WBB Notes - 1.23.18
Standings Check
The dramatic first half of BIG EAST women’s basketball play came to a close on Monday when Creighton topped Xavier in overtime to force a four-way tie for third place in the conference standings. The 5-4 Bluejays are locked with NR/RV Villanova, Butler and St. John’s for the No. 3 spot, all trailing second-place NR/RV DePaul which stands at 7-2 and first-place RV/RV Marquette at 8-1. The Bulldogs and Red Storm proved the doubters wrong in the first round of conference play after being selected eighth and seventh in the preseason poll, respectively. Seton Hall won its last two league games to go from eighth to one game behind the logjam in third. Georgetown’s first-half trophy came less than a week ago when it dealt the unanimous preseason favorite Golden Eagles their lone setback in conference play thus far to stand alone in eighth. Xavier and Providence round out the pack, with each collecting a victory over one of the third-place teams, which could prove useful when it comes time for BIG EAST Tournament seeding tiebreakers.
Tune-In Television
A trio of games will air on television over the next week, starting at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday when Seton Hall visits Providence. The longtime foes will tangle on FOX Sports Regional Networks, including YES, Yurview New England and MASN 2. FS2 picks up the action on Sunday, when Georgetown visits Xavier at 2 p.m. Without a doubt the game of the week is Monday night on FS1 with a rematch of the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament final when NR/RV DePaul hosts RV/RV Marquette at 9 p.m. In 11 meetings between the two since the 2013-14 season, teams have scored 80 or more points 18 times, including 11 scores of 90 or more, with games decided by 10 or less in seven of those 11 contests. DePaul holds a 6-5 edge since conference realignment with the average score of 90.5-84.7, but Marquette has been holding court as winners of the last four. Last season’s meeting in McGrath-Phillips Arena was a 102-101 overtime thriller with five players scoring over 20, including DePaul’s Brooke Schulte who went for 35.
BEDN Of Note
The BIG EAST Digital Network will stream seven rematches this weekend, four of which were decided by single digits in the first leg of conference play. Seton Hall-Providence (Friday, 11:30 a.m. ET), which is also airing on FOX Sports Regional Networks, favored the Pirates by nine in Game 1 of the season series in South Orange, while Butler edged Georgetown (Friday, 7 p.m.) by nine in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. One key matchup that will help break up the third-place logjam is St. John’s at Creighton (Friday, 8 p.m.). The Red Storm scored a seven-point overtime win in Queens on Jan. 5 when Tiana England went for 17 points and 10 assists. Fellow third-place squads NR/RV Villanova and Butler also meet this weekend, tipping off Sunday in Indianapolis at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs dealt the Wildcats their largest setback of the season before Villanova responded by winning three straight. All BEDN games can be streamed for free on the FOX Sports GO app or foxsportsgo.com.
Weekly Schedule
Friday
Seton Hall at Providence, 11:30 a.m.*^&
NR/RV Villanova at Xavier, 7 p.m.*^
Georgetown at Butler, 7 p.m.*^
St. John’s at Creighton, 8 p.m.*^
Sunday
NR/RV Villanova at Butler, 1 p.m.*^
St. John’s at Providence, 1 p.m.*^
Georgetown at Xavier, 2 p.m.*#
Seton Hall at Creighton, 2 p.m.*^
Monday - Jan. 29
RV/RV Marquette at NR/RV DePaul, 9 p.m.*%
*BIG EAST Contest
^BEDN
&FOX Sports Regional Networks
#FS2
%FS1
All Times Eastern
Providence-Seton Hall Regional Distribution
FOX Sports South; FOX Sports Southwest; FOX Sports West; Sportstime Ohio; MASN 2; YES; Yurview New England; FOX College Sports Central (tape delay – Friday, 4 p.m. ET)