#BIGEASTwbb Minute: Full Television Slate Of Pivotal Games
Four games will be televised this weekend, including notable matchups for RV/24 DePaul, RV/RV Villanova and NR/RV Marquette.
BIG EAST Notes - 2.14.18
Status Check
With just two weekends of play remaining, no seeds are solidified for the upcoming BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep. RV/24 DePaul and NR/RV Marquette have clinched first-round byes, while Providence and Xavier have firmed up spots in the first round. Plenty of jockeying will continue this weekend as current third-place squad RV/RV Villanova faces the Blue Demons and Golden Eagles, fifth-place St. John’s welcomes sixth-place Seton Hall and ninth-place Providence visits 10
th-place Xavier. DePaul (six games), Villanova (five games), Creighton (two games) and Marquette (two games) all enter the second-to-last weekend of the regular season on multiple-game winning streaks, while the Red Storm have won three of their last four. The Conference postseason is set for March 3-6 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill. All 10 teams qualify, with the top six earning first-round byes.
First To 20
RV/24 DePaul and RV/RV Villanova are two of the hottest teams in the BIG EAST right now. The Blue Demons have won six straight and jumped back into the national top 25 rankings for the fourth time this season and first since the Nov. 21 poll. Winners of five straight, the Wildcats are receiving votes in both national polls for the first time since Jan. 16. Both teams claimed their 20
th wins of the season on Sunday, as DePaul reached the 20-win mark for the 11
th consecutive season and 26
th time overall, and Villanova reached the 20-win threshold for the sixth straight year. At 17-8, NR/RV Marquette is the next closest to 20 wins, with the Golden Eagles eyeing their first set of consecutive 20-win campaigns since 2006-08, after posting a 25-8 mark last season.
Tune-In Television
Two games will air on national television this weekend, while another pair will air on FOX Sports Regional Networks. Rivals St. John’s and Seton Hall tip things off on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on FS2, with the Pirates winning Game 1 of the season series by five back on Jan. 21. Plenty of postseason implications are on the line on Sunday on FS1 when RV/RV Villanova visits RV/24 DePaul at 3 p.m. The Blue Demons are the conference’s current frontrunner while the Wildcats will look to add another quality win to their postseason résumé after topping DePaul earlier this season. The Blue Demons’ Friday night tilt against Georgetown (8 p.m.) will air on FOX Sports Regional Networks, as will the Hoyas’ contest at NR/RV Marquette on Sunday (3 p.m.). For the full list of live regional network coverage, see below. Seven total games, including the FSN-aired contests, will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi, beginning with a notable matchup between the Wildcats and Golden Eagles at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
Weekly Schedule
Friday
RV/RV Villanova at -/RV Marquette, 12:30 p.m.*^
Butler at Providence, 7 p.m. *^
Seton Hall at St. John’s, 7 p.m. *%
Xavier at Creighton, 8 p.m. *^
Georgetown at RV/24 DePaul, 8 p.m. *^&
Sunday
Xavier at Providence, 1 p.m. *^
Butler at Creighton, 2 p.m. *^
RV/RV Villanova at RV/24 DePaul, 3 p.m. *#
Georgetown at -/RV Marquette, 3 p.m.*^&
*BIG EAST Contest
^BEDN
#FS1
%FS2
&FOX Sports Regional Networks
All Times Eastern
&Georgetown at DePaul live clearances: FS Arizona, FS Detroit (Plus), FS Florida, FS Southeast, FS Southwest, FS West, FS Wisconsin (Plus), MASN 2, Sportstime Ohio, NBC Sports Chicago
Georgetown at Marquette live clearances: FS Detroit (Plus), FS Florida, FS North (Plus), FS Southeast, FS Southwest, FS West, FS Wisconsin, MASN 2