#BIGEASTmlax Minute – Potential Championship Berths Up For Grabs
NEW YORK, N.Y. – There are two championship berths potentially up for grabs on Saturday. A win at St. John’s for Denver will give the Pioneers their 19th-straight win in BIG EAST play, DU’s third this year, and clinches a playoff spot for the Championship the first weekend of May. A win for Denver could also lead to a second BIG EAST berth solidified. Coupled with a Pioneer win, the winner of the Marquette at Providence game at noon will also get a spot.
Why We Are Watching:
Marquette at Providence
(Saturday, Noon, BEDN)
Should Denver defeat St. John’s in the 1 p.m. game, the winner of this Marquette-Providence match up will clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Championship. Chris Fama has the call from Anderson Stadium as 2-1 Marquette visits 2-0 Providence. Marquette had a midweek tune up at No. 7/10 Notre Dame, where the Golden Eagles fell one goal short of a comeback, 11-10. The Friars have not played since last Saturday, a 13-7 win over Georgetown. Nick Hatzipetrakos leads Providence with 28 points (20G, 18A). Goalie Tate Boyce is 2nd in the NCAA with a .618 save percentage and GAAvg. (6.64). Marquette’s offense is led by Ryan McNamara with 24 points (13G, 11A). MU’s keeper Cole Blazer is 8th in the country in save percentage (.568) and 11th in GAAvg. (7.96).
No. 4 Denver at St. John’s
(Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN3)
Fourth-ranked Denver needs a win to be the first team to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship. The Pioneers are 18-0 in league play since joining the league. St. John’s is on the hunt for its first win in BIG EAST play this season. Denver, led by specialist Trevor Baptiste, who earned three national honors as Player of the Week this week, leads the country in face-off winning percentage (.740) as does Baptiste (.753). Connor Cannizzaro leads the DU offense with 43 points (25G, 18A). SJU has been led by freshman Joe Madsen with 18 points (13G, 5A).
No. 20 Villanova at Georgetown
(Saturday, 2:30 p.m., CBSSN)
Villanova suffered its first BIG EAST loss last week at then-No. 5 Denver, 16-11. Before the loss, the Wildcats were on a five-game win streak. Georgetown has two games left in the league season and the Hoyas are on the hunt for their first league win. Christian Cuccinello leads VU with 46 points (25G, 21A), with Jack Curran right behind at 45 points (31G, 14A). For the Hoyas, Daniel Bucaro leads the offensive effort with 42 points (30G, 12A). The Georgetown - Villanova game is the first of six games CBSSN has picked up of BIG EAST play this season. Ben Holden and Sheehan Burch have the call from Cooper Field in Washington, D.C.
BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse Schedule
Saturday, April 15
[RV/RV] MARQUETTE at [RV/RV] PROVIDENCE
(BEDN) at Noon, ET
DENVER at ST. JOHN’S
(ESPN3) at 1 p.m., ET
VILLANOVA at GEORGETOWN
(CBSSN) at 2:30 p.m., ET