Big East Tournament 2017: Conference's Top Threats to Outlast Villanova

The Villanova Wildcats are in prime position to win back-to-back national titles, but first, they will try to avenge last year's loss in the Big East championship to Seton Hall. 

'Nova have some tough challengers this season. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi predicts that seven of the Big East's 10 teams will make March Madness this season, an incredible number when you realize that equates to a whopping 70 percent of the league.

Here is the final Big East tournament schedule as well as the three teams with the best chance to knock off Villanova.

Date	Time (ET)	Round	Matchup	Television
Wednesday, March 8	7 p.m.	First	No. 8 St. John's vs. No. 9 Georgetown	FS1
Wednesday, March 8	9:30 p.m.	First	No. 7 Xavier vs. No. 10 DePaul	FS1
Thursday, March 9	Noon	Quarterfinals	No. 1 Villanova vs. 8/9 winner	FS1
Thursday, March 9	2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinals	No. 5 Seton Hall vs. No. 4 Marquette	FS1
Thursday, March 9	7 p.m.	Quarterfinals	No. 2 Butler vs. 7/10 winner	FS1
Thursday, March 9	9:30 p.m.	Quarterfinals	No. 3 Providence vs. No. 6 Creighton	FS1
Friday, March 10	6:30 p.m.	Semifinals	TBD	FS1
Friday, March 10	9 p.m.	Semifinals	TBD	FS1
Saturday, March 11	5:30 p.m.	Finals	TBD	Fox

Information via bigeast.com. All games will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Seton Hall

The Pirates didn't fare well against Villanova this season, losing their two games by scores of 76-46 and 92-70.

However, Seton Hall has been playing better of late. After their last loss to Villanova, the Pirates won four consecutive games, including a 70-64 win at No. 13 Butler.

Bleacher Report college basketball writer CJ Moore was very impressed with the Pirates on Saturday:

The Pirates have the best rebounder in the nation, junior forward Angel Delgado, who averages 15.6 points and 13 boards per game. Junior forward Khadeen Carrington leads the team with 17 points per game, while junior forward Desi Rodriguez is not far behind with 16 per contest.

Carrington will be the key to this team in March. If he gets to the bucket and becomes the team's go-to guy down the stretch, the Pirates can shock a few teams in March Madness and perhaps even Villanova at the Garden next week.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post noted Carrington's play down the stretch against Butler:

Provided Seton Hall can get past the next team on this list, it could give Villanova a much better game than the two these teams played earlier this year.

Marquette

The Golden Eagles have one of the most balanced scoring teams in the nation, with seven players averaging between 8.6 and 13 points per game.

That balance helped Marquette overcome a 17-point deficit to beat Villanova, 74-72 in January. Six Golden Eagles scored at least eight points, with senior guard Katin Reinhardt leading the team with 19.

Marquette closed the season strong with four wins in its last five games, including two against Xavier. The problem it has (and the problem Seton Hall has) is that they got the short end of the bracket straw. The two teams will likely play a tough, close game if their two contests this season are any indication (Marquette won at home 89-86 in overtime and lost on the road, 69-66). And then the winner's prize is a date against Villanova.

Still, the Golden Eagles proved they could go toe to toe with arguably the best team in the country. Why can't they do it again?

Butler

The Bulldogs have beaten No. 2 Villanova twice, No. 7 Arizona once and No. 18 Cincinnati once en route to a 23-7 record and a second-place finish in the Big East. That's a good resume.

Butler beat Villanova by eight points twice this year in part because 'Nova went cold from deep, shooting a combined 12-of-50 from beyond the arc for a 24-percent success rate.

Villanova makes 37 percent of its shots from three-point range this season, so the guess here is that if these two teams play again, variance might swing back the Wildcats' way.

However, Butler will still be a tough out for any team in March. Like Villanova, it has a lot of experience. Six of the eight players who saw significant time on the court on Saturday were juniors or seniors. Furthermore, like Marquette, Butler has a deep and balanced team, with seven players averaging at least 6.7 points and 19.4 minutes per game, led by junior Kelan Martin's 16 per game.

While the Wildcats are the clear favorite heading into the tournament, and while they will likely win behind a crowd that will have a lot of Villanova fans in the stands, Butler could give Villanova another run for its money in the title game.