Big East Tournament 2016: Bracket Predictions After Final Regular-Season Games

This year's Big East tournament may be the most wide-open tournament since the conference shrunk to 10 teams last year.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi has the league's top five teams—Villanova Wildcats, Xavier Musketeers, Seton Hall Pirates, Providence Friars and Butler Bulldogs—all with a spot in the NCAA tournament. How those seeds in the field of 68 will be determined depends on how this tournament plays out, which could be the most underrated conference tournament of this week.

Here's a look at the Big East bracket, per Big East Basketball, as well as predictions for this slate of games taking place in Madison Square Garden starting on March 9:

1st-Round Predictions

No. 8 Georgetown vs. No. 9 DePaul

The Hoyas swept the season series with the Blue Demons with both wins coming by double digits. Georgetown didn't win those games with its shooting, as the Hoyas shot 38 percent in both games. 

A balanced formula of three-point shooting and free throws is what brought Georgetown those two wins. Led by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera—averaging 16 points in the two meetings—the Hoyas made 38 percent of their threes and got to the line 55 times combined.

It's normally tough for a team to beat the same opponent three times, but Georgetown can do just that by sticking to that formula, and it will advance to the quarterfinals.

No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 St. John's

The Red Storm went 7-6 in nonconference play. Then they got into league play and went 1-17.

But other than beating DePaul for its lone Big East win, St. John's matched up evenly with the Golden Eagles. While Marquette won those games, they were by a combined 11 points. 

St. John's will have the home-court advantage being in New York, but head coach Chris Mullin will need to draw up a stellar game plan to pull off what would be the upset of the year. Marquette should win by at least 10 points behind a big game from freshman Henry Ellenson.

Quarterfinal Predictions

No. 8 Georgetown vs. No. 1 Villanova

The Wildcats got to where they are behind a balanced scoring attack. Five players average double figures in points, led by guard Josh Hart's 15.3 per game.

Georgetown played Villanova tough on Jan. 16 in the Verizon Center but lost 55-50, and the Wildcats capped off their regular season with a 13-point win over the Hoyas behind 17 points from Kris Jenkins.

Chris Lane from VU Hoops thinks Jenkins could be an X-factor this month for Villanova:

"

Kris Jenkins is playing the best basketball of his career heading in to March. Been tryin to tell y'all this man can carry Villanova.

— Chris Lane (@chrisjjlane) March 6, 2016"

The Wildcats have been one of the best teams in the country all year. They'll get a chance to show their muscle with a comfortable win over Georgetown.

No. 4 Providence vs. No. 5 Butler

Normally, it's all about Kris Dunn when discussing Providence, but forward Ben Bentil is the Friars' leading scorer at 21.2 points per game. 

Providence didn't play great basketball to close the regular season and lost five of its last nine. Dunn was the problem with that, as he shot below 50 percent in six of those games. This will be a test for Dunn to see where he's at on the NBA prospect scale, seeing how David Woods of the Indianapolis Star does not see him ranking high in the college level:

Butler comes into the tournament winning four of its last five, but it fell to Providence in both regular-season meetings. The duo of Dunn and Bentil should carry Providence to a win here.

No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 2 Xavier

The Musketeers are the biggest mystery of this field. They knocked off Villanova when the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the country, but they lost to Seton Hall in their next game before capping off the season with a win against Creighton.

Having the extra day off could be a difference-maker for Xavier. The Musketeers go against a Marquette team that should make quick work of St. John's. 

Trevon Bluiett and Myles Davis should dictate the tempo for Xavier, as they move on to the semifinals.

No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 3 Seton Hall

Right on cue talking about Seton Hall, the Pirates have won five of six coming into the tournament, including that aforementioned win over Xavier.

Creighton has an advantage in this matchup that no other lower seed has against its respective opponent: a win on the road against the higher seed. The Pirates got revenge three weeks after losing on Jan. 9 to the Bluejays, but the key will be stopping Seton Hall guard Isaiah Whitehead. Creighton held the sophomore to 10 points in the loss, but he scored 22 points in the win on Jan. 30.

Whitehead has scored 20 or more points in six of the last seven games. Creighton will need to contain him again if it wants to win, but on a neutral court, Whitehead may be the X-factor of this tournament as Seton Hall gets a win.

Semifinal Predictions

No. 4 Providence vs. No. 1 Villanova

It's the battle of balanced scoring attacks in this semifinal matchup. It's the rubber match, as Providence upset Villanova on Jan. 24.

While Villanova got revenge two weeks later, the key to that win for Villanova was Bentil came off the bench due to a right ankle injury. He still scored 20 points in 34 minutes, but the Wildcats held Dunn to 4-of-15 shooting.

Undercover Friar detailed how important Bentil is to Providence:

This time, Bentil is healthy. He scored 10 points in overtime in the 82-76 win over Villanova. When he's at full strength, he can carry a team to a win, much like he'll do against Villanova in an upset.

No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 2 Xavier

Xavier will get its chance to knock off Seton Hall for a spot in the championship game. But it may not be Whitehead who plays the difference-maker.

The Musketeers will need to try to contain Seton Hall forward Desi Rodriguez, who had a 27-point, 12-rebound performance in the win over Xavier on Feb. 28, with these highlights via Seton Hall Basketball:

Rodriguez also went 10-of-14 in Xavier's 84-76 win on Jan. 23, so he plays well against the Musketeers. One more big night from him could result in a championship appearance for Seton Hall, and that's what will happen. 

Championship Prediction

No. 4 Providence vs. No. 3 Seton Hall

This would be the dream matchup for the Big East. Villanova, Xavier and Butler could possibly have an NCAA tournament berth locked up regardless of how they finish in the tournament. These two teams could also have spots waiting for them by this point, and a win could mean a higher seed than anticipated.

It's Dunn and Bentil versus Whitehead and Rodriguez. The Pirates swept the season series, including an 18-point win on Feb. 25. Seton Hall also beat Providence by nine points at Providence, when the Friars were ranked No. 12 in the country on Jan. 16.

Whitehead and Dunn will get the bulk of the attention in this game, so it'll come down to Bentil and Rodriguez for who can provide that extra boost in the scoring department. At the end of the day, Providence tends to play better when the lights are at their brightest.

In a game that comes down to the final possession, the Friars take home the Big East tournament championship.