It’s March and that means it’s time for the NCAA Conference Championship tournaments. The Big East tournament kicked off Wednesday with seeds six through eleven squaring off in the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden. While two of the three games resulted in predictable outcomes, one DePaul managed to pull a massive upset.
DEPAUL 66, SETON HALL 65
The tenth seeded DePaul Blue Demons edged the seventh seeded Seton Hall Pirates. Umoja Gibson put DePaul ahead with a pair of free throws in the final seconds, and Nick Ongenda blocked a layup to preserve the victory. With only ten wins in the regular season, DePaul has to win the Big East Tournament to make the Big Dance. DePaul will face second seeded in the tournament, and No. 15 in the country, Xavier on Thursday.
ST. JOHN’S 76, BUTLER 63
The St. John’s Red Storm held serve in their first round game as they beat the Butler Bulldogs 76-63. Joel Soriano led the way for the eighth seeded Red Storm, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. St. John’s will take on the tournament top seed, and number 6 in the country, Marquette Golden Eagles Thursday. St. John’s needs a deep run in the tournament to make the NCAA tournament.
VILLANOVA 80, GEORGETOWN 48
The most lopsided matchup of day one featured the seventh seeded Villanova Wildcats and the eleventh seeded Georgetown Hoyas. Cam Whitmore led the way for Villanova scoring 19 points and grabbing ten rebounds en route to the 32 point victory. It was an off year for Villanova who is normally one of the more consistent teams in the Big East. Despite winning two National Championships in the past decade, Villanova is another team who needs a deep run in the Big East tournament to make it to the Big Dance.
BIG EAST DAY TWO SCHEDULE
Thursday is packed with four games on the Big East Tournament docket. Let’s take a look at the schedule.
8 St. Johns vs. 1 Marquette
5 Providence vs. 4 Connecticut
10 DePaul vs. 2 Xavier
7 Villanova vs. 3 Creighton
The tournament continues until Saturday with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament next week.
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