Madison Square Garden Welcomes Big East Tournament, Starting Tonight

The Big East tournament tips off tonight at Madison Square Garden, as No. 1 seed Villanova Wildcats look to secure one of the four No. 1 seeds that are dished out for the NCAA Tournament.

The quarterfinals on March 12^th have two matchups already scheduled; Providence vs. St. Johns and Butler vs. Xavier. Villanova and No. 2 seed Georgetown await their opponents from the two games that are being played today on March 11^th.

Seton Hall takes on Marquette at 7:00 p.m. and shortly after (estimated 9:30 p.m.) DePaul takes on Creighton.

The current bracket projections by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi have six Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament, with little room for wiggle room unless an expected team makes a run for a Big East tournament championship. The first six seeds of the Big East tournament are all safely in and will be playing even with a quarterfinals loss.

Villanova tickets for the Big East tournament tickets vary depending on the day. According toRazorGator.com, the highest average ticket price is for one session is March 13^th, which is the tournament semifinal. The average ticket price is $292.02 with a walk-in price of $64. The average ticket price is $232.25 with a walk-in price of $47 for March 14^th if Villanova were to reach the finals. The highest average ticket is for an all sessions pass, which is going for $1,764.48 with a walk-in price of $314.

Although not too many teams have their season at risk when the tournament begins, there is still plenty of shifting (upwards or downwards) for seeds, which can determine a team’s path in the big dance. The most pressure may be on the No. 1 seed in the tournament Villanova, who wants the easiest path as possible in the NCAA Tournament, and can only get that if they win the conference tournament. Teams will have plenty of motivation while playing at Madison Square Garden this week.

For fans traveling from out of town Madison Square Garden parking from ParkWhiz starts at just $11, which is very reasonable for New York City parking