The 2012 Big East Tournament is now entering the quarterfinal round of play after the second round of play in New York on Wednesday. The second round saw the Connecticut Huskies win a nail biter with the West Virginia Mountaineers in a game that went into overtime. The Mountaineers held the late lead, but UConn was able to battle back and pick up the 71-67 overtime victory. The Huskies will take on the No. 1 seeded Syracuse Orange to tip off the first game of the day.
The Georgetown Hoyas advanced to the quarterfinals by taking out the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday afternoon, crushing the Panthers 64-52. The Hoyas held a big lead at halftime and just coasted to the final seconds on the clock to cruise through for the easy victory over a Pitt team that look like it gave up at the end. On Thursday afternoon, the Hoyas will take on No. 4 seed Cincinnati in the second game of the day.
Louisville picked up a win over Seton Hall in the second round on Wednesday night 61-55. With the win, the Cardinals move to the quarterfinals to take on Marquette on Thursday afternoon. Marquette and Louisville face off once before this season, with the Golden Eagles picking up the 74-63 victory. That loss however sparked a six-game winning streak for Louisville, who will undoubtedly have revenge on their mind.
South Florida was the final team to advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday night, playing in the final game of the day and defeating Villanova for the third time this season. With the win, the Bulls will move on to face No. 3 seed Notre Dame in the late game on Thursday, March 8 at 9 p.m. ET. Notre Dame and South Florida faced off once earlier this season with the Fighting Irish getting the 60-49 victory.
Quarterfinal Round: Thursday, March 8
Noon: No. 9 Connecticut vs. No. 1 Syracuse (ESPN)
2 p.m.: No. 5 Georgetown vs. No. 4 Cincinnati (ESPN)
7 p.m.: No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 2 Marquette (ESPN)
9 p.m.: No. 6 South Florida 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.