Big East Tournament 2012: Bracket, Dates, Start Time and TV Schedule

The dawn of March means one of the best conference tournaments in all of sport commences when the Big East tournament takes to Madison Square Garden. 

We are going to have a funky good time.   

An automatic bid to the big dance at the NCAA tournament is up for grabs in what is always an exciting display of collegiate basketball.

The chance for upsets and last-second shots will keep us intrigued all week long. Let's take a deeper look at one of the best tourneys around.

*All games played in Madison Square Garden in New York City. All times ET.

First Round—Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 

Game 1: No. 16 DePaul vs. No. 9 Seton Hall, 12:00 p.m on ESPN2 

Game 2: No. 13 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 St. Johns, 2:00 p.m on ESPN2

Game 3: No. 15 Providence vs. No. 10 Connecticut, 7:00 p.m on ESPNU

Game 4: No. 14 Villanova vs. No. 11 Rutgers, 9:00 p.m on ESPNU 

Second Round—Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 

Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. No. 8 West Virginia, 12:00 p.m. on ESPN

Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 5 Cincinnati, 2:00 p.m. on ESPN 

Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. No. 7 Louisville, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. No. 6 South Florida, 9:00 p.m. on ESPN

Quarterfinals—Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. No. 1 Syracuse, 12:00 p.m. on ESPN

Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. No. 4 Georgetown, 2:00 p.m. on ESPN

Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. No. 2 Marquette, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, 9:00 p.m. on ESPN

Semifinals—Friday, March 9th, 2012

Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner, 9:00 p.m. on ESPN

Championship—Saturday, March 10th, 2012 

Semifinal Winners, 9:00 p.m. on ESPN

You can view the tournament bracket layout here. 

Teams To Watch 

Cincinnati Bearcats

There are a bevy of teams to watch that will dance in March, but none are more intriguing heading into the Big East tournament than the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

Their most recent victory is also the one that has them on the right side of the bubble watch. JaQuon Parker poured in a career-high 28 points in an upset over No. 8 Marquette. There is still a great deal of winning to be done for their name to be called on Selection Sunday.

Syracuse

If you want a litmus test for all other teams, Syracuse would be the team that will prove your mettle. It is the No. 2 team in the nation coming in and has a bye to the quarterfinals. 

The Orange have a lone misstep against Notre Dame and will be looking to solidify their attack ahead of the all-important NCAA tournament. Wins against Louisville and Georgetown prove they can handle the pressure of solid teams.

Marquette

Speaking of Marquette, it let one huge game get away from it against Cincy, one in which its defense was sloppy and ineffective. 

However, the Golden Eagles passed their final test of the regular season on Saturday. They beat down Georgetown 83-69, thanks to a dominate 26 point, 14 rebound effort from Jae Crowder.

Georgetown

Although they were coming off a strong victory over 19th ranked Notre Dame, the erratic Hoyas were spanked by Marquette in their regular season finale.

Georgetown is completely unpredictable, but they're still as dangerous as any team in the Big East.

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