Big East Tournament 2013 Bracket: Teams with the Most to Lose in NYC

The Big East is having its final conference tournament before splitting up next season, and Louisville leads the list of teams that has the most to lose in the Big East tournament.

As a conference, there are at least seven teams that are considered to be virtual locks for the NCAA tournament: Louisville, Georgetown, Syracuse, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Cincinnati. Had UConn been eligible, they'd be in as well.

Villanova will have the most pressure out of any team in the conference. They are currently on the bubble and have to have a good showing.

March Madness always has crazy moments, especially in the Big East tournament. As these schools prepare to go their separate ways, let's check out what teams have the most to lose at Madison Square Garden this week.

Louisville

Since reaching No. 1 in late January, Louisville is 10-4. This is a team that looked like the clear front-runner in the conference for most of the season, but they hit a bump in the road early in conference play.

The Cardinals have rebounded nicely after losing a five-overtime classic to Notre Dame just over a month ago. Since that loss, they have gone on a seven-game winning streak and moved back up to No. 4 in the polls.

Senior Peyton Siva has been his usual self all season, and he is averaging a career-high 5.9 assists per game. Gorgui Dieng averaged a double-double, so they have multiple guys who can control different aspects of the game.

Now that the Cardinals are No. 4, all they have to do is win the Big East tournament and they claim a No. 1 seed.

Georgetown

Perhaps the favorite to win the tournament is Georgetown. The Hoyas knocked off the Cardinals in their only meeting this season. 

Georgetown has won 12 of 13, including wins over co-Big East champs Louisville and Marquette. They have also knocked off Pac-12 champion UCLA and fell to Big Ten champion Indiana. 

Otto Porter Jr. leads the team in points and rebounds. He has the ability to drop 30 points on any given night, so he can be the star of the tournament if he's on.

Like Louisville, the Hoyas could capture a No. 1 seed by winning the Big East tournament. Given the head-to-head result, there might be more pressure on the Hoyas.

Villanova

As the only team in the Big East on the bubble, Villanova has the most to lose in this tournament. The other two teams have No. 1 seeds at stake, but Villanova could be playing for its tournament life.

The Wildcats benefit from playing in a tough conference. They have knocked off three Top-Five opponents this season, but those all came at home. They lost their only two road games against ranked teams, so they need to show they can play away from home.

Villanova went 19-12 (10-8) in the regular season, but they have some work to do in the Big East tournament. They take on St. John's, a team that took them to overtime in The Pavilion, in the second round. A loss to the Red Storm would likely knock the Wildcats out of the NCAA tournament. 

If the Wildcats win, they would get Louisville in the next round. It should get them in the NCAA tournament, but a blowout loss to Louisville would be the worst-case scenario. A win over the Cardinals will guarantee the Wildcats a spot in the dance.

Villanova knocked off all of the co-Big East champions during the regular season. They have shown that they can compete with anyone, but they haven't shown that they can do it away from home.

While the other teams are battling for seeding, the Wildcats need at least one win to go dancing.

*All stats courtesy of ESPN.com