Tony Bozzella and Doug Bruno
BIG EAST Notes - Jan. 5
Monumental Rematch On FS2
For the first time since conference realignment, a top-25 showdown between a pair of BIG EAST teams will take place on Tuesday when No. 24/24 DePaul visits No. 25/20 Seton Hall. In arguably the most competitive rivalry from last season, the Pirates took both games during the regular season in 2014-15 before the Blue Demons exacted revenge on the big stage of the BIG EAST Championship final. Both teams earned NCAA Championship berths days later, with The Hall making its first trip to the NCAAs in two decades. The two teams shared the 2014-15 regular-season title with matching 15-3 marks, and both enter Tuesday’s tilt unbeaten. DePaul defeated Marquette on Tuesday and won at St. John’s on Sunday, while Seton Hall claimed wins over Providence, Creighton and the Golden Eagles. DePaul leads the league in scoring at nearly 83 points per game, with Seton Hall listed third at just over 73 per contest. The Conference’s No. 4 scorer Tabatha Richardson-Smith of Seton Hall will face the No. 5 scorer in DePaul’s Megan Podkowa. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (ET) on FS2, with LaChina Robinson and Amy Lawrence on the call.
In The Polls
After a four-week absence, Seton Hall returned to the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday, coming in at No. 25, the only previously unranked team to break into the poll this week. DePaul climbed one spot to No. 24 and sits just 15 points behind No. 23 Michigan State. At 13-1, the Pirates are off to their best start in program history, while DePaul enters Tuesday’s tilt at Seton Hall with a 2-0 mark in league play and two top-25 wins to its credit thus far. The Blue Demons remained at No. 24 in Tuesday’s USA Today Coaches Poll, while the Pirates jumped three spots to No. 20, marking their highest ranking since the final poll of the 1994 season in which The Hall was listed No. 14.
Watch This
Four games this week will air on national television, beginning Tuesday night with the DePaul-Seton Hall matchup at 7 p.m. (ET) on FS2. Friday night will pit Xavier at Creighton in a game airing on FS1, with tip time set for 7 p.m. Marquette and Georgetown kick things off on Sunday when the two tangle in Milwaukee at 1 p.m., in a game airing on FS2. DePaul and Villanova will wrap up the week on CBS Sports on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. In addition to the four televised games, the BIG EAST Digital Network will stream the remaining 10 games slated for this week, including three apiece by Butler and Providence. Highlighted in the BEDN schedule this week is a 2015 BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal rematch between local rivals St. John’s and Seton Hall on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Weekly Schedule
Tuesday
Creighton at Villanova, 7 p.m.*#
Xavier at Butler, 7 p.m. *#
Marquette at -/RV St. John’s, 7 p.m.*#
24/24 DePaul at 25/20 Seton Hall, 7 p.m.*^
Providence at Georgetown, 7 p.m.*#
Friday
Butler at Providence, 7 p.m.*#
Xavier at Creighton, 7 p.m.*&
Georgetown at 24/24 DePaul, 8 p.m.*#
Villanova at Marquette, 8 p.m.*#
Saturday
25/20 Seton Hall at -/RV St. John’s, 2 p.m.*#
Sunday
Georgetown at Marquette, 1 p.m.*^
Xavier at Providence, 1 p.m.*#
Butler at Creighton, 2 p.m.*#
Villanova at 24/24 DePaul, 4 p.m.*%
*BIG EAST game
#BEDN
&FS1
^FS2
%CBS Sports
All times Eastern