 p.m. ET, FS1
March 16 Championship
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 6:30 p.m. ET, FOX
