Big East Tournament Preview for Games on Thursday, March 12, 2026

By Richard Janvrin | Mar 12, 2026, 6:12am

We’re through the second round of the Big East Tournament and in that round, every team with a lower seeding won. That includes No. 11 Georgetown taking down No. 6 DePaul. Now, these teams will face stiff competition, as the No. 1 through No. 4 seeds begin play.

Thursday’s Big East Conference Tournament Schedule

St. John’s vs. Providence – 12:00/Peacock
Seton Hall vs. Creighton – 15:00/Peacock
UConn vs. Xavier – 18:30/FS1
Villanova vs. Georgetown – 21:00/FS1

2026 Big East Tournament Resources

Saint John’s vs. Providence Game Preview

St. John’s is looking to bounce back this season in the NCAA Tournament after losing last year in the second round to Arkansas, and part of that will be making it through the Big East Tournament. First up, they have Providence, who are coming off a win over Butler. This squad has three players averaging double-digit points and seven average 7.3 or better. They’re led by Zuby Ejiofor, who averages 16 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. St. John’s is a great rebounding team, averaging 38.7 per game. According to KenPom, the Red Storm are 51st in offensive efficiency (119.9) and are excellent defensively, ranking 14th in defensive efficiency (95.4).

As for Providence, they took down Butler 91-81, and Stefan Vaaks finished with 28 points. Additionally, Ryan Mela and Jaylin Sellers each had 23. Mela was one shy of a double-double, recording nine rebounds. Buter shot just 29% from beyond the arc, while Providence was excellent at 52%. The Friars are excellent offensively, with an offensive efficiency os 121.4 (37th), but they rank 187th in defensive efficiency (110.0).

Providence shot extremely well against Butler, but they have an uphill battle against St. John’s. Not only that, but I’m not sure how their defense will do as they rank 291st in opponent 3-point percentage (35.7%). Providence needs to hope they can continue shooting well to have a chance to take down St. John’s. They split the regular-season series, and in St. John’s loss, they shot a putrid 28.2% from the field.

Saint John’s vs. Providence Game Odds

Seton Hall vs. Creighton Game Preview

Seton Hall is one of those teams whose defense carries them to victory. As a unit, they’re 153rd in offensive efficiency (110.7). Meanwhile, they’re 13th in defensive efficiency (95.3). They have three players who average double-digit points, but their leading scorer, Adam Clark, averages 12.4 per game. They head into the tournament coming off a loss to St. John’s, 72-65.

They’re taking on a Creighton squad that’s 69th in offensive efficiency (117.1) and 100th in defensive efficiency (105.8). Their leading scorer is Josh Dix, who averages 12.7 points per game. In addition to him, three other players average double-digit points, including Austin Swartz, Jasen Green, and Nik Graves.

These teams last played on February 7, and Creighton pulled out a 69-68 win over Seton Hall at home. However, in that one, Creighton shot 43.3% from 3-point range, which was significantly better than their season-long average of 35%. Not only that, but Seton Hall holds teams to just 32.7% from beyond the arc. In this matchup, I’ll be looking to see if Seton Hall can slow down Creighton’s 3-point shooting, as they did in their first matchup on January 4, when Creighton shot just 22.2%.

Seton Hall vs. Creighton Game Odds

UConn vs. Xavier Game Preview

The Huskies head into the Big East Tournament coming off a loss to Marquette, but their opponent here, Xavier, took down Marquette in the second round. The Huskies have five players averaging 11.1 points per game or more, led by Solomon Ball at 13.9 points per game. They rank 28th in offensive efficiency (122.8) and 12th in defensive efficiency (94.5).

As for Xavier, they, as mentioned, took down Marquette in a thriller, 89-87. Jovan Milicevic led the way with 21 points. However, he’s not their leading scorer; that’s Tre Carroll. He averages 18 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Xavier has a far better offense than defense, ranking 70th in offensive efficiency (117.0) and 162nd in defensive efficiency (109.1).

This feels like one of those matchups where UConn’s defense will limit Xavier’s offense while UConn takes full advantage of an Xavier defense that allows opponents to shoot 47.6% from the field, which is 319th in college basketball.

UConn vs. Xavier Game Odds

Villanova vs. Georgetown Game Preview

The Hoyas will face Villanova after advancing out of the second round following a 63-56 win over DePaul. Georgetown saw three players — Malik Mack, Jeremiah Williams, and Vincent Iwuchukwu — score 16 or more points. That said, Georgetown shot just 21.4% from 3-point range. The Hoyas are 87th in offensive efficiency (115.1) and 93rd in defensive efficiency (105.3).

As for Villanova, they’re riding a two-game winning streak, beating Xavier and DePaul. Five players on their squad average double-digit points, and they’re led by Tyler Perkins’ 13.7 per outing. They also have Duke Brennan, who averages a 12.3-point, 10.5-rebound double-double per game, too. The Wildcats rank 39th in offensive efficiency (121.1) and 31st in defensive efficiency (100.0).

As a team, the Hoyas average more rebounds per game, but I’ll be curious to see how Iwuchukwu contends with Brennan down low. Villanova has won both matchups, including wins with final scores of 66-51 and 80-73. Brennan logged double-digit rebounds in both.

Villanova vs. Georgetown Game Odds

Big East Conference Tournament Betting Pick

Looking down the board of games in the tournament, I’m going to play it safe and lean toward the Seton Hall spread. Creighton shot extremely well from beyond the arc against them in their last game, and I’m not sure they’ll be able to replicate that. The Seton Hall offense isn’t fantastic, but I’ll rely on their defense to edge out a win over Creighton. I’ll also be looking for Adam Clark to step it up, as he did in their last game when he put up 20 points.

Best Bet: Seton Hall (1 unit)

Big East Conference Tournament Betting Tracker

Record: 1-0
Units: +1.0

Richard Janvrin

While attending the University of New Hampshire and pursuing a degree in English/Journalism, Richard Janvrin landed his first paid writing role, creating fantasy football and NFL content for Bleacher Report. After three years with the company, he expanded into the sports betting and iGaming space as legalized online wagering grew across the United States. Richard’s first role in the sports betting/iGaming industry came with Gambling.com, where he continues to contribute today. What began as a side hustle eventually turned into a full-time freelance career, leading to opportunities with outlets such as The Game Day, BetMGM, Forbes, LegalSportsReport, Lineups, and Pro Football Focus, among others. With more than a decade of professional writing experience, Richard has covered a wide range of topics, including sportsbook and casino reviews, prediction analysis, emerging prediction markets, and lottery coverage. His goal is to present complex subjects in a clear, engaging, and easy-to-understand format for readers of all experience levels.