The Big East tournament starts today (right now, actually) and although Villanova is not on the schedule, The way these games shake out will surely have an effect on the 'Cats come Thursday or Friday.

Most directly, the 2pm match-up between St. Johns and UConn will determine who will play Marquette tomorrow for the right to take on Villanova on Thursday. Could a hot UConn or St. Johns team upset Marquette tomorrow? Would you want to see the 'Cats take another shot at the Huskies?

The USF/DePaul matchup that is already underway, will ultimately affect who will play Syracuse on Thursday. If either of those teams, or Georgetown can give Syracuse a tough game or knock them off, it could alter Villanova's chances in a potential Friday-night matchup.

Today's complete Big East schedule follows:

12:00 p.m.: #9 South Florida vs. #16 DePaul – ESPN2

2:00 p.m.: #12 Connecticut vs. #13 St. John’s – ESPN2

7:00 p.m.: #10 Seton Hall vs. #15 Providence – ESPNU

9:00 p.m.: #11 Cincinnati vs. #14 Rutgers – ESPNU

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See Also:

• 2010 Big East Tournament Bracket [PDF]
• In Big East, a tight field [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• The Big East’s Big Spenders? Just Check Out the Standings [NYTimes]
• 2010 Big East Conference Tournament Preview [Sports Network]
• Spotlight shines on Big East at MSG [ESPN]
• Free Game Audio from BigEast.tv