The first day of the Big East Tournament is in the books, capped by Marquette's easy win over Providence in the first round. The Golden Eagles took control early, steamrolling the Friars in an 87-66 win. Darius Johnson-Odom led the way for the Golden Eagles with a game-high 23 points. Vincent Council and Marshon Brooks added 21 and 20 points, respectively, in the loss.
Marquette's win may be enough for an NCAA Tournament bid as the Big East tries to get 11 teams into the Big Dance. The Big East has been a powerhouse in 2011, and with a weak bubble it's possible the league sends double-digit teams the the NCAAs come Selection Sunday.
Marquette moves on to play sixth-seeded West Virginia on Wednesday in the second round of the marathon that is the Big East Tournament. The Mountaineers and Golden Eagles tip-off at 9 p.m. in the nightcap.
Providence is done for the year, finishing the season with a 15-17 mark, including a 4-14 record in Big East play.
With one day in the books, we've already seen two upsets, with Rutgers beating Seton Hall and South Florida shocking Villanova. The big boys begin to roll into Madison Square Garden on Wednesday as the second round gets underway.
For more on this game, check out Anonymous Eagle, SB Nation's Marquette blog.
Updated 2011 Big East Tournament bracket:
First round: Tuesday, March 8
No. 9 Connecticut Huskies def. No. 16 DePaul Blue Devils, 97-71
No. 13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights def. No. 12 Seton Hall Pirates, 76-70
No. 15 South Florida Bulls def. No. 10 Villanova Wildcats, 70-67
No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles def. No. 14 Providence Friars,
Second round: Wednesday, March 9
No. 8 Georgetown Hoyas vs. UConn, noon, ESPN
No. 5 St. John's Red Storm vs. Rutgers, 2, ESPN
No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats vs. USF, 7, ESPN
No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Marquette, 9, ESPN
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 10
No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Georgetown/UConn, noon, ESPN
No. 4 Syracuse Orange vs. St. John's/Seton Hall/Rutgers, 2, ESPN
No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Cincinnati/Villanova/USF, 7, ESPN
No. 3 Louisville Cardinals vs. West Virginia/Marquette/Providence, 9, ESPN
Semifinals: Friday, March 11
Quarterfinals game 1 winner vs. quarterfinals game 2 winner, 7, ESPN
Quarterfinals game 3 winner vs. quarterfinals game 4 winner, 7, ESPN
Championship game: Saturday, March 12
Semifinals winners, 9, ESPN
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