Men's college basketball conference tournament play is well underway across the country ahead of the NCAA Division I tournament. One of college basketball's top conferences begins its postseason on Wednesday.

The Big East, a conference featuring reigning champions UConn, kicks off its tournament with three first-round games on Wednesday. Six of its 11 teams play in the first round while the top five regular season finishers enjoy a bye to the quarterfinals.

While the winners of the tournament receive an automatic bid to the 68-team March Madness, the conference will likely have several other teams receiving at-large bids as well.

Three Big East teams – UConn, Creighton and Marquette – are top-10 teams in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll. Three others – Seton Hall, St. Johns and Providence – have 20 wins or could reach that mark with a win in the conference tournament.

Here's what to know about this year's Big East tournament.

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Big East standings

Records reflect conference game results only.

Creighton hold tiebreaker over Marquette after season split with common opponent UConn. Villanova hold head-to-head tiebreaker over Providence. Butler hold tiebreaker over Xavier with a better record against Creighton and Marquette.

1. UConn Huskies (18-2)

2. Creighton Bluejays (14-6)

3. Marquette (14-6)

4. Seton Hall (13-7)

5. St. John's (11-9)

6. Villanova (10-10)

7. Providence (10-10)

8. Butler (9-11)

9. Xavier (9-11)

10. Georgetown (2-18)

11. DePaul (0-20)

USA TODAY Coaches Poll: Houston still No. 1; North Carolina joins top five

Big East tournament bracket and schedule

All times Eastern.

First round - Wednesday, March 13

Game 1: Xavier 76 vs. Butler 72

Game 2: Providence 74, Georgetown 56

Game 3: Villanova 58, DePaul 57

Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 14

Game 4: UConn 87, Xavier 60

Game 5: St. John's 91, Seton Hall 72

Game 6: Providence 78, Creighton 73

Game 7: Marquette 71, Villanova 65

Semifinals - Friday, March 15

Game 8: St. John's 90, UConn 95

Game 9: Providence 68, Marquette 79

Final - Saturday, March 16

Game 10: UConn 73, Marquette 57

How to watch Big East tournament games

When: Wednesday, March 13 - Saturday, March 16

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

Cable TV: FS1; Games 8 and 10 (semifinal and final) on FOX

Streaming: FOX Sports app; YouTube TV; Sling; fuboTV

How to watch: Catch all Big East tournament action with a Fubo subscription

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big East tournament bracket and schedule ahead of March Madness 2024