The Big East conference tournament is officially underway as Villanova looks to capitalize off their regular-season title. Currently sitting at No. 4 in the overall rankings, Villanova wants a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but has to get through a competitive Big East bracket before that can happen. The Wildcats have struggled in Big East tournaments of the past and they hope to change that history as they face off against Marquette in the first round.
Villanova is aiming to avoid a second-straight early exit in the Big East tournament. If they lose, the No. 1 seed is likely out of the question for the Wildcats, so they cannot afford any slipups. The last time Villanova one a conference tournament, it was 1995 and since then they have been eliminated either in the first or second rounds. Last year they were eliminated in their tournament opener by Seton Hall. They have not won more than one game in the Big East tournament since 2004. They hope to change that on Thursday facing Marquette.
If Villanova were to win the Big East, they are a lock for the top seed. They would likely join Kentucky, Virginia and Duke in that ranking. Last year they lost the No. 1 seed following that early exit and they do not want that same taste in their mouth twice. NCAA tournament seeding will be released on Sunday and Villanova wants their name called, but work is ahead of them over the weekend.
The Big East is not as competitive as it once was. Marquette is certainly not expected to win this game as a No. 9 seed, but then again the same can be said for Seton Hall last year. Georgetown and Butler could both give the Wildcats a run for their money later in the weekend, so the Wildcats cannot afford to coast. Villanova will use their 3-point shooting skills to get ahead. They have been shooting 40 percent from long range in conference play while Josh Hard, Ryan Arcifiacono and Dnaiel Ochefu all got All-Big East first-team honors. Marquette did manage to snap a four-game Big East Tournament losing streak and hope to play upset on Thursday.