BIG EAST Notes - Quarterfinals
CHICAGO – A thrilling opening day of the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament, Presented by the Jeep Brand, saw Creighton and Butler punch their tickets to Sunday’s Quarterfinals. The seventh-seeded Bluejays led wire-to-wire against 10
th-seeded Providence, but not without the Friars making a charge, while No. 9 seed Butler won the tight battle with No. 8 seed Xavier. Creighton moves on to face second-seeded Villanova, with the Bulldogs are tasked with top-seeded DePaul.
For the full recaps, postgame quotes and stats of today’s games, click here:
Providence-Creighton /
Butler-Xavier. For more on tomorrow’s games, see below.
Quarterfinal: No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 7 Creighton – 12 p.m. (CT) – FS2
Which Team Awaits: Winner of No. 3 Seton Hall/No. 6 Marquette
2015-16 Regular-Season Series: 2-0, Creighton (Creighton, 65-62 (1/5 – at VU); Creighton, 53-48 (1/29 – at CU)
In The Tournament: First Meeting
Why Villanova Will Win: Villanova was dealt an unspeakable blow with the loss of senior Caroline Coyer, but to many observers’ surprise, the Wildcats have not skipped a beat. Villanova did not play quite like its usual self during the matchups against Creighton earlier in the year, shooting under 30 percent for just the third time all season when they met on Jan. 29. The wildcard is without a doubt Adrianna Hahn, who has stepped in for Coyer. Hahn has averaged 21.3 points per game since Coyer was sidelined, and played under 30 minutes in both previous meetings with the Bluejays.
Why Creighton Will Win: The Bluejays are one of just two teams to sweep Villanova during the regular-season series this year and managed to do so in games which they didn’t necessarily play their best, including a 36-percent shooting clip in Game 2 of the series. Creighton had its hottest shooting night since Jan. 10 on Saturday versus Providence in the BIG EAST Tournament First Round, knocking down nearly 46 percent of their shots. The Bluejays have hit over 45 percent of their shots in the last two games.
Quarterfinal: No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Marquette – 2:30 p.m. (CT) – FS2
Which Team Awaits: Winner of No. 2 Villanova/No. 7 Creighton
2015-16 Regular-Season Series: 1-1 (Seton Hall, 99-68 on 1/3 at SHU; Marquette, 89-82 on 1/31 at MU
In The Tournament: Seton Hall, 1-0 (2015 Quarterfinals, 77-51)
Why Seton Hall Will Win: The Pirates have hit their stride and have their longest winning streak since December, coming out on top in their last five games. In The Hall’s loss at Marquette earlier this year, the Pirates found themselves in a hole too large to crawl out of, trailing by 20 in the third quarter before closing in within five in the fourth. If Seton Hall can avoid having to race the clock with a comeback, the favor is in their direction.
Why Marquette Will Win: In their loss at Seton Hall earlier this year, the Golden Eagles were kept off the scoreboard for the opening six minutes as the Pirates built up a comfortable lead. In MU’s win over The Hall, it was all Marquette with the sizeable lead. Marquette lost the game when it lost the battle of the boards and is 0-9 this league season when losing the rebounding battle. Bang the boards, get the win.
Quarterfinal: No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 9 Butler – 6 p.m. (CT) – FS2
Which Team Awaits: Winner of No. 4 St. John’s/No. 5 Georgetown
2015-16 Regular-Season Series: 2-0, DePaul (61-54 on 1/15, at Butler; 102-63 on 2/14, at DePaul)
In The Tournament: First Meeting
Why DePaul Will Win: In addition to beating Butler twice already, including by a sizeable margin in Game 2 of their season series, the No. 1 seed is 11-0 all-time in BIG EAST Tournament history against the No. 9 seed. The Blue Demons enter the postseason on a roll, winning eight straight, with margin of victories during that span ranging from six to 39, with the 39 coming against Butler. DePaul has won six consecutive BIG EAST Tournament games and is in prime shape to grow that streak.
Why Butler Will Win: If the Bulldogs can play more like they did in Game 1 of the season series than in Game 2, their chances are more favorable. While history is not on their side, Butler is coming off its first BIG EAST Tournament win since joining the league in 2013-14, so the Bulldogs are in somewhat unchartered waters. Now with a full complement of players after going through a shorthanded streak, if Butler can get firing hot from deep, it could make history on Sunday night with an upset of the No. 1 seed.
Quarterfinal: No. 4 St. John’s vs. No. 5 Georgetown – 8:30 p.m. (CT) – FS2
Which Team Awaits: Winner of No. 1 DePaul/No. 9 Butler
2015-16 Regular-Season Series: 2-0, St. John’s (65-60 on 1/15, at GU; 63-55 on 2/14, at SJU)
In The Tournament: St. John’s, 2-0 (last meeting: 1994 First Round – St. John’s 73, Georgetown 70 ot)
Why St. John’s Will Win: More is on the line for the Red Storm than just a trip to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals, as St. John’s remains in the picture for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament but a loss does not help that cause. The Red Storm have been dealt a few blows lately in nights when they have shot uncharacteristically low, as St. John’s averages over 45 percent from the floor. The Red Storm shot over 40 percent in both wins over the Hoyas earlier this year, and with the added scoring power of Aliyyah Handford as of late, St. John’s could punch its ticket to its third consecutive trip to the semifinals.
Why Georgetown Will Win: The Hoyas have the nation’s third-best turnaround this season, increasing their win total from last season by 12 games despite playing a top-100 strength of schedule. Despite coming up shy in both meetings with the Red Storm earlier this year, neither was ever out of reach as both games were decided by single digits. Freshman standout Dionna White ran into foul trouble in their second meeting, and White is a game changer – if she can stay on the floor and be complemented by fellow all-league player Dorothy Adomako, the weathered Hoyas could find themselves in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 1999.
Tickets
Single-session tickets for the 2016 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament are still available while all-session ticket booklets are just $50. Each single session will feature two games, with the exception of Session 5, which is the championship game. Single-session tickets are just $12 for adults and $8 for children, while group tickets are also available. Groups of 20 or more are just $5 per person.
Fans can call 773-325-SLAM (7526) to purchase tickets, or buy them online by clicking
HERE.
Live Stats
Live stats for all nine BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament games can be viewed at: bigeast.statbroadcast.com
2016 BIG EAST Tournament
Presented by the Jeep Brand
All games played at McGrath-Phillips Arena - Chicago, Ill.
All times local – Central Standard
First Round – March 5
G1: No. 7 Creighton 70, No. 10 Providence 53 –
Recap/Quotes
G2: No. 9 Butler 48, No. 8 Xavier 47 –
Recap/Quotes
Quarterfinals – March 6
G3: No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 7 Creighton, Noon (FS2)
G4: No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Marquette, 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
G5: No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 8/9 winner, 6 p.m. (FS2)
G6: No. 4 St. John’s vs. No. 5 Georgetown, 8:30 p.m. (FS2)
Semifinals – March 7
G7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3 p.m. (FS1)
G8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
Final – March 8
G9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m. (FS1)