Big East Tournament 2016: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates, Live Stream, Predictions

The Big East has been so top-heavy this season, with Villanova and Xavier easily the two best teams, but that's not necessarily a good thing heading into the conference tournament.

Since 2010, the Big East's No. 1 seed has only won the conference tournament twice (2013 Louisville, 2015 Villanova). The conference has undergone drastic changes over the last three years, with Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame moving to the ACC, so the path to a title isn't as daunting as it once was. 

With the official bracket for the Big East tournament set, here's a look at the matchups and schedule of games from Madison Square Garden, per the conference:

Tournament Favorite: Villanova Wildcats

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Who else could it be?

In addition to being the top seed, Villanova has lost just two conference games all season. A 90-83 loss against Xavier on Feb. 24 does set up a potentially intriguing championship matchup if it comes to that. 

Yet Xavier wasn't even able to capitalize on that victory, allowing a season-high 90 points against Seton Hall four days later. Seton Hall isn't exactly a pushover at 27-4, but the Musketeers clearly put all their eggs in one game against Villanova.

This is a very different Villanova team than the ones that have had early NCAA tournament exits the previous three years. Those teams, particularly in 2014 and 2015, were built primarily on scoring and offense:

Season	Points Per Game	Offensive Efficiency	Points Allowed Per Game	Defensive Efficiency
2013-14	78.0 (32nd)	113.2 (34th)	66.5 (78th)	96.6 (32nd)
2014-15	76.5 (23rd)	116.9 (8th)	60.9 (43rd)	93.1 (19th)
2015-16	77.0 (87th)	113.5 (27th)	63.0 (13th)	93.0 (11th)

Villanova head coach Jay Wright has his best defense during this recent run of success, taking pressure away from an offense that doesn't score points in bunches. It's not always a sexy formula to watch, but it's one that has carried the Wildcats to great success this season. 

This is also a deeper and more balanced team than what Wright has had, as five players average at least 10 points. Last year, for instance, only three players averaged that mark. Josh Hart is the star of the show, but Kris Jenkins and Jalen Brunson are fantastic from three-point range.

This year's Wildcats have more ways to win games than the clubs from the last two years have, even after the 2014-15 team won the Big East tournament.

Underrated Contender: Butler Bulldogs

Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

Trying to find an under-the-radar contender in the Big East is difficult because of how dominant Villanova and Xavier have been. Seton Hall doesn't necessarily fall into the "underrated" category with a 22-8 record and victory over Xavier. 

Georgetown, DePaul and St. John's are all under .500, so that leaves Creighton, Providence, Butler and Marquette to choose from. 

Providence's success depends so much on Ben Bentil and Kris Dunn that if one of them has an off night, the Friars are going to be in trouble. Creighton is just 6-11 this season against teams in ESPN's Basketball Power Index top 100. Marquette ranks outside the top 100 in scoring offense and defense. 

That leaves Butler as the one team left standing. The Bulldogs haven't dominated this season, owning a respectable 21-9 record with nine of those wins coming against teams in ESPN's BPI top 100. 

Butler did lose all four games it played against Xavier and Villanova this year, though it did play better against the Wildcats with the average margin of defeat being 7.5 points. (Xavier defeated Butler by a combined 36 points in two games.)

The Bulldogs know they can compete against Villanova, so a potential matchup with the conference's best team wouldn't be a lopsided battle. If they can manage to avoid playing Xavier a third time, this could be the group that plays spoiler. 

Title Prediction: Villanova Wildcats

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

It's tempting to go with Xavier because of its recent victory over Villanova, to say nothing of the Musketeers just being a really good team. 

There's also a stigma against Villanova in March, largely due to the program's early exits from the NCAA tournament. Despite winning a combined 62 games the previous two seasons, the Wildcats have never moved past the third round. 

ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil recently brought up 'Nova's tournament woes and how this team can't hide from those struggles:

"

Since their 2009 Final Four run, the Wildcats are 0-for-the-first-weekend in the NCAA tournament, negating -- at least in the eyes of fans and the general basketball public -- everything else that came before.

• 2015: No. 8 seed NC State 71, No. 1 seed Villanova 68 (round of 32)

• 2014: No. 7 seed UConn 77, No. 2 seed Villanova 65 (round of 32)

• 2013: No. 8 seed North Carolina 78, No. 9 seed Villanova 71 (round of 64)

• 2011: No. 8 seed George Mason 61, No. 9 seed Villanova 57 (round of 64)

• 2010: No. 10 seed Saint Mary's 75, No. 2 seed Villanova 68 (round of 32)

"

If Villanova is going to erase that recent history, the first place to start is in the conference tournament. It will also help if the Wildcats are able to get revenge against Xavier, because the Wildcats have struggled against top-tier opponents. 

Villanova has four losses this season that have come against three top-10 opponents (Oklahoma, Virginia, Xavier) and Providence. Those are the teams the Wildcats have to defeat if they want to win a national championship. 

Villanova did defeat Xavier by 31 points in December, so it's not as if the Musketeers have owned this rivalry. The Wildcats have been the Big East's best team all season, are the defending conference tournament champions and have rebounded after that loss against Xavier. 

If another team walks out of Madison Square Garden on March 12 with the automatic Big East bid, it will be a huge upset.