BIG EAST Notes - 4.19.18
One Down, Three To Go
No. 6/9 Florida won at Cincinnati, 20-4, on Wednesday to improve to 7-0 in conference play and be the first to clinch a BIG EAST Championship berth. The three-time champion Gators will be joined by three other teams at the league tournament, presented by Jeep, which is set for Gainesville, Fla., May 3 and 5. At 6-1, No. 23/RV Georgetown is the head of the pack that’s in the hunt, while -/RV Denver and Marquette are just behind at 5-2. The Pioneers secured a crucial tiebreaker with a win against the Golden Eagles yesterday. Temple (4-3), Connecticut (3-4) and Vanderbilt (3-4) also remain in contention. Other notable head-to-head tiebreakers include the Pioneers over the Huskies, MU over Temple and Vandy, the Owls over the Commodores and Denver, and UConn over Temple.
Nolan Makes History
Connecticut senior attacker Grace Nolan broke the BIG EAST career points record yesterday at Georgetown after totaling eight goals and two assists for her third double-digit points outing in the last seven games. Nolan entered the day five points shy of Katie Rowan’s BIG EAST record of 134 points, set between 2006-09 at Syracuse. She matched that mark with 18:04 left in regulation before tacking on four more goals and an assist to cruise by Rowan’s mark. With two BIG EAST games remaining, Nolan is just five goals shy of breaking Grace Gavin’s career mark of 94, set between 2008-11 at Loyola (Md.), while her 50 career dishes rank fifth all-time in league history.
Important Weekend Ahead
In what could be a preview of the 2018 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship presented by Jeep, the top four teams in the standings go head-to-head this weekend, beginning at noon ET when Marquette travels to No. 23/RV Georgetown. A win for the Hoyas would lock up a top-two seed in the conference tournament, while a Golden Eagles victory would give MU pivotal tiebreakers over Temple and GU, two teams which Marquette could end the season locked up with and jockeying for postseason berths against. MU-GU will stream live from Washington, D.C., on the BIG EAST Digital Network. No. 6/9 Florida will clinch at least a share of the regular-season title with a win at -/RV Denver on Saturday, which is set for a 2 p.m. start. The Gators have already punched their postseason ticket, while a win for the Pioneers would keep them ahead of Temple, which owns the tiebreaker over Denver. The Owls are currently on the outside looking in as they sit in fifth place in the standings, but a win at Villanova on Saturday (1 p.m. on FOX College Sports Atlantic) could keep Temple within striking distance of Marquette and Denver. The true elimination game is Sunday at noon when Vanderbilt travels to UConn. The loser of that game can finish no higher than fifth in the standings.
Weekly Schedule/Results
Wednesday
6/9 Florida 20, Cincinnati 4*
Villanova 20, Butler 4*^
Temple 10, Vanderbilt 5*
23/RV Georgetown 15, UConn 14*#
-/RV Denver 17, Marquette 11*
Saturday
Marquette at 23/RV Georgetown, Noon*^
Temple at Villanova, 1 p.m.*#
6/9 Florida at -/RV Denver, 2 p.m.*
Cincinnati at Butler, 2 p.m.*
Sunday
Vanderbilt at UConn, Noon*
All times Eastern
*BIG EAST contest
^BEDN
#FOX College Sports Atlantic