Big East Tournament 2018: Conference's Top Threats to Outlast Villanova

Villanova has long been seen as the king of the Big East Conference given its success on the national stage.

However, the Wildcats received a plethora of challenges throughout conference play, and their spot in the Big East tournament final is far from guaranteed.

Head coach Jay Wright's squad was locked in a battle for the top spot in the Big East with Xavier, which it lost despite beating the Musketeers on two occasions.

There appears to be a gap between Villanova and Xavier and the other eight teams in the Big East, but as we've seen in recent years at Madison Square Garden, anything is possible in the Big East tournament.

Top Threats to Outlast Villanova

Xavier

The first and obvious choice as the top threat to Villanova is Chris Mack's Xavier squad.

The Musketeers are side by side with Villanova in the discussion for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, but they lack a marquee win over their biggest conference rival.

Both games between the top teams in the Big East haven't been close, with Villanova winning the first meeting 89-65 and the second 95-79.

Revenge is on the minds of the Musketeers but so is the ability to prove their worth against a national power one final time before March Madness begins.

In the first loss to Villanova, Trevon Bluiett was the only Xavier starter to score over 10 points, while the Musketeers received 41 bench points.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Bluiett's performance improved in the second meeting on home soil, where he led all scorers with 26 points while J.P. Macura added 14 of his own.

The problem for Xavier against Villanova has been limiting the Wildcats' influence from the three-point line after they hit 28 three-pointers over the two regular-season meetings.

If Mack finds a way to adjust his defensive game plan to focus on the perimeter, the Musketeers should be able to win the Big East tournament final by shutting down Villanova's big men.

Seton Hall

Villanova's most likely opponent in the semifinals is the team that pushed it to overtime Wednesday at the Prudential Center.

Seton Hall fell one point shy of knocking off the Wildcats, but the Pirates showed they can play with one of the best teams in the nation when in their best form.

Kevin Willard's team comes into Madison Square Garden with wins in four of its last five games, with the only loss coming against Villanova.

Seton Hall's senior core is one of the most experienced and talented groups in the nation, and there's no doubt they will be a difficult opponent in the NCAA tournament.

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

What makes the Pirates so scary to Villanova is their experience, including the run to the 2016 Big East tournament championship.

Angel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez and Ish Sanogo all played significant minutes in the 2016 Big East tournament final against Villanova that the Pirates won 69-67.

Rodriguez and Sanogo have missed time with injuries recently, but that hasn't stopped Seton Hall from getting hot at the right time.

In addition to the monster in the paint that is Delgado, senior Khadeen Carrington and sophomore Myles Powell have carried the load for the Pirates.

Even if Rodriguez and Sanogo aren't 100 percent for the Big East tournament, Seton Hall can challenge Villanova in the semifinals due to the physical presence of Delgado in the paint and the shooting of Carrington and Powell.

Delgado is the biggest X-factor in the contest, and he will attempt to bully Villanova's big men on the boards.

In two games against Villanova this season, Delgado scored 25 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. If he records around a double-double, Seton Hall should be in good shape to go after its second Big East tournament title in three years.

Butler

If you're looking for an underrated team to upset Villanova in the Big East tournament, Butler is the one.

The Bulldogs were one of four teams to knock off the Wildcats during conference play, as they got the best of them in a 101-93 victory December 30.

Butler also pushed Xavier to overtime February 6, but it suffered a defeat in a contest that started a string of five losses in the final seven regular-season games.

Although they've been inconsistent recently, the Bulldogs have an opportunity to get hot at the flip of a switch with Kelan Martin patrolling the backcourt.

The senior averages 20.7 points per game and scored 35 in the regular-season finale against Seton Hall, who Butler faces in the quarterfinals.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

In six games against ranked teams during conference play, Martin scored over 20 points on five occasions, including back-to-back 30-plus point performances against Xavier and Villanova at the start of February.

Martin isn't the only player capable of lighting up the scoreboard, but he is the most likely to do so for Butler.

While it's possible for Martin to go off at Madison Square Garden and challenge the best teams in the Big East, it's hard to trust a squad that was pushed to two overtimes by both Georgetown and St. John's.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com