Big East Tournament 2023: TV Schedule and Early Men's Bracket Predictions

With a week to go in men's Big East play, the Marquette Golden Eagles have all but locked up the No. 1 seed. There's still plenty of seeding to be decided, though.

Marquette owns a two-game lead over Xavier and Providence, who remain tied for second place. But with games against St. John's and Butler on tap, it's unlikely they will be giving up their lead because they would have to lose both games.

However, the battle for the second seed and subsequent seeding battles will be sorted out over the next week. That's not to mention the seeding in the NCAA tournament that will be impacted by the games.

The conference tournament is obviously going to play a crucial role, but Joe Lunardi's latest bracket projection features five Big East teams, so the conclusion of the regular season is important, too.

Here's a look ahead at the conference tournament schedule, a projected tournament field and some of the most important games over the next week.

Big East Men's Tournament Schedule

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Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner

March 8

Game 1: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, 3 p.m. ET on FS1

Game 2: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1

Game 3: No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed, 8 p.m. ET on FS1

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March 9

Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. No. 1 seed, noon ET on FS1

Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1

Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. No. 2 seed, 7 p.m. ET on FS1

Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. No. 3 seed, 9:30 p.m. ET on FS1

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March 10

Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1

Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m. ET on FS1

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March 11

Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1

Bracket Predictions

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Providence's Bryce Hopkins

1. Marquette

2. Providence

3. Xavier

4. Creighton

5. UConn

6. Seton Hall

7. Villanova

8. St. John's

9. Butler

10. DePaul

11. Georgetown

Key Games

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Xavier's Jack Nunge

Xavier at Providence, March 1, 6:30 p.m. ET

This one is easily the game of the week. No. 19 Xavier and No. 20 Providence are back-to-back in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The two have identical records for the season at 21-8, with a 13-5 mark in conference play.

The last time the two teams played it went to overtime, with Xavier edging out the Friars 85-83. Jack Nunge went off for the Musketeers with 23 points and 14 rebounds and two blocks.

Xavier has struggled since then, though. Sean Miller's team is just 3-3 in its last six games, more than doubling their conference losses, including a loss to Butler and Villanova.

Meanwhile, Providence seems to be playing better. It is 4-2 in the same stretch, with a win over Creighton highlighting the run.

The winner here is likely going to claim the No. 2 seed and have real momentum.

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UConn at Villanova, March 4, 7:30 p.m. ET

Fans of a certain age will remember 2011 when UConn came into the Big East tournament as the nine-seed, caught fire and stunned their way to the championship led by Kemba Walker.

It isn't quite time to sound those alarms yet, but the Huskies do seem to be igniting at the right moment.

Ed Cooley has his team playing really well. At one point, UConn were 2-6 during an eight-game stretch in conference play. Now, they've won six of their last seven, with the only loss coming against Creighton by three points on the road.

Jordan Hawkins has come on as a consistent presence, leading the team in scoring in each of its last three games with 20 points.

Villanova comes in with a hot streak of its own. The Wildcats have won five of their last six, including back-to-back wins over Xavier and Creighton. These are two of the hottest teams in the conference, and Villanova has won five of the last seven Big East men's tournaments.