Big East Championship Game 2016: Villanova vs. Seton Hall Schedule, Preview

The Big East tournament is down to two teams as the No. 1 seed Villanova Wildcats prepare to take on the No. 3 seed Seton Hall Pirates in the championship game on Sunday.

Villanova, which most likely will end up with a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed, was supposed to be in this game, but the Pirates got here by pulling off a bit of a surprise in the semifinals.

Although they had a nice 24-win season, the No. 2 seed Xavier Musketeers were thought to pose a huge threat to the Wildcats had they reached the title game. Instead, it was Seton Hall crashing the party.

Wednesday, March 9	First Round
Thursday, March 10	Quarterfinals
Friday, March 11	Semifinals
Saturday, March 12	Finals
Matchups	Winner
No. 8 Georgetown vs. No. 9 DePaul	Georgetown
No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 St. John's	Marquette
Matchups	Winner
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 8 Georgetown	Villanova
No. 4 Providence vs. No. 5 Butler	Providence
No. 2 Xavier vs. No. 7 Marquette	Xavier
No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Creighton	Seton Hall
Matchups	Winner
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 4 Providence	Villanova
No. 2 Xavier vs. No. 3 Seton Hall	Seton Hall
Matchup	Winner
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 3 Seton Hall	TBD

What: Big East Tournament Finals

When: March 12, 5:30 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: Fox

Seton Hall has had a very nice year, including the most victories since the 1992-93 season. However, Villanova has an argument when it comes to deciding the best team in the country.

The Wildcats' 29 wins match the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks for most for a Power Five team, and their four losses are all to teams with an RPI less than 50. They've also cruised in two victories in the Big East tournament, including a revenge win over the Providence Friars. 

Providence coach Ed Cooley explained one reason the Wildcats are so tough to beat following their semifinal loss, per ESPN.com: 

"I think the difference between the two teams today was veteran composure, especially down the stretch," Cooley said. "I thought we made a lot of critical mistakes that they capitalized on."

Seton Hall will prove to be a tough out having won seven of its past eight games coming into the Villanova matchup, with two of them over Xavier.

Isaiah Whitehead has scored at least 20 points in his past six games, and Seton Hall most likely will be coming in with a nothing-to-lose attitude over the favored Wildcats.

However, their resume is not as strong as Villanova's with three RPI losses to teams ranked 51-100. They also dropped two games to the Wildcats already this season.

Date	Location	Score	Winner	Leading Scorer
Jan. 6	Villanova	72-63	Villanova	Isaiah Whitehead, SH and Daniel Ochefu, Vill., 20
Jan. 20	Seton Hall	72-71	Villanova	Whitehead, 21

Of course, when it comes to March Madness it's usually fruitless to try to predict the outcomes of most games. Beating a good team three times in one season is no easy task, but coach Jay Wright's team is built to do just that.

Villanova, which plays seven players at least 19 minutes per game, has five players averaging double-figure points, led by Josh Hart's 15.6, and can flat out shoot the ball.

Wright's squad knocks down 46.7 percent of its field goals (third in Big East), 78.0 percent of its free throws (first in Big East) and 34.2 percent of its three-pointers (sixth in Big East).

The way this championship week has gone, with buzzer-beaters and upsets, there is no reason to think this won't be a good game. Seton Hall is good enough to win, but look for Villanova to live up to its seed and pull out a close one with clutch free-throw shooting in the final minute.

Prediction: Villanova 77, Seton Hall 74