Big East Basketball: 2023 conference tournament preview and predictions
By Joey Loose
Predictions
First Round
#8 St. John’s vs. #9 Butler (March 8, 3:00pm)
The Red Storm gave quite the fight to a few of the top-tier teams in the league at the end of the season and will also look to avenge a close February loss to these Bulldogs. The offense is playing better and they’re more talented than Butler right now.
St. John’s wins
#7 Seton Hall vs. #10 DePaul (March 8, 5:30pm)
Another disappointing season for DePaul will get done rather quickly, while Shaheen Holloway’s first season with the Pirates has been an up-and-down affair. That 24-point win at Providence to finish off the regular season gives them momentum, and that defense has been quite tough this season, limiting DePaul in two prior wins.
Seton Hall wins
#6 Villanova vs. #11 Georgetown (March 8, 8:00pm)
There’s not much to say here: this isn’t 2021 for either of these teams. The Hoyas have really been bad in recent years while the Wildcats may not be an elite team this season but have won six of eight games to finish off the year. They made quick work of Georgetown twice before and keep their season alive with another in the opening round.
Villanova wins
Quarterfinals
#1 Marquette vs. #8 St. John’s (March 9, 12:00pm)
Five days earlier, the Red Storm took Marquette down to the wire; could they pull off the upset this time around? It’s unlikely that these Golden Eagles will give up 94 points again to this team and they should have enough firepower to avoid the early upset and keep building that resume.
Marquette wins
#4 Connecticut vs. #5 Providence (March 9, 2:30pm)
The first matchup between two of these top-tier teams, it’ll be exciting to see these lineups doing battle for a third time, with the home team winning both games by double-digits. The Huskies are the hottest team in the conference while the Friars have played dreadful defense in recent weeks; don’t expect a sudden change.
Connecticut wins
#2 Xavier vs. #7 Seton Hall (March 9, 7:00pm)
Two weeks ago, the Musketeers won this matchup by 22 points on the road and their offense has been elite ever since that game. Even with Zach Freemantle out for the rest of the season, it’s hard to imagine this young Pirates squad taking care of business, even if it is hard to beat a team three times in one season.
Xavier wins
#3 Creighton vs. #6 Villanova (March 9, 9:30pm)
What an opportunity this would be for Villanova, who just beat the Bluejays by double-digits less than two weeks ago. Creighton has played marvelous basketball for much of the season, but this game clearly means a lot more for the Wildcats, clinging to any hopes of a postseason bid. Expect the defending champions to show up.