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Villanova-Georgetown: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream Big East tournament

Villanova will need to win four games in four days to secure a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Rookie coach Kyle Neptune has led Villanova to a 16-15 record, and the Wildcats need to win the Big East to make it into the NCAA Tournament.
Rookie coach Kyle Neptune has led Villanova to a 16-15 record, and the Wildcats need to win the Big East to make it into the NCAA Tournament.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

The math is easy for Villanova — win the Big East and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Lose, and watch March Madness from home for the first time since 2012.

The Big East tournament begins Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and Villanova’s No. 6 ranked men’s basketball team will face the No. 11 Georgetown Hoyas at 8 p.m. on FS1.

In the first year under new head coach Kyle Neptune, Villanova finished in the middle of the pack of the Big East, ending the regular season with a 16-15 record. Now the Wildcats need to win four games in four days and beat out the field in New York City to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

“Our mindset all year has been game by game,” Neptune told reporters following Saturday’s loss to UConn. “We’ve got to go out and prepare for one team and then prepare for another team and then hopefully prepare for another team.”

The good news for Villanova is the team has won the Big East tournament five of the last seven seasons (2020′s tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and ended the regular season winning six of its final eight games. If the Wildcats win Wednesday, they will face No. 3 seed Creighton on Thursday.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream Villanova vs. Georgetown in the Big East tournament.

What time does Villanova-Georgetown start?

Villanova-Georgia is scheduled to tipoff at 8 p.m. Eastern on FS1. Calling the game will be play-by-play announcer Tim Brando and veteran basketball analyst Bill Raftery. Kristina Pink will report from the court at Madison Square Garden.

The game will stream on the Fox Sports app, though you’ll need to have a cable subscription to login. It will also stream on a host of subscription services that carry FS1, including YouTube TV, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, SlingTV, DirecTV Stream, and Vidgo.

Brando and Raftery will call all the first-round games. Fox’s lead play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson will take over with Raftery to call two quarterfinal games on Thursday before pairing with NBA veteran Jim Jackson for the remainder of the tournament.

Madison Square Garden has hosted the Big East tournament since 1983, making it the longest-running home of any conference tournament in college basketball history. The Garden is under contract to host the Big East tournament through 2028.

» READ MORE: The end of the road is coming for ’Nova’s Caleb Daniels and Brandon Slater, but it’s not here yet

Philadelphia’s men’s basketball could be shut out of NCAA Tournament

If Villanova fails to win the Big East, the men’s program will be shut out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. The same goes for four other City 6 teams, which will have to win their respective conferences to secure a March Madness spot. Here’s where the rest of Philadelphia’s men’s basketball teams stand:

  1. Temple: The No. 5-seeded Owls need to win the AAC Tournament to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Temple faces No. 4 seed Cincinnati at 3 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.

  2. University of Pennsylvania: In theory, the No. 3 seed Quakers have the easiest path to the NCAA Tournament. If they win their next two games, they’ll win the Ivy League and end up in the tournament. Penn faces No. 2 Princeton at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU.

  3. St. Joseph’s: The No. 10-seeded Hawks took one step toward winning the Atlantic 10 tournament by defeating No. 15 seed Loyola on Tuesday. They’ll take on No. 7 seed George Washington University Wednesday at 5 p.m. on USA.

  4. La Salle: The No. 11-seed Explores are still alive in the Atlantic 10 tournament after defeating dominating No. 14 Rhode Island, 73-56, Tuesday night. La Salle will face No. 6 Duquesne at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on USA.

  5. Drexel: The Dragons lost their CAA Tournament quarterfinal matchup against UNC Wilmington on Sunday, so their season is officially over.

» READ MORE: It’s been 10 years since La Salle was in the NCAA Sweet 16?

Big East Tournament schedule

First round: Wednesday, March 8

  1. Game 1: No. 8 seed St. John’s vs. No. seed 9 Butler, 3 p.m., FS1 (Tim Brando, Bill Raftery)

  2. Game 2: No. 7 seed Seton Hall vs. No. 10 seed DePaul, 5:30 p.m., FS1 (Tim Brando, Bill Raftery)

  3. Game 3: No. 6 seed Villanova vs. No. 11 seed Georgetown, 8 p.m. on FS1 (Tim Brando, Bill Raftery)

Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 9

  1. Game 4: No. 1 seed Marquette vs. St. John’s/Butler winner, noon, FS1 (Tim Brando, Jim Jackson)

  2. Game 5: No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 5 seed Providence, 2:30 p.m., FS1 (Tim Brando, Jim Jackson)

  3. Game 6: No. 2 seed Xavier vs. Seton Hall/DePaul winner, 7 p.m., FS1 (Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery)

  4. Game 7: No. 3 seed Creighton vs. Villanova/Georgetown winner, 9:30 p.m., FS1 (Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery)

Semifinals: Friday, March 10

  1. Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m., FS1 (Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson)

  2. Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m., FS1 (Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson)

Big East Championship Game: Saturday, March 11

  1. Game 10: 6:30 p.m., Fox (Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson)