NCAA Big East Tournament Schedule, Where to Watch, Preview: Creighton vs. DePaul, Xavier vs. Marquette
An upset has already taken place at the 2014 Big East Tournament and the action is just starting to heat up.
The second-seeded Creighton University Bluejays will look to advance to the Big East semifinals when they take on the DePaul University Blue Demons on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Bluejays finished second to the Villanova University Wildcats in the regular season race, but all eyes will be on them as they try to win their third-straight conference title and their first in the Big East championship.
Doug McDermott, who was named as the 2014 Big East Player of the Year, is expected to lead the Bluejays' attack during the tournament after leading his team in scoring during the regular-season play with 26.5 points per game.
McDermott has been on a tear recently, averaging 30.9 points on 57.0 percent shooting from the field in his last 10 games, including a 45-point explosion in their final regular-season game against Providence College on Saturday.
The Bluejays are the overwhelming favorite heading into Thursday's showdown, but Creighton should not rest on their laurels because the Blue Demons are coming off a huge upset win on Wednesday.
DePaul, who finished last in the Big East regular-season standings, with a 3-15 conference record, stunned the Georgetown University Hoyas in the opening round of the tournament, pulling off a hard-earned 60-56 win.
The winner of the upcoming Creighton-DePaul showdown will advance to the Big East semis against either the third-seeded Xavier University Musketeers or the sixth-seeded Marquette University Golden Eagles, who are also set to collide on Thursday.
Both teams failed to end their respective regular-season campaigns the way they wanted to as Xavier absorbed two-straight losses, while Marquette suffered a three-game slide, including two-straight double-overtime defeats in their final two games.
Sophomore guard Semaj Christon led Xavier in scoring during the regular season with 17.0 points per game, while senior forward Davante Gardner was Marquette's best scorer with 15.1 points per contest.
The Creighton vs. DePaul match will tip-off at 7 p.m. EST, while the Xavier vs Marquez showdown will start at 9:30 p.m. EST. Both games will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports 1 and through live stream via Fox Sports Go.