Big East season will close with Georgetown visiting Villanova

Andy Katz of ESPN broke a nice bit of news this morning, as he cites at least one source (how does he not know the number of sources?) that is indicating that Georgetown will visit Villanova in the final Big East game of the regular season. Katz, as I'm sure will many others, applauded the decision.

The Big East will announce its conference schedule on Thursday and according to at least one source the league will end the season as it should -- with its highest-profile series between Georgetown and Villanova in Philadelphia. The Big East has a few historical rivalries and the chance to build a few long-term matchups like Creighton-Marquette and Butler-Xavier. The Big East has the opportunity to maximize its traditional teams, especially rivalries and now has a real chance to bookend its first season as a 10-team league with quality games. The Big East and its television partner Fox had already announced a New Year's Eve opening day of five games -- St. John's at Xavier, Seton Hall at Providence, DePaul at Georgetown, Villanova at Butler and Marquette at Creighton. The conference is making the right call in highlighting its two highest-rated teams for television on the final game of the regular season.

In a poll on VU Hoops last week, 80% of the community voted for having Villanova play rivals Georgetown in the regular season finale. Marquette received 7% of the vote, while St. John's came in third with 3% of the vote.

The full Big East schedule is expected to be released later today, so stay tuned.