BIG EAST Notes - 9.22
Conference Openers
BIG EAST play begins this weekend for all 10 teams starting Saturday when winners of four straight Butler visits Villanova at 1 p.m. (ET), and local rivals St. John’s and Seton Hall square off in South Orange, N.J. at 2 p.m. A rematch of a 2015 BIG EAST Championship Semifinal showdown kicks things off on Sunday as Providence travels to No. 6/3 Georgetown (1 p.m.). Action continues with Xavier visiting DePaul (2 p.m.) before wrapping up with Creighton hosting Marquette at 2 p.m. All five games can be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).
How ‘Bout The Hoyas
After its second win over a top-three team in as many weeks, Georgetown catapulted up the Top 25 polls, jumping from No. 18 to No. 6 in the NSCAA Top 25 and from No. 9 to No. 3 in the Soccer America Poll. The Hoyas’ No. 6 ranking in the NSCAA is the highest by any BIG EAST team since Marquette climbed to No. 5 on Oct. 25, 2011 – the Golden Eagles spent seven weeks in the NSCAA Top 10 during the 2011 season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown’s No. 3 ranking by Soccer America is the highest by any BIG EAST team since Notre Dame spent nine consecutive weeks as the No. 1 team in both national polls between Sept. 15-Nov. 10, 2008. UND went 26-1-0 that year with its only loss coming in the national championship match. The Hoyas also posted the BIG EAST’s top RPI in Monday’s season debut of the NCAA rankings, coming in at No. 3. Marquette followed at No. 44, Providence at 73, Creighton at 78 and Butler at 96 to round out the league’s top-100 squads.
Non-Conference Wrap Up
DePaul put the bow on the non-conference season Wednesday night with its 4-1 win over Loyola-Chicago, bumping the BIG EAST’s combined non-conference record to 50-29-13. The Conference’s winning percentage of .614 is its highest since the 2013 campaign in which league teams combined for a 57-21-13 mark and .698 winning percentage. The 2013 season saw four teams earn NCAA Tournament berths – DePaul, Georgetown and St. John’s claimed at-large invites while Marquette won the BIG EAST Championship and snagged the automatic bid. In 2016, BIG EAST teams have combined for .500 or better records against 17 of the 22 conferences faced, including unbeaten marks against seven different leagues.
Weekly Schedule/Results
Wednesday
DePaul 4, Loyola-Chicago 1
Saturday
Butler at Villanova, 1 p.m.*^ -
WATCH
St. John’s at Seton Hall, 2 p.m.*^ -
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Sunday
Providence at #6/3 Georgetown, 1 p.m.*^ -
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Xavier at DePaul, 2 p.m.*^ -
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Marquette at Creighton, 2 p.m.*^ -
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*BIG EAST Contest
^BEDN