Big East Tournament 2012 Championship Game: Cincinnati To Face Louisville Saturday Night At Madison Square Garden

The 2012 Big East Tournament Championship Game will not feature conference stalwarts such as Syracuse or Georgetown. Rather, an old Conference USA matchup will take the stage when the No. 4 seed Cincinnati Bearcats take on the No. 7 seed Louisville Cardinals. The two teams will square off Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. at the basketball mecca that is Madison Square Garden.

Cincinnati upset No. 1 seed Syracuse 71-68 on Friday evening, handing the Orange just their second loss of the season. Louisville has knocked off the No. 2 seed Marquette and the No. 3 seed Notre Dame on their way to the title game.

These two teams met earlier in the season, with the Bearcats scoring a 60-56 win over the Cardinals. This is the Bearcats first ever appearance in the Big East Championship Game. Louisville won the tournament in 2009

Big East Championship Game: Saturday, March 10

9 p.m.: No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 7 Louisville (ESPN)

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check out Voodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Big East Tournament 2012 Bracket Update, TV Schedule And More

The Semifinal Round of the Big East Tournament takes place on Thursday evening. On Wednesday, the Georgetown Hoyas went down to the Cincinnati Bearcats 72-70 in overtime. It was a hard fought game that saw the Hoyas let it slip away after an early first half lead. The Syracuse Orange advanced to the Semifinal round with a close 58-55 win over the Connecticut Huskies on Thursday afternoon, beating the Huskies for the third straight time this season. The Bearcats and the Orange will tip off at 7 p.m. in Madison Square Garden for the right to play in the Big East Tournament Finals.

The second matchup will pit Louisville against Notre Dame in the late game on Friday night. It wasn't an easy path for Notre Dame as they struggled to pull away from South Florida, needing overtime to win and make it to the semifinals, 57-53. They'll take on Louisville who made quick work of Marquette in their upset win 84-71. The Cardinals held a 10-point lead at halftime over the Eagles and just maintained through the second half for the win. The Irish took the regular season matchup from Louisville, but they needed double over time to do it.

Semifinal Round: Friday, March 9

7 p.m.: No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Syracuse (ESPN)
9 p.m.: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (ESPN)

For more on the Hoyas, visit Casual Hoya, SB Nation's Georgetown blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Big East Tournament 2012, USF Vs. Notre Dame: Bulls Fall In Overtime, 57-53

The South Florida Bulls Big East tournament run ended on Thursday night with a quarterfinals loss to the No. 3 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish. USF squandered a late lead and could not convert in overtime as the Irish pulled out the 57-53 win. It was a slow-paced slog that started with an early double-digit lead for the Bulls before ND stormed back for a two-point halftime lead. USF responded late in the second half as Notre Dame was scoreless for five and half minutes, spotting the Bulls a late lead

USF enjoyed a three-point advantage with just 38 seconds remaining but turnovers and a missed layup and free throw by Jawanza Poland let the Irish even it up and force overtime at 45-45. It was only the second overtime game of the season for South Florida, and they simply ran out of gas in the extra session.

Freshman Anthony Collins continued a breakout tournament, finishing with 13 points just one night after leading USF past Villanova with 17 points in the second round. Collins dislocated his finger late in the second half and had to go to the locker room to have it popped back into place. He would come back and return to the game with under four minutes remaining. Victor Rudd had a big game for Stan Heath as well, hitting four three-pointers and scoring a game-high 16 points.

An upset win would have likely secured an NCAA tournament berth but not the Bulls are at the mercy of the selection committee and will need to wait until Sunday night.

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check out Voodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Big East Tournament 2012, South Florida Vs. Notre Dame Score Update: Bulls Jump Out Early But Trail By Two At Half

Looking for an upset that would almost certainly secure a spot in the NCAA tournament, the South Florida Bulls jumped out to a quick 14-point lead over No. 3 seeded Notre Dame in the first ten minutes of their quarterfinal matchup. But the Irish, led by Scott Martin, would storm back over the final ten minutes of the first half to take a 28-26 lead into the locker room at Madison Square Garden.

The Bulls were led by guard Anthony Collins, who has a game-high 11 points. Collins is five of six from the floor, and was able to get penetration early, pacing the Bulls to their double-digit lead. The freshman from Houston averaged about eight points per game, but has had a breakout tournament so far in Manhattan. He scored 17 against Villanova last night and was the star of the first half for Stan Heath's club.

USF will look for some help from their upperclassmen to keep up with Notre Dame and advance through to the semifinals.

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check outVoodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Big East Tournament 2012: Notre Dame Vs. USF Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The South Florida Bulls look to be on the good side of the NCAA tournament bubble after they defeated Villanova in the first round of the Big East Tournament, and are now likely just playing to improve their seed. They might find themselves up a line or two if they can bring their best against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday.

USF did not play well against Mike Brey's side in their only meeting of the year, in South Bend. That's nothing to be ashamed of, though. Notre Dame only lost once in conference at Purcell Pavilion and defeated the Syracuse Orange in that building. A neutral site game should be a much different story, though it wouldn't be surprising if the building was a bit pro-Notre Dame.

Game Date/Time: Thursday, March 8, 9:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

TV: ESPN

Online: ESPN3

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check out Voodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Big East Tournament 2012: Bracket, TV Schedule And More

The marathon that is the Big East tournament is still rolling, and the games start to really get juicy on Thursday. All of these games can been on ESPN and also ESPN3.

The first game of the day could be the most interesting, even though it is the biggest mismatch on paper. The University of Connecticut has now won 13 straight elimination games, and despite Syracuse being the overwhelming favorite and the owner of two wins against the Huskies this year, something just just feels interesting about this one. That game starts at Noon, and the winner will face the winner of. . .

The 2 pm game, Georgetown Vs. Cincinnati. This is an odd bit of bracketology because Georgetown is a top-15 team in the Country, but Cincinnati is actually the higher seeded team in this tournament, and is coming off of a two-round bye. It remains to be seen if that is a good thing.

The 7 pm game is between Louisville and Marquette. Marquette has two of the best players in the Conference, but Louisville was a top-5 team at various points throughout this year so anything could happen. The winner of this game will play the winner of. . .

The nightcap, South Florida Vs. Notre Dame. The Irish are going to be the favorites on paper, but the Bulls play such good defense that they could shut down Notre Dame and pull out a win.

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check outVoodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Villanova Vs. USF: Bulls Grind Out 56-47 Win Over Wildcats

South Florida will earn no style points for their win Wednesday night in the 2012 Big East Tournament, but all that matters is the Bulls survived and advanced, courtesy of an ugly 56-47 win over the Villanova Wildcats.

South Florida won despite shooting two of 10 from three point land, and 42.1 percent from the floor overall. The Bulls won despite turning the ball over 17 times. That of course can be attributed to the defense South Florida plays.

The Bulls held Villanova to 34 percent shooting for the game. In the first half, the Wildcat were five of 25 from the floor. Villanova turned the ball over 11 times, and had only seven assists. The only offense came from Mouphtaou Yarou, who scored 20 of Villanova's 47 points.

South Florida's win sends the team to the quarterfinals of the 2012 Big East Tournament, where they will face the No. 3 seed, Notre Dame, on Thursday afternoon.

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check out Voodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Villanova Vs. USF: Bulls Lead Wildcats 27-17 At The Half

As is often the case with South Florida, the first half of play in their matchup Wednesday evening with the Villanova Wildcats was a low-scoring, defensive affair, with the Bulls leading 27-17 at the half.

Victor Rudd Jr. has led South Florida offensively, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. Jawanza Poland has chipped in six points. As a team, the Bulls have held Villanova to just five of 25 shooting from the floor, including a goose egg zero for seven from behind the three point line.

The only Wildcats player to cause a ripple offensively was big man Mouphtaou Yarou, who has eight of Villanova's 17 points.

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check outVoodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Big East Tournament 2012: Villanova Vs. South Florida Time, TV Schedule, Bracket And More

The South Florida Bulls look to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament Wednesday night as they play the Villanova Wildcats. Tip off is scheduled for 9 p.m from Madison Square Garden. The game will begin shortly after the game between Seton Hall and Louisville.

The Bulls enter the game squarely on the bubble, needing a deep run to help their chances at earning an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. Two wins in this tournament could be enough as it would include a victory over Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. Though they would prefer to make a run as deep as possible so that any possible doubt could be erased.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. It will also be available streaming live on ESPN3.com.

For more on tonight's game, stay subscribed to this StoryStream or drop by SB Nation's blog on the USF Bulls, Voodoo Five.

USF Vs. Villanova: Bulls Face Big Game With Bubble Consequences

The USF Bulls and Villanova Wildcats face off tonight in the second round of the Big East Tournament. The Bulls need a win to help clinch a bubble spot into the NCAA Tournament.

Big East Basketball 2012: Day Two Tournament Game Times And TV Schedule

The bottom eight teams of the Big East completed the first round of tournament play on Tuesday with four double-digit blowouts. Connecticut tipped off their quest to repeat with an 81-67 drubbing of lowly DePaul. The Huskies move on to play fellow bubble-dweller, West Virginia on Wednesday at Noon. The Mountaineers and New York area favorite Kevin Jones enter with extra motivation, after Jones was not unanimously selected to the First Team All-Conference and beat out by Jae Crowder for Player of the Year this week.

The Georgetown Hoyas will make their tournament debut in the second game of the day, scheduled to tip off around 2:00 pm against the Pitt Panthers. The Hoyas lost their shot at a double bye when they lost by double digits this past weekend against Marquette. Pitt, which was ranked in the top ten in both polls at one point, had their season go completely off the rails and finished 5-13 in the conference. The Panthers looked good on Tuesday, cruising to a 14-point win over St. John's - their second convincing win over the Johnnies in a week. Despite their record and No. 13 seed, the Panthers are always dangerous in the tournament at MSG, particularly with all-conference guard Ashton Gibbs leading the way.

The night session will feature two more bubble teams in Seton Hall and the South Florida Bulls. The Hall absolutely demolished Providence on Tuesday night, and bounced back nicely after two straight losses to end the season, including an embarrassing blowout at DePaul. Herb Pope, who did not play against DePaul, returned against the Friars and led the Pirates with 16 points. They will face No. 7 seed Louisville, who is safely in the tournament at 22-9 overall.

The final game of the night will match up Villanova and USF, who's on the bubble despite their 12-6 record in the conference. South Florida needs a win to secure their spot, which could be harder than they imagined after Nova crushed Rutgers on Tuesday in impressive fashion. Maalik Wayns led the Wildcats with 28 points, as Jay Wright's club exploded for 40 second-half points.

The Bulls beat up the Wildcats on two occasions this year, winning by 17 back in the first week of January on the road in Philadelphia and then sweeping the season series in mid-February with a 14-point win at home. Nova is a little healthier now and definitely comfortable with the MSG setting.

Wednesday's complete schedule below:

Second Round: Wednesday, March 7

Noon: No. 9 Connecticut vs. No. 8 West Virginia (ESPN)
2 p.m.: No. 13 Pittsburgh vs. No. 5 Georgetown (ESPN)
7 p.m.: No. 10 Seton Hall vs. No. 7 Louisville (ESPN)
9 p.m.: No. 14 Villanova vs. No. 6 South Florida (ESPN)

For more news, analysis, and discussion of the Bulls' run to March Madness, check out Voodoo Five, SB Nation's USF blog. For all your Big East news during championship week, check out Big East Coast Bias. Click here for more on the 2012 Big East Tournament.

Joe Maddon, Rays Support The USF Bulls

Big East Tournament 2012: South Florida Captures Sixth Seed, Looking To Move Off The Bubble In New York

The South Florida Bulls head to Madison Square Garden as the No. 6 seed in the Big East Conference Tournament.