Big East Tournament 2010 Bracket Matchups Start Tuesday

The Big East tournament 2010 bracket is now set to go. On Tuesday, the bracket will begin to unfold, as the lower eight teams begin play at Madison Square Garden. Thanks to expansion and the conference's dominance, this event is the biggest in all of college basketball before the NCAAs. This year, more than a few bubble teams will make their final case, and the best teams will try to secure top seeds. No matter what, the Big East tournament 2010 bracket will be the most analyzed in the nation.

Before this season started, no one could have picked that the top seed playing on Tuesday would be South Florida, and Connecticut would be on Tuesday's slate as a 12'th seed. Yet that is how the Big East tournament 2010 bracket looks, in the first of many surprises.

On Tuesday, the event begins with ninth seeded South Florida facing last place DePaul. The Bulls are still on the outside of the bubble, but with an upset or two, they could change some minds - and no one expected them to even get that far. If they win, they will face unpredictable Georgetown, which has slid all the way down to eighth.

At approximately 2 pm on Tuesday, the most disappointing team on the Big East bracket will try to salvage their season. Connecticut was expected to drop off a bit this year, but not to 12'th place and 7-11 in the conference. In their first game at the Big East tournament since their six overtime loss to Syracuse, the Huskies will have few fans as they face host St. John's, with the winner to face fifth seeded Marquette.

Tuesday night's lineup starts with Seton Hall facing Rutgers at 7, as the Pirates try to bolster their unlikely bubble resume. However, only a win here, a win against seventh seeded Notre Dame the next night, and then a win over second seeded Pitt might give them a chance.

The Big East tournament 2010 bracket first round concludes with Cincinnati against Providence, two teams far from the bubble. The winner faces sixth seeded Louisville, which comes off a huge, NCAA clinching win against Syracuse.

After these first two rounds, the Big East tournament 2010 bracket will really get started when the top four teams take the court. Syracuse, Pitt, West Virginia and Villanova are now settled in the 1-4 slots, and will have the most time to rest. The Orange are just trying to secure a top NCAA seed, while Pitt, West Virginia and Villanova can get as high as a 2, or slide to a 3 or 4 with an early upset.

The biggest show in championship week must go through two days of lower class teams first. But the Big East tournament 2010 bracket is so stacked, one or two teams from those first days could steal the whole show.

Sources

Merinews- "Big East tournament 2010 bracket, schedule"