Big East Tournament 2013: Analyzing Each Top Seed's Greatest Threats in New York

With plenty of upheaval set for the future, the 2013 Big East tournament marks the last time traditional teams will face off in the conference.

It adds another element to what has been an action-packed tournament throughout the years. 

Georgetown, Louisville and Marquette are the top seeds in the tournament this year (in that order), but they will surely face some imposing underdogs.

Here's a look at each top seed's greatest threats in the 2013 Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

3. Marquette (23-7, 14-4 Big East): Louisville, Villanova, Georgetown

Marquette will likely face Notre Dame in the quarterfinals, but the Golden Eagles defeated the Fighting Irish on March 2 and the Fighting Irish just got blasted by Louisville. I expect Marquette to advance to the semifinals.

But that's where it gets interesting.

Marquette could meet Louisville and Villanova (one of the wild cards in the tournament) in the semifinals and suffered defeats to both teams this season. The Golden Eagles lost to Villanova by four points on Feb. 23 and got blown out by Louisville on Feb. 3.

The Golden Eagles also lost by a landslide to Georgetown, whom they could meet in the finals, in a rematch on Feb. 11.

What do all three teams have in common? They have the defenses to disrupt Marquette's offense.

2. Louisville (26-5, 14-4 Big East): Villanova, Georgetown

Louisville will likely face Villanova in the quarterfinals.

As you may remember, the Cardinals lost to the Wildcats on Jan. 22, 73-64. Villanova was able to overcome 19 turnovers by shooting 46 percent from the floor and going 22-of-29 from the free-throw line.

The Wildcats have not shot well overall this season, but in their performance against Louisville—and their win against Georgetown on March 6 in which they shot 47 percent—they showed that they rise to the level of competition. They are a serious sleeper in the tournament.

Georgetown, which is Louisville's potential championship game opponent, beat the Cardinals in a nail-biter on Jan. 26, 53-51. Louisville is ranked 101st in the nation in field-goal percentage and shot 35 percent from the floor in the loss. Georgetown, which is ranked sixth in the nation in opponents' field-goal percentage (via TeamRankings.com), has the defense to make life difficult for Louisville.

1. Georgetown (24-5, 14-4 Big East): Villanova, Louisville, Pittsburgh

It's going to be interesting what happens if Georgetown faces Pittsburgh in the semifinals. The Panthers demolished the Hoyas on Jan. 8, 73-45. Then again, that was before the Hoyas won 14 of their next 16 games.

The Hoyas got killed in just about every category against Pittsburgh, but the one category that they should be most focused on is rebounding. Georgetown ranks 120th in the nation in rebounding rate (via TeamRankings.com) and was outrebounded by Pitt in January. Pitt ranks 11th in rebounding rate.

If the Hoyas get past the semifinals, they will likely face Louisville or Villanova in the championship game. Georgetown lost to Villanova by 10 points on March 6 and won a squeaker against Louisville on Jan. 26.

Villanova simply shows up against top opponents. Louisville has the defense to squelch Georgetown's offense. Louisville is also a better rebounding squad than Georgetown and Villanova.