BIG EAST Notes - 3.8
CHICAGO – For the first time since 2006 and just the fifth time overall, the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament title game will not feature the No. 1 seed as the No. 4 St. John’s Red Storm and No. 7 Creighton Bluejays will face off Tuesday night at McGrath-Phillips Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and will air on FS1.
In BIG EAST Tournament history, no No. 4 or No. 7 seed has ever won the crown, with the No. 4 advancing to the final just once previously (Seton Hall, 1984), while the No. 7 has made it to the title game three previous times (Louisville, 2008; Rutgers, 2004; Providence, 1993). The lowest seed to ever win the BIG EAST Tournament is No. 5 (Boston College, 2004; Syracuse, 1985), while the lowest seed to advance to the final was No. 12 West Virginia in 2006. The No. 1 seed has won the BIG EAST Tournament 19 times, while the No. 2 has claimed seven, No. 3 has won five and the No. 5 has won twice.
Both Creighton and St. John’s have pulled off upset wins in the BIG EAST Tournament thanks to the fire power of a pair of stars. The Bluejays have been led by junior guard MC McGrory, who has averaged 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and .475 shooting in wins over No. 10 Providence, No. 2 Villanova and No. 3 Seton Hall. McGrory entered the postseason averaging 11.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. She totaled 23 points, eight boards and three dimes in the Bluejays’ upset of the Pirates in Tuesday’s semifinals.
St. John’s has been powered by the reemergence of senior guard Aliyyah Handford. While Handford’s defense has never faltered this season, her scoring average dipped from previous years (despite still ranking in the top five in the BIG EAST). Handford has combined the stingy defense with the highlight-reel scoring over the last four games as St. John’s makes a bid for not only an at-large NCAA berth, but now with an automatic bid and BIG EAST title within reach. Over the last four games, Handford has averaged 22.8 points and .507 shooting, to go along with 6.3 rebounds per game. The Red Storm are unbeaten (11-0) this season when Handford and fellow senior guard Danaejah Grant combine for at least 40 points, totaling 40 in the quarterfinal win over No. 5 Georgetown and 45 in Tuesday’s upset of the reigning champs and top-seeded DePaul.
St. John’s eyes its fourth BIG EAST Tournament title and first since 1988, making its fifth trip to the trophy match, while Creighton is making its first championship game appearance. The two squads split the regular-season series, with road teams claiming victories in each matchup. They met just nine days ago, with the Bluejays earning a 64-57 win in Queens on Feb. 28. The Red Storm won the BIG EAST opener at Creighton on Dec. 29, 66-55.
St. John’s and Creighton have met in the BIG EAST Tournament in each of the last two seasons, with the Red Storm winning both matchups. Fourth-seeded St. John’s topped fifth-seeded Creighton in the 2015 Quarterfinals, 57-54, after second-seeded St. John’s eliminated third-seeded Creighton in the 2014 Semifinals, 68-63 in overtime.
In addition to Tuesday night’s national television broadcast on FS1 featuring LaChina Robinson and Lisa Byington, the game will also be radio broadcast by Westwood One and available on Sirius 81/XM 81. Fans can also stream it for free on westwoodonesports.com.
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. 7 Creighton 57, No. 2 Villanova 48 –
Recap/Quotes
G4: No. 3 Seton Hall 93, No. 6 Marquette 86 –
Recap/Quotes
G5: No. 1 DePaul 76, No. 9 Butler 49 –
Recap/Quotes
G6: No. 4 St. John’s 65, No. 5 Georgetown 52 –
Recap/Quotes
Semifinals – March 7
G7: No. 7 Creighton 77, No. 3 Seton Hall 56 –
Recap/Quotes
G8: No. 4 St. John’s 75, No. 1 DePaul 66 –
Recap/Quotes
Final – March 8
G9: No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 4 St. John’s, 7 p.m. (FS1)