The 20022 Big East men’s basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday at Madison Square Garden with No. 8 Xavier facing No. 9 Butler.
Providence, Villanova, Connecticut, Creighton and Marquette all earned a first-round bye and will not play until Thursday in the quarterfinals.
This year’s Big East tournament will feature three of the best teams in the country in Villanova, Providence and UConn.
Despite beating Providence twice in the regular season, Villanova did not earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament. That distinction was bestowed upon the Friars, who won the Big East regular season crown for the first time in school history.