NEW YORK– Dec. 6, 2018 – DePaul, Seton Hall, Marquette and Butler will face each other in the BIG EAST Rocket League® Championship on Dec. 9. Broadcast of the championship will start at 3 p.m. ET on https://www.twitch.tv/esl_rocketleague and the BIG EAST YouTube Channel.
 
No. 1 seed DePaul will face No. 4 seed Butler in the first semifinal, while No. 2 Seton Hall will play against No. 3 Marquette. The championship match will directly follow the semifinals, where the BIG EAST Rocket League Champion will be crowned.
 
The Blue Demons finished 11-1 with 33 points, while the second-seeded Pirates went 9-3 in matches gaining 27 points. The Golden Eagles record was 7-5, 21 points. The Bulldogs narrowly made the cut as Butler and St. John’s tied for fourth at 5-7 and 15 points. Butler defeated St. John’s in a head-to-head playoff 3-2 on Nov. 15 to win the tie-breaker.
 
“Facing tough opponents – Seton Hall, Marquette, Butler and all BIG EAST teams – has taught the DePaul Rocket League team valuable lessons: Teamwork.  Dedication.  Respect.” said Chris Jackson, DePaul graduate student and DePaul’s esports team coach. “Now is the time to come together and use these lessons to fulfill our goal of grasping the championship title."
 
"My experience playing for Seton Hall has been more than I could have ever imagined,” said Seton Hall gamer Connor O’Reilly.  “Being able to play my favorite game against other college students has been a lot of fun, and I look forward to what the future holds for Rocket League and esports as a whole."
 
"It's been a good time, seeing how we stack up against other schools in the BIG EAST. Hopefully we can take the next step -- after surprising DePaul in the playoffs last year, and complete the upset this time around," remarked Butler gamer Stephen Gaa on this weekend’s upcoming matchup as the No.  4 seed.
 
“We are looking forward to a great weekend of competition and are appreciative of the efforts the BIG EAST has made to coordinate this tournament,” said Scott Kuykendall, Senior Associate Athletic Director
Marquette. “Our students have a tremendous interest in esports and can’t wait to participate in the Rocket League tournament and the upcoming League of Legends season.”
 
The matchups are a rematch of last spring’s BIG EAST Esports Invitational in Rocket League®. Seton Hall won the invitational in the game title, defeating DePaul, 3-1. DePaul had defeated Butler, 3-2 in the first
semifinal and Seton Hall had shutout Marquette, 3-0. 
 
To follow along with rosters and results from this weekend’s competition, visit www.BIGEASTgaming.com.
 
The fall championship season began on Oct. 21, with teams competing in Rocket League ® by Psyonix and competed in a double round-robin competition.  Providence and Xavier also competed and finished sixth and seventh, respectively. The Friars finished with nine points and a 3-0-9 record. The Musketeers went 2-0-10 with six points.
 
The fall championship came on the heels of a successful esports pilot program last spring, where the BIG EAST competed in two titles, League of Legends by Riot Games and Rocket League® by Psyonix and began its partnership with ESL, the world’s largest independent esports company. This pilot program between the BIG EAST and ESL was announced in mid-March 2018.
 
Fall Esports Championship Schedule
Rocket League ® by Psyonix
Sunday, Dec. 9
No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 4 Butler at 3 p.m. ET
No. 2 Seton Hall vs. No. 3 Marquette at 3:30 p.m. ET (approx.)*
Semifinal Winners - Championship Final at 4 p.m. (approx.)*
 
*The second semifinal and the championship game will be played after the conclusion of the prior game.
 
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About BIG EAST
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,727 student-athletes on over 180 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in seven of the country’s top 35 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.
 
About ESL
ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world's largest independent esports company, leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint (www.eslgaming.com).
 
About Rocket League®
Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of our generation. Boasting a community of more than 50 million players, Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, Windows PC, Mac, and SteamOS via Steam, Rocket League includes more than 500 trillion possible customization combinations, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.
 
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