Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Here are some Big East notes heading into the final week of action…and a look at how the Big East Tournament bracket would look if the event started today.
· Two seeds have been clinched for next week’s Big East Tournament. Syracuse will be the No. 1 seed, while DePaul will be No. 16.
· Marquette would clinch the No. 2 seed with a win against Cincinnati tonight. The Golden Eagles have already secured a double-bye to the tournament quarterfinals.
· USF would move into a three-way tie for third place with a win at Louisville tonight. Louisville, meanwhile, would forge a tie with USF with a win.
· St. John’s goes for its fourth straight win with tonight’s visit to Pittsburgh. The Panthers look to snap a five-game slide.
IF THE CHAMPIONSHIP STARTED TODAY (Feb. 29) …
Here is what the pairings of the BIG EAST Championship would look like if the tournament started today, based on the conference tiebreaking procedures. Please note that since the schedule is not complete, and that teams have played an uneven number of conference games, teams that hold tiebreaker advantages today may not necessarily hold those advantages at the end of the season.
Tuesday, March 6 – First Round (ESPN2/ESPNU)
Noon No. 16 DePaul vs. No. 9 West Virginia
2:00 No. 13 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Rutgers
7:00 No. 15 Providence vs. No. 10 Connecticut
9:00 No. 14 Villanova vs. No. 11 St. John’s
Wednesday, March 7 – Second Round (ESPN)
Noon 9/16 winner vs. No. 8 Seton Hall
2:00 12/13 winner vs. No. 5 USF
7:00 10/15 winner vs. No. 7 Louisville
9:00 11/14 winner vs. No. 6 Cincinnati
Thursday, March 8 – Quarterfinals (ESPN)
Noon 8/9/16 winner vs. No. 1 Syracuse
2:00 5/12/13 winner vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
7:00 7/10/15 winner vs. No. 2 Marquette
9:00 6/11/14 winner vs. No. 3 Georgetown
Friday, March 9 – Semifinals (ESPN)
7:00 Thursday afternoon winners
9:00 Thursday evening winners
Saturday, March 10 – Championship (ESPN)
9:00 Semifinal winners
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Here are some Big East notes heading into the final week of action…and a look at how the Big East Tournament bracket would look if the event started today.
· Two seeds have been clinched for next week’s Big East Tournament. Syracuse will be the No. 1 seed, while DePaul will be No. 16.
· Marquette would clinch the No. 2 seed with a win against Cincinnati tonight. The Golden Eagles have already secured a double-bye to the tournament quarterfinals.
· USF would move into a three-way tie for third place with a win at Louisville tonight. Louisville, meanwhile, would forge a tie with USF with a win.
· St. John’s goes for its fourth straight win with tonight’s visit to Pittsburgh. The Panthers look to snap a five-game slide.
IF THE CHAMPIONSHIP STARTED TODAY (Feb. 29) …
Here is what the pairings of the BIG EAST Championship would look like if the tournament started today, based on the conference tiebreaking procedures. Please note that since the schedule is not complete, and that teams have played an uneven number of conference games, teams that hold tiebreaker advantages today may not necessarily hold those advantages at the end of the season.
Tuesday, March 6 – First Round (ESPN2/ESPNU)
Noon No. 16 DePaul vs. No. 9 West Virginia
2:00 No. 13 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Rutgers
7:00 No. 15 Providence vs. No. 10 Connecticut
9:00 No. 14 Villanova vs. No. 11 St. John’s
Wednesday, March 7 – Second Round (ESPN)
Noon 9/16 winner vs. No. 8 Seton Hall
2:00 12/13 winner vs. No. 5 USF
7:00 10/15 winner vs. No. 7 Louisville
9:00 11/14 winner vs. No. 6 Cincinnati
Thursday, March 8 – Quarterfinals (ESPN)
Noon 8/9/16 winner vs. No. 1 Syracuse
2:00 5/12/13 winner vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
7:00 7/10/15 winner vs. No. 2 Marquette
9:00 6/11/14 winner vs. No. 3 Georgetown
Friday, March 9 – Semifinals (ESPN)
7:00 Thursday afternoon winners
9:00 Thursday evening winners
Saturday, March 10 – Championship (ESPN)
9:00 Semifinal winners
