It’s really March Madness in CT this week and not just for UConn men and women

March Madness will descend upon the state of Connecticut this week and that just doesnt mean for UConn and the Big East.

If things fall right, Connecticut could have four Division I mens teams and two womens programs gathered on March 16 awaiting news of their first-round opponents in the NCAA Tournament.In addition to UConn, which is a lock to reach the tournament and vie for a third straight national championship, Central Connecticut, Yale and Quinnipiac are all legitimate contenders to earn automatic berths as mens conference champions.On the womens side, the Central (NEC) and Fairfield and Quinnipiac (MAAC) are very much in the mix.

Heres a breakdown:Big East menWednesday-Saturday at Madison Square GardenThe Big East regular season is now in the books and all eyes turn toward Madison Square Garden in New York City for the conference tournament that begins on Wednesday with the first round.

Of course, everyone is rooting for a UConn-St.

Johns matchup in Saturdays championship game.Wednesdays first round (streamed on Peacock): No.

8 Providence vs.

No.

9 Butler, 4 p.m.; No.

7 Georgetown vs.

No.

10 DePaul, 6:30 p.m.; No.

6 Villanova vs.

No.

11 Set0n Hall, 9 p.m.Thursdays quarterfinals: Providence/Butler vs.

No.

1 St.

Johns, noon, Peacock; No.

5 Marquette vs.

No.

4 Xavier, 2:30 p.m.

(Peacock); Georgetown/DePaul vs.

No.

2 Creighton, 7 p.m.; (FS1); Villanova/Seton Hall vs.

No.

3 UConn, 9:30 p.m.

(FS1)Fridays semifinals: Day quarterfinal winners, 6:30 p.m., Fox; night quarterfinal winners, 9 p.m., FoxSaturdays championship: 6:30 p.m., FoxNortheast Conference menTuesday at Detrick Gym, Central Connecticut StateAfter winning the NEC regular-season championship, the Blue Devils entered the conference tournament as the top seed.

An relatively easy 86-67 win over No.

8 Le Moyne in the the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils narrowly escaped with a 76-72 win over No.

4 Fairleigh Dickinson in the semis.Now third-seeded St.

Francis, Pa., stands in the way of the programs first NCAA bid since 2007.

Central handled the Red Flash in two meetings this season, winning 74-59 on the road on Jan.

3 and then 83-67 at home on Feb.

15.Tuesdays championship: St.

Francis, Pa., at Central, 7 p.m., ESPN2Northeast Conference womenMonday, Thursday, Sunday at campus sitesCentral, the No.

3 seed, opens play on Monday at home to No.

6 seed Chicago State hoping to kick off a run to its first NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils finished the regular season 11-18 overall and 10-6 in the NECMondays quarterfinals, all games at 7 p.m.: No.

8 LIU at No.

1 Fairleigh Dickinson; No.

7 Wagner at No.

2 Stonehill; No.

6 Chicago State at No.

3 Central Connecticut; No.

5 Le Moyne at No.

4 St.

Francis, Pa.Thursdays semifinals: at higher seed, times TBASundays championship: at higher seed, time TBAIvy League menSaturday-Sunday at Providence, R.I.They call it Ivy Madness and it will be played on Saturday and Sunday at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence.

Yale, which has won the conference tournament and earned the automatic berth in two of the last three years, enters the postseason as the odds-on favorite to make it three in four years.

The Bulldogs won the Ivy League with a 13-1 record and swept all three of its fellow tourney participants in the regular season.Saturdays semifinals: No.

1 Yale vs.

No.

4 Princeton, 11 a.m., ESPNU; No.

2 Cornell vs.

No.

3 Dartmouth, 2 p.m., ESPNNews.Sundays championship: Noon, ESPN2Metro Atlantic Athletic menTuesday-Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.The MAAC descends upon Atlantic City, N.J., with its five-day mens and womens tournaments beginning Tuesday at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and there are three state teams in the field, led by top seed Quinnipiac, which will be seeking its first NCAA bid.

In addition, No.

7 Sacred Heart and No.

10 Fairfield will face each other in the first round.But its the Bobcats with the most at stake.

After winning the conference regular season with a 15-5 mark 19-8 overall they come into the postseason on a mini-skid, losing two of their final three games; to No.

2 Merrimack on March 2 and the tournament No.

10 seed Fairfield, 83-74 on Saturday night.Tuesdays first round (ESPN+): No.

8 Rider vs.

No.

9 Siena, 6 p.m.; No.

7 Sacred Heart vs.

No.

10 Fairfield, 8:30 p.m.Wednesdays quarterfinals (ESPN+): Rider/Siena vs.

No.

1 Quinnipiac, 6 p.m.; Sacred Heart/Fairfield vs.

No.

2 Merrimack, 8:30 p.m.Thursdays quarterfinals (ESPN+): No.

4 Iona vs.

No.

5 Manhattan, 6 p.m.; No.

3 Marist vs.

No.

6 Mount St.

Marys, 8:30 p.m.Fridays semifinals: Wednesday and Thursday early game winners, 6 p.m., ESPNU; Wednesday and Thursday late game winners, 8:30 p.m., ESPNUSaturdays championship: 7:30 p.m., ESPNUMetro Atlantic Athletic womenTuesday-Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.Two state teams enter the postseason with the best chances to grab the automatic bid and neither are strangers to the NCAA Tournament.

Top seed Fairfield (25-4 overall, 19-1 MAAC) has been to the tournament five times, last in 2022.

Meanwhile No.

2 Quinnipiac (26-3, 18-2) has also been to the NCAA five times, last in 2019.

The two teams split their regular-season meetings, both winning at home.Tuesdays first round (ESPN+): No.

8 Manhattan vs.

No.

9 Canisius, noon; No.

7 Saint Peters vs.

No.

10 Iona, 2:30 p.m.Wednesdays quarterfinals (ESPN+): Manhattan/Canisius vs.

No.

1 Fairfield, noon.; Saint Peters/Iona vs.

No.

2 Quinnipiac, 2:30 p.m.Thursdays quarterfinals (ESPN+): No.

4 Mount St.

Marys vs.

No.

5 Marist, noon p.m.; No.

3 Siena vs.

No.

6 Merrimack, 2:30 p.m.Fridays semifinals (streamed on ESPN+): Wednesday and Thursday early game winners, noon; Wednesday and Thursday late game winners, 2:30 p.m.Saturdays championship: 1:30 p.m., ESPNU.

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