It’s been a banner year for the Big East, but there’s probably no major conference in the country with more bubble teams as everyone heads to the World’s Most Famous Arena for one of the great annual events in all of college sports.
All games will air on FS1, Roundball Rock will be the theme song, and Madison Square Garden will be packed for three days as the defending national champion UConn Huskies enter as the favorite.
2024 Big East Tournament Bracket
First round: Wednesday, March 13
Game 1: No. 9 Xavier 76, No. 8 Butler 72
Game 2: No. 7 Providence 74, 10 Georgetown 56
Game 3: No. 6 Villanova 58, No. 11 DePaul 57
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 14
Game 4: No. 1 UConn 87, No. 9 Xavier 60
Game 5: No. 5 St. John’s 91, No. 4 Seton Hall 72
Game 6: No. 7 Providence 78, No. 2 Creighton 73
Game 7: No. 3 Marquette 71, No. 6 Villanova 65
Semifinals: Friday, March 15
Game 8: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 5 St. John’s: 5:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Game 9: No. 7 Providence vs. No. 3 Marquette: 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Championship: Saturday, March 16
Championship: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner: 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2
Villanova has no one to blame but themselves for failing to get a bye, and now they’ll be forced to play an extra game before taking on the Creighton team that had them down 24 points at home on Saturday before a furious comeback made it a two-point loss. They’re probably the most bubble team in the city, as St. John’s
Odds to win from DraftKings Sportsbook
UConn -135
Creighton +425
Marquette +500
Saint Johns +800
Villanova +1600
Seton Hall +3500
Providence +6000
Xavier +11000
Butler +11000
Georgetown +100000
DePaul +100000
Big East March Madness Bids
This is one league where the chaos is pretty clear-cut:
Connecticut, Creighton, and Marquette are very safely in the NCAA Tournament, and all three are also likely protected seeds on the top four lines as well.
Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova, and Providence (in that order) are in various states of the bubble, with PC probably needing to win at least one game at MSG to have any chance of playing in the Big Dance.