SPORTS

Big East Tournament slate set

Patrick Brennan
pbrennan@enquirer.com

Xavier men's basketball has a long road to hoe in next week's Big East Tournament, but it isn't alone.

Several tournament seeds have been set in place for weeks while others, like the now-No. 7 seeded Musketeers, came into clearer view Wednesday night.

By Saturday evening, every Big East team's tournament seeding was set.

The Musketeers (19-12, 9-9 Big East) will play last-place and No. 10 DePaul University when tournament play begins Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Xavier-DePaul game is scheduled to tip at 9:30 p.m. and will be a rematch of Saturday's regular season finale between the two teams. Xavier won the Saturday game, 79-64.

Should Xavier pass the first tournament hurdle and defeat DePaul Wednesday – again, a game that tips at 9:30 p.m. – it would advance to Thursday's Big East quarterfinals.

There, they'd meet a well-rested and second-seeded Butler team on a short turnaround.

The Musketeers would likely have approximately 20 hours to prep for the Bulldogs, which swept the season series from Xavier.

Tournament seeds three through six are still to be set, pending the results of Saturday's games across the Big East.

Here's an up-to-date look at the Big East Tournament slate:

WEDNESDAY, FIRST ROUND: 

Game 1, (7 p.m.): No. 8 St. John's University v. No. 9 Georgetown University

Game 2, (9:30 p.m.): No. 7 Xavier v. No. 10 DePaul

THURSDAY, QUARTERFINALS: 

Game 1 (Noon): No. 1 Villanova v. St. John's/Georgetown winner

Game 2 (2:30 p.m.): No. 4 Marquette v. No. 5 Seton Hall

Game 3 (7 p.m.): No. 2 Butler v. Xavier/DePaul winner

Game 4: (9:30 p.m.): No. 3 Providence v. No. 6 Creighton

FRIDAY, SEMIFINALS:

Game 1 (6:30 p.m.): TBD v. TBD

Game 2 (9 p.m.): TBD v. TBD

SATURDAY, CHAMPIONSHIP: 

5:30 p.m., TBD