#BIGEASTmlax Minute – Rumble In The Rockies For No. 1
NEW YORK – The final weekend of BIG EAST men’s lacrosse action has arrived and with it story lines of seeding for the upcoming BIG EAST Championship, presented by Jeep, which will be held May 5-7 at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium at Denver. After last weekend, three teams mathematically qualified for the league tournament: Marquette, Denver and Villanova. For the third time in as many BIG EAST seasons No. 19/18 Marquette and No. 1 Denver will clash with the regular season conference championship at stake. The game will be at 3 p.m. ET on CBSSN.
Denver, at 11-1 overall, 4-0 in BIG EAST play, moved back into the No. 1 spot in both the USILA Coaches and Inside Lacrosse Media polls. For the season, it is their seventh week at the top spot. The Pioneers were also ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee’s latest and final rankings.
On Friday, the Tewaaraton Award Foundation released their list of 25 nominees for the player of the year award. Four BIG EAST players were on the list of nominees: Connor Cannizzaro, Trevor Baptiste and Zach Miller from Denver and Villanova’s Jake Froccaro.
The BIG EAST Championship bracket will be released following Saturday’s final game.
Why We’re Watching:
Georgetown at St. John’s (1 p.m., ESPN3) - St. John’s is looking for a win to send off their senior class on Saturday. A class which includes two of the Red Storm’s top scorers in Eric DeJohn and James Bonnano. It is the 17th meeting overall between the two teams with GU leading the series 13-3. St. John’s won their last meeting in Queens 15-4 (2014), but the Hoyas won last year 13-10. The senior class of Curt Brooks, Nic Mahaney and Corey Parke represent the first group to play its entire career under Head Coach Kevin Warne. Joe Bucci is the last player to play for Dave Urick. It will be the final game for the Hoyas in 2016.
Providence at Villanova (1 p.m.) - In Philadelphia, Villanova and Providence will go head-to-head for the No. 3 seed in next week’s tournament. The Wildcats will honor 12 seniors prior to the game, which is the eighth meeting between the two programs. VU holds a slight 4-3 record over PC. Providence is looking to end its four-game losing skid, while the Wildcats are looking for win in a row No. 3 going into the conference playoffs.
Marquette at Denver (3 p.m., CBSSN) - The Saturday finale is a Rumble in the Rockies as Marquette and Denver square off for the BIG EAST regular season crown and the No. 1 seed for the third time in as many seasons. Ben Holden and Steve Panarelli are on the call for CBSSN. Denver is on a four-game winning streak and has only lost one game all season. Marquette is looking to rebound off a 16-1 loss at Duke last weekend. In their last meeting Denver defeated Marquette, 18-11. While the Pioneers were able to clinch outright regular season league titles in each of the previous two meetings with Marquette, the Golden Eagles entered both contests with a chance at a share of the league championship. Denver holds a 20-game home winning streak going into Saturday afternoon’s game.
Tewaaraton Award Nominees Announced
On Friday, April 29, the Tewaaraton Award Foundation announced its 25 nominees for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, presented by Under Armour, honoring the top college lacrosse player in the country. Representing the BIG EAST on the list of 25 are Denver’s Trevor Baptiste, Connor Cannizzaro and Zach Miller and Villanova’s Jake Froccaro. The BIG EAST had 11 on the last Watch List.
Denver - No. 3 On NCAA Committee Ranking
In the second and final Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee top 10 rankings, Denver was ranked No. 3 behind Maryland and Brown. The rankings are based on the criteria used to select and seed the 18 teams for the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship and include strength of schedule, Rating Percentage Index, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, significant wins and losses, and locations of contests. The ranking announcement will have no bearing on the final bracket, which will be revealed at 9 p.m. May 8 on the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship selection show, aired on ESPNU.
Honoring No. 22
Georgetown’s Athletics Department and members of the University community are mourning the loss of junior men’s lacrosse player Ed Blatz Jr., who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. A defenseman who had appeared in 25 games, starting 17 during his career, Blatz Jr. was enrolled in the McDonough School of Business and was a management major. The Hoyas will honor Blatz by wearing a black circular patch with his No. 22 on each of their jerseys. Saturday against St. John’s will be the final game of the 2016 season for the Hoyas as they devote the remainder of the semester to supporting each other and finishing up their academic commitments.
Upcoming
Saturday, April 30
GEORGETOWN at ST. JOHN’S at 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
PROVIDENCE at VILLANOVA at 1 p.m.
MARQUETTE at DENVER at 3 p.m. (CBSSN)