2021 Big East Tournament - Prediction & Preview | NCAA Men's Basketball
The 2021 Big East Tournament will begin on March 10th, 2021, with the low seeds set to fight it out to advance to the second round.
The 14th-ranked Villanova Wildcats enter the tournament as the top seed, but this is very much a wide-open race. The Big East will feature many of its teams in the upcoming March Madness tournament, but they must first battle it out for a conference title.
The tournament will be in a single-elimination format, with 11 teams set to battle at the infamous Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Previews and predictions for 2021 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The Villanova Wildcats have won the Big East Tournament championship in each of the last three years but had a significant loss at the end of their regular season.
Senior guard and offensive captain Collin Gillespie went down with a season-ending knee injury on Wednesday, March 3rd, against the Creighton Bluejays.
Following Gillespie's injury, the Wildcats lost the game against the unranked Providence Friars, leaving some big question marks around the status of the defending champions.
The Creighton Bluejays have a very strong product, presenting a huge threat in this tournament as the second seed.
Here's how the opening two rounds of the Big East Tournament stack up:
(Ranking numbers are tournament seeding for each team)
2021 Big East Tournament - First Round
Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 - New York City, NY
Game 1: (8) Georgetown vs. (9) Marquette - 3:00 PM ET
Game 2: (7) Xavier vs. (10) Butler - 6:00 PM ET
Game 3: (6) Providence vs. (11) DePaul - 9:00 PM ET
2021 Big East Tournament - Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 11th, 2021 - New York City, NY
Game 4: (1) Villanova vs. Game 1 winner - 12:00 PM ET
Game 5: (4) St. John's vs. (5) Seton Hall - 3:00 PM ET
Game 6: (2) Creighton vs. Game 2 winner - 6:00 PM ET
Game 7: (3) UConn vs. Game 3 winner - 9:00 PM ET
2021 Big East Tournament Prediction
While the loss of one player does not define the team, the Villanova Wildcats will not be the favorites to win a fourth-straight Big East title without Collin Gillespie. The Creighton Bluejays and the Uconn Huskies should be very dangerous in this tournament, both showing great offense throughout the year.
The sleeper of the tournament will be the sixth-seeded Providence Friars, a team that notoriously shows up in the clutch under head coach Ed Cooley. The Villanova Wildcats still have a very talented group and will be playing with a purpose after losing their captain. Although there are a few favorites, this year's tournament is up for grabs, and the hottest team could run away with it.
Where to watch 2021 Big East Tournament
All opening-round matches and quarter-final games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports One.