The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived: the 2011 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Championship bracket has been announced. I don't know about you guys, but this the most excited I've been for the tournament in like a year. Saturday, March 4th marked the end of the regular season, and now we're staring down the barrel of the BET! Oooh, I don't like that. I'll just stick with Big East Tournament.
The Pittsburgh Panthers went 15-3 in conference play this season, and wrapped up their sixth BIG EAST regular-season title Saturday with a 60-50 win against Villanova. This win gave the Panthers a one-game edge on second-place Notre Dame in the final standings. Pittsburgh enters The BIG EAST Championship as the No. 1 overall seed for the third time, and are looking to win their third BIG EAST tournament title. The way they've played this season, that 3rd chip is a strong possibility.
Louisville, Syracuse and Notre Dame join Pittsburgh as the top four seeds in The BIG EAST Championship. These four schools will have byes through the first two rounds of the tournament, which begins on Tuesday, March 8, and won’t play until Thursday’s quarterfinals.
All of the games will take place at Madison Square Garden from 3/8 - 3/12. So who's playing who and when?! Here's your schedule:
Tuesday, March 8 – First Round (ESPN2/ESPN 3D)
No. 9 Connecticut (21-9) vs. No. 16 DePaul (7-23)................................................ Noon
No. 9 Connecticut (21-9) vs. No. 16 DePaul (7-23)................................................ Noon
No. 12 Seton Hall (13-17) vs. No. 13 Rutgers (14-16)............................................ 2 p.m.
No. 10 Villanova (21-10) vs. No. 15 USF (9-22)..................................................... 7 p.m.
No. 10 Villanova (21-10) vs. No. 15 USF (9-22)..................................................... 7 p.m.
No. 11 Marquette (18-13) vs. No. 14 Providence (15-16)..................................... 9 p.m.
Wednesday, March 9 – Second Round (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
No. 8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. Connecticut/DePaul winner..................................... Noon
No. 5 St. John’s (20-10) vs. Seton Hall/Rutgers winner........................................... 2 p.m.
No. 7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. Villanova/USF winner.................................................. 7 p.m.
No. 6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. Marquette/Providence winner............................ 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 10 – Quarterfinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
No. 1 Pittsburgh (27-4) vs. 8/9/16 winner................................................................ Noon
No. 4 Syracuse (25-6) vs. 5/12/13 winner............................................................... 2 p.m.
No. 2 Notre Dame (25-5) vs. 7/10/15 winner......................................................... 7 p.m.
No. 3 Louisville (23-8) vs. 6/11/14 winner.............................................................. 9 p.m.
Friday, March 11 – Semifinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
Thursday afternoon winners..................................................................................... 7 p.m.
Thursday evening winners........................................................................................ 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 – Championship (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
Semifinal winners....................................................................................................... 9 p.m.
I have seen almost half of the Big East teams play in person this season since St. John's has several "home" games at Madison Square Garden. I've had a first-hand look at Villanova, Rutgers, UConn, Georgetown, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The one game I missed was Notre Dame getting smacked by St. John's in late January.
It has been a journey and I'm so honored to be able to cover the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament tomorrrow. I will be at Madison Square Garden for ALL of these games, and I hope you guys will join me! Keep up with the Big East tournament through this blog, or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/chichi27.
CAN'T WAIT! *Bart Scott voice*
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