The 2011 Big East Tournament got underway Tuesday, with No. 9 Connecticut making quick work of No. 16 DePaul, routing the Blue Devils, 97-71. DePaul made it competitive about midway through the second half but the Huskies were too strong, led by Kemba Walker (who else?), who finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Somewhat amazingly, it was UConn's first win the Big East Tournament since 2005 -- The UConn Blog points out that the Huskies' leading scorer that game was Rudy Gay, which gives an idea of how long it had been since UConn won in the postseason.
The Huskies move on to meet Georgetown, a team they beat already once this season, 78-70. The Hoyas, the No. 8 seed, will be without guard Chris Wright who remains sidelined with a broken hand. Tip-off for their second round matchup is set for Wednesday at 12 p.m. EST.
2011 Big East Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, March 8 - First Round (ESPN2/ESPN 3D)
No. 9 Connecticut def. 16 DePaul, 97-17
No. 12 Seton Hall (13-17) vs. No. 13 Rutgers (14-16) 2 p.m.
No. 10 Villanova (21-10) vs. No. 15 USF (9-22) 7 p.m.
No. 11 Marquette (18-13) vs. No. 14 Providence (15-16) 9 p.m.
Wednesday, March 9 - Second Round (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
No. 8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. Connecticut Noon
No. 5 St. John's (20-10) vs. Seton Hall/Rutgers winner 2 p.m.
No. 7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. Villanova/USF winner 7 p.m.
No. 6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. Marquette/Providence winner 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 10 - Quarterfinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
No. 1 Pittsburgh (27-4) vs. 8/9/16 winner Noon
No. 4 Syracuse (25-6) vs. 5/12/13 winner 2 p.m.
No. 2 Notre Dame (25-5) vs. 7/10/15 winner 7 p.m.
No. 3 Louisville (23-8) vs. 6/11/14 winner 9 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - Semifinals (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
Thursday afternoon winners 7 p.m.
Thursday evening winners 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 - Championship (ESPN/ESPN 3D)
Semifinal winners 9 p.m.