Big East Tournament 2018: TV Schedule and Early Bracket Predictions

Although the Villanova Wildcats have been involved in the national conversation over the last few years, Jay Wright's team hasn't dominated the Big East tournament.

The Wildcats enter the 2018 Big East tournament with championships in two of the last four seasons. Providence and Seton Hall are the other two victorious teams from that time span.

Villanova's top competition is expected to come from the Xavier Musketeers, as Chris Mack's squad looks to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

However, life won't be easy for Villanova and Xavier at Madison Square Garden, as the Big East regular season has proved nothing can be taken for granted.

Big East Tournament Schedule (All Times ET)

Wednesday, March 7

No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed (7 p.m., FS1)

No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed (9:30 p.m., FS1)

Thursday, March 8

No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 vs. No. 9 seed winner (Noon, FS1) 

No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed (2:30 p.m., FS1)

No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 vs. No. 10 seed winner (7 p.m., FS1)

No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed (9:30 p.m., FS1)

Friday, March 9

Semifinal No. 1 (6:30 p.m., FS1)

Semifinal No. 2 (9 p.m., FS1)

Saturday, March 10

Final (6:30 p.m., Fox)

Bracket Predictions

Seeds

1. Xavier

2. Villanova

3. Seton Hall

4. Creighton

5. Butler

6. Providence

7. Marquette

8. Georgetown

9. DePaul

10. St. John's

1st Round

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

No. 8 Georgetown def. No. 9 DePaul

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Xavier def. No. 8 Georgetown

No. 5 Butler def. No. 4 Creighton

No. 3 Seton Hall def. No. 6 Providence

No. 2 Villanova def. No. 7 Marquette

Semifinals

No. 1 Xavier def. No. 5 Butler

No. 2 Villanova def. No. 3 Seton Hall 

Final 

No. 1 Xavier def. No. 2 Villanova

Xavier, Villanova Play in Epic Final

Legends have been created over the decades at Madison Square Garden in all iterations of the Big East tournament. 

Although the new version of the Big East has had its standout moments, this year's final will be the signature one that goes down in conference tournament lore alongside the battles from the past when Connecticut, Syracuse, Louisville and others resided in the Big East. 

Villanova dominated Xavier in two regular-season meetings, including the February 17 victory at Cintas Center. 

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Xavier will use the pair of defeats to Villanova, as well as the possibility of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, as motivation to reach the championship game. 

Villanova can solidify its claim to a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday with a quality victory over Seton Hall in the semifinals before its third showdown with the Musketeers.

In the championship game, the Musketeers will smother the three-point line and force the Wildcats to beat them in the paint.

As the pressure increases on Villanova's frontcourt, Xavier's duo of Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura hit shots to open up a decent gap.

Although the Wildcats put together a comeback in the second half, Xavier withstands the pressure and earns its first Big East tournament crown.

Trevon Bluiett Wins Tournament MVP

This isn't a bold prediction, but Bluiett should play a major role in each of Xavier's three games at Madison Square Garden.

The senior guard has shown off his ability to take over games and win them on his own this season, with his 37-point output against Seton Hall on February 14 being the latest example of that.

While Bluiett has 37 points against Villanova in two games, he hasn't been able to beat the Wildcats due to their terrific depth in the backcourt.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Bluiett opens the tournament with a strong showing against Georgetown to redeem himself after a two-point performance on February 21 in Washington, D.C.

In the semifinals against Butler, Bluiett dominates with his third 20-point performance of the season against the Bulldogs to set up the dream matchup against Villanova.

Although he'll need help from Macura, Kerem Kanter and others, Bluiett takes charge of the contest from the start and forces Villanova's shooters to match his production as the Musketeers put up a fortress around the three-point line.

When the buzzer sounds on the final, Bluiett will be a Big East tournament champion, tournament Most Valuable Player and a star on one of the four top-seeded teams in the NCAA tournament.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.