The Big East Tournament tips off Wednesday in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. The conference has a deep history with the arena, with the tournament being played there since 1982. There, some of college basketball's most famous coaches and teams have taken center stage. From Ray Allen’s winning shot over Georgetown to Patrick Ewing leading Georgetown to a Big East title and automatic tournament bid and to Kemba Walker and Uconn’s miraculous run of five wins in five days for the Big East tournament crown and then the National Championship, the Garden has provided magical memories for college basketball fans. Although the Big East took a big change in 2014 and some of the storied programs are no longer in the conference, the recent tournaments have still provided thrilling games.
The favorite: Marquette
After being picked to finish ninth in the league during the preseason, the Marquette Golden Eagles won their first outright Big East Title in program history. The Golden Eagles are coming into MSG hot, and will be the favorites to win the tournament. They are led by Big East first teamer guard Tyler Kopek. Kolek leads the Big East in assists, averaging 7.9 per game. A major reason Marquette has excelled this season is because they pass the ball so efficiently and play complete, unselfish team basketball.
The dark horse: Villanova
Considering Villanova has won five of the past seven Big East Tournaments, calling them a dark horse does not exactly seem right. However, the Wildcats are the sixth seed in the tournament and will be playing on Wednesday for the first time in over seven years. In their first season under Kyle Neptune, the Wildcats looked like they were going to go through a major regression period, but turned the second half of the season around and won six of the last seven, with wins over Xavier and Creighton. Villanova is coming in hot to the tournament, and the roster has plenty of experience winning at Madison Square Garden, so the Wildcats should not be counted out.
The non-factors: Georgetown, DePaul, Butler
While most of the league has been very competitive, the bottom of the conference features three teams that are significantly weaker than the rest. Georgetown, DePaul, and Butler have all struggled in conference play and are not expected to make any noise at Madison Square Garden. Georgetown failed to win a single game in conference play last season, and has only won two this season, leading many to believe this will be the last season for coach Patrick Ewing.
Who is playing for a bid:
Marquette, Xavier, UConn, Creighton, and Providence are firmly in the field, but the rest of the Big East teams are playing for a spot in the Big Dance. Seton Hall and Villanova are on the cusp of the bubble, so making the finals of the tournament is crucial for them, and depending on how other bubble teams perform, it may not even be enough.
Players to watch:
The conference's leading scorer is Adam Sanogo from UConn, who is averaging 16.9 a game. If UConn goes far, it will be because of the help of Sanogo. Uconn also has two freshmen, Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban, who have really been getting into their rhythm as of late. Xavier’s Souley Boum can shoot the lights out of the ball. Creighton and DePaul are the only teams that have been able to shut him down during the regular season.
My Pick: Creighton
Marquette has been the hottest team as of late, but I don’t believe they will take both the regular season and tournament crown. I think that Creighton will finally win their first ever Big East Tournament after falling short in the finals multiple times. Creighton is led by Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was named to the Big East First Team and named the conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Kalkbrenner is a threat on both sides of the ball, averaging 15.1 points per game and 2.2 blocks, first in the conference.
The tournament kicks off on Wednesday at 3 p.m. eastern time as St. John’s takes on Butler. The champion will be crowned on Saturday night in Manhattan.
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